Brandon Johnson Meets Pope Leo XIV at Vatican, Invites Him to Chicago in 2027

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 28, and Johnson said the meeting was their first since Johnson took office in 2023.

“CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson met with Pope Leo XIV Thursday and invited him to visit Chicago in 2027”

ABC7 Chicago

Johnson used the audience to formally invite the pontiff to visit his native city, Chicago, and he told journalists that “I think the popeʼs encyclical is a call to action for the entire planet.”

ABC7 Chicago

In remarks after the meeting, Johnson said the two discussed the policies of the United States government under President Donald Trump, including immigration and the Iran conflict.

Johnson also said the pope wanted to know “how ICE impacted our city and whether there were still examples of ICE raids happening in our city,” and Johnson described how his “rapid response team came together to support families.”

Johnson said he and Pope Leo discussed Trump’s actions in Iran, and he described Trump to journalists as a “tyrant” and a “disgrace” for involving the United States in the Israel-Iran conflict.

Johnson also said the pope’s first encyclical, presented on May 25 at the Vatican, included an apology for the Church’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and Johnson praised the pope for that apology.

Block Club Chicago

In Johnson’s account of the discussion, he said, “We talked about the conditions that the long legacy of slavery and disinvestment has had on Black Americans and Black people around the world.”

The meeting also included Yusef Jackson, the son of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who praised Leo for using the “color of his title” and said, “He is a pope that I agree with.”

Johnson presented Pope Leo with an official letter inviting him to visit Chicago and offer Mass at Grant Park, and Johnson said, “We are going to remain hopeful.”

“The following is the complete Chicago delegation now in Rome as Mayor Brandon Johnson meets with Pope Leo XIV, as provided by World Business Chicago”

CBS News

In the same context, Johnson said the invitation would be the pope’s decision based on his schedule, and he described Chicago as a place where “Some of the greatest voices for justice come from the city of Chicago.”

WBEZ Chicago described Johnson’s account of the meeting as a “real exchange” with Pope Leo about how the legacy of slavery has had “a devastating impact on our globe,” and it said the discussion also covered reparations and affordability.

NBC 5 Chicago reported that Johnson’s delegation included nearly 50 people and that Johnson personally gave Pope Leo a Key to the City of Chicago and an invitation to return home to deliver mass in the city’s Grant Park.