By Joshua McElwee
Sun, October 5, 2025
Faithful attend Mass for the Jubilee of the Missionary World and Jubilee of Migrants led by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 5, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -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."
POPE TALKS OF 'NEW MISSIONARY AGE'
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.
"In the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world's South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the Church," he said.
Elected in May to replace the late Pope Francis, Leo has shown a much more reserved style than his predecessor, who frequently criticized the Trump administration and often spoke in surprise, off-the-cuff remarks.
Leo spoke on Sunday from a prepared text. He was addressing a weekend event during the Catholic Church's ongoing holy year that was specially organised for migrants, which the Vatican said had attracted more than 10,000 pilgrims from some 95 countries.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by David Holmes)
Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity with and compassion for migrants
DPA
Sun, October 5, 2025
Pope Leo XIV attends his weekly general audience at St Peter's square in The Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
With compelling words, Pope Leo XIV has reminded the faithful of the plight of migrants and condemned indifference towards them.
In a speech in St Peter's Square in the Vatican on Sunday, the pontiff recalled the suffering of many people who flee violence and risk their lives on dangerous routes. Their "cry of pain and despair" must not meet "the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination," he said.
He said that it is important to meet migrants with open arms and hearts and to give them comfort and hope, during an event marking the Church's Jubilee Year.
The boundaries of need are no longer merely geographical in nature, he said. Poverty, suffering and the search for hope have now reached the heart of societies, he further stated, adding that the fate of migrants bears witness to this.
Criticism of treatment of migrants in US
Leo has been at the helm of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics since May as the first pope from the United States.
It is not yet entirely clear what political course he is pursuing in the Church. However, like his predecessor, the late Francis who died in April, Leo is deeply concerned about the fate of immigrants.
Recently, he has criticized the treatment of migrants by the US more sharply than before. He expressed doubts about whether this aligns with the Catholic Church's position on the protection of life.
"Someone who says that 'I'm against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,' I don't know if that's pro-life," said the pontiff.
The White House rejected the criticism shortly afterwards.
Pope Leo to release first document, on world's poor, on Oct 9
By Joshua McElwee
Sat, October 4, 2025
Pope Leo speaks during a three-day international conference "Raising Hope for Climate Justice" in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo will publish the first document of his tenure on October 9, the Vatican said on Saturday, with a text that is likely to offer hints about the new pontiff's priorities for the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.
The document, known as an apostolic exhortation, will take the name "Dilexi te" (He loved you), and was formally signed by the pope on Saturday ahead of its publication, the Vatican said.
Several Vatican officials told Reuters in recent weeks that Leo's text will focus primarily on the needs of the world's poor.
The Vatican did not give details about the document on Saturday but the title suggests Leo wants to signal continuity with the late Pope Francis, whose last major document, an encyclical, was issued in October 2024 with the name "Dilexit nos" (He loved us).
Leo's document completes a writing project first started by Francis but left uncompleted before the pontiff's death in April, after 12 years leading the global Church, said the officials.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, was elected to replace Francis by the world's cardinals on May 8.
Leo formally signed the text on Saturday, the Catholic feast day celebrating St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century Italian saint renowned for his vow of poverty and closeness to nature.
Pope Francis, the first pontiff to take the saint's name, shunned many of the trappings of the papacy. He often hosted meals with Rome's homeless population and frequently criticised the global market system as not caring for society's most vulnerable people.
Francis' last encyclical, "Dilexit nos," took a different approach from many of his other writings, largely abstaining from talking about political issues and focusing on spiritual themes.
In that text, Francis urged the world's Catholics to abandon the "mad pursuit" of money and instead devote themselves to their faith.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Susan Fenton)
Why are American conservatives clashing with Pope Leo?
Joel Mathis, The Week US
Fri, October 3, 2025
Leo has made it clear he isn’t ‘interested in joining anyone’s team’. | Credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images / Shutterstock
Pope Leo XIV enjoyed rapturous support from his fellow American Catholics when he was elevated last spring, but his latest comments on abortion and immigration are revealing a rift with conservatives in the church.
Leo alienated conservatives this week when asked about the backlash to an award planned for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a pro-choice Catholic, said The Associated Press. (Durbin later declined the award.) A politician “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,” the pope told reporters. Similarly, he said that politicians who favor the death penalty are “not really pro-life.”
That apparent knock on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies — and seeming defense of a pro-choice politician — suggests Leo’s “honeymoon with conservatives” has come to an end, said Reuters. Leo is creating “confusion” about the “moral clarity of the Church’s teaching,” said former Bishop Joseph Strickland, a conservative Texan who was ousted from his post by the late Pope Francis. Catholic conservative influencers such as Matt Walsh and Jack Posobiec also joined the criticism. The controversy could “detract” from Leo’s mission to “work for unity” in an increasingly polarized Catholic Church, said Reuters.
‘Morally obtuse’
“Conservatives and traditionalists are going to wince” at Leo’s comments, Michael Brendan Dougherty said at National Review. Leo’s statement was a “weird slur” on Catholics who favor immigration control, “which can be executed humanely or inhumanely.” And where the death penalty is concerned, comparing “aborted children to hardened criminals is morally obtuse.”
Leo made the mistake of “emulating Christ,” Charlotte Clymer said on Substack. The conservative “pro-life” position has often seemed to embrace “only one aspect of the sanctity of life.” They are “laser-focused on abortion” while ignoring a pro-life sensibility when it comes to “immigration, homelessness, mental health” and other issues. The truth is that religious conservatives “cannot reconcile their chosen hierarchy of life with the teachings of Christ.”
The new pope has “shown little interest in wading into the culture wars” that consume American Catholicism, Molly Olmstead said at Slate. Conservatives hoped they had “found a new and powerful ally in Rome” following Francis’ papacy. Leo has instead made clear “he wasn’t interested in joining anyone’s team.”
‘Our teaching is very clear’
Leo’s comments were the “clearest, substantive evidence that his papacy will be in profound continuity with Pope Francis,” Michael Sean Winters said at National Catholic Reporter. The new pope has “obvious” differences with his predecessor where style and personality are concerned but “not so much” where the substance of Catholic teaching is concerned. That means there should be no worries about “confusion” on the church’s pro-life stance: Leo is pro-life but does not side with those who believe “abortion is really the only preeminent issue” that Catholics should weigh. “Is there anyone on the planet who does not know what the church teaches about abortion? Our teaching is very clear.”
Pope Leo faces MAGA ire after immigration and climate change remarks
Analysis by Christopher Lamb, CNN
Sat, October 4, 2025
Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims at the end of the Weekly General Audience at the Vatican on October 1, 2025. - Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV has adopted a more low-key, less combative style to his predecessor in the early months of his papacy. Pope Francis’s openness to the LGBTQ community, advocacy for migrants and critiques of unrestrained capitalism saw him run up against strong conservative opposition inside and outside the church.
Leo, after gently dipping his toe into the US political fray, is now facing criticism from similar quarters to Francis. The opposition is coming from conservative Catholics in the US and MAGA supporters, some of whom, after Leo’s election, had hoped he would take the church in a different direction from Pope Francis.
The first American pope was asked on Tuesday about plans by the cardinal in Leo’s home city of Chicago to give an award to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership. Cardinal Blase Cupich, an ally and friend of the pope, was planning to give Durbin a “Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants,” but the move faced a backlash given Durbin’s support for abortion rights. Durbin decided to refuse the honor
Unusually, around 10 US bishops even spoke out publicly against the award. Two of those who did – Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Thomas Paprocki – were both appointed a religious liberty advisory body by US President Donald Trump and had been at odds with decisions made by Francis.
Rather than condemn the award, Leo said it was important to look at Durbin’s “40 years of service in the United States Senate.” The pope then said that it’s “not really pro-life” to oppose abortion and support the death penalty, while also questioning whether it was “pro-life” to support the “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States.”
Leo’s comments were immediately criticized. One conservative Catholic described it as “disappointing” and “largely irrelevant”, right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh said it was a “terrible answer from Pope Leo” and Jack Posobiec, an influencer who is supportive of Trump, posted on X simply: “Some popes are a blessing. Some popes are a penance.” Joseph Strickland, the outspoken retired bishop of Tyler, Texas, said Leo’s remarks had created “much confusion”.
Pope Leo XIV attends the International Conference "Raising Hope for Climate Justice" on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si' at Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo on October 01, 2025. ( - Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty ImagesMore
The day after, however, Leo generated more MAGA opposition when he took part in climate conference where he called for action on protecting the planet and blessed some ice. It all comes during a period when Leo had a private meeting with Reverend James Martin, a leading advocate for LGBTQ Catholics, spoke up against the “pandemic of arms” following the Minnesota school shooting and criticised huge CEO salaries and singling out Elon Musk
Is the Chicago-born pontiff positioning his papacy as a counterbalance to the Trump administration? Along with his comments about abortion and immigration, he described Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent speech to generals as “worrying”.
Elise Ann Allen, who recently interviewed Leo for her biography of the pope for her book “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” said Leo does not want to be “anti-Trump”.
“He’s open to helping and dialoguing with him. He wants to be an interlocutor,” she told CNN. “His remarks are aimed at Catholics and what he’s saying is there is a ‘consistent life ethic’. Yes, abortion is wrong but being pro-life respects human dignity in all its forms, whether it concerns the death penalty or immigrants. Being from the United States, Leo is aware that the term ‘pro-life’ is often pigeon-holed into abortion.”
For some Catholics abortion is the “pre-eminent” issue, while they question Francis’ decision to update church teaching and make the death penalty “inadmissible.”
Francis’ critics hoped that Leo’s distinct style – such as his decision to wear the red mozzetta cape after his election – might signal a course correction.
“Conservative Catholics had hoped that Pope Francis’ reforms would follow him into the tomb, that the universal church would view his papacy the way they did, as a bit of bad weather that had finally and thankfully passed,” Michael Sean Winters, a Catholic commentator, wrote in the National Catholic Reporter.
This week they were disappointed. Leo has shown he will, like Francis, try and avoid the culture wars. He doesn’t want to fuel any polarization. “They are very complex issues, and I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them,” the Pope pointed out when asked about Durbin’s award. Leo will also speak up, when necessary, particularly on the treatment of immigrants, an issue close to his heart from his time as a bishop in Peru. While Leo’s aim is to be a peacemaker his intervention this week show he’s unafraid to face opposition when drawing lines on where the church stands.
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