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We were all burned by the AI<\/a>-generated prank images of Pope Francis<\/a> in a puffer jacket<\/a>, but this time, the papal street style is real. In a set of photos that’s sweeping the internet, Pope Leo was well and truly seen in a pair of Nike sneakers, paired with his traditional, priestly robes.<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV in 2026<\/p>\n <\/span>Vatican Pool\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The suddenly ubiquitous images<\/a> have been taken from Leone a Roma<\/em><\/a>, a Vatican-produced documentary about the Chicago-born pope<\/a>‘s years in Rome before his ascension<\/a> to the Catholic church’s highest role, which happened almost a year ago today.<\/p>\n The pontiff’s casual footwear choices, therefore, do not appear to be a secret preference: Though the rules imposed by the church in terms of priestly clothing respect tradition and formality, a film planned for distribution on Vatican media channels was certainly scrutinized for any impropriety. That it’s public news that Pope Leo shared a shoe brand with Michael Jordan<\/a>, Serena Williams<\/a>, and Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> is hardly an accident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n