The first American-born Pope marked his home country's 250th birthday by urging it to continue its tradition of "welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants."
Pope Leo commemorated America’s Independence Day with a letter and a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa––a gateway for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to European sanctuaries.
In the letter, titled “Letter of his Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of America,” the Chicago native cited the “God-given dignity of every human life,” asserting that each person is “endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care,” which calls for “safeguarding human life.”
“Defending human life,” Leo added, “also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.”
Since his appointment in May of last year, Leo has been a vocal advocate of migrant rights, and a persistent critic of the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown, which he has called “inhumane.”
He continued that effort in his July 4th letter, saying that to welcome “those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong … is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”
Leo also used the letter to praise America’s longstanding encouragement of “religious freedom,” describing it as “central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.” The Trump Administration has recently undermined that sentiment, elevating officials who have challenged the longstanding idea of a separation of church and state.
In addition to his letter, Leo gave a speech on Saturday in Lampedusa in which he made a similar appeal to European leaders to address immigration "in a comprehen
