Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in a private audience on May 28, 2026, leading a delegation of about 50 Chicago officials including political, spiritual, and business leaders [1, 2]. The delegation included prominent figures such as George Floyd family lawyer Antonio Romanucci, multiple Chicago aldermen, Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates, and United Airlines director Kristopher Anderson [2].
During the meeting, the Pope asked Johnson first about the condition of Chicago [1]. Johnson praised Pope Leo as a powerful ally on social justice, migration, and reparations, noting shared Chicago roots and aligned progressive priorities [1]. He said, "First of all, I thanked him for his courage," referencing the Pope’s moral stance against wars, including a recent Chicago City Council vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages [1].
Johnson highlighted that the Pope apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery, which the mayor said affirmed Chicago’s ongoing reparations efforts and task force addressing the legacy of slavery [1]. Johnson brought letters from families of detained immigrants and political pins related to immigration and sanctuary city policies as gifts for the Pope [2]. He also presented Pope Leo with a key to Chicago and invited him to visit the city and officiate Holy Mass in Grant Park in 2027 [2]. Johnson recalled the historic Mass celebrated in Grant Park in 1979 by Pope John Paul II, saying, "Your Holiness, you were a young priest-in-training at the time. Perhaps you were there. Perhaps you would consider a repeat Papal visit nearly 50 years later to share your own message of hope, unity and service." [2]
The mayor also gifted the Pope a Chicago Cubs hat, which Pope Leo declined to wear jokingly [2]. Johnson described the visit as an effort to position Chicago within an international human rights push, leveraging the Pope’s global influence [1].
The meeting marked both a symbolic and practical effort to strengthen Chicago’s ties to the Vatican and amplify shared commitments to social justice and human rights. The planned Papal Mass in Grant Park for 2027 remains a key upcoming event following the meeting [2].
