Pope Leo XIV meets with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
Pope Leo XIV met Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at the Vatican on May 28, 2026. Johnson used the audience to invite the pontiff to visit Chicago next year. They discussed Trump’s policies, including the Iran conflict and ICE immigration raids. The Pope released his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” addressing AI and apologizing for the Church’s role in the slave trade. Johnson praised the apology and spoke with the Pope about reparations for the legacy of slavery.
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Pope Leo XIV met Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at the Vatican on May 28, 2026. The two leaders discussed U.S. policies under President Donald Trump, the Pope’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and the Church’s apology for its role in the trans‑Atlantic slave trade. Mayor Johnson formally invited the pontiff to visit Chicago and presented a ceremonial key to the city 1 2.
The audience took place in the Vatican and was the first face‑to‑face encounter between Pope Leo XIV and Mayor Johnson since the mayor’s election in 2023 1 2.
After the meeting, Johnson held a press briefing at the American University of Rome, where he outlined the topics covered 1 2.
Johnson criticized President Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict, calling him a “tyrant” and a “disgrace,” and said the Pope shared concerns about the war in Iran 1 2.
They also spoke about ICE immigration raids; Johnson described Chicago’s rapid‑response efforts and recent executive orders protecting residents, which the Pope reportedly received “graciously and encouragingly” 1 2.
Johnson referred to the encyclical as a “call to action” for the planet, urging an end to illegal wars and highlighting the humanitarian impact of conflict 1 2.
The Pope has repeatedly condemned the U.S.–Israel war in Iran as unjust, aligning with Johnson’s remarks 1 2.
In his first encyclical released on May 25, Pope Leo XIV issued an apology for the Church’s involvement in the trans‑Atlantic slave trade 1 2.
Johnson praised the apology, discussed the lasting effects of slavery on Black communities, and raised the issue of reparations with the Pope 1 2.
Yusef Jackson, son of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., was part of the delegation and also commended the Pope’s stance 1 2.
Mayor Johnson presented an official letter inviting Pope Leo XIV to celebrate Mass at Grant Park and gave the pontiff a ceremonial key to the city 1 2.
The invitation was prepared in consultation with Cardinal Blaise Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago 1 2.
Johnson expressed hope that the Pope will accept the invitation, noting Chicago’s historical contribution to justice and its connection to the pontiff’s upbringing 1 2.
Alongside the invitation, the Pope received a key to Chicago and other symbolic gifts, underscoring the city’s desire for a future papal visit 1 2.
How does the Church’s apology for slavery influence contemporary reparations policy?
The Church’s apology for slavery—together with her broader teaching on memory, repentance, and reparation—can shape contemporary reparations policy by providing moral criteria for what reparations are for, who they are meant to benefit, and what forms they should take (from material justice to processes of healing and prevention of future exploitation).
In her development of doctrine, the Church admits both the real delay in condemning slavery and the sinful participation/complicity of individuals and, at times, even ecclesiastical institutions. She describes this delay as part of a “wound in Christian memory” from which believers cannot detach.
Most importantly for reparations policy, the Church makes the moral act explicit:
“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
That matters because it frames slavery not as a merely regrettable historical background condition, but as a profound offense against human dignity that calls for an enduring moral response—not amnesia, and not only private remorse.
The International Theological Commission explains that ecclesial acts of repentance primarily concern the Church’s own mission and witness, yet they also have the capacity to influence civil society:
“On the threshold of the third millennium, we may rightly hope that political leaders and peoples… will be guided by the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation exemplified by the Church and will make every effort to resolve their differences…”
So the apology does not automatically determine what any particular government must do, because civil society retains its autonomy; but it does provide a moral “spirit” (forgiveness/reconciliation and truthfulness) that can guide how reparations are conceived and evaluated.
A key Catholic principle for reparations is found in the Catechism:
“Every offense committed against justice and truth entails the duty of reparation, even if its author has been forgiven… This duty of reparation… obliges in conscience.”
Applied to slavery and related injustices, this means policy conversations should not treat reparations as optional “charity,” nor as purely symbolic gestures. The duty of reparation implies that justice must seek forms of remedy appropriate to the harm—sometimes public, sometimes requiring other modes when direct compensation is impossible.
Pope Leo XIV connects social justice to a restorative dimension. Justice is not merely redistribution or correcting current wrongs; it also aims:
This provides a direct policy criterion: reparations policy should be evaluated by whether it truly supports reintegration and healing the ongoing effects of past injustice, not only whether it issues a statement of regret.
The Church explicitly teaches that social justice “begins with the least among us,” and that the preferential option for the poor should guide personal and societal choices.
In policy terms, this suggests reparations should be designed so that the most vulnerable descendants of the harmed communities (and other directly affected groups) are not treated as an afterthought; the measures should be materially and institutionally aimed at those who “still bear the consequences of wrongs suffered in the past.”
The International Theological Commission emphasizes that reparation gestures may be symbolic-prophetic and should have pedagogical value, especially by avoiding actions that perpetuate negative images of others or require unwarranted self-recrimination.
Pope Leo XIV similarly describes justice as including “processes of healing for collective memory” and “fostering processes of healing,” as well as opposing discriminatory laws and practices.
So, contemporary reparations policy influenced by the apology would tend to incorporate:
Pope Leo XIV insists that the memory of past injustice becomes a “call to vigilance,” and that what has been learned must be translated into present responsibility—denouncing trafficking and supporting prevention and rehabilitation.
Even though this addresses slavery/trafficking directly (not only historical plantation slavery), it reinforces an important policy implication: reparations frameworks should be paired with anti-exploitation governance, because tolerating comparable injustices risks repeating the logic of concealment and justification.
Pope Leo XIV explicitly warns against judging the past “anachronistically,” as if the moral criteria matured later had always been available. Yet the Church also refuses to “deny or diminish the delay” in condemning slavery.
This helps contemporary policy in two ways:
The International Theological Commission notes that different contexts affect how ecclesial repentance is received and that gestures of reparation should be defined with discernment.
Therefore, the Church’s apology should influence policy through moral principles (dignity, justice/reparation, restorative aims, preferential concern, truth and healing, vigilance) rather than functioning as a direct legal proof of every civil-law element in every jurisdiction.
The Church’s apology for slavery influences contemporary reparations policy by grounding reparations in justice and reparation as a duty, not merely goodwill; by framing reparations as part of restorative social justice that reintegrates excluded communities and provides concrete support to those still bearing the consequences of past wrongs; and by linking repentance to vigilance, including the prevention of ongoing exploitation.