Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 16:52 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday said the spiritual rights of migrants in detention must be considered.
“Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now,” he said Nov. 4 outside Castel Gandolfo. “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people. Many times they’ve been separated from their families for a good amount of time. No one knows what’s happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.”
Catholic leaders in Chicago sought to bring holy Communion to detainees Nov. 1 at a Chicago-area building that holds people detained in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Auxiliary Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado and others were not admitted despite requesting access weeks in advance and attempting to follow U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s guidelines.
A federal judge heard testimony Nov. 4 about conditions at the building, the Broadview facility operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Immigration advocates say conditions are inhumane, with people being kept at the Broadview facility for days, sleeping on floors, having medications withheld, with no showers. ICE has not responded to a request for comment.
The pope said the situation of migrants in detention warrants attention.
“I think in the first place, the role of the Church is to preach the Gospel. And just a couple days ago, we heard Matthew’s Gospel chapter 25, which says Jesus is very clearly, at the end of the world, we’re going to be asked, ‘How did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?’” Leo said.
“There’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening” regarding migrants in detention, the pope said.
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With the deepest respect, your Holiness,what about the spiritual needs of those devoted to sacred tradition? Are their needs equal to those of held in ICE facilities? You have seen the thousands recently in St Peter’s, unleash this great force of goodness onto the world, which your predecessor did, and see how things will be better!
I’m a huge fan of the TLM but does every situation have to be compared to our driving a further distance to Mass?
Honestly, I doubt receiving the Sacraments are what’s foremost on the minds of most folks in the detention facilities. How many are Catholic in the first place & amongst those, how many attend Mass on a regular basis?
Even though this seems something cooked up by activists, deportation’s still a very serious matter for those detained. Their future does not look bright if they’re sent home to Haiti or Venezuela. Driving a couple hours to a TLM Mass or finding a reverent NO Mass or Eastern Rite parish is a smaller thing certainly than being shipped back to anarchy & failing states.
To Pope Prevost: This was straight from Cupich mouth to your ears. We’re witnessing Bergoglio II!