“I believe we must seek ways to treat people with humanity, with the dignity they deserve. If people are in the United States illegally, there are mechanisms to address their situation. There are courts, there is a justice system,” the American pontiff explained to the media as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo.
Leo XIV added that “no one said that the United States should have open borders,” as “each country has the right to determine who, how, and when people can enter. But when there are people who have lived honorable lives, many of them for 10, 15, 20 years in the country, to treat them in such an extremely disrespectful manner, to say the least…”
The leader of the Catholic Church also condemned that there has been “violence” in some cases regarding the treatment of migrants by authorities. For this reason, he stated that “the bishops have been very clear in their statements” and invited “the entire people of the United States to listen to them.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued an unprecedented message on the 12th, condemning the deportation policy and the stigmatization of immigrants by President Donald Trump’s administration, although without mentioning names.
“We are deeply concerned to observe a climate of fear and anxiety among our people regarding racial discrimination and the enforcement of immigration laws,” they stated in the declaration, which was approved almost unanimously at the annual bishops’ conference held last week in Baltimore.
“We are concerned about conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We regret that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status,” the bishops added.
The U.S. bishops also expressed concern about “threats” of possible immigration operations in places of worship, hospitals, and schools. “It pains us to see parents who are afraid of being detained while taking their children to school and consoling family members who have already been separated from their loved ones,” they expressed.
