By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/VATICAN CITY/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Pope Francis has condemned U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s attempt to deport illegal migrants, saying the “family of Nazareth in exile, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, emigrants in Egypt and refugees there” are “the example” why the policy fails.
In a letter seen by Worthy News on Thursday, Francis urged American bishops not to buy into Trump’s criticism of migrants arriving in the United States without proper documents but instead advocate for their rights and protections.
“I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of goodwill, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters,” he wrote.
He also wrote to the American bishops, “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.”
The pontiff of over 1 billion Catholics has been sharply critical of the president’s immigration push since his first term.
Before Trump’s inauguration, Pope Francis called his pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants a “disgrace.”
‘NOT CHRISTIAN’
However, the two apparently worked out their differences during Trump’s visit to the Vatican in 2017, which Trump called him “fantastic.”
Fast forward, Pope Francis wrote, “Mary and Joseph, emigrants in Egypt and refugees there to escape the wrath of an ungodly king, are the model, the example, and the consolation of emigrants and pilgrims of every age and country.”
He stressed that “all refugees of every condition” beset by “persecution or necessity” are forced to leave their homeland, beloved family, and dear friends for foreign lands.”
“Likewise, Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception,” the pope added.
“In fact, when we speak of ‘infinite and transcendent dignity’ we wish to emphasize that the most decisive value possessed by the human person surpasses and sustains every other juridical consideration that can be made to regulate life in society.”
Therefore, “all the Christian faithful and people of goodwill are called upon to consider the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person and his or her fundamental rights, not vice versa,” he said.
MAJOR CRISIS
“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations,” Francis added.
He acknowledged that “one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival.”
However, “That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness,” Pope Francis stressed.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Yet President Trump has said he is not against and will even welcome migrants entering the United States legally.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled planned U.S. strikes against Iran on Thursday, saying a multinational agreement to end the conflict had been approved by top Iranian leadership and was awaiting final documents and a formal signing.
Federal authorities said Thursday they have accounted for 146,000 unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration, while roughly 300,000 minors remain unaccounted for, amid allegations that many vulnerable children were placed with fraudulent sponsors and exposed to abuse, labor exploitation, and sex trafficking.
Congress left Washington without renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing a key foreign surveillance authority used to track foreign terrorists and national security threats to expire Friday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on June 11 temporarily allowed President Donald Trump’s 10 percent global tariffs to remain in effect, extending a pause on a lower court ruling that had struck down the duties as unlawful.
Dutch police detained a young man l man after four people, including three children, were killed when a car struck a group of cyclists during a school outing near the Belgian border on Thursday, officials said.
The leaders of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are expected to meet this month amid growing debate within the European Union over how future member states should be admitted and monitored.
China has condemned the European Union’s ban on public funding for Chinese-made solar inverters, a move that analysts say could affect more than a fifth of new solar capacity and complicate efforts to meet the bloc’s self-imposed “climate targets.”