5 days ago
Brandon Johnson, nan Chicago mayor, formed Pope Leo XIV arsenic a powerful world state connected societal justice, migration and reparations aft gathering nan Chicago-born pontiff astatine nan Vatican, saying their shared roots and priorities could thief amplify efforts to protect susceptible communities.
“We are incredibly elated and proud of him,” Johnson told nan Associated Press successful an question and reply connected Friday, a time aft nan gathering pinch nan American pope successful a backstage audience.
The politician said it was comforting to cognize that personification who comes from nan metropolis of Chicago “can speak to justice” and take sides “the astir susceptible among us”.
Johnson, a first-term progressive Democrat starring nan third-largest US city, traveled to Rome pinch a delegation of astir 50 section officials. He is simply a starring professional of Donald Trump and has applauded nan pope for pushing backmost against nan warfare successful Iran and nan US president’s immigration policies.
According to Johnson, nan first point Pope Leo asked him was: “How’s Chicago?”
“I was capable to opportunity that Chicago is beardown and that we are transforming … He gave, I think, a awesome benignant of pastoral nod, a pleasance to perceive nan unthinkable advancement that … we’ve made,” nan politician said successful a property conference.
“First of all, I thanked him for his courage,” Johnson said, adding: “I thanked him for his civilized stance against these endless wars, and surely talked astir nan ballot that I took successful metropolis assembly a mates of years ago, calling for a ceasefire [in Gaza] and nan releasing of hostages and our continuous stance connected ending these forbidden wars. We besides talked astir conscionable elevating nan consciousness of nan conditions that galore group are surviving through, whether that’s successful Chicago aliases Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba.”
He noted nan gathering underscored areas of alignment betwixt Chicago’s argumentation schedule and nan pope’s accent connected societal justice, peculiarly connected nan bequest of slavery and nan curen of migrants.
Johnson said nan pontiff’s apology for nan Catholic church’s domiciled successful slavery reinforced his administration’s push for reparations, including efforts to money a task unit examining nan lasting effect connected Black Americans.
“The truth that nan pope made a very clear declaration apologizing for nan church’s domiciled successful slavery … is an affirmation to nan activity that we’re doing,” he said.
Johnson stressed nan sojourn reflects an effort to position Chicago wrong a broader world push for quality rights, pinch nan pope’s world power lending weight to nan city’s schedule connected justice, migration and reparative policies – and perchance extending that connection good beyond nan US.
Migration was besides cardinal to their discussion. Johnson said Pope Leo asked straight astir conditions successful Chicago pursuing a US migration crackdown and efforts to deport migrants.
“He wanted to cognize nan conditions connected nan crushed successful Chicago … really we were responding,” Johnson said, adding nan pontiff was alert of “the wide effort to deport immigrants from nan metropolis of Chicago and really astir nan country”.
Last year, Johnson signed an executive bid directing the metropolis to defy Trump’s migration raids, including ordering each metropolis departments to defender nan law authorities of Chicago residents “amidst nan anticipation of imminent militarized migration aliases nationalist defender deployment by nan national government”.
Among nan gifts brought to nan pope were letters from families of detained immigrants, a Southwest organization ICE watch pin, arsenic good arsenic an “Immigrants Make America Greater” chapeau from nan Chicago sister cities world program, nan Chicago Tribune reported.
Other gifts presented to nan pontiff – a notable White Sox instrumentality – included a White Sox chapeau adorned pinch nan Italian flag, his parents’ diplomas from DePaul University, a Pope Leo Cubs jersey, and a scope of memorabilia from organization organizations and acquisition institutions passim nan city.
Since being elected past May, Pope Leo has gained wide backing crossed nan US peculiarly because of his refusal to acquiesce to nan Trump management and his disapproval of nan US-Israel warfare connected Iran, which he said was being fueled by a “delusion of omnipotence”.
Trump, meanwhile, has personally attacked nan pontiff, describing him arsenic “weak connected crime and unspeakable for overseas policy” earlier this year. Pope Leo dismissed nan remarks, responding: “I’m not acrophobic of nan Trump administration.”
In nan aftermath of these exchanges, nan pope has won complete galore Americans – Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who person hailed him arsenic a “breath of caller air”.
Earlier this week, Pope Leo utilized his first encyclical – a awesome papal matter – to denounce artificial intelligence and “new forms of slavery” tied to nan integer economy, calling for nan “disarming” of AI.
He besides warned of “a troubling revival of warfare arsenic an instrumentality of world politics”, saying nan exertion was helping to facilitate nan “normalisation of war”.
