Pope Leo Rebukes U.S. Immigration Policy, Condemns ‘Inhuman Treatment Of Immigrants’

Following the death of Pope Francis last April, many Catholics and observers in the United States and around the world wondered if his successor would be as vocal as the late pontiff on the issues that concerned him, particularly when it comes to the treatment of immigrants and refugees by world governments.

We now have that answer. In remarks to reporters this past week, Pope Leo XIV rebuked the anti-immigrant policies of the United States government, saying that the “inhuman treatment of immigrants” are not in line with the teachings of the Church. “‘Someone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,’ the pontiff told journalists outside the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the Alban Hills, near Rome,” The Guardian reported.

“Leo, the first American pope, was responding to a question from a US journalist who asked about the country’s politics,” the report added. In his America Magazine reflections on Pope Leo’s remarks, J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow at the Center for Migration Studies of New York, wrote that the words echoed “globally” and that he is “beginning to emerge as a strong moral voice in an era of rising nativism.”

The pope’s criticism of the mistreatment of immigrant communities in the U.S. follows his extensive remarks this past August calling migrants and refugees “messengers of hope” and a “true divine blessing” in a world often “darkened by war and injustice.”

The remarks, released ahead of this week’s 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, recognized the global circumstances that force individuals to migrate, including “wars, violence, injustice and extreme weather events.” But as Pope Leo noted, nations that receive migrants and refugees who have had the “courage” and “tenacity” to leave everything behind and begin their lives anew also have much to gain from their presence. The pope concluded by pointing to scripture calling on the faithful to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Following Pope Leo’s lead, Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, also used his 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees remarks to advocate for the humane treatment of immigrants who live, work, and contribute daily to the United States. Cardinal McElroy said that while nations have their right to manage immigration, “the reality we are facing here in the Archdiocese of Washington and across our country is far different.”

“For our government is engaged in — by its own admission and by the tumultuous enforcement actions it has launched – a comprehensive campaign to uproot millions of families and hard-working men and women who have come to our country seeking a better life that includes contributing to building up the best elements of our culture and society,” he said in his September 28 homily.

“This campaign relies on fear and terror at its core, for the government knows that it cannot succeed in its efforts except by bringing new dimensions of fear and terror to our nation’s history and life. Its goal is simple and unitary: to rob undocumented immigrants of any real peace in their lives so that in misery they will ‘self-deport.’” McElroy said that “as believers and citizens, our obligation regarding undocumented women and men is to ask ourselves: Are they truly our neighbor?”

“Is the mother who sacrifices in every dimension of her life to nurture children who will live rightly, productively and caringly our neighbor?” he continued. “Is the man being deported despite the fact that he has three sons who serve in the marines because of the values he taught them our neighbor? Is the woman who works to provide home care for our sick and elderly parents our neighbor? Is the young adult who came here as a child and loves this nation as the only country he has ever known our neighbor? Is the undocumented woman who contributes tirelessly to our parish, caring for the church, leading the daily rosary our neighbor?”

Nearly 1,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. that same day for a 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees procession that borrowed from Pope Leo’s words. Holy Cross Sr. Ruth Nickerson told National Catholic Reporter that she took part in the “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope” procession to “support the migrants and refugees, especially those who are being disappeared in our own city here in D.C.”

“We’re hoping that the prayer and coming together will help people to understand that this is really about human rights for everyone, not just for them,” Sister Nickerson told the outlet.

And, communities are listening. In New Jersey, local volunteers and faith members from the community have been camping out in the parking lot of a Newark detention facility to support families visiting detained loved ones. Family members arriving at GEO Group’s Delaney Hall often have to travel for hours just to get a 15-minute visit with their jailed loved ones. But at times, officials at GEO Group’s Delaney Hall have cruelly turned them away and told them to try again tomorrow, adding further stress onto the burdens facing families when breadwinners and other loved ones are kidnapped by masked federal agents and detained.

Many others are forced to wait for hours after arriving, often in the hot sun. But these volunteers and faith members are ensuring they at least don’t have to wait alone.

“We’re going to come out here, as long as we need to be out here, as long as we can be out here,” said Pax Christi New Jersey‘s Kathy O’Leary. “We kind of expect that eventually we’re going to irritate people, someone in power too much, and get shut down, but we’ll figure out another way then to support our neighbors. We hope that this is the beginning.”

New Jersey Auxiliary Bishop Pedro Bismarck Chau, himself a formerly undocumented immigrant and the first Nicaragua-born U.S. Catholic bishop, has praised the efforts outside Delaney Hall in addition to his own remarks in defense of immigrant communities.

“This group of people have gone over there to support them, to pray with them, to give them comfort, to let them know (to) listen, the church is with you and God is with you,” he told Religion News Service. “If we can help with resources, food — some people are afraid of going to the supermarket because they’re afraid they are going to be taken.” Bishop Chau said last month that “parents would do anything for their children to be protected and to be safe. My heart pains for what they’re going through now, even harder, more difficult than what I went through.”