Overview

• Pope León XIV told reporters at Castel Gandolfo that endorsing inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants or supporting the death penalty conflicts with calling oneself pro‑life.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the characterization of current policy as inhumane, said the administration enforces the law in the most humane way possible, and blamed harsher treatment on the prior Biden administration.
• The remarks intersected with a dispute in Chicago over a planned award for Senator Dick Durbin for his work with migrants, which Cardinal Blase Cupich later said Durbin declined.
• León XIV urged greater mutual respect within the U.S. Church debate and said assessments of public figures should consider their broader records over decades of service.
• Reports noted that before his election in May, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost had posted criticisms of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance on migration, adding political sensitivity to his comments.