Pope Francis, a 'son of immigrants,' leaves lasting legacy
Pope Francis forged a legacy championing the just treatment of migrants during his decadelong papal tenure, often clashing with world leaders' who sought to limit the flow of outsiders into their borders.
His time as pope coincided with a surge in global migration. When he was elected as the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope in 2013, 51.2 million people were forcibly displaced. Last year, the number of displaced people rose to more than 120 million.
The issue was also personal to the pope. He was born to Italian immigrants in Argentina and called upon his family’s experiences when imploring compassion for migrants. Pope Francis died on April 21 at age 88.
“His leadership and love for the marginalized have inspired us and countless others to further the Gospel by living out our calling to serve ‘the least of these’ with compassion and unwavering dedication," said Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, a Catholic group that promotes immigration programs.
Here’s a look at his comments and actions around immigration.
The Pope clashes with Donald Trump
A month before the 2016 United States presidential election, Pope Francis delivered a speech to Congress pushing back on anti-immigration rhetoric coming from then-candidate Donald Trump.
“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners,” he said. “I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants."
He continued to challenge Trump’s immigration stances, though never by name, until his death.
JD Vance and Pope Francis
Before he was hospitalized in February, Francis rebuked the Trump administration’s deportation plans and directly challenged a stance from Vice President JD Vance that Catholic doctrine supported the administration’s America First agenda.
“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” he wrote in a Feb. 10 letter to U.S. Bishops. “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters."
Vance, a Catholic convert, visited the pope on Easter Sunday, shortly before the pope's death.
Pope Francis' record on immigration
Francis’ commitment to protecting migrants extended beyond his rhetoric. Many of his foreign visits included time spent with refugees fleeing their homelands.
In a 2016 visit to Lesbos, Greece, he told displaced families “you are not alone.” He took 12 refugees, including six children, back to Rome with him.
Roughly 5 million refugees and migrants reached Europe by the end of 2016, fleeing persecution in war-torn countries including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Francis implored European leaders to do more to help refugees making risky journeys over the Mediterranean.
"It's hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help," he told a meeting of German faithful at the Vatican in October 2016.