‘Optimistic’ about a papal visit: Pritzker meets Pope Leo XIV in Rome and extends invite to Chicago

A private meeting between Gov. JB Pritzker and Pope Leo XIV in Rome is raising hopes that the suburban native will return to Chicago for a visit.

Pritzker and his wife, MK, spent time with the pontiff at Vatican City Wednesday morning, representing state residents and “the millions of Catholics who call Illinois their home,” officials said.

“It was an honor for MK and me to meet with @Pontifex — a son of Illinois — to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state,” Pritzker said in a statement.

“Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity, and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions.”

Also, “I didn’t just ask him about coming to Chicago, I delivered him an invitation,” Pritzker told NBC 5. “We are prepared to receive him, there’s a level of excitement that he can only imagine. And he was optimistic.”

The first American pope and Chicago White Sox fan was born Robert Prevost at Mercy Hospital on the South Side and raised in Dolton.

The Pritzkers presented Pope Leo with artwork from an incarcerated woman at Logan Correctional Facility, along with books about President Lincoln and the history of the governor’s mansion.

The pope also received a pack of “Da Pope,” a mild American ale crafted by Burning Bush Breweries in Chicago.

“You can feel his humanity,” Pritzker told NBC. “It was a special moment, even for this Jewish boy.”

The last papal visit to the city was in October 1979, when Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass before thousands of worshippers in Grant Park.

Pope Leo has spoken out against the mistreatment of immigrants during raids by federal agents, including a crackdown in Chicago. On Tuesday, he supported a recent U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops message that criticized mass deportations and the fear it’s caused in immigrant neighborhoods.

“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least — and there’s been some violence unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said,” the pope noted.

Pritzker told NBC the two discussed the situation and “he certainly feels strongly about this, and he wanted to hear my views.”