Jim Farley: Behind the scenes with Pope Leo
Celebrating ties to Ford workers and Windy City roots
It isn’t easy getting a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
Still, Ford CEO Jim Farley made it happen.
But this is more than the story of a global executive traveling with his wife Lia to Italy to deliver keys to a custom 2026 Ford Explorer hybrid SUV built for the Holy Father, a personal gift intended to honor the people, place and history that helped shape the global head of the church representing more than 1.5 billion Catholics.
It’s also a moment Farley chose to spotlight workers from the Chicago Assembly Plant, located just five miles from the pope’s childhood home at 212 E. 141st Place in Dolton, Ill. The Ford factory, built in 1924 on Torrence Avenue, is the automaker’s longest-running, continuously operating vehicle assembly site that began with the Model T.
Just 12 miles away from the factory is St. Rita of Cascia High School, which opened in 1906. That’s where Robert Francis Prevost taught math and physics years before becoming pope and moving to the Vatican City. He grew up with two brothers, raised by a librarian mom (Millie) and an educator (Louis) who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, in 1944.
Farley didn’t publicly reveal details about his trip to Rome to see the pope. The Vatican put out information on March 1 about the Feb. 28 presentation, and news spread through the Catholic network and on social media.
Since then, Shifting Gears has learned:
Jim Farley went to the pope’s office in the Apostolic Palace and took with him a picture of the team that did the final quality check on the Explorer. Ford workers also wrote letters delivered to the pope with the vehicle, which Ford had shipped.
“Pope Leo asked questions about our UAW workers and all the people who built the Explorer,” Farley told me after making his first trip to Vatican City.
Pope Leo took Farley for a surprise drive in the SUV, with Farley in the passenger seat. (The pope reportedly has a wonderful sense of humor.) The two men didn’t listen to music on the radio. They just talked. The pope is an accomplished driver who has owned a 2013 Ford Fusion 6-speed manual transmission. He told Farley that he loves driving a stick shift and his car is still being used by the Augustinian brothers in his hometown of Chicago.
Farley continued a family legacy. His grandfather Emmet Tracy was among Detroit Catholics who raised money and donated a Lincoln to the pope more than half a century ago.
Farley told me he was proud that his Ford team worked on the special project for months without leaks to the press or anyone else about the Platinum edition Ford Explorer. The price on such a vehicle starts around $55,000 with taxes and fees and could cost up to $70,000 for custom features including Chicago skyline stitching on the console and other Easter eggs.
Ford declined to discuss the cost of the gift.
Ford Explorer Pope Edition
The hybrid SUV, which used to be offered for sale to the general public, had limited adoption, Ford spokesman Mark Truby told me.
Meanwhile, the Ford Explorer designed for law enforcement — the Police Interceptor — uses the highly efficient hybrid engine, and that’s what the pope’s team requested.
Will the public have the option to buy a hybrid Explorer in the future?
It’s possible once again, Truby said. Ford is looking to increase its hybrid offerings for customers.
Who made it all happen (in secret)
Raffaella Petrini, president of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State, was incredibly helpful in organizing this project, Farley said.
Without her, the gift never could have happened. She answered key questions.
“How do you ask the Pope if he wants captain’s chairs or a bench seat?” Farley said.
Awenate Cobbina, chief of staff to Farley and a former Detroit Pistons executive who worked for President Barack Obama in the White House, assisted with the pope project, too.
While visiting Vatican City, Lia and Jim Farley attended early mass in the catacombs below St. Peter’s altar in the Basilica with friends Lindsey and Tom Buhl of Grosse Pointe.
Lindsey Ford Buhl, who serves on the board of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, is the great-great granddaughter of Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford and his wife Clara, and daughter of Barbara and Walter B. Ford III.
Tom Buhl, a partner at Legacy Wealth Management, is co-founder of Buhl Sport Detroit motorsports marketing company and professional racing team. He serves on the boards of the Detroit Historical Society, College of Creative Studies, Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan, Henry Ford Hospital and the Detroit Zoological Society.
Farley, 63, is back home in Birmingham now and reflecting on his travels.
He said, “What Lia, myself, Tom and Lindsey all took away from the visit and donation was the compete devotion that Pope Leo, President Raffaella and every Catholic leader we met on our visit has for the teachings of Jesus Christ and their devotion to each of us around the world. In one word: LOVE.”
A life of charitable works
Father Tim McCabe, president of the Pope Francis Center in Detroit, has worked beside Farley serving meals to homeless guests. McCabe said meeting one-on-one with the pope is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and there’s something extra special about having personal connections to the Windy City.
“The pope represents the face of Jesus on earth,” McCabe said. “It has always been told to me, since the time I was little, that a pope would never come from the United States. Politically, it just wouldn’t happen.”
His Chicago roots provide a powerful connection to the divine order, McCabe said.
“What it says to all of us, and maybe to children in particular, is that we all have the God-given potential to be instruments of God’s plan and God’s will. We all have the potential to rise to holiness. The fact that we know one of these chosen men that came through our ranks and through our communities and through out schools shows us that anyone, anyone can be chosen by God.”
Family ties, faith
Behind the scenes, Farley has worked to support people who struggle with addiction and mental health issues, McCabe said. “Jim is as comfortable with people living on the streets as he is with world leaders. He engages with complete humility.”
The death of his cousin, comedian Chris Farley at age 33, inspired a commitment to helping people who don’t always have the support they need.
“When I was younger, I was so happy for Chris. We were all happy for Chris in our big, large Irish family. At reunions, Chris was always the star. A lot of other people found that out through ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Farley told me in 2019.
“When he passed away, it was very sad for all of us on a personal level. People would bring it up, and say he was great, but it was a lot of conflicting emotions. I lived in Los Angeles when Chris was doing events and movies. I’d see a lot of Chris. He was going through fame, dealing with being a Wisconsin boy exposed to so much.”
Bernie Ricke of Trenton, past president of the influential UAW Local 600 in Dearborn that represents thousands of Ford workers, said he’s not surprised by Farley’s quiet generosity and commitment to the Catholic Church.
Ricke, a veteran labor negotiator who attended Precious Blood Catholic School through 8th grade in Detroit, said Pope Leo is widely admired among the faithful.
“The pope is a breath of fresh air — about the whole immigration thing and welcoming people in need,” Ricke told me. “Being raised Catholic, I think it instills in some people the responsibility to help those less fortunate than you.”
Memories of a teacher (before he was pope)
Connections between Ford and Pope Leo aren’t always obvious.
Ford employee Adolphus Harper, a pre-delivery specialist and member of the team that worked on the pope project, graduated from St. Rita in 1986.
“So knowing that the Pope who once taught me is now driving something I helped assemble —it’s unbelievable,” he said in remarks provided by Ford. “To see someone connected to my own education become part of something so historic—it’s amazing.”
More:
Life hack: Why CEO Jim Farley makes model cars
Talk to strangers, especially now
Penske team changes lives by investing in young Detroiters
I’m honored to be part of The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative — which offers a fresh mix of political analysis, features and news from a Heartland perspective.
This is so cool. I hope Ford puts together a new car with a stick shift for da Pope!
Wonderful article and so many great mentions of kindness and humanity! The Pope is a Beacon of Light and Love for our world!