Pope Backs U.S. Bishops’ Rebuke Of White House's Immigration Crackdown

BySiladitya Ray,

Forbes Staff.

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday backed U.S. Catholic leaders’ recent rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and condemned the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of undocumented migrants in the U.S., in a rare public statement that could further escalate brewing tensions between the White House and the first-ever American Pope.

While speaking to reporters at the Vatican, the Pope was asked about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) statement last week, which criticized the “climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”

Pope Leo said he appreciates what the bishops have said, as he urged all Catholics and “people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they said.”