A catch with the pontiff: Suburban promoter Ron Onesti gifts Pope Leo softball at Vatican

Music promoter and softball fan Ron Onesti had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter during a two-day visit to Rome, Italy last week as a part of a delegation representing Italian American organizations.

He met Pope Leo XIV — the Chicago-born, Dolton-raised Bishop of Rome formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost — and gifted him a 16-inch softball, the same kind Leo played with as a boy.

“I wanted to do something special,” said Onesti. “I couldn't bring an Italian beef, a hot dog or a slice of pizza.”

When he saw the ball, the Pope's face lit up with a smile that stretched from cheek to cheek, Onesti recalled.

“I'm looking for a third baseman,” he quipped.

The Holy Father declined the offer, but kept the ball Onesti tossed him.

“I'm probably the only person on the planet who played catch with the Pope,” Onesti said with a laugh, adding, “I have a feeling there will be late-night sandlot games in St. Peter's Square.”

The trip was one of many Onesti has made to Italy in his capacity as president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and leader of similar civic organizations. The delegation's goal, he said, is to promote cultural awareness and cooperation between the Vatican and Italian American organizations in the Midwest.

According to him, Pope Leo was walking past him and his colleagues when Onesti spoke up.

“I have a gift from Chicago,” Onesti called out.

The Pope made a beeline to him. What happened next still amazes Onesti.

“Here I am patting him on the back and tossing a softball,” said the entrepreneur who operates the Des Plaines Theatre and the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.

It all happened so quickly, recalled Onesti, who felt “overwhelmed with emotion” following the exchange, which marked his second encounter with a pontiff.

“I was blessed to meet the last pope,” said Onesti, who described Pope Francis, who died in 2025, as a warmhearted person.

The year was 2024 and Onesti was in Rome to meet with Vatican officials about “increasing the dialogue between the Italian American community and the Vatican community.”

“I asked him about how it was being pope during challenging times,” said Onesti, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He said, ‘Please pray for me. This is a difficult job,'” Onesti said.

bvitello@dailyherald.com