Thousands went to the first American pope’s old haunt on the South Side to hear a message from the man they once knew as Robert Francis Prevost.

Pope Leo XIV will make a virtual appearance in his hometown Saturday in his first address to U.S. audiences since he was elected pope.

“So many people who suffer from different experiences of depression or sadness — they can discover that the love of God is truly healing, that it brings hope,” the first American pope said in a video broadcast on the jumbotron at the White Sox baseball stadium in Chicago.

The pope urged Catholic faithful to be a "light of hope," to serve others, and to make the world a better place.

In a recorded message from the Vatican prepared exclusively for the audience at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, Pope Leo XIV delivered a message of hope.

Thousands of faithful Catholics gathered at Rate Field on Saturday to celebrate Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV. "I'm just appalled," one person fumed. "Repulsed." "No one from the Government has contacted us to ask, ‘Can we do anything to help?’ ” said Yasmine Hassan, whose sister-in-law was on the flight

Recognize that God is present,” he said in a recorded video to a crowd gathered at the home stadium of the White Sox.

Pope Leo spoke for about seven minutes during the event, organized by the Chicago archdiocese and broadcast at Rate Field in Chicago, his hometown.

There is no evidence Pope Leo XIV publicly said the quote in question. A Google search of the words " Pope Leo 'you cannot follow both Christ and the cruelty of kings' " revealed only social media posts featuring the graphic above or attributing the quote to Pope Leo XIV without any evidence.

Carlo Acutis was 15 when he died in northern Italy in 2006, after a short bout with leukemia. The pope announced Friday he'll be canonized in September.