Pope Leo XIV called for “respect for the spiritual rights” of migrants detained in the United States. “The authorities should allow pastoral agents to attend to the needs of these people. They have often been separated from their families, and no one knows what is happening.”

Before this new stance, the Pope had already made public his concern for migrants, urging non-discrimination and criticizing the inhumane treatment they receive. He even asked Catholics to support migrants and requested that the bishops of the United States speak out in their defense in the face of intensified immigration controls.

When questioned about the ICE raids in Chicago, his hometown, where authorities have prohibited Catholic priests from giving communion to detained immigrants, the Pope recalled that “the role of the Church is to preach the Gospel.”

In this regard, he quoted the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: “in which Jesus says very clearly: at the end of the world we will be asked: How have you welcomed the stranger? Have you welcomed and received or not?”.

“I think we need to reflect deeply on what is happening,” Leo XIV stressed. “Many people who have lived for years and years without ever causing problems have been deeply affected by what is happening right now.”

Therefore, he insisted on allowing the spiritual rights of those who have been detained and asked the authorities to allow pastoral agents to attend to the needs of these people, “Many times they have been separated from their families for a long time, nobody knows what is happening… but their spiritual needs must be respected.”

Violence is not the solution

In brief remarks at the gates of his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV confessed that he views with concern the “tensions” of these days off the coast of Venezuela between the fight against drug trafficking and the deployment of US Marines in the Caribbean,with the latent threat of a “cold war.”

“I believe we don’t win with violence,” he stated, explaining that a few minutes earlier he had read a news report about warships moving closer to the Venezuelan coast. “What we need to do is seek dialogue, find a fair way to solve any problems that may exist in any country.”

He also mentioned his stance on the events in the Middle East, noting that the truce is in danger due to new Israeli attacks in Gaza, as well as the settler provocation at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and the assault on some villages in the West Bank.