Pope Leo condemns US’s ‘extremely disrespectful’ treatment of immigrants

Original article by Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Pope Leo has reiterated his disapproval of Donald Trump’s immigration policies, saying foreigners in the US are being treated in an “extremely disrespectful way”.

Leo, the first US pontiff in the history of the Catholic church, made the remarks in response to questions about a statement adopted last week during a special assembly of US bishops that criticised the Trump administration’s mass deportations and lamented the fear and anxiety caused by immigration raids.

Leo said the statement was “very important” and urged Catholics to take heed.

“I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” he told reporters as he left the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town south of Rome, on Tuesday.

“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts; there’s a system of justice.”

Leo acknowledged that “every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter”.

“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, 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 in what they said,” he added.

Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has in recent weeks adopted an increasingly strong tone in his criticism of Trump’s immigration policies.

In September, he called the US’s treatment of immigrants “inhuman” and in October he questioned whether Trump’s policies were in line with the Catholic church’s teachings.

“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,” he said.

On that occasion, he was also speaking from Castel Gandolfo, to which he usually retreats on Monday afternoons and Tuesdays. The Chicago-born pontiff revived papal holidays in Castel Gandolfo this summer after the tradition was interrupted by Pope Francis, who preferred to spend his time off at a Vatican guesthouse.

On Tuesday, Leo also issued a strongly worded video on the climate crisis to bishops participating in the Cop30 summit in Brazil. Criticising 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 referred to the landmark Paris agreement, adopted by the international community in 2015 to address the climate crisis, as the “strongest tool for protecting people and the planet”.

“It is not the agreement that is failing; we are failing in our response,” he said. “What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service, and support at a scale that will make a difference.”