Pope Leo, Trump allies clash: Provide 'consolation, hope' to immigrants

Pope Leo XIV has drawn the ire of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement after delivering a Sunday message urging Catholics worldwide to welcome and care for immigrants — just days after denouncing former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies as cruel.

On September 30, Leo criticised the Trump administration's immigration policies, raising concerns about whether they aligned with the Catholic Church's pro-life values — remarks that sparked strong backlash from several prominent conservative Catholics.

In a message delivered on Sunday, the Pope spoke of the Church entering "a new missionary age," one marked by a call to extend "hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity" to migrants fleeing violence or seeking safety.

US-born pontiff

The US-born pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, spent decades as a missionary in Peru after moving there in 1986.

He later became a naturalised Peruvian citizen in 2015. Born in Chicago, he dedicated much of his religious life to marginalized communities in Latin America, a background that has shaped his strong stance on immigration.

In his address at St. Peter’s Square, where thousands gathered for a special Mass for migrants that drew 10,000 pilgrims from 95 countries, Pope Leo called on Catholics to embrace newcomers.

“We must open our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope,” he declared.

Consolation and hope for migrants

Migrants, he continued, cannot be treated with “the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.”

The pope went further, urging the Church to embark on “a new missionary age” defined by “hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity” for all those fleeing violence or seeking safe homes for their families.

“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.

Though Pope Leo did not mention the US or Trump by name, his words come against the backdrop of his recent critiques.

Fury sparked by Pope

Last week, he sparked fury among Trump supporters by contrasting Catholic teachings on life issues with US immigration practices.

“Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but says ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” the pope told reporters.

“Someone who says that, ‘I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”

The remarks have intensified resentment from Republican circles, many of whom accuse the pope of undermining conservative Christian identity.

Yet to Pope Leo, critics say, the issue is simple: he rejects what he sees as a distortion of Christianity.

By emphasising love, compassion, and solidarity over divisive political posturing, Pope Leo has become a lightning rod for conservative anger — while energising Catholics who see his vision as a return to the core teachings of Christ.

Leo echos what the late Pope Francis stated during his pontificate: “This is not just about migrants”, in the two-fold sense that migrants are first of all human persons, and that they are the symbol of all those rejected by today’s globalised society.