Chicago set to celebrate election of Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV WIki Image - 12 May 2025, Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar

Source: Vatican Media,

The city of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV's hometown, is preparing to celebrate his election with a day of prayer and music.

The meeting, which will take place in Chicago's Rate Field, is described by the Archdiocese of Chicago - hosting the event - as one of faith, unity, and community spirit.

In a post on X the Archdiocese wrote: 'Join us at Rate Field - Home of the @WhiteSox for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the election of Pope Leo XIV on June 14. Get your tickets now at: https://ticketmaster.com/event/040062AB8F6B11DB '

Rate Field is the city's baseball stadium, home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox.

Gates will open at 12.30 on Saturday, June 14, with the programme beginning at 2.30pm, ending with Holy Mass, presided over by Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, at 4pm local time.

Cardinal Cupich released a short video message when the event was first announced, inviting all to participate. See: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oOSh6_9QLk

Although Pope Leo XIV will not be present in Chicago for the event, he has announced that he will be participating remotely from Rome, with a video message to be played at the gathering.

The response from the faithful following the announcement of the event has been extraordinary. Within the first 15 minutes of ticket availability, over 9,000 tickets were requested. By the end of the first day, that number had reached 20,000.

Tickets are still available at the price of five USD ($5), and all are invited to join. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: www.archchicago.org/popeleoxiv

Some commentators have noted that 14 June is President Trump's birthday and the date of the US Army's official birthday and military parade. The Archdiocese of Chicago has said there is no connection between the chosen date for Chicago's celebration for the Pope and the military parade in Washington DC. "It was the soonest Saturday when the White Sox were not playing and there was no major festival or concert nearby. The choice had nothing to do with celebrations elsewhere," Yazmin Quiroz, Communications and Public Relations Manager at the Archdiocese of Chicago said.