Pope Leo, after Trump critique, urges Catholics to help immigrants

5/10/2025 18:08

Pope Leo urged the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on Sunday to care for immigrants, pressing ahead with a message of welcome for migrants days after criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump's hard-line anti-immigration policies.



Leo, the first U.S. pope, told thousands of pilgrims celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Square that immigrants should not be treated with "the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination".



The pope, who did not single out any country for its treatment of migrants, called on Catholics to "open our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope."



Leo had criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies on September 30, questioning whether they were in line with the Catholic Church's pro-life teachings, in comments that drew heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.



On Sunday, the pope said the global Church was experiencing "a new missionary age" in which it was tasked with offering "hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity" to migrants fleeing violence or searching for a safe place to live.