The employees at Aurelio's Pizza in Homewood, Illinois, had extra reason to cheer last Thursday afternoon: Not only was there a new pope and a new leader of the Catholic Church, but it was someone they knew.
The new Pope is a local to the area, growing up in Dolton, Illinois, but he had also paid a visit to their pizza shop as recently as August 2024. During that visit, he took the time to pose for a photo with friends.
“All the employees went crazy," Joe Aurelio, the president and CEO of Aurelio's, explained to WGN Channel 9 News. "They started texting and calling me, ‘Can you believe it? He was just here a few months ago.’”
Aurelio spoke hopefully about the Chicago-born pope, telling Australian news organization 9 News that he hopes that the new pope is able to revitalize the Catholic Church in the United States.
Aurelio's is a pizza chain, with locations throughout the United States but mostly in Illinois. The original, flagship location is in Homewood, Illinois, and opened in 1959.
Last August, the future pope ordered a pepperoni pie, which Aurelio has now renamed "POPEroni."
He has trademarked "Poperoni" as well. Customers can ask to sit at the "pope's table," complete with an ornate, high-backed "pope's seat," said Aurelio.
According to the manager, their phone is ringing off the hook with locals lining up to make reservations for a chance to sit in it!
