Pope meets pilgrimage of Chicago labor union leaders

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Greeting a pilgrimage of labor union leaders from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV thanked them for helping “to create a society where all can flourish.”

Organized by the Catholic Labor Network, the pilgrimage included members of Chicago Federation of Labor, UNITE HERE, Service Employees International Union, Teamsters, International Association of Machinists and the Laborers’ Union.

With Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, the pope met the group from his hometown Oct. 9 at the Vatican. It was the same day as the release of his first apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi Te” (“I Have Loved You”) on care for the poor.

Pope Leo had special thanks for the way the unions try to welcome and assist migrants and refugees, especially by supporting food pantries and shelters.

“While recognizing that appropriate policies are necessary to keep communities safe, I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable,” the pope said.

“It is encouraging to hear of the strides that you have made in broadening the participation and inclusion of minorities in the labor movement through apprenticeships and training,” he also told them.

“At the same time,” the pope said, “your commitment to the protection of the environment by teaching the skills needed for the development of renewable energies is not only commendable but also timely, given the urgency of the need to care for our common home.”

During their Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome, the labor leaders also were scheduled to meet with their Italian counterparts and to discuss with the staff of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development how migration, artificial intelligence and ecological concerns will impact “the future of work.”

Among the gifts the leaders gave the pope was a blue T-shirt with the words “Da Pope” on the back, a play on the typical Chicago substitution of “the” with “da.”