Steelers’ Terrible Towel steals the show during the first appearance of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are everywhere, including in Vatican City. When American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, a bright yellow rally towel was spotted in the crowd. And CBS New's Tony Dokoupil reported that one Steelers fan actually brought her Terrible Towel to the Vatican. "There are also items that people want blessed," Dokoupil said. […]
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are everywhere, including in Vatican City.
When American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, a bright yellow rally towel was spotted in the crowd.
And CBS New's Tony Dokoupil reported that one Steelers fan actually brought her Terrible Towel to the Vatican.
"There are also items that people want blessed," Dokoupil said. ""There was even a woman from Pittsburgh who had, if you're a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, the Terrible Towel, the yellow towel they wave at football games. She held that up and wanted a picture."
And she wasn't even the only one. Another Terrible Towel was spotted in the crowd.
The Terrible Towel tradition began in December 1975 and was created by Steelers color broadcaster Myron Cope, with it immediately becoming a symbol for Pittsburgh fans.
Fans have been known to take it all over the world, making sure the fandom spreads everywhere. But the Vatican has to be one of the most iconic locations for the Terrible Towel.
The only thing that would make this better is if Pope Leo XIV was from Pittsburgh, but instead he grew up in Chicago, which most likely makes him a Bears fan. However, he did earn his bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, so there's one connection to Pennsylvania.
