Pope Francis penned an open letter to the members of the U.S. Episcopal Conference, addressing what he called the “crisis” unleashed by President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program. The president had even authorized raids on so-called “illegal” migrants in schools, hospitals, and even churches.
In his letter, the pontiff not only denounced these blatant violations of human dignity but also called out U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance for misusing theology to justify the government’s anti-migrant measures.
According to Pope Francis, having an irregular status does not make someone a criminal.
“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality,” he said.
He warned that Trump is sowing the seeds of hatred and division—a course that promises negative consequences in both the medium and long term.
What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly. https://t.co/S9UDh2TPtO
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 11, 2025
The pontiff also appealed to the conscience of Trump and his entire cabinet, criticizing their un-Christian perspective on migration. He emphasized that migration is a multifaceted phenomenon driven by extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution, and severe environmental degradation.
“The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
Finally, Pope Francis urged a moment of reflection and called on everyone to strictly uphold the rights of all by welcoming, protecting, promoting, and integrating the most fragile, defenseless, and vulnerable members of society.
The U.S. Response to Pope Francis Viral Letter
Although the letter was not addressed directly to Trump’s administration, representatives have already reacted to the pontiff’s remarks. From the White House in Washington, Tom Homan—dubbed Trump’s “anti-migrant czar”—responded to reporters’ questions.
“He ought to focus on his work and leave enforcement to us. He’s got a wall around the Vatican, does he not?,” Homan said.
The relationship between Pope Francis and Trump has never been smooth. In response to the pontiff’s criticism of what he deemed un-Christian actions by Trump, the Republican leader retorted that the comments were “shameful.”
Dated February 10, Pope Francis’s letter was made public on Tuesday, the same day the Vatican announced the appointment of Edward Weisenburger as Archbishop of Detroit—a bishop widely respected for his staunch advocacy on behalf of migrants in the United States. Archbishop Weisenburger has even proposed that “canonical penalties” be imposed on Catholics involved in mass deportations that separate children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Cristian Galarza in CC News.
