Pope Leo XIV Meets with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership of Chicago who Advocate for ICE Detainees

CSPL Clergy Council Member and Executive Director Meet Pope Leo XIV

Last Thursday, CSPL’s Executive Director, Michael Okińczyc-Cruz, and Fr. Juan Vargas, associate pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary parish, and member of the CSPL Clergy Council, who has been part of CSPL’s delegations bringing pastoral care to the Broadview ICE facility, joined the mayoral delegation from Chicago to the Vatican—described here in the Chicago SunTimes.

The Pope addressed the group and spoke fondly of Chicago.

During a one-on-one exchange with Michael, the pope expressed words of affirmation about CSPL's work, and mentioned that he had recently read in the news about the legal agreement we reached with DHS.

Michael said of his experience that, “When the pope speaks about violence or genocide and hunger and poverty and exploitation, he’s not speaking on these matters from a partisan political perspective. He’s speaking from the perspective of being a pastor and a follower of Jesus Christ and the pope of the Catholic Church…. That’s what carries so much weight for those who are Catholic but also for those who are not Catholic. These values resonate deeply, and that also shines through.”

As part of the exchange, CSPL members gifted Pope Leo a framed photo of the Eucharistic procession signed by families impacted by detention and CSPL members, and a silver dove necklace representing peace. Pope Leo also blessed some CSPL items, including handmade stoles made by an immigrant member that will be used during pastoral visits of Broadview.

Fr. Juan told the pope, “When I preach from the ambo at mass, to hear your voice proclaim and in a way shout, even though you’re not physically shouting, what the gospel’s inviting us to, it really encourages me to also continue to bring that to light.”

We thank Pope Leo XIV for his prophetic and pastoral leadership. This encounter with him was an honor and a blessing made possible by the grassroots work of the CSPL community.

We want to extend our deep gratitude to Mayor Johnson and his office for inviting CSPL to join this historic visit.

We look forward to seeing you all at Congress!
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