The Pope is in the Trump administration’s firing line as he points out U.S. immigration policy is extremely un-Christian

Pope Francis has kicked the hornet’s nest of American politics with a scathing letter addressing President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s stance on immigration.

The Pope’s statement, addressed to U.S. bishops, warned that the Trump administration’s efforts towards mass deportation will “end badly,” saying the relocation of migrants leaves them “in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.” The Pope, who has made caring for migrants one of his top priorities, went on to describe Trump’s immigration policies as a “major crisis,” and criticized how his administration has conflated “the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”

Pope Francis sent a letter to Donald Trump about his planned mass deportations that read in part "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."

Even the Pope gets it. pic.twitter.com/yLMvm5FRuG

— Ray Loewe (@rloewe65) February 12, 2025

Elsewhere, the Pope furthered his argument by citing biblical stories of migration, including the people of Israel, the Book of Exodus, and Jesus Christ’s own experience. The letter also seemed to contain a vague swipe at JD Vance. Last week, the vice president tried to reconcile Trump’s “America First” immigration policies through a religious lens, invoking the Christian concept of ordo amoris. That means “order of love,” and it was wielded by Vance to justify deportation policies. 

“You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country,” Vance wrote on X. “And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” Naturally, co-opting a Christian concept to “vindicate” heartless deportations was bound to catch the attention of the literal Pope, and Francis was quick to clarify what ordo amoris actually means. 

JD VANCE: There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world

A lot of the far left has completely inverted that pic.twitter.com/XkoTiKgq3g

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 30, 2025

“The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which… builds a fraternity open to all, without exception,” he wrote. That’s the religious equivalent of a one-two punch. Pope Francis’ letter attracted a level of hysteria on par with Lady Whistledown’s in Bridgerton, with Trump’s border czar being among those to respond. “I’ve got harsh words for the pope,” Tom Homan told reporters in response to the letter. “He ought to focus on his work and leave enforcement to us.” Doubling down on a beef that will surely cause any Bible he touches to go up in flames, Homan later reiterated his sentiment to reporters at the White House. 

LIFELONG CATHOLIC TOM HOMAN HAS WORDS FOR POPE FRANCISpic.twitter.com/42RJMB9kIp

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 13, 2025

“I wish he’d stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us,” Homan said. The criticism of Francis didn’t stop there, as legions of fellow Christians joined Homan in going after the Pope. “Quit pretending that you are not the most biased, woke, pope, that we’ve ever had,” one X user wrote, putting in writing the very action they’ll later have to repent for. 

Quit pretending that you are not the most biased, woke, pope, that we've ever had.

You will never be loved as much as Pope John Paul II

— Leesa B. Sarcasm (@LeesaBaccellie4) February 11, 2025

Okay. So who is this written to, and what are you really saying? A post like this serves no purpose to anyone.

— Rev. Paul John Kalchik (@KalchikRev) February 11, 2025

You need to pray more… you’ve lost your flock

— Candy Watson (@watson_can40469) February 11, 2025

Others wrote that Francis’ message “serves no purpose to anyone,” despite quite literally the entire letter being in support of immigrants, or said that the Pope (I repeat, the literal Pope) “need[s] to pray more.” THE POPE?! NEEDS TO PRAY MORE?! Look, I don’t purport to be the most religious person, but isn’t Christianity all about being a good Samaritan and specifically kind to refugees and those seeking sanctuary and shelter? Let’s face it, if a heavily pregnant Mary crossed the U.S. border, she’d end up giving birth to the Messiah in a detainment camp.