Pope Leo XIV Challenges U.S. Catholics To Be “More Forceful” In Defending Immigrant Rights

Pope Leo XIV told Catholic leaders in the United States they must take a stronger position defending immigrants. This happened as the country continues to carry out mass deportations under the Trump administration. His comments were made during a meeting at the Vatican with a group of American bishops and advocacy groups.

As reported by Politico, Corbett said Pope Leo encouraged Catholic bishops in the U.S. to be “more united and more forceful” in addressing the issue of immigrant rights. He added that the pope appeared well-informed and deeply concerned about the impact of U.S. deportation policies, requiring no introduction to the topic during their meeting.

Catholic leaders in the United States have often criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement. This enforcement has resulted in more than two million deportations. These leaders argue that the policies have broken up families and created widespread fear in immigrant communities.

The Vatican’s Stance On Immigration And The U.S. Response

The pope’s comments are the most recent in a number of statements from the Vatican that oppose the United States crackdown on immigration. Since he became pope, Pope Leo has shown he would continue the method of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Pope Francis had warned that mass deportations put migrants in a position of greater vulnerability. The Vatican has repeatedly described the issue as a matter of human dignity and basic rights.

Per Politico, Pope Leo’s latest comments follow earlier remarks in which he questioned whether supporters of what he called “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States” could still identify as “pro life.” The White House dismissed those remarks, with officials stating there was no inhumane treatment under current immigration enforcement and pointing instead to past practices under prior administrations.

The Vatican has not issued a formal statement on the meeting, but members of the delegation said they intend to take the pope’s message back to their communities. Corbett told Politico that U.S. Catholic leaders and advocates now need to be “much more vigorous” in opposing the current policies while also pushing for reforms to support immigrants.