Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, backs U.S. bishops’ condemnation of Trump-era mass deportations, urging humane treatment for long-term migrants.
Newsroom (19/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday threw his full support behind the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ sharp criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, urging Americans to heed the bishops’ call for humane treatment of migrants and respect for their human dignity.
Speaking to reporters outside his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, the Chicago-born pontiff — the first American to hold the Chair of Peter — directly addressed a rare “special message” adopted by the U.S. bishops during their fall general assembly last week. The statement condemned the administration’s mass deportation operations and what it described as the “vilification” of migrants in public discourse, while highlighting the fear sown by immigration raids and the denial of pastoral care to those in detention.
“I appreciate what the bishops have said,” Pope Leo declared. “I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.”
The pope acknowledged legitimate concerns about illegal immigration and affirmed that no one advocates for open borders, emphasizing that nations have the sovereign right to control their frontiers. “There are courts, there’s a system of justice,” he noted. Yet he stressed that long-term undocumented residents — many of whom have lived productively in the U.S. for 10, 15, or 20 years — deserve treatment rooted in dignity rather than disrespect or violence.
“When people are living good lives… to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least — and there’s been some violence unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear,” he said.
The bishops’ message marked a rare single-issue declaration, the first since 2013, and was amplified by an Instagram video featuring individual prelates reading the text aloud.
Pope Leo, who has consistently encouraged local bishops to lead on social justice issues, framed the statement as a moral imperative rather than a partisan intervention. “I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” he told journalists as he departed the papal villa, where he spends Monday afternoons and Tuesdays relaxing, playing tennis, and swimming.
The pope’s remarks come amid heightened national debate over immigration policy following the return of Trump administration practices, including expanded deportation efforts.
On a lighter note, Leo hinted at an active travel schedule beginning in 2026, once Holy Year obligations in Rome conclude. He confirmed plans to revisit Peru, where he served as a missionary for two decades, and expressed interest in pilgrimages to the Marian shrines at Fatima in Portugal and Guadalupe in Mexico, as well as potential stops in Argentina and Uruguay. “I love to travel; the problem is scheduling with all the commitments,” he said with a smile.
The pontiff departs next week for his first international trip as pope, a visit to Turkey and Lebanon.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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