Pope Leo XIV blessed an autograph collector with his holy John Hancock ... signing a baseball that's now expected to bring in thousands of dollars at auction.
The head of the Catholic Church signed a ball for Randy L. Kaplan -- a signature hawk who has spent the last few decades collecting signatures of world leaders and other prominent figures on baseballs.
Kaplan sent the Pope -- a noted Chicago White Sox fan who actually attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series -- two White Sox caps .