Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Chicago in 2027 and officiate Mass in Grant Park during a private audience at the Vatican on May 28, 2026. Johnson presented the pontiff with a formal invitation letter and a key to the city during the meeting.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in 1955 in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, grew up in suburban Dolton and attended Mass and elementary school at St. Mary of the Assumption. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park and taught in local Catholic schools. Chicago is home to one of the largest Catholic populations in the United States.

In his May 28 letter, Johnson recalled Pope John Paul II’s 1979 Mass in Grant Park as “forever remembered as the most spiritually inspiring day in Chicago history.” He added, “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.”

Johnson’s delegation to Rome included 50 people, comprising city officials, business leaders, faith leaders, and union representatives. The group presented Pope Leo XIV with multiple gifts, including a Chicago Cubs jersey, White Sox hats, Frango mints, honey from the Chicago Cultural Center roof, and letters from parishioners and families of detained immigrants.

Among the gifts was a jar of Partanna Extra Virgin Hot Giardiniera from J.P. Graziano, a Chicago grocer located at 901 W. Randolph St. since 1937. Jim Graziano, the store’s owner, said: “Your Holiness, please enjoy a taste of real Chicago.”

Johnson wrote in his letter: “My personal faith is not a sporadic calling. It is the centerpiece of my life’s purpose.” He concluded with: “It would be my deepest honor to welcome you back to your childhood home; I humbly invite you to ‘elige’ Chicago.”