Kelly and Gary DeStefano, newlyweds from Haverhill, made headlines after presenting White Sox hats to Pope Leo XIV during a special papal blessing. Despite their loyalty to the Red Sox, they embraced the humorous gesture that drew laughter from the pope. Their trip to receive the blessing, which they believed was lost after Pope Francis' passing, turned into a memorable encounter with the first American pope. Kelly expressed amazement at his charisma and multilingual abilities, describing the experience as both a dream and an honor.
"I just wanted to make sure everyone at home knew that we did not turn on our team. It was all in joke and good fun."
"Going to the audience was a dream of ours...to have the first American pope, it was like a goal to get here."
"You're going to get in trouble for this," the pope says, after the couple say they're from Boston.
"He is so down to earth...I can't believe how well spoken he is, and I heard him speaking in Spanish, Italian. He's amazing."
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