Pope Leo XIV added an unlikely footnote to papal history this month when he blessed a Pokémon card and autographed a second copy for a Danish pilgrim who produced the trading card during a July 5 audience at the Vatican.
What Happened: Reddit user "ReptileCake," told Polygon he handed the pontiff a reverse-holographic Popplio, quipping, "It's a Popplio — it sounds like Pope Leo!"
"The Pope laughed, then began showing it off to the guards," the visitor said, before asking, "Can you sign a copy for me?" and hearing the Pope reply, "Of course!"
Images first posted on PokémonTCG migrated to gaming sites, Catholic social feeds, and outlets such as Sports Illustrated and Spain's MeriStation, making Leo XIV the first pontiff known to autograph a Pokémon card. Kotaku hailed the moment as "Holy Holo!" while PC Gamer reported the 69-year-old pontiff "thought it was all a great laugh."
Fans are debating whether the Popplio card blessed by the Pope qualifies as a third-class relic — a category the Vatican has yet to define. The owner vows to keep the card forever and never sell it. "That's worth more than any monetary value can satisfy," he notes.
Why It Matters: The stunt arrives amid a hot market for collectibles. A sealed 1999 first-edition Pokémon box fetched $375,000 in 2020, part of a surge that has driven vintage prices skyward. Even so, ReptileCake refuses to send the Popplio to grading services. "I don't want to grade it, it's just a funny joke his Holiness indulged in," he tells Polygon.
Pope Leo XIV was selected to lead the church in May this year after the death of Pope Francis in late April. Born Robert Francis Prevost, he described artificial intelligence as a transformative force in his first formal address to cardinals and even likened its impact to that of the Industrial Revolution.
Photo Courtesy: Veronica Winters on Shutterstock.com
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