Pope Leo Condemns ‘Extremely Disrespectful’ Treatment Of Migrants By Trump Administration
By Siladitya Ray
TOPLINE
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday backed U.S. Catholic leaders’ recent rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and condemned the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of undocumented migrants in the U.S., in a rare public statement that could further escalate brewing tensions between the White House and the first-ever American Pope
KEY FACTS
- While speaking to reporters at the Vatican, the Pope was asked about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) statement last week, which criticized the “climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”
- Pope Leo said he appreciates what the bishops have said, as he urged all Catholics and “people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they said.”
- “We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” adding that there are courts and a system of justice to tackle people who are “in the United States illegally,” the leader of the Roman Catholic church said.
- The Pope said, “no one has said that the United States should have open borders…I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.”
- However, the Catholic leader noted that when “people have lived good lives—many of them for 10, 15, 20 years—treating them in a way that is, to say the least, extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence, is troubling.”
WHAT DID THE U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ STATEMENT SAY?
The USCCB issued a rare “Special Message” during its annual gathering in Baltimore last week. The bishops said they were “saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants.” It also raised concerns about the condition of migrant detention centers, “the lack of access to pastoral care,” and the arbitrary loss of legal status for some immigrants. The Catholic leaders said they were also “troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools,” and added that they felt “compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.” The statement was put to a vote at the gathering and received 216 votes in favor, five against and three abstentions.
HOW HAS THE WHITE HOUSE RESPONDED?
The White House has not yet commented on the Pope’s remarks, but last week it responded to the bishops’ message with a statement shared with various outlets. “President Trump was elected as the president of the United States based on the many promises he made to the American people, including his promise to deport criminal illegal aliens. He is keeping his promise to the American people,” the statement read. Earlier this month, Democratic Catholic activist Christopher Hale, who runs a newsletter called “Letters from Leo” said he reached out to the White House about the Pope’s criticism of Trump’s immigration crackdown. An unnamed White House spokesperson purportedly responded “the pope doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
