Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 5, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePope Leo calls on Catholics to embrace immigrants, challenging Trump's policies. He emphasizes compassion and a new missionary age for the Church.
By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo urged the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on Sunday to care for immigrants, pressing ahead with a message of welcome for migrants days after criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump's hard-line anti-immigration policies.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, told thousands of pilgrims celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Square that immigrants should not be treated with "the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination".
The pope, who did not single out any country for its treatment of migrants, called on Catholics to "open our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope."
POPE TALKS OF 'NEW MISSIONARY AGE'
Leo had criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies on September 30, questioning whether they were in line with the Catholic Church's pro-life teachings, in comments that drew heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.
On Sunday, the pope said the global Church was experiencing "a new missionary age" in which it was tasked with offering "hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity" to migrants fleeing violence or searching for a safe place to live.
"In the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world's South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the Church," he said.
Elected in May to replace the late Pope Francis, Leo has shown a much more reserved style than his predecessor, who frequently criticized the Trump administration and often spoke in surprise, off-the-cuff remarks.
Leo spoke on Sunday from a prepared text. He was addressing a weekend event during the Catholic Church's ongoing holy year that was specially organised for migrants, which the Vatican said had attracted more than 10,000 pilgrims from some 95 countries.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by David Holmes)
Immigration is the process through which individuals move to a foreign country with the intention of residing there permanently or temporarily.
Financial inclusion is the effort to provide access to financial services for all individuals, particularly those who are underserved or excluded from the financial system.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
