Illinois state lawmaker wants to build statue of Pope Leo XIV, funded by commemorative license plates
An Illinois state lawmaker has proposed creating a commemorative license plate honoring Pope Leo XIV, in order to help pay for a statue of the Chicago-born pontiff at the state capitol in Springfield.
Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) has introduced legislation that would direct the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to oversee the design and fabrication of a statue of Pope Leo, who grew up in south suburban Dolton.
"This is not a religious monument. It's about acknowledging a truly historic moment," McLaughlin said in a statement. "In more than 2,000 years no American, let alone an Illinoisan, has ever been elevated to the Papacy. It's a global story with Illinois at the heart."
While the proposed legislation does not set a specific budget for a statue of the pope, it would also call for the creation of a commemorative Illinois license plate to finance the sculpture.
The commemorative license plates could be purchased for $27 in addition to the normal registration fee for the appropriate vehicle type. From that fee, $12 would go toward the cost of the statue, and $15 would go to cover the costs of the plates themselves. The cost to renew the commemorative license plates every year would be an additional $17 on top of the normal registration renewal fee, with $15 of that going towards the cost of the statue.
The Illinois State Capitol grounds already are home to statues of Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other prominent figures, as well as memorials for fallen police officers, firefighters, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
