Mayor Brandon Johnson, center, walks outside the Colosseum with members of his security team before touring a train station with Roman officials on May 29, 2026, in Rome. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
ROME — The Chicago delegation traveling with Mayor Brandon Johnson to meet Pope Leo XIV includes some of his closest allies, as well as business owners who are perhaps looking to get closer to both leaders during the splashy odyssey to Vatican City this week.
White Sox merch and giardiniera among Chicago-themed gifts delegation to present Pope Leo XIVMayor Brandon Johnson, center, talks with Rome Deputy Mayor for Mobility Eugenio Patane on May 29, 2026, while touring a train station in Rome. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Mayor Brandon Johnson shakes hands with Marcella Mastria, of Chicago, at a cafe on May 29, 2026, in Rome. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Mayor Brandon Johnson, center, tours a train station on May 29, 2026, in Rome. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Pope Leo XIV stands at the window of his studio during the noon Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on May 31, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)People watch Pope Leo XIV appear in a window during the noon Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, May 31, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Nuns wave at Pope Leo XIV during the noon Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, May 31, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Mayor Brandon Johnson presents Pope Leo XIV with Chicago-themed gifts, including a mock-up of a street sign during his visit, May 28, 2026, at the Vatican. (Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media)A cyclists rides past the Vatican on May 29, 2026, after Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates entered, the day after Mayor Brandon Johnson met with Pope Leo XIV. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates walks into the Vatican on May 29, 2026, the day after Mayor Brandon Johnson met with Pope Leo XIV. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Mayor Brandon Johnson hugs Ald. Lamont Robinson, 4th, at the American University of Rome after meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 28, 2026. Flanking them are Ald. Julia Ramírez, 12th, and Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Jessica Miro, from left, her husband, Robert Tapling, both of Elmhurst, and Tapling’s stepmother, Marguerite Tully, stand with their Chicago flag at a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. "They almost didn’t let us bring the flag in," Tapling said. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The Rev. Matthew Pajor, 29, of Chicago, wears a Cubs hat after attending a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. When asked about the Cubs and White Sox rivalry, Pajor said, "The pope is supposed to be with the downtrodden so he’s supposed to be with the Sox." (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Pope Leo XIV waves during a Mass at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Jason Lee, from center left, senior adviser to Mayor Brandon Johnson, Angela Tovar, commissioner of the Department of Environment and chief sustainability officer for the city of Chicago, and Max Budovitch, Chicago deputy mayor for business, economic and neighborhood development, talk with Lorenza Bonaccorsi, president of Municipio Roma I, at the Piazza Pia public space on May 27, 2026, in Rome. Several members of the Chicago delegation toured sites around Rome with members of the local government and business community. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Jason Lee, from left, senior adviser to Mayor Brandon Johnson, Max Budovitch, Chicago deputy mayor for business, economic and neighborhood development, and Angela Tovar, commissioner of the Department of Environment and chief sustainability officer for the city of Chicago, talk with Elio Tomassetti, president Municipio Roma XII, near the construction site of a walking and bike trail on May 27, 2026, in Rome. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)The faithful watch as Pope Leo XIV rides in the popemobile during a Mass at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)A woman prays during a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Magdi and Hank Holliger, of Atlanta, leave a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)People attend a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square on May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Swiss guards stand before a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV begins at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Pope Leo XIV waves during a Mass at St. Peter’s Square, May 27, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)People pass images of Pope Leo XIV in a store in Rome on May 26, 2026, near the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)A visitor with an umbrella walks through St. Peter's Square on May 26, 2026, at the Vatican. Mayor Brandon Johnson is scheduled to meet with Pope Leo XIV later in the week. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Visitors walk through St. Peter's Square on May 26, 2026, at the Vatican. Mayor Brandon Johnson is scheduled to meet with Pope Leo XIV later in the week. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Visitors walk through St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on May 26, 2026. Mayor Brandon Johnson is scheduled to meet with Pope Leo XIV later in the week. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)Calendars of Pope Leo XIV in a store in Rome near St. Peter's Square on May 26, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)A woman chases a bird in St. Peter's Square on May 26, 2026, at the Vatican. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
