By Bill Cameron, WLS-AM 890 News

(CHICAGO) Mayor Emanuel is off to Rome today, leading a delegation to see Pope Francis make Chicago Archbishop Cupich a Cardinal this weekend​.

More than 80 are on this Vatican junket because the mayor says it’s “a special moment for” Chicago.

“At a time where voices of intolerance are becoming accepted, we have a Cardinal who speaks to tolerance. In a time in which exclusion is becoming more of a norm, we have an Archbishop elevated to becoming a Cardinal that speaks to inclusion,” said Mayor Emanuel.

So who pays for the junket? Mayor Emanuel says city-funded World Business Chicago out of private donations.

© WLS-AM 890 News