Pope Leo XIV's First Christmas Message Takes Aim at Trump's Immigration Crackdown With Call for Humanity

Pope Leo XIV did not hold back during his first Christmas address on Thursday, making it clear where he stands on Donald Trump's immigration policies. Speaking from St Peter's Square, the pontiff urged people to show compassion for migrants desperately trying to reach America, even as the US president ramps up deportations and detention operations.

The Chicago-born pope addressed roughly 26,000 worshippers gathered below the loggia, delivering what's known as the 'Urbi et Orbi' message—Latin for 'To the City and to the World'. Whilst Leo never actually said Trump's name out loud, everyone knew exactly what he was talking about. His remarks landed at a time when thousands of migrants are being rounded up across the United States, many of whom have lived there quietly for years.

'Enter Into the Suffering of Others'

Leo's message was blunt. 'If he would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,' the pope said. It's worth noting that Leo himself is American - the first pope ever to come from the United States - which makes his criticism of US policy particularly striking.

The pontiff went beyond just talking about America's southern border. He brought up the humanitarian disasters unfolding in Gaza and Yemen, drawing parallels between different kinds of suffering across the globe. 'In becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identifying with each one of us... with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent,' Leo told the crowd.

A Challenge to Detention Policies

This is not the first time Leo has spoken out about Trump's immigration approach. Back in November, he called for 'deep reflection' on how America treats detained migrants. He pointed out something that often gets overlooked in political debates: 'Many people who have lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what is going on right now.'

But Leo went further than just criticising the roundups themselves. He argued that migrants in detention facilities deserve access to spiritual care, pushing ICE officials to let pastoral workers visit these centres. 'Many times, they've been separated from their families. No one knows what's happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to,' the pope said. He even invoked biblical scripture, reminding people of the question that supposedly gets asked 'at the end of the world': 'How did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?'

A Rebuke of Political 'Monologues'

During his homily, Leo made another dig that seemed aimed squarely at political leaders who refuse to budge on their positions. 'There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted and, enriched by listening, we fall to our knees before the humanity of the other,' he said. That line hits differently when you consider how entrenched the immigration debate has become in America, with both sides often talking past each other rather than actually listening.

Trump's administration has been aggressive about immigration enforcement since day one, carrying out what human rights groups describe as one of the harshest crackdowns in recent memory. The operations don't just target recent border crossers - they're sweeping up people who've been living and working in America for decades, often tearing apart families in the process.

An American pope versus an American president

The dynamic of an American Pope criticising a sitting American President is unprecedented. Vatican watchers say Leo's background gives him more credibility on the issue, as his understanding of US politics makes his comments harder for Washington to dismiss. His approach is also notably direct; rather than speaking in abstract theological terms, he is targeting specific policies and their human impact, representing a significant shift in how the Vatican engages with contemporary political issues.

Why the Pope's Words Matter

Leo's Christmas message is not just spiritual guidance for Catholics. It could actually shape public opinion, especially in the United States where roughly 62 million people identify as Catholic. Many American Catholics find themselves caught between their church's teaching on immigration and their political leanings, and the pope's clear stance makes that tension harder to ignore.

The broader point Leo seems to be making goes beyond US borders. By connecting migration across the American continent with the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, and linking both to humanitarian disasters in Gaza and Yemen, he's framing migration as a fundamental moral issue that transcends politics. That framing challenges leaders everywhere to think about human dignity first and border security second - a priority flip that most governments, including Trump's, have firmly rejected.