VATICAN CITY — As soon as Mayor Brandon Johnson arrived at St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, a flock of Chicago tourists noticed him and shouted, “That’s my mayor!”

After the group got photos with Johnson, he walked around the square to briefly take it all in before getting back into a black van and driving around the Vatican, entering through a back entrance without talking to reporters. A line of over a dozen black vans with members of the Chicago delegation, including Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), also drove into the Vatican.

Johnson is in Rome for a special meeting with Pope Leo XIV. The mayor brought with him a gift chest filled with Chicago-themed items, though most of them are still a secret. Giardiniera from iconic Italian market J.P. Graziano is the only confirmed gift, said Erin Connelly, the mayor’s communications director.

What’s not in the chest: a Cubs hat for the pontiff, who is a Chicago native — and arguably the world’s most famous Sox fan.

Pope Leo XIV rides around on the popemobile before his general audience at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on May 27, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, founder of Mishkan Chicago in Ravenwsood, was seen greeting Johnson inside the Vatican in a video sent by the Mayor’s Office.

Johnson has said he’s planning to express to Pope Leo the “enormous amount” of gratitude and pride Chicagoans have in him. They also plan to discuss the pope’s recent stances against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the pope’s perspective on the need for the regulation of AI and his apology for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery, two points released this week as part of his first encyclical.

During his general audience Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo — the first pope born in the United States — criticized the United States’ war in Iran, called for peace in Gaza and showed solidarity with Ukrainians under attack by Russia.

“War never solves problems, but aggravates it,” he said in Italian. “It does not build, but multiplies the sufferings of others. Where missiles and drones fall, hope also falls. “It destroys houses and it destroys innocent lives.”

Pope Leo has “elevated the consciousness of the globe around his position and stance around our collective humanity,” Johnson previously said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson interacts with tourists who recognized him at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City ahead of his meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Thurs., May 28, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

The two will have a private meeting Thursday in the Vatican Apostolic Library, followed by the pope hosting the delegation of 46 Chicagoans from the political, business, religious, labor and hospitality sectors.

Members of the delegation include alds. Julia Ramirez (12th), Lamont Robinson (4th) and Ervin and his wife; city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin; Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates; the Rev. Tanya Lozano Washington, pastor of Lincoln United Methodist Church and Healthy Hood CEO; and Yusef Jackson, president of the Rainbow Push Coalition.

High-profile civil rights attorney Antonio Romanucci is also in attendance. He has represented George Floyd and Renee Good’s family and is representing the family of Derek Jordan, who a Chicago police officer killed during a traffic chase in Humboldt Park in March.

Maria Simon of the Archdiocese of Chicago,Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Communications Director Erin Connelly, Deputy Mayor of Business and Neighborhood Development Max Budovitch, senior advisor to Mayor Brandon Johnson Jason Lee, Commissioner of the Department of Environment and Chief Sustainability Office Angela Tovar and Father Juan Vargas listen as members of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s delegation tour Casale dei Cedrati, Via Aurelia Antica, 219, in Rome on May 27, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

The Rev. Juan Vargas, associate pastor with the Archdiocese of Chicago at Our Lady of the Rosary in Dunning, is also traveling with the mayor.

Vargas and his team worked with Johnson and Catholic Charities to open a migrant shelter at St. Bartholomew’s former school building in 2024, so having the opportunity to speak to the pope about immigration and represent Chicago is timely and historic, he told Block Club Wednesday. Pope Leo has been outspoken against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the war in the Middle East and other political issues.

“Pope Leo speaks with a voice that hears the cry of the whole world, and so coming from Chicago, we’re more attentive to that voice because we know where he comes from, we know his roots,” Vargas said. “Pope Leo has been able to open up that dialogue, and it’s challenging at times, [but] every time in our faith we are always challenged because we’re invited to continue to grow.

Chicagoans have flocked to the Vatican this week, some to see the South Side-born pope in real life during his Wednesday general audience, while others stumbled into St. Peter’s Square showcasing their Chicago pride as a pitstop on their Italy vacation.