Pope Leo XIV looks on before attending a lunch with poor people, on World Day of the Poor, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, November 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

ROME, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Pope Leo renewed his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s hard-line anti-immigration policies on Tuesday, saying foreigners living in the United States were being treated by the administration in a manner that was “extremely disrespectful”.

Speaking to reporters in Castel Gandolfo, his residence outside Rome, the pope called for people in the U.S. “to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have.”

Leo, the first U.S. pontiff, has expressed his disapproval of the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrants in increasingly strong terms in recent weeks.

In September, he called their treatment “inhuman”, drawing a heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.

Leo was asked by a journalist on Tuesday about a November 13 statement from the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, which rebuked the Trump administration’s polices and called for “meaningful immigration reform.”

“It’s a very important statement,” the pope said. ” I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.”

He said individual countries have a right to police their borders, but that many immigrants in the U.S. are “living good lives” and they were being treated “in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least”.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

ago Asia Pacific category

ago Europe category

ago Business category

ago United States category

ago China category

Australia will not oppose a successful Turkish bid to host next year’s COP31 climate summit, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, warning a prolonged standoff over hosting rights could undermine unity required to help the Pacific island nations.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More