SPRINGFIELD (CNI) - Gov. JB Pritzker met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome on Wednesday, with the two discussing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration raids and the governor formally inviting the Chicago-born pontiff back for a visit to his hometown.

The governor’s office said that Pritzker and his wife, first lady MK Pritzker, met with the pope for 40 minutes, where they offered “well-wishes and deep gratitude… for his public service and for his positive representation of Chicago, Illinois, and the United States.” Pritzker’s chief of staff, Anne Caprara, also was present for the meeting.

The governor wrote on social media afterward that it was “an honor” to meet “a son of Illinois” and “to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state.”

“Pope Leo XIV’s message

See Full Page