Pope Francis is urging President Donald Trump to rethink his decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation, saying anyone who calls himself "pro-life" should keep families together.
Supporters of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program (DACA) demonstrate on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
"If he is a good pro-life believer he must understand that family is the cradle of life and one must defend its unity," Francis said during an in-flight press conference en route home from Colombia.
Francis said he hadn't read up on Trump's decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Children Program, which allows some immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to stay. About 800,000 people are affected by Trump's decision to give Congress six months to end their limbo status.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the area of Contecar harbor in Cartagena, Colombia, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
But he said in general, removing children from families "isn't something that bears fruit for either the youngsters or their families."
"I hope they rethink it a bit," he said. "Because I heard the U.S. president speak: He presents himself as a person who is pro-life."
Already the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has denounced Trump's decision to end the DACA program, calling it "reprehensible" and placing "unnecessary fear for DACA youth and their families."
Francis has clashed previously with Trump over issues of immigration, saying that anyone who wants to build a wall as Trump does on the Mexican border to keep out migrants is "not Christian." He has called for migrants and refugees to be welcomed and insisted on their rights to flee violence, natural disasters and poverty in search of a better life elsewhere.
On Sunday, though, he also acknowledged that countries have to manage migrant flows and make sure new migrants can be integrated into society.
In his airborne news conference, he was asked about Italy's new policy of stopping migrant departures from Libya, which it has achieved by supporting increased Libyan coast guard patrols and backing Libya's government in working with militias that once facilitated trafficking to now stop it.
Francis said he was grateful to both Italy and Greece for having welcomed so many migrants in. But he said governments have to manage refugee flows "with prudence," taking into account how many people it can successfully integrate into its society.
"I have the impression that it is doing all it can with humanitarian care to also resolve the problem it cannot take on," he said, referring to efforts to improve investments in Africa so many people don't feel compelled to leave.
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV sought Thursday to console the families of Italian teenagers who were killed or injured in the New Year's fire in a Swiss ski resort bar, acknowledging their anguish and urging them to try to find hope in “the darkest and most painful moments” of their lives.
Leo met with around two dozen relatives of the Italian victims in the Vatican, deviating from his prepared speech to tell them that he had immediately agreed to meet with them after learning of their desire to have an audience.
“I wanted at least to have the opportunity to share a moment that for you, amid so much pain and suffering, is truly a test of our faith, a test of what we believe,” he told them.
The families later met with Italian government officials, who have demanded justice and a full accounting of the horrific fire during a New Year's Eve party at the Alpine resort that killed 40 people, most of them youngsters, and injured another 116.
Six of the dead and 13 of the injured were Italian citizens, and their plight has been followed closely by ordinary Italians and government officials alike.
Leo acknowledged his words were “limited and powerless” to ease the parents' pain, but he urged them to rely on their faith to find hope going forward.
“The faith that dwells in us illuminates the darkest and most painful moments of our lives with an irreplaceable light, helping us to continue courageously on our journey toward our goal,” he said.
The fire in the Le Constellation bar, in the southwest Crans-Montana resort, is believed to have been ignited by sparkling candles that came too close to the ceiling, which was fitted with soundproofing material.
The bar's owners are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire. French and Italian prosecutors have opened investigations, in addition to the Swiss probe.
Italy is planning to join the Swiss investigation as a civil party so it has access to the court files and can help support Italian families as they navigate the Swiss judicial system, which is outside the European Union’s network of judicial cooperation, government officials said Thursday.
The aim is to have Italy and the Italian victims speak with a unified voice, Alfredo Mantovano, a senior government official, told reporters after meeting with the families.
Italy is also planning to ask the European Commission to join the case as a civil party to bolster that effort, especially given the significant financial resources that the Italian state is spending to care for the Italian victims and support their families, he said.
Alessandro Vaccaro, a lawyer representing the family of Emanuele Galeppini, a promising golfer who was killed in the blaze, thanked the government for the support on behalf of the other families of victims.
“We are dealing with a country that isn’t part of the European economic community, so speaking with a unified voice will bring results,” he told a press conference. The goal, he stressed, was to ascertain facts of what happened.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who briefed lawmakers on the investigation on Tuesday, described the disaster as “open wound” for the entire country. He said Italy would demand “full clarity” over what he said was “negligent behavior that is obvious to the eyes of everyone.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Italy's President Sergio Mattarella walk with white roses after the tribute ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, in Martigny, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP)
Flowers and messages have been placed in tribute to the young members of FC Lutry who died in Crans-Montana following the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar, at the football stadium in Lutry, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)
People lay down flowers in tribute to the victims after the official commemorative ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire at the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Claudio Thoma/Keystone/Pool via AP)
