VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, is turning up the heat on President Donald Trump’s deportation drive, instructing U.S. Catholic bishops to publicly condemn the administration’s immigration crackdown as a betrayal of pro-life values.
The directive, issued during a Vatican meeting with border-region clergy, marks the pope’s boldest intervention yet in American politics, drawing sharp rebukes from the White House and fueling a growing rift between the Holy See and Trump’s Catholic allies.
Leo XIV, 70, met Wednesday with a delegation of U.S. bishops and social workers from the U.S.-Mexico border, where he was handed dozens of letters from immigrants detailing fears of arrest and family separation under Trump’s enforcement policies.
Visibly moved, the Chicago native urged the U.S. Bishops’ Conference to “speak strongly” on behalf of migrants and refugees caught in the raids.
El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who attended the gathering, told Reuters, “Our Holy Father is very personally concerned about these matters. He expressed his desire that the U.S. Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue.”
The pope’s push builds on a series of pointed critiques. Just last week, Leo XIV questioned whether Trump’s anti-immigration measures squared with Catholic pro-life principles, sparking backlash from conservative U.S. Catholics and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“I would reject there was inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration,” Leavitt shot back.
Leo has also distanced himself from his older brother, Louis Prevost, a vocal MAGA supporter, and privately urged Vice President JD Vance to “respect the dignity of ‘all people’ wherever they’re born.”
One letter shared during the meeting, written in Spanish by a family living in fear of deportation, pleaded: “I believe the Pope should speak out openly against the raids and the unfair treatment the community is experiencing.”
The pope’s response was immediate and unequivocal, positioning the Catholic Church as a moral counterweight to the administration’s hardline stance.
The Trump Administration Fights Back
Trump’s team didn’t take the rebuke lying down. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the policies, stating, “President Trump was elected as the President of the United States based on the many promises he made to the American people, including his promise to deport criminal illegal aliens. He is keeping his promise to the American people.”
The feud echoes earlier tensions: Leo XIV, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis, has voiced support for Gaza and Ukraine, called for an end to Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, and trashed his signature immigration policies before ascending to the papacy.
High-profile Catholic officials in Trump’s orbit, including Leavitt, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who joined Vance for a sit-down with Leo shortly after his inaugural Mass—and border czar Tom Homan, the architect of the deportation surge, now face a direct challenge from the Vatican.
Rubio and Vance’s early meeting with the pope had raised hopes of alignment, but Leo’s evolving stance suggests those bridges may be burning.
The pope’s order comes amid federal ICE operations in his native Chicago earlier this month, adding a personal edge to his advocacy.
After a more restrained start to his papacy, Leo XIV has sharpened his focus on social justice, using his American roots to bridge global faith and U.S. policy debates.
For Trump’s Catholic base, it’s a tough pill—loyalty to the administration clashing with papal calls for mercy toward the vulnerable.
As bishops weigh their response, Leo’s intervention could ripple through midterm races in swing states with large Catholic populations.
The Holy See’s press office didn’t immediately comment, but the message is clear: In the eyes of the Vatican, true pro-life faith demands compassion at the border, not just in the womb.
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