Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to Meet Pope Leo XIV at Vatican
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will travel to Rome and Vatican City later this month to meet Pope Leo XIV, the mayor’s office confirmed Wednesday. The trip, scheduled for May 26 through May 30, will be funded and led by World Business Chicago, the city’s economic development agency.
“I’m just elated that the Pope is from Chicago. 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,” Johnson said in a statement.
The visit comes as Johnson prepares to mark his third anniversary in office on May 15. In a one-on-one interview with ABC7 Chicago, the mayor described the job as “one of the joys of my life” despite what he called “headwinds coming from the federal government.” He added: “We’re so proud, as a city, as a nation, that Pope Leo has his roots right here in this beloved city. I’m looking forward to engaging with him … about how pleased and how grateful I am for him standing up for our humanity as we have worked to stand up against the tyranny that’s coming from the federal government.”
Key Details of the Vatican Trip
Johnson will travel with a small group of senior staffers. World Business Chicago, a public-private partnership focused on economic development, will cover all expenses. The trip comes roughly six months after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and first lady MK Pritzker met Pope Leo at the Vatican in November 2025. Pritzker called the meeting “an honor” and praised the pontiff’s “message of hope, compassion, unity, and peace.”
The mayor remained evasive about his reelection plans, despite frequently joking about serving longer than either Mayor Daley. “I have not thought about my political future,” Johnson said. “Our work is not done. There’s still one more year left in my term. That’s where my focus has to be.” He brushed off potential challengers, saying they were the same people who believed his election “would lead to the breakup of this great city, and that just has not been the case.”
Who Is Pope Leo XIV?
Pope Leo XIV — born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago and raised in south suburban Dolton — became the first American to lead the Catholic Church after his election in May 2025, marking roughly one year as pontiff. He graduated from Villanova University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics before entering religious life and studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Prevost served for many years with the Augustinian mission in Peru, including work in Chulucanas and Trujillo, where he led an Augustinian seminary and taught canon law. He returned to Chicago and in 1999 was elected provincial prior of the Augustinians’ “Mother of Good Counsel” province. Before becoming pope, he twice served as prior general of the Augustinians worldwide. Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in 2014, where he was later named bishop.
Since his election, Pope Leo has spoken in support of migrants and immigrant communities in the United States, often embracing nods to his Chicago roots. The mayor’s planned agenda aligns with these themes, focusing on voting rights, immigrant protections, and workers’ rights.
Vatican Faces Internal Challenges
While Johnson prepares for a high-profile meeting, the Vatican under Pope Leo is also navigating internal Church tensions. On Wednesday, the Vatican’s head of discipline, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, warned members of the ultra-traditionalist Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) that their plans to ordain new bishops without papal approval in July would constitute “a schismatic act” and a “grave offense against God,” potentially triggering automatic excommunication.
The FSSPX, founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to many reforms of the Second Vatican Council — including the wider use of vernacular languages in Mass instead of Latin — has had a fractured relationship with Rome since 1988, when Lefebvre consecrated bishops without papal approval. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre in an effort at reconciliation, though the society still lacks canonical status in the Catholic Church.
“The Pope wished to explicitly confirm his desire to continue praying that this new schismatic act may be avoided,” the Vatican statement added.
New Bishop Appointment in Florida
On the same day, Pope Leo accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank Dewane, 76, of the Diocese of Venice, Florida, and appointed Reverend Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap., as bishop-elect. Father Biosca, a Capuchin Franciscan, has served as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and Cuba and currently pastors the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest in 1994 and speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin.
Broader Implications of the Chicago-Vatican Connection
The mayor’s visit underscores a unique political and cultural bond between a major U.S. city and the papacy. Pope Leo’s Chicago upbringing offers Johnson — and other Illinois leaders — a direct line to the Vatican that few other mayors or governors can claim. The mayor’s focus on shared values of immigration, labor, and voting rights echoes the pope’s public stances and could amplify both figures’ messages on the national and international stage.
At home, Johnson faces a politically divided city and state, with potential challengers circling and a reelection decision looming. The Vatican trip provides a diplomatic stage that may boost his standing among Catholic and progressive constituencies alike. It also highlights the increasing intersection of municipal politics and global religious leadership, especially as the Trump administration continues to clash with so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Meanwhile, Pope Leo’s early papacy has been marked by a mix of continuity with Pope Francis’s emphasis on social justice — particularly on immigration — and firm enforcement of Church discipline, as seen in the FSSPX warning. The appointment of a missionary bishop in Florida reflects his global perspective and focus on diverse communities.
As the mayor prepares to board his flight to Rome, the meeting between the two Chicagoans will be watched closely for signals about both the future of the city and the direction of the Catholic Church under its first American pope.
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