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Pope Leo XIV responds to Trump: immigrants shaped the future of the United States

On the eve of his trip to Lampedusa, the Pope invokes America’s founding ideals and defends the role of immigration

Pope Leo XIV has delivered a measured but firm response to Donald Trump, emphasizing the central role of immigrants in shaping the United States and calling on the country to remain faithful to its founding principles.

“Immigrants have shaped the future of the United States,” the Pope said during his acceptance of the Liberty Medal awarded by the National Constitutional Center, speaking via video link with Philadelphia on the eve of his visit to Lampedusa.

In his remarks, Leo XIV reflected on the past 250 years of American history, arguing that the nation’s identity as a symbol of freedom has been built not only on the vision of its Founding Fathers but also on its openness to successive waves of immigrants. He noted that this openness enabled generations of newcomers and their children to contribute decisively to the country’s development.

The Pope also pointed to the United States’ role during the darkest moments of the twentieth century, when, during the two world wars, the country chose to “look beyond itself” and defend freedom beyond its own borders, often at great cost.

That legacy, however, comes with a warning. Leo XIV stressed that the effort to build a society grounded in liberty and justice “has not always been easy” and remains unfinished. “This task must be undertaken anew by each generation,” he said, describing the anniversary of Independence as an opportunity to reflect on the nation’s foundational principles.

He underscored the importance of unity, invoking the motto E pluribus unum and arguing that a nation can only endure if it is bound by enduring ideals—human dignity, equality, and the rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.

Closing his address, the Pope called for God’s blessing on the future of the United States, expressing the hope that those principles will continue to guide the nation “in unity, justice, and peace.”

Church officials framed the Pope’s remarks as a direct response to recent criticism from Trump. Archbishop Alessandro Damiano of Agrigento described the intervention as a deliberate and independent choice, while Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar for the Diocese of Rome, defended Leo XIV’s position, stating that the Pope’s duty is to uphold the dignity of every human person and to reaffirm the value of peace.

Reina also dismissed criticism directed at the Pope as unfounded, stressing that his authority is прежде all religious rather than political, and expressed hope for a renewed dialogue with the United States.

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