By Illinois Review
As Chicago continues struggling with violent crime, budget problems, and a worsening exodus of residents and businesses, Mayor Brandon Johnson is traveling to the Vatican on May 28 to meet with Pope Leo XIV – where he plans to criticize President Donald Trump’s policies and promote reparations for Black Americans.
Johnson, one of the most outspoken progressive mayors, has openly stated that he intends to use the meeting to attack what he calls the Trump administration’s “godforsaken” policies, including immigration enforcement and U.S. military actions abroad.
“The pope has been clear about ending these godforsaken policies that have created endless wars,” Johnson said before departing for Rome.
The Vatican meeting marks Johnson’s most significant international appearance since taking office and comes as critics increasingly accuse the mayor of focusing more on progressive activism than the day-to-day problems facing Chicago residents.
Rather than emphasizing crime reduction, economic growth, or the city’s growing fiscal challenges, Johnson said a major focus of his discussion with the Pope will be reparations. The mayor plans to seek the Pope’s moral support for reparations programs, arguing that America was built through the “free labor and forced labor of Black people.”
The reparations push aligns with Johnson’s “Repair Chicago” initiative and the city’s reparations task force, which has explored proposals tied to racial inequities and historical discrimination.
Johnson’s trip comes as Chicago continues facing mounting public safety concerns, including recent violent “teen takeover” incidents, rising frustration over repeat offenders being released back onto the streets, and continued criticism of the mayor’s soft-on-crime rhetoric.
Just days before departing for Rome, Johnson again argued that Chicago cannot “arrest our way to safety” – remarks that outraged many residents frustrated by crime and disorder across the city.
The mayor has also repeatedly defended Chicago’s sanctuary city policies and used taxpayer resources to oppose federal immigration enforcement efforts under President Trump.
Critics argue the Vatican trip highlights how disconnected Johnson has become from the concerns of ordinary Chicago residents.
The timing of the meeting also follows Pope Leo XIV’s recent apology for the Catholic Church’s historical role in legitimizing slavery. The Pope described slavery as “a wound in Christian memory” and acknowledged the Church’s failures to more forcefully condemn the practice throughout history.
Johnson has attempted to frame the Vatican visit as part of a broader faith-based mission centered on “social justice” and “equity.”
Whether Pope Leo XIV will publicly endorse Johnson’s reparations agenda remains unclear. Still, the mayor’s decision to use a Vatican audience to criticize President Trump and advance progressive political priorities is already drawing scrutiny back home.
For many Chicago residents struggling with crime, taxes, and economic uncertainty, the trip may further reinforce concerns that Johnson remains more focused on national ideological battles than fixing the city he was elected to lead.
