Pope Leo urges respect for migrants, challenging Trump views

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV, in his first address to world diplomats, said on Friday that the dignity of migrants had to be respected, possibly putting himself on a collision course with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The pope, who was born in Chicago but lived for many years in Peru as a missionary, said his own background made him feel compelled to call for compassion and solidarity with those seeking a better life in other countries.

"My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate," he told ambassadors at the Vatican.

"All of us, in the course of our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged. It is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God," he added.

Leo's ancestors are believed to have come from either the Dominican Republic or Haiti, two countries that share an island in the Caribbean, and his family has roots in the Creole culture of New Orleans in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana.

"No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike," said Leo, who was elected last week to succeed Pope Francis as head of the 1.4-billion member Roman Catholic Church.

Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

Pope Francis, who died last month, had a very conflictual relationship with Trump over immigration, with Francis once calling Trump "not Christian" because of his anti-migrant policies and plans to build a wall along the southern border.

Before becoming pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost indirectly criticised U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who had asserted - incorrectly according to Prevost - that Catholic theology called on people to take care of their own before turning to others. 

Vance is due to lead a U.S. delegation at Leo's inaugural Mass on Sunday.

FAMILY VALUES

The Vatican has diplomatic relations with about 185 countries and Leo wove his speech around the themes of peace, justice and religious freedom, calling for an end to the arms trade and stressing the need for multilateral diplomacy.

He indicated that he would continue in the tradition of his predecessors to travel the world, saying he wanted to get to know the countries where the ambassadors are from.

Pope Leo also used his speech to restate the Church's traditional teaching that heterosexual marriage is a foundation of society.

"It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies. This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman," he said.

While Pope Francis also said the Church could not accept same-sex marriage, conservatives accused the late Argentine pontiff of sowing confusion among the faithful by being more welcoming than his predecessors to LGBTQ people and approving blessing of individuals in stable same-sex relationships.

Leo reaffirmed the Church's position against abortion, called for protection of religious freedom and said he would continue to pursue inter-religious dialogue.

The pope condemned what he called a "destructive urge for conquest", without naming any specific countries. Later, he mentioned the Middle East and Ukraine, saying they were two of the places where people were suffering "most grievously".

The Church, Leo said, would not hesitate to use "blunt language" when necessary to speak the truth to the powerful of the world.

(Reporting by Philip PullellaEditing by Crispian Balmer and Frances Kerry)