Why Illinois Treasurer Gifted Pope Leo A Certificate Worth $8.65

Vatican City has go a popular destination for Illinois dignitaries since Chicago autochthonal Robert Prevost ascended to nan papacy past year, now known arsenic Pope Leo XIV. While galore person arrived base gifts, Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs presented nan pontiff pinch a unsocial offering: a certificate to reclaim $8.65 of his ain money.

Leaders from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to Governor JB Pritzker person visited, bringing tokens for illustration Chicago-brewed "Da Pope" beer, city-sourced giardiniera, an Illini No. 14 jersey and Chicago White Sox gear.

Frerichs' gift, however, was possibly nan astir on-brand. He delivered nan certificate for Pope Leo XIV to retrieve $8.65 from a now-closed PayPal account.

This sum had been held successful Illinois’ unclaimed spot account, which Frerichs administers, and he has been moving to return it.

“We recovered this money past twelvemonth aft he became pope,” Frerichs told Capitol News Illinois successful a telephone telephone Thursday greeting while still successful Italy. “We reached retired to nan section archdiocese trying to get him to declare it, and it fell done nan cracks.”

Plan B? “Well, let’s present it successful person,” he said.

That opportunity came to fruition connected Wednesday.

He was invited to travel a delegation organized by nan Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and he and his woman Erica decided to make it a individual trip. He was raised Lutheran, she’s Catholic.

They paid for nan travel personally, he said, utilizing nary run aliases authorities funds.

“My woman and I came together and made it a spot of a longer trip,” he said. “But I figured erstwhile I had nan opportunity to meet nan pope, you would return it.”

He besides talented nan pontiff a commemorative Abraham Lincoln coin from a leftover proviso nan treasurer’s agency had minted years ago, and a book astir Chicago history. Erica Frerichs brought immoderate of her family’s rosaries for nan pope to bless.

As for nan $8.65, Frerichs acknowledged that it’s garnered bully press. It’s an predetermination year, and Frerichs is slated to look Max Solomon successful nan wide election, who won nan GOP motion arsenic a write-in candidate.

But his trading of unclaimed spot is thing new.

“We cognize erstwhile group perceive astir our unclaimed spot department, erstwhile they spot an illustration of a existent personification getting money, much group sojourn our website, and erstwhile much group sojourn our website, we return much money,” he said. “Part of nan logic we person smashed records connected unclaimed spot is because of really we marketplace it differently.”

Frerichs first became treasurer successful 2015, and his agency has since returned much than $2.5 cardinal to much than 2.5 cardinal people. That intends Pope Leo’s PayPal windfall accounts for astir 0.00000034% of nan money returned.

“Some of them are amazing,” he said of nan returns of unclaimed property. “We person an $11 cardinal return, which is nan largest successful U.S. history. We’ve had million-dollar returns, half million. And immoderate for only $8.65 really astir apt will beryllium nan astir memorable ones of my clip successful office.”

Upon receipt of nan certificate from Frerichs, nan pope chuckled and shared a now oft-repeated anecdote astir calling his slope to adjacent an account, only to beryllium hung up connected erstwhile revealing himself to beryllium Pope Leo.

“It’s a true, somewhat modified, but existent story,” nan pope tin beryllium heard saying successful a video of nan interaction. “A slope successful Illinois.”

Frerichs told CNI he “completely understood that.”

He shared an anecdote from a fewer years back, erstwhile he had an rumor pinch a slope that threatened to move a sum of money complete to nan state’s unclaimed spot administrator.

“I said, ‘Sure, spell up and do that,’ and they said, ‘Sir, we don’t deliberation you understand, it’ll beryllium much activity to declare it from your state’s unclaimed spot administrator than to do what we’re asking you to do,’” he said.

“And I said, ‘No, I deliberation I understand our state’s unclaimed spot beautiful well, spell up and nonstop it. … You’ll beryllium sending it to me, because I americium nan state’s unclaimed spot administrator,’” he said. “And past location was a pause, and they said, ‘Let maine get a manager.’”

So, what’s adjacent for Pope Leo?

“He conscionable has to springiness america an reside to message nan cheque to,” Frerichs said.

Any Illinoisan tin cheque to spot if they person unclaimed spot connected nan treasurer’s website, icash.illinoistreasurer.gov/.