Overview

• Pope Leo XIV told reporters that supporting harsh treatment of undocumented migrants or the death penalty is incompatible with calling oneself pro‑life.
• The comments were made Tuesday at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo by the first U.S.-born pontiff, elected in May.
• Press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the claim of inhumane treatment and said the administration is enforcing immigration laws in the most humane way possible.
• Leavitt contrasted current policy with what she described as significant inhumane treatment of migrants under Joe Biden during record border crossings.
• The remarks intersected with a church dispute in Chicago, where Cardinal Blase Cupich’s plan to honor Senator Dick Durbin drew conservative objections, and Durbin later declined the award.