CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo is urging the United States to take a hard look at how migrants are being treated — especially those detained under policies enforced during the Trump administration.
Speaking from his residence in Castel Gandolfo, the first U.S.-born Pope expressed deep concern after learning that immigrants detained at a federal facility in Broadview, near Chicago, were reportedly denied access to holy Communion — one of the most sacred obligations for Catholics.
The question, he says, goes beyond politics.
It goes to the heart of the Gospel.
“Jesus says very clearly… we will be asked:
How did you receive the foreigner?
Did you welcome him — or not?
There must be deep reflection on what is happening.”
Pope Leo, a Chicago native, said many long-time U.S. residents — who lived peacefully for years — are now suffering through sudden detention, broken families, and fear.
And while discussions focus on laws and borders, he reminded everyone that detainees also have spiritual needs.
“They have been separated from their families.
Nobody knows what will happen to them.
But their spiritual needs must be attended to.”
The Pope’s comment comes after clergy — including a Catholic bishop — were denied access when they attempted to bring Communion into the Broadview facility last November 1, during the Feast of All Saints.
More than 3,000 individuals have been detained in Chicago alone as part of the administration’s strict immigration campaign, according to U.S. authorities.
Since becoming pontiff last May, Pope Leo has drawn stronger lines in defense of migrants — echoing the messages of his predecessor, Pope Francis — even if some conservative Catholics have reacted sharply against him.
In his first major papal document released last October, he appealed to the world to help migrants and repeated a warning once directed at Donald Trump:
A nation is judged not by how it treats the powerful — but by how it treats the vulnerable.
And Pope Leo’s concerns are not limited to U.S. immigration.
He also criticized Washington’s decision to deploy warships off Venezuela’s coast:
“Armed forces should defend peace.
Violence will not win.
Dialogue is the only path toward real solutions.”
With his calm but firm voice, Pope Leo continues to challenge world leaders:
Choose compassion.
Choose peace.
Choose to welcome — not reject — those in need.
