VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo told US bishops visiting him at the Vatican on Wednesday that they should firmly address how immigrants are being treated by President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, attendees said, in the latest push by the pontiff on the issue.
Leo, the first US pope, was handed dozens of letters from immigrants describing their fears of deportation under the Trump administration’s policies during the meeting, which included bishops and social workers from the US-Mexico border.
“Our Holy Father … is very personally concerned about these matters,” El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who took part in the meeting, told Reuters. “He expressed his desire that the US Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue.”
“It means a lot to all of us to know of his personal desire that we continue to speak out,” said Seitz.
The Vatican did not immediately comment on the pope’s meeting.
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.
But Leo has been ramping up his criticism in recent weeks.
The pope questioned on September 30 whether the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings, in comments that drew heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.
The White House has said Trump was elected based on his many promises, including to deport criminal illegal aliens.
One of the letters given to the pope on Wednesday, shared with Reuters, described a family with two members who did not have legal permission to stay in the US and who were afraid to leave the house for fear of deportation.
“I believe the Pope should speak out openly against the raids and the unfair treatment the community is experiencing,” read the letter, written in Spanish.
Leo also met privately with a group of about 100 American Catholics involved in ministry with migrants on Tuesday evening, thanking them for their work.
Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown
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Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown
- Leo, the first US pope, was handed dozens of letters from immigrants describing their fears of deportation under the Trump administration
- The pope questioned on Sept. 30 whether the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings
Ukraine’s Zelensky: We have backed US peace proposals to get a deal done
- “The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky told The Atlantic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had sought to back US peace proposals to end the war with Russia as President Donald Trump seeks to resolve the conflict before November mid-term elections.
Zelensky, in an interview published by The Atlantic on Thursday, said Kyiv was willing to hold both a presidential election and a referendum on a deal, but would not settle for an accord that was detrimental to Ukraine’s interests.
“The tactic we chose is for the Americans not to think that we want to continue the war,” Zelensky told the US-based publication. “That’s why we started supporting their proposals in any format that speeds things along.”
He said Ukraine was “not afraid of anything. Are we ready for elections? We’re ready. Are we ready for a referendum? We’re ready.”
Zelensky has sought to build good relations with Washington since an Oval Office meeting in February 2025 descended into a shouting match with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.
But he said he had rejected a proposal, reported this week by the Financial Times, to announce the votes on February 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. A ceasefire and proposed US security guarantees against a future invasion had not yet been settled, he said.
“No one is clinging to power,” The Atlantic quoted him as saying. “I am ready for elections. But for that we need security, guarantees of security, a ceasefire.”
And he added: “I don’t think we should put a bad deal up for a referendum.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Zelensky is not a legitimate negotiating partner because he has not faced election since coming to power in 2019.
Zelensky has said in recent weeks that a document on security guarantees for Ukraine is all but ready to be signed.
But, in his remarks, he acknowledged that details remained unresolved, including whether the US would be willing to shoot down incoming missiles over Ukraine if Russia were to violate the peace.
“This hasn’t been fixed yet,” Zelensky said. “We have raised it, and we will continue to raise these questions...We need all of this to be written out.”
