Pope Leo offers his strongest criticism of Trump yet

Pope Leo has called for “deep reflection” on how migrants are treated in the United States, where he said many people were deeply affected by the controversial policy of mass deportation.

In some of his strongest criticism to date of President Donald Trump’s administration, the first ever US-born pope also warned that the US bombing of Venezuelan ships, suspected of carrying drugs, risked increasing tensions in the region.

Emerging to address a bank of TV cameras outside his papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo and offering to answer “one or two questions”, Pope Leo XIV said there were people who have lived in the US “for years and years never causing problems, who have been deeply affected” by Trump’s hardline policy on migration.

Speaking in English, and reaching a US audience directly, he reiterated the Catholic belief that every Christian will ultimately be judged on how they welcomed “the foreigner”.

“I was struck by how direct his reference was because he’s obviously talking about the ICE round-ups,” Catholic historian Austen Ivereigh told the BBC, referring to the immigration enforcement body in the US.

“It’s very strong.”

Initially, after his election in May, Leo’s comments on geopolitics were cautious. Then last month he used the word “inhuman” in reference to the Trump-led crackdown, shaking conservative Catholics in his own country who had embraced the “American Pope”.

They had seen Pope Leo as an ally after a fractious relationship with his predecessor, Francis, who once described Trump as “not Christian” for building a wall on the border with Mexico.

“Now they’re waking up to the fact that Leo isn’t going to change church teaching for their sake,” Mr Ivereigh said. “They realise that he’s very different from Francis in his style, but it’s the same teaching and priorities. He’s very much a continuation.”

Born in Chicago, Pope Leo – or Robert Prevost as he was then – spent much of his working life as a missionary in Peru, an experience that has also shaped his approach.

“I think this is an issue that matters to him personally,” Professor Anna Rowlands of Durham University said. “He has lived in countries affected by these policies, and been welcomed himself as a migrant. He was in effect a migrant bishop.”

In his first major document, published last month, Pope Leo revealed that the issues of poverty and migration would remain at the heart of his papacy. He stressed that message at a recent meeting in the Vatican with US bishops.

“Leo offers an entirely orthodox response” to migration, Prof Rowlands pointed out, “straight down the line.”

He is, she said, citing a church tradition stretching back more than 100 years on the issue, that includes ensuring the rights of families to remain together and protecting their spiritual needs.

The Pope underlined that last point himself when journalists asked about an immigration facility near Chicago where detainees have reportedly been barred from receiving communion. Many people targeted in the ICE raids are Catholic, from the Americas.

“I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people,” he said.

On Venezuela, and the Trump administration’s policy of targeting ships and killing crew members, the Pope called for dialogue and calm.

“I think that with violence we won’t win,” he said in Italian.

He suggested that the deployment of US Navy vessels close to Venezuela was increasing tension rather than working to “defend the peace.”

Six months on from his surprise election, the contours of Pope Leo’s papacy are becoming clearer and his habit of visiting Castel Gandolfo, shunned by Francis, has also brought new transparency: For years, journalists have had to wait for a papal trip abroad to get anywhere near the head of the church and put their questions.

“When the Pope speaks very definitely like this, it does put pressure on the US administration – particularly those who identify as Catholics,” Mr Iverleigh said.

“So far, Leo’s avoided getting entangled in the whole Trump machine. Maybe he’s taking that risk now.”