Pope rebukes Trump over migrant deportations and refutes VP Vance’s theology
Pope Francis criticized the Trump Administration’s stance on migrants, calling the president’s pledge of mass deportations “a major crisis.”
In a strongly worded letter to the U.S. Catholic bishops, Francis wrote that it’s important for Catholics to disagree with any measure that identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.
Francis also said that deporting people — who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, exploitation, and persecution — “damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
The letter also appears to reply to remarks by Vice President JD Vance in which he said people should care for their family, communities, and country before caring for others.
Francis instead wrote that people should meditate on love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.
“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” the Pope writes.
Francis is the second high-ranking Catholic leader to criticize Vance, who is Catholic.
After Vance accused the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops of resettling immigrants to receive federal funding, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan called the Vice President’s remarks “scurrilous” and “nasty.”
“You want to come look at our audits, which are scrupulously done? You think we make money caring for the immigrants? We’re losing it hand over fist … we’re not in a money-making business,” Dolan said.
The Trump administration says it wants to eliminate FEMA. Here’s what we know
Every year, millions of Americans rely on FEMA assistance after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and other disasters. The president says state governments should do more.
‘Equal dignity’: U.S. map shows the impact of Obergefell v. Hodges decision
"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law," then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the June 26, 2015, ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. "The Constitution grants them that right."
Forget ‘total obliteration’ — experts say Iran and U.S. need to negotiate
President Trump doubled down on his claims that the U.S. strikes in Iran last weekend "obliterated" its key nuclear facilities. But experts say that regardless of the amount of damage done to Iran's nuclear facilities, deliberate negotiations leading to a lasting agreement are crucial to prevent the resumption of war.
Nursing homes face 2 threats: Trump’s Medicaid cuts and his immigration crackdown
Understaffed nursing homes rely on an immigrant workforce. Cuts to Medicaid and a tough immigration policy amount to a double whammy for the long-term care industry.
Michelle Obama addresses *those* divorce rumors — and how she defines her own story
Michelle Obama is in a place in her life where she gets to integrate her public and private self a little more. She tells Rachel that means saying "no" to some of the things that are expected of her.
What the Class of 2025 has to say about the state of higher education
Three graduating college seniors reflect on how their final semester, during the Trump presidency, has changed how they think about higher education.