North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. was uncertain what he would say to Pope Leo XIV if they came face-to-face during a private audience this week with two dozen other mayors from the Illinois Municipal League and their guests.
When he stepped before the pope with his wife, Yvonne, Rockingham did not have to worry. He introduced himself by name and as the mayor of North Chicago. The pontiff quickly put him at ease.
“He talked about Naval Station Great Lakes, and I was very impressed about what he knows about the naval base,” he said. “He talked about a family he knows who grew up in Beach Park. I asked him to pray for our city and give it his blessing. He said he would do that.”
Rockingham was among 25 Illinois mayors, their spouses and guests who had a private audience with Leo on Monday at the Vatican in Rome as part of a diplomatic delegation from the Illinois Municipal League.
“It was the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “During my 21 years as mayor, I’ve met with four United States presidents, and this is a true honor to see the pope up close.”
Leading the delegation was league president and Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin. She said the primary purpose of the trip is “diplomacy and to have institutional cultural exchange.” Plans began shortly after the Chicago native became pope in May.
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the Illinois Municipal League in Vatican City on March 30, 2026. (Vatican Media)
Before the audience, Rockingham said the delegation waited in the room where the audience was to be held. Between mayors, spouses, and guests, approximately 50 people attended. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes.
“He came in and greeted us,” Rockingham said. “He sat in a chair and welcomed us. He said we were doing God’s will because we are involved in service to our community. He greeted each of us personally. His demeanor was so pleasant. He gave each individual a pack of rosary beads.”
Chalmers-Currin said after the audience that the delegation gave the pope a photo of the home he occupied as a child in Dolton, as well as a book about the Illinois Constitution.
The pope encouraged the mayors “to continue listening to the poor, to immigrants and all of to the least among you,” according to prepared remarks provided by The Holy See press office.
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the Illinois Municipal League in Vatican City on March 30, 2026. (Vatican Media)
“In this way, each of your municipalities may be places for genuine encounter among all citizens, providing opportunities for every individual to flourish,” he said.
Before the audience, Rockingham said the delegation attended Mass in the lower level of St. Peter’s Basilica, where many of the popes are entombed. The service was in front of the tomb of the first pope, St. Peter.
After the audience, Rockingham said the delegation toured the Sistine Chapel, famous, in part, for the ceiling frescos painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. Rockingham said he was in awe as he walked through.
“There is so much history,” he said. “You seem so small when you realize what’s taken place there over the years.”
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the Illinois Municipal League in Vatican City on March 30, 2026. (Vatican Media)
Visiting during Holy Week, one of the holiest times of the year for Catholics, Rockingham, a Baptist, said arriving on Palm Sunday, he was impressed with all the people with palm leaves and olive branches. They attended Mass at the Basilica of St. Paul.
“It was a real experience seeing all the people out on the street with their palms,” he said. “The crowds are going to get bigger and bigger as we approach Good Friday and Easter.”
Before leaving Rome, Rockingham said the delegation met with Laura Hochla, the deputy chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, on Tuesday. The United States has two embassies in Rome, one to the nation of Italy and the other to the Holy See, reporting directly to the pope.
“It was truly an honor to be at the embassy here in Rome learning the many responsibilities this office is responsible for and the duties it performs as it represents our country,” Rockingham said in an email. “The Illinois Municipal League presented her a gift, a book of state capitals in the United States, with all the mayors’ signatures that attended, to be given to the director.”
Along with their official duties, Rockingham said the group also had time to visit some of Rome’s significant sites, from a number of famous old churches to some of the remnants of ancient Rome, like the Colosseum.
“It was awesome,” he said of the Colosseum. “You just think of everything that happened there. How they were able to build it and the people who were killed there with the gladiators.”
Daily Southtown reporter Evy Lewis contributed to this story.