Pope Leo XIV Met with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Received a Special Invitation to Visit his Home Town!


 Pope Leo XIV met with Mayor Brandon Johnson, with about 45 other influential people from Chicago, at 4 pm. on May 28, 2026. Mayor Johnson hand delivered a special invitation (See full text at bottom) to the pope inviting him to visit his home town! According to the Chicago-Sun-Times the pope was gifted a box of unique Chicago gifts by the mayor including a key to the city, caps and jerseys from both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox Teams, his parents' diplomas, local honey, and other items. 

On the pope's apology for the Slave Trade In the following press conference, the mayor said, “We talked about ... the conditions that the long legacy of slavery and disinvestment has had on Black America, [and] Black people around the globe. I engaged in a conversation with him around reparations and why it’s important to repair the harm that has been caused by the brutal legacy of slavery,” Johnson continued. “We exchanged appreciation for our stances in this moment, to speak to the most vulnerable, to talk to him about affordability … and again, continuing to use his pulpit as I will use my pen, to bring justice to … humanity.”

The late Rev. Jesse Jackson's son Yusef Jackson’s was part of the delegation for his second papal audience — his first was back in 1983 when his father, brought him along on a visit with Pope John Paul II. Jackson, 55, took over as CEO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition after his father’s death in February.  Yusef Jackson spoke to reporters at American University in Rome about the meeting with Pope Leo XIV; Jackson, praised the pontiff for his encyclical on artificial intelligence released earlier this week that also contained an historic apology for the Roman Catholic Church’s complicity in the transatlantic slave trade. “To make that historical apology on behalf of that church is something you can only be grateful to God for him to do … as a departure from the legacy that had been before him,” said Jackson, who asked Leo to bless his late father’s Rainbow PUSH enamel lapel pin during their brief meeting Thursday. “So, now I’ll never take off my Rainbow PUSH pin,” he said, touching the pin affixed to his left suit lapel.

(Full Press Conference of Mayor Johnson Following the Meeting)


The mayor, in the letter of invitation, recalled Pope John Paul II's visit to Chicago: October 5, 1979, is forever remembered as the most spiritually inspiring day in Chicago history. Pope John Paul II’s visit to Chicago and the Holy Mass he officiated in Grant Park was an event so powerful, it drew more than a million of the faithful to share in the Gospel.

Pope Leo XIV at birth Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, at Mercy Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on the city's South Side.

In a press conference before his visit the mayor said: Whether it's in calling for peace in a time of forever wars, or emphasizing the dignity of the laborer and the essence of humanity's immutable characteristics in a market reorganizing itself toward the interests of artificial intelligence, I agree with many of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV's sagacious declarations and I look forward to exploring how we can use our respective authorities to advance justice both in Chicago and around the world. 

FULL TEXT Letter of Invitation - by MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON

May 28, 2026

Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV,

October 5, 1979, is forever remembered as the most spiritually inspiring day in Chicago history. Pope John Paul II’s visit to Chicago and the Holy Mass he officiated in Grant Park was an event so powerful, it drew more than a million of the faithful to share in the Gospel.

Beyond the confines of Grant Park, the Pope’s visit brought families from all walks of life to their porch steps to witness his motorcade as it wound through Chicago’s neighborhoods — communities built on hope, faith and hard work. Families wrote messages on bedsheets and strung them outside their windows. In Pilsen, where the Pope addressed the crowds in Spanish, one priest recalled: "What we saw when he arrived was something I won’t forget. He was a human being. His cassock was wrinkled. There was no golden aura, no clouds to surround him. When he looked at me, I saw a serene face filled with confidence, and I found myself practically crying."

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.

On behalf of the people of Chicago, I write with profound respect and humility to invite you to visit your hometown in 2027 and officiate Holy Mass in Grant Park. Your witness to mercy, unity, peace and human dignity would offer tremendous hope to our city and beyond.

For generations, Catholics in Chicago have built churches, schools, hospitals and ministries that continue to serve millions of people across our region. Chicago is home to one of the nation's largest Catholic populations. It remains a place where the Church’s mission is lived each day through service to the disenfranchised, the sick and vulnerable, and those searching for belonging.

As the son of a pastor growing up in Elgin, my family participated in morning prayers at 5:30 a.m. every day and joined in regular Bible study. My personal faith is not a sporadic calling. It is the centerpiece of my life’s purpose. It would be my deepest honor to welcome you back to your childhood home; I humbly invite you to 'elige' Chicago.

With deepest gratitude and appreciation,

[Signature]

Brandon Johnson Mayor of Chicago

cc: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich

Source - https://www.wbez.org/religion/2026/05/28/mayor-brandon-johnson-pope-leo-vatican-visit-meeting


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