Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, is currently hospitalized in Rome due to a worsening of his bronchitis condition, which has been troubling him for the past week.
Despite meeting with dignitaries on Friday morning, reports indicate he struggled to speak for extended periods, raising concerns about his health.
The 88-year-old pope has faced various health challenges throughout his papacy, including lung surgery in his youth and a colon operation in 2021. In recent years, his health has been more fragile, with increased use of a wheelchair and canceled appearances due to illness.
“On Friday, he appeared bloated and pale during the handful of audiences he held before going to the hospital,” the AP reported. “The bloating appeared to indicate that the medication he was taking to help treat the lung infection was making him retain water.”
Pope Francis has strongly criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, specifically targeting Vice President JD Vance’s religious defense of the policy.
In a letter to U.S. bishops, the Pope stated that forcibly removing individuals solely based on immigration status violates human dignity and urged American leaders to show compassion toward migrants. He warned that such actions “will end badly” and reminded Christians of their duty to “welcome the stranger.”
In the letter, Francis wrote, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups…The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”
Vice President Vance has defended the administration’s policies using the Catholic concept of “ordo amoris,” which prioritizes national citizens over non-citizens.
Vance argues that a government’s first duty is to its own people and that securing the border is a moral obligation to protect American families.
However, Pope Francis dismissed such reasoning, warning against equating illegal immigration with criminality and urging policymakers to seek just and humane solutions.
