People had to make a double take after noticing a’surreal’ feature on Pope Leo’s clothing while he performed Holy Mass over the weekend.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, was ushered into his new role on May 8, adopting the name Pope Leo XIV.
During his first few weeks as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with hostages released and humanitarian aid delivered, while welcoming India and Pakistan’s ceasefire agreement.
While Pope Leo donned his customary clothes to the mass, several fans noticed the 69-year-old was also wearing an Apple Watch.
I mean, this is relatively standard apparel for a lot of people, but there’s something about the pope wearing a fitness watch that makes people laugh.
“Him wearing Apple Watch gets me every time,” one person wrote on Twitter.
A second added: “The Pontiff wearing an Apple Watch is a really surreal image,” while a third remarked: “The Apple Watch is so funny.”
It’s not the first time social media users have caught the pope wearing a technological device, with followers seeing the Apple Watch shortly after Pope Leo was elected.
9to5Mac shared a photo of freshly elected Pope Leo XIV on Instagram, where a smartwatch could be seen.
“Newly elected Pope Leo XIV is making buzz in the tech and watch communities after being seen wearing an Apple Watch during his first official mass,” the caption read.
“It’s not clear which model this is. Any guesses?”
The post was quickly reposted by an Apple news outlet, prompting many to realize it was an Apple Watch.
And it looks that the pope has been a fan of Apple products for quite some time, as one Reddit user discovered a photo of the pope blessing a parishioner a few years back while wearing an Apple watch.
“During his first Holy Mass, Pope Leo XIV sported an Apple Watch, which he had worn previously before being elected a Cardinal,” according to the blog.
