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Mayor Brandon Johnson arrived at the Vatican Thursday for his private meeting with Pope Leo XIV scheduled for this afternoon local time in Italy.
Johnson was wearing a black suit, black tie, white shirt and a Chicago flag pin. He’s in Rome with a 45-member delegation of Chicago officials and business leaders. It’s unclear how long the meeting will last.
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), part of the delegation, said of the visit, “It should be great for our city, great for a lot of folks who need hope… And I believe that Pope Leo would provide the hope that people need to see.”
Ervin, who brought a T-shirt reading “God Bless the West Side,” said he would love to see the pope come to Chicago. “I want him to come to the West Side. We have one of the oldest basilicas in the city, Our Lady of Sorrows. So I want him to come to the West Side of Chicago, to Garfield Park and be a blessing to the people of the West Side.”
Restaurateur Phil Stefani, who was riding in the front passenger seat of one of the half dozen or more black vans entering the location of the papal audience, said he was looking forward to the conversation with Leo today. He’s met the pope before because he and fellow restaurateur Art Smith are working on a project at Borgo Laudato Si’, part of a historic papal retreat.