Chicago’s New ‘Pope Tour’ Masks Commercialism as Heritage Amid True National Priorities

In the heart of Chicago, a new tourist attraction has emerged: a bus tour tracing the life of Pope León XIV, the first pontiff born in the United States. At face value, this two-and-a-half-hour journey through neighborhoods, seminaries, and even the pontiff's favorite pizzeria seems like a patriotic homage to an American success story on the world stage.Is This Celebration or Commercialization?Yet when we peel back the layers, questions arise about where our city—and by extension, our nation—should be investing its time and resources. For $65 per ticket, visitors can follow scenes of a religious figure’s youth in Chicago suburbs...