Chicago mayor to meet Pope Leo XIV during Vatican visit

CHICAGO - Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to meet Pope Leo XIV later this month during a trip to the Vatican, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.

Chicago mayor and Pope Leo to chat in Rome

The spokesperson confirmed Johnson’s trip will take place from May 26 to May 30, and that World Business Chicago is covering the expenses associated with the visit.

"I’m just elated that the Pope is from Chicago," the mayor said in a statement.

"I think we’re going to talk about the values we share — protecting voting rights, protecting immigrant rights, and protecting workers’ rights. He’s been very clear and consistent on those issues, and I’m looking forward to that conversation."

The meeting would mark another high-profile visit between Illinois leaders and the Chicago-born pope, who became the first American to lead the Catholic Church after his election in May 2025.

Johnson’s planned visit comes about six months after Gov. JB Pritzker and first lady MK Pritzker met Pope Leo at the Vatican in November 2025.

"It was an honor for MK and me to meet with Pope Leo XIV – a son of Illinois – to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state," Pritzker wrote in a social media post at the time. "Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity, and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions."

The backstory:

Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago and raised in south suburban Dolton.

He graduated from Villanova University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics before entering religious life and later studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Prevost spent years serving with the Augustinian mission in Peru, including work in Chulucanas and Trujillo, where he led an Augustinian seminary and taught canon law.

He later returned to Chicago and, in 1999, was elected provincial prior of the Augustinians’ "Mother of Good Counsel" province.

Before becoming pope, Prevost twice served as prior general of the Augustinians, the worldwide religious order founded by St. Augustine. Pope Francis later appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in 2014, where he was later named bishop.

What they're saying:

Since becoming pope, Leo has spoken in support of migrants and immigrant communities in the United States.

The Chicago native has also embraced nods to his hometown roots. Since taking over leadership of the Church, he has received Illinois-related gifts from visitors, including a White Sox hat, a "Da Pope" shirt and a custom ping pong table.