A Chicago Catholic group has advocated for religious access at the Broadview ICE detention facility outside Chicago as the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV recovers from lung cancer surgery.
Local Advocacy for Religious Access
WGN-TV reported on the coalition's planned trip to Rome. The coalition has advocated for religious access at the Broadview ICE detention facility outside Chicago, including through litigation over access for clergy. The dispute has centered on religious rights and pastoral access for detained people.
That campaign produced legal victories. A February 12, 2026, court order addressed access for the Ash Wednesday visit, according to Religion News Service. On March 31, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman issued a preliminary injunction ordering ICE to allow Catholic clergy and the coalition access to Broadview for Holy Week, finding that the government's bans substantially burdened religious exercise. The judge ruled under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment, as the National Catholic Reporter reported. The coalition and individual Catholic clergy filed their federal suit against DHS and ICE in November 2025 after immigration officials turned away faith leaders attempting to administer Holy Communion inside Broadview on November 1 of that year, as the St. Louis Review reported — access that clergy had previously had for decades before the bans began.
A Pope Who Took Up the Cause
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich joined the coalition outside the facility in February 2026 to celebrate an outdoor Ash Wednesday Mass and lead a Eucharistic procession supporting detained immigrants, an event that drew thousands of local worshippers.
The Broadview dispute has been echoed in legal challenges beyond Illinois. The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a federal lawsuit on October 5, 2026, over clergy access to detained immigrants in Missouri, with similar cases also filed in Minnesota, per the St. Louis Review's reporting. Hoodline also covered the Archdiocese's Ste. Genevieve Jail dispute.
Advocacy and Legal Action
The coalition has also pursued legal action over religious access for detained people.
Pope Leo, 71, underwent thoracic surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on October 13. He was in the operating room for approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung after intraoperative testing confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, according to Vatican News. The procedure was performed via video-assisted surgery without immediate complications.
The Pope's Hospital Stay
The Vatican said a further update was expected Wednesday. Pope Leo was expected to remain hospitalized for about a week following his admission. He had begun walking, started respiratory therapy, and resumed eating regular meals, as CBS News reported.
Pope Leo XIV is Chicago-born.
