The Pope vs. JB
Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My recent email to the governor’s office…
There appears to be a major discrepancy between what Gov. Pritzker has said about his conversation with the Pope on the medical aid in dying bill and how the Pope has characterized the meeting.
Our Question: How do you explain the difference between the two men? The Pope said he “very explicitly” talked with Pritzker about the bill, and Pritzker said it was merely part of a list of things they disagreed on and twice said he didn’t have a conversation about it.
Did they or did they not have a conversation about the bill?
* OK, to the tapes. Gov. Pritzker was asked about his conversation with the Pope on the medical aid in dying bill on December 3…
Pritzker: It’s actually something that I brought up, and we didn’t have a conversation about it, because we were just, you know, at the beginning of our conversation, I think he and I were both kind of dismissing to each other the things that we may disagree about, because there are very few, honestly. But kind of acknowledging that there may be things that we disagree about. Obviously, we are members of different religions. Don’t really disagree so much. It’s just had differences in that way. So we kind of it, was a kind of a brief part of a conversation in which we were dismissing all those things and then getting to the things that we really have so much in common. And I so much respect who he is and what he represents. And of course, the fact that he’s from the state of Illinois is a great point of pride for all of us.
* Pritzker was asked again on Dec 15th if he discussed the medical aid in dying bill with the Pope…
We didn’t. We really didn’t. I mean, somebody asked me about, we didn’t discuss it. It was literally mentioned in a list of things, as we were speaking at the beginning of … literally in a list of things that they we were both dismissing, things that we could imagine that we might disagree about being from two different religions, or, you know, having different different upbringings. Literally a dismissal of issues that we wouldn’t be talking about those things. And instead, we ended up talking a large to a large degree about humanitarian issues, like what’s happening in immigration across the world, but especially here in the United States.
All emphasis added.
* The Pope a couple of weeks ago…
I spoke very explicitly with Governor Pritzker about that. At that time, the bill was already on his desk. I’m sure [he talked], also with Cardinal Cupich, but we were very clear about the necessity to respect the sacredness of life from the very beginning to the very end. And unfortunately, for different reasons, he decided to sign that bill. I’m very disappointed about that. I would invite all people, especially in this Christmas feast days, to reflect upon the nature of human life, the goodness of human life. God became human like us, to show us what it means really to live human life, and I hope and pray that the respect for life will once again grow in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death.
* Chicago Archdioses spokesperson Robert Gilligan confirmed to Isabel that Gov. Pritzker did indeed meet with Cardinal Blase Cupich. When asked about the apparent disagreement, Gilligan said…
We’ll let the Pope’s comments stand.
* From the govenor’s spokesperson Matt Hill…
As the Governor said, the topic of the bill was raised in their discussion but not a focus of the meeting. The Governor has great respect and pride for Pope Leo’s leadership and greatly appreciated the opportunity to speak with him during his November visit.
Discuss.
- Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:14 am:
Pritzker’s statements about how he and the Pope are of two different religions is kinda weird. The issue shouldn’t come down to religion, it should be about the choice of the individuals who are faced with the decision. This is a good bill, and it will provide choices to people who may be enduring intense pain and suffering. This is not about Pritzker’s Jewish faith or the Pope’s Catholic faith. I would honestly prefer if both of their faiths stayed out of the public debate.
- Homebody - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:19 am:
Gotta disagree with you Rich. You’re grasping here to find controversy where there is none. Both are saying it was brought up. The only distinction seems to be you have a semantic disagreement you have with how Pritzker interprets the words “discuss” or “conversation.”
Pritzker has said multiple times that the item was brought up. He just doesn’t seem to think “each side stating their opinion on a topic, but not having any further follow up” constitutes a discussion or a conversation. You do.
No big deal in my eyes.
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:19 am:
Well, if it was me I wouldn’t use my bully pulpit provided by my public office to echo the words of a religious figure.
I’m perfectly fine with JB glossing over this, and not allowing his public position to be used to echo the personal religious beliefs of others.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:20 am:
All things being equal my instinct is almost always to not trust the official word of the Catholic Church leadership. Yes, including Da Chicago Pope.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:21 am:
I say that as someone raised in the church, btw.
- Adams St Stan - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:21 am:
Perhaps this is an attempt to make nothing into something…
- thechampaignlife - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:22 am:
The church needs to stay in its lane on this one. It is one thing to advocate for the unborn who do not get a choice in their death (vs. advocating for the mother’s bodily autonomy which is also important), but there is no question that they are taking away the free will of competent adults by criminalizing an activity that only directly affects the consenting participants. Render unto Caesar and all that. Caesar supports liberty on this issue. Preach that it is a sin if you want, but you have to let sinners have a choice (when it does not affect the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of non-participants) or you are taking away God’s gift of free will. Which seems like a sin itself.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:25 am:
Maybe there wasn’t a discussion. Maybe the Pope said his peace and the Governor acknowledged it and they moved on. If that’s the case then there was no discussion about it.
- the weatherman - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:27 am:
Seems like a dumb political decision by the governor to try to downplay the significance of this discussion. Who am I to believe? The leader of the Catholic Church who has been explicit that the church’s teaching are consistent on the subject of life, or a politician who is trying to parse words and avoid shedding votes? Why wouldn’t the governor just say “we discussed this, and we agree to disagree. I appreciate the Catholic position on life, but my decision was based on the stories I’ve heard from people with terminal illnesses and their families and how this law will allow them to end their life on their terms.” How hard is that? Why not be assertive? You’re not picking a fight with the Pope, you’re simply taking a diametrically opposed position. It was a respectful debate with both sides making their case. The governor is the decider, and he decided. Own it.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:30 am:
= Who am I to believe? =
Right, because the church doesn’t have a two millennia track record of lying and hundreds of millions in settlements to pay for those lies and cover ups or anything.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:40 am:
=Seems like a dumb political decision by the governor to try to downplay the significance of this discussion.=
Meh. It’s far more important for the Pope to amplify this issue than Pritzker. It’s more about signaling to parishioners where the church stands. The state is providing an option to end suffering at the end of life. The church needs to clarify that it does not recognize such options. I would think that most Catholics know that but like many things the church preaches they may choose to ignore it.
If anyone is outraged at Pritzker over this they likely didn’t support him to begin with.
- HCMcB - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:41 am:
This does not seem to be a significant difference of opinion.
- clec dcn - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:45 am:
I agree with Homebody might be more semantics for sure. I also think JB had already made up his mind a long time ago and knew it would not be something to converse about as such. To me a poor choice by the Governor it opens up things that should not be, but it is here to stay.
- New Day - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:50 am:
The real issue is a language problem since the Pope is from da South Side. /s
Seriously though, this bill created real tensions for the Gov and he wrestled with it more than just about anything in his tenure. When he met with the pope I’m sure he was still wrestling so there wouldn’t have been a major argument but more like the gov seeking the Pope’s perspective which by all accounts he shared.
Like others, I’m not sure I get the need to blow this disagreement out of proportion. Eventually JB settled on signing the bill. The Pope disagrees. And?
- *ducks* - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:53 am:
It’s an incredibly complicated dynamic so I’m going to give the Governor some grace, no pun intended. He did say he was struggling with what otherwise seemed to be a no brainer bill signing from legislative allies.
My guess is he wanted to be mindful of private conversations and made a bad bet that Leo wouldn’t speak out. That being said, this pope seems to be willing to speak publicly on policy issues, so bull, horns, etc. good lesson for other public officials to be mindful when heading to Vatican.
- Jerry - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:58 am:
Agree with JSMill.
- New Day - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:04 am:
“I also think JB had already made up his mind a long time ago and knew it would not be something to converse about as such.”
Not remotely true.
- DownState_Dog - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:09 am:
I do not understand the intent of this being written about. But I am going to chime in!
My take is simply derived from the “tapes”= (what I believe should be described as transcripts from public statements), and personal experience.
Obviously, Governor Pritzker is not going to put himself in a position to lie or mislead the Pope when the Governor has been making a name for himself as a world leader who is ethical and smart.
I think the Pope 1. did not make an extensive argument or case to the Governor 2. did not know how to make a persuasive argument regarding the policy at hand 3. (I believe this is most likely) I think the Pope did not see this as an important priority however when people started to complain he started pointing fingers and expressing disappointment for some brownie points with the people who are members of their church.
- I-55 Fanatic - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:23 am:
Yeah, I’m not sure what the expectation is here from their conversation. Assume they discussed it: the Pope is obviously against the bill, and the Governor supports it (if tepidly). Then what? Neither of their minds are going to be changed from that discussion. They both know the reasons for their respective positions, as do we all. Not sure where they go from there besides respectful disagreement.
Also, if I may, the Pope’s mention of “respect for life… until natural death” stands out to me personally. Take a look at the cases we’re talking about here. The terminally ill are often kept alive by medicine, pills, surgery, machines, and all kinds of things, often all while enduring tremendous pain. Eventually dying after that kind of medical care is not what I would describe as “natural.”
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:39 am:
JB Pritzker honing his National campaign response skills for his run for VP on the 2028 ticket….
- Think again - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:47 am:
I’m not certain the differing interpretations of those conversations can ever be reconciled. Robert Francis Prevost—a Chicago-born priest who is a pizza-loving, White Sox fan, and a super popular figure even beyond the Church; So it is wise that JB and his spokesperson are choosing to pursue minimizing the situation.
- Leo from Dolton - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 11:22 am:
Always believe the Pope. Sorry, JB. Nice guy, but a politician, and we know how politicians can selectively hear and repeat things to their advantage.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 11:31 am:
I think both can be true. Pope may have discussed it but governor said it was not focus of meeting. To me from cus would mean point of meeting and meeting was more than a discussion of one bill
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 11:53 am:
- we know how politicians can selectively hear -
If there is one thing we absolutely know about Catholic priests, it’s that they are highly capable of this also.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 11:54 am:
“Hi, we’re the Roman Catholic Church. Please don’t Google us.”
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 11:56 am:
“Always believe the Pope.”
My man.
Now, if I could speak with you about an exciting investment opportunity in the new Dongola Casino and Resort Center.
- LawyerMom3 - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 12:00 pm:
It appears that what happened here was that Pritzker knew he was going to sign the assisted suicide bill, and so wanted to get out in front of it by pushing for a private meeting and lots of pictures with Pope Leo. Neither the State of Illinois nor the City of Chicago bothered to send a delegation to the Pope’s installation - so why does the Governor now push for a private meeting? The Church fell right into Pritzker’s plan, and it appears that the Pope sent a public message back indicating he didn’t appreciate being played for a fool. Kudos to the reporter who asked the Pope to comment.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 12:24 pm:
I think in general Pope Leo is trying to lean into the “I’m not a regular Pope I’m a COOL Pope” angle but the truth is that you simply don’t get to the top of that deeply corrupt organization without towing the Church line and looking the other way at a lotttttt wrong with the Church views on our LGBT brothers and sisters and women’s role in both the Church and home.
Pope Leo is a compassionate soul on immigration which I guess makes him better than a good few of the Catholic leadership, but I wouldn’t trust his word really at all.
- FormerGOPer - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 12:43 pm:
I too don’t see how this qualifies as a major discrepancy. Two people saying an a sentence or two each is a conversation. It isn’t a major discussion. It’s not like Pritzker had any doubts about the Pope’s position going into the meeting and I don’t see the Pope spending a lot of time on it either.
- Now I’m down in it. - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 1:21 pm:
LawyerMom3, bingo. JB used Pope Leo as a campaign opportunity to quell discontent with his signing of the euthanasia bill. Pretty obvious that Da Pope didn’t appreciate it. He’s not exactly the type to spout off.
- Lurker - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 1:23 pm:
I can’t believe I had to go to the 10th comment for @JSMill Catholic bashing. I expected top 3 for sure. They must have been busy.
@Alamo: “the issue shouldn’t come down to religion”
Everything the Pope says and does is our religion. So yes, if you want to discuss an issue with him, it does.
- AlabamaShake - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 1:53 pm:
**JB used Pope Leo as a campaign opportunity to quell discontent with his signing of the euthanasia bill.**
LOL… the medical aid in dying (which is different than euthanasia) bill JB signed is popular and polls very well. I don’t think he’s worried about “discontent.”
- Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 2:20 pm:
Lurker - you misunderstood my comment, but its not worth trying to explain it to you.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 2:23 pm:
=I can’t believe I had to go to the 10th comment for @JSMill Catholic bashing.=
First, I was born and raised and married in the church. Including catholic schools and I have been to the Vatican. My church/school was home to a serial sex offender priest. My church lied directly to me. So it isn’t “bashing”, it is proven and historically documented fact.
Prove me wrong or save your hurt feels for someone who cares.
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 2:26 pm:
JS Mill — very well said.
I’ll add that as a general rule, I am suspicious of the pronouncements of any leader, secular or sectarian, supposedly cloaked in a veil of infallibility and regard as pernicious the knee-jerk deference bestowed particularly on sectarians.
- Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 3:14 pm:
==I am suspicious of the pronouncements of any leader, secular or sectarian, supposedly cloaked in a veil of infallibility==
This could be talking about Gov Pritzker when it comes to IL politics
(joking, joking)
- thisjustinagain - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 9:03 pm:
This appears to be either “the devil is in the details” or “two people talking about the same thing differently”. So the Pope says they discussed the bill, while J.B. is saying they didn’t. But obviously some level of discussion (even the “we’re not seeing eye to eye on this one” version mentioned above my comment) occurred. You know the Pope also knows about politics; the Vatican is a city-state with its own version of the Chicago/Illinois Way.
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 10:00 pm:
Alton Sinkhole - Tuesday, Jan 6, 26 @ 3:14 pm –
Agreed