Three young sisters from Chicago sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV that was delivered by Mayor Brandon Johnson during his visit to the Vatican on May 28. The girls, Caridad Alexander Villaverde, 9, Esperanza, 5, and Mercedes, 2, attend St. Benedict the African Catholic Church in Englewood with their family and wrote the letter at the request of their pastor.
Caridad first approached Father David Jones of St. Benedict the African to ask for prayers for those affected by Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration enforcement campaign that had impacted thousands in Chicago. Adrienne Alexander, mother of the girls who lives in Rogers Park but attends services in Englewood, said Caridad was “worried about everything happening in our neighborhood.”
Father Jones later asked Caridad if she would write a letter to Pope Leo asking him to pray for people in Chicago as well. Once her younger siblings learned about it, they joined her and all three contributed letters or drawings on special stationery purchased for the occasion. Mercedes drew circles and scribbles; Esperanza described her favorite part of church—holding the collection basket—and told the pope they could pray for each other.
Caridad’s message focused on Operation Midway Blitz and concerns about violence against protesters and neighbors during federal raids targeting communities like Rogers Park. She wrote about fears for her Mexican American father and underlined how frightening it was “to see federal agents arresting people just because of ‘how they looked.’” She asked Pope Leo to pray for everyone worried in Chicago and thanked him “for speaking about peace.”
The letters were included with gifts from Mayor Johnson during his private meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican Apostolic Library. During their conversation Thursday, Johnson said that Pope Leo—who was born in Chicago—asked him about how immigration enforcement had affected local families.
Adrienne Alexander added a note thanking Pope Leo “for being a prophetic voice in the moment,” and praised his advocacy on peace and worker issues as well as his continuation of policies begun by previous popes. When finished writing their messages, the girls addressed their envelope directly to Pope Leo—and included a return address so he could write back.
