Pope Leo criticises ‘disrespectful’ treatment of immigrants in US | Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo reiterated his disapproval of Donald Trump’s immigration policies, saying foreigners in the US are treated with “extreme disrespect”.
Leo, the first US priest in the history of the Catholic church, made this statement in response to questions about the statement adopted at a special meeting of US bishops last week, criticizing the Trump administration’s mass deportations and expressing the fear and anxiety caused by immigration raids.
Leo said the statement was “very important” and called on Catholics to take heed.
“We must look for ways to treat people humanely, to treat people with the dignity that they have,” he told reporters as he left the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, a hill town south of Rome, on Tuesday.
“If people are coming to the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there is a justice system.”
Leo acknowledged that “every country has the right to decide who the people enter, how and when.”
“But while people have been living good lives, and many have been treating them extremely disrespectfully for 10, 15, 20 years, to say the least — and unfortunately there was some violence as well — I think the bishops were very clear in what they said,” he added.
Leo, who was elected following the death of Pope Francis in May, has adopted an increasingly harsh tone in his criticism of Trump’s immigration policies in recent weeks.
In September he called US treatment of immigrants “inhumane” and in October questioned whether Trump’s policies were in line with the teachings of the Catholic church.
“Someone who says I oppose abortion but agrees with the inhumane treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” she said.
On this occasion, he was also speaking from Castel Gandolfo, where he usually retreats on Monday afternoons and Tuesdays. The Chicago-born pontiff revived papal holidays at Castel Gandolfo this summer after the tradition was interrupted by Pope Francis, who opted to spend his vacation time at a Vatican guesthouse.
On Tuesday, Leo also released a strongly worded video on the climate crisis to bishops attending the COP30 summit in Brazil. Criticizing the failure of international leaders to summon the political will to tackle the problem, he said: “Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat. One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes.”
He called the landmark Paris Agreement, adopted by the international community in 2015 to address the climate crisis, “the most powerful tool to protect people and the planet.”
“It’s not the agreement that’s failing; it’s us failing to respond,” he said. “What has failed is the political will of some. True leadership means service and support on a scale that will make a difference.”
