Pope Leo XIV again criticizes the Trump administration: “At the end of the world we will be asked how we welcomed the foreigner”

Pope Leo called for “deep reflection” on how immigrants are treated in the United States under President Donald Trump's administration and said the spiritual needs of those in detention must be respected, Reuters reports.

In a dialogue with journalists at Gandolfo Castle, his residence outside Rome, the pope was asked about immigrants detained at Broadview, near Chicago, who have been denied the right to communion.

Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, invoked chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. “Jesus says very clearly that at the end of the world, we will be asked how we received the stranger. Did you receive him and welcome him or not? And I think there is a need for a deep reflection on what is happening. Many people who have lived for years without ever causing problems have been deeply affected by what is happening now,” said the sovereign pontiff

Leon, the first American pope, has previously lamented the way the US federal government treats immigrants. Referring to the inmates at Broadview, he said the spiritual rights of the inmates must be considered. “In many cases they have been separated from their families for some time; no one knows what is happening, but their spiritual needs must be taken care of,” the head of the Catholic church said.

A delegation of clerics, including a Catholic bishop, tried to bring communion to the inmates on November 1, when Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day, but were denied access to the prison, which holds more than 3,000 people.

After being elected, Pope Leo XIV was more reserved than his predecessor, but began to criticize the Trump administration to the face, which angered some conservative Catholics. In a document released Oct. 9, the pope pleaded for help for immigrants and echoed some of Francis' harshest criticism of Trump.

Also speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Leon referred to the sending of US warships to the seas near Venezuela, saying the role of the armed forces is “to defend the peace”, while Trump's decision “raised the tension”.

“We will not win with violence, the right thing is to seek dialogue and a fair way to reach solutions for the problems that exist in a country,” Leo XIV also said.

US, military deployment in the Caribbean

More information released this Friday indicates that the US is still ramping up its military deployment in the Caribbean or even planning attacks against targets in Venezuela, raising fears of a Washington offensive against the Maduro government, despite Donald Trump denying the possibility.

According to defense journalists, the US will have eight warships, three amphibious ships and a submarine in the area within days, for a total of 13 naval forces, its largest deployment since the first Gulf War (1990-1991), according to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Articles in the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal went even further. The two publications, citing sources close to the Trump administration, reported that the United States is preparing to bomb military installations inside Venezuela at any time.

Maduro has repeatedly denounced Washington's desire to remove him from power and called on the US to abandon its military plans for Venezuela.