Peyton Manning sent Pope Leo XIV and his assistant hand-written letters asking “His Holiness” to be a guest on ESPN’s “ManningCast” during the Bears-Vikings game on Monday night.

During the third quarter at Soldier Field, Manning explained that he failed to book Pope Leo, who is a Chicago native, as one of the four guests on the show, which he co-hosts with his brother, Eli Manning.

“Kind of like when I failed to recruit Randy Moss to Tennessee, I couldn’t close the Pope,” Peyton said, referring to his playing days with the Volunteers. “But I made the effort, Eli. And that’s the kind of effort we make here at ESPN2.

Peyton Manning really handwrote a note to The Pope to try to get him on the ManningCast. pic.twitter.com/TivoZF8lT4 — Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 9, 2025

“I

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