Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker met with fellow Illini Pope Leo XIV, during which they exchanged gifts and discussed their shared criticisms of President Donald Trump’s ICE enforcement mission known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
“Pope Leo XIV’s message of unity, compassion, hope, and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions,” Pritzker stated after the meeting, which was arranged with assistance from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Pritzker and Leo reportedly talked about their concerns regarding the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago and Illinois, with the governor noting that the pope shared his sense of pride that “the people of Chicago stood up against the oppression that’s been brought on immigrants.”
Pritzker informed Chicago’s NBC affiliate that the pope has strong opinions regarding ICE’s activities and that the pontiff was interested in hearing Pritzker’s perspectives and inquired about the status of Midway Blitz.
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Leo was reportedly encouraged upon learning that the operation seemed to be concluding in Chicago, based on Pritzker’s remarks.
Earlier in the month, a group of U.S. bishops issued a statement, backed by Leo, that criticized certain ICE operations – including mass deportations – and mentioned public concerns about the missions.
The statement, released from Baltimore and endorsed by a vote of 216-5 with three clergy abstaining, stated in part that bishops are “bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ [and] are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”
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Leo had also questioned whether individuals who oppose abortion but support the “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States” can be considered “pro-life.”
“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts; there’s a system of justice,” he told the Italian press at the time, adding that leaders should seek ways to treat people with dignity while enforcing the law.
However, he also noted that each nation has the right to establish its own immigration procedures and laws.
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“No one has said that the United States should have open borders,” Leo, whose birth name is Robert Prevost, stated.
Pritzker commented on his meeting, saying that “you could feel [the pope’s] humanity.”
“It was a special moment, even for this Jewish boy,” he remarked.
The governor also invited Leo to visit Chicago and gifted him a case of “Da Pope” beer from a local Illinois brewery, Burning Bush.
“We’ll put that in the fridge,” the pope joked as he smiled at the gift.
The previous papal visit to Chicago occurred in 1979 when John Paul II held a gathering at Grant Park, according to Capitol News Illinois.
