Pope Leo XIV called on US authorities to consider and attend to the rights and especially the spiritual needs of immigrants under detention, as the Trump administration continues to draw sharp criticism for its immigration policy and enforcement tactics.

“I think that there’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening,” Leo said in response to a journalist’s question outside Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday evening, one of several the pontiff fielded during another of the informal question-and-answer sessions at the gate of the papal summer residence that have been a semi-regular feature of his still young pontificate.

“[M]any people who have lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now,” the pontiff said.

Spiritual rights of detainees

“The spiritual rights of people who have been detained should also be considered,” Leo said, “and I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people.”

“Many times, they’ve been separated from their families for a good amount of time,” Leo continued, “no one knows what’s happening – but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.”

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Weekend Chicago-area incident

The journalist asking the question referred to a high-profile incident over the past weekend, at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Leo’s native Chicago, in which an auxiliary bishop of the Chicago archdiocese and a religious sister were denied access when they tried to bring Communion to detainees.

Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado celebrated Mass on Nov. 1, the Solemnity of All Saints, for hundreds of people gathered outside the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago, where advocates allege detainees’ rights are being violated.

The US Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of rights violations. According to participants in the Mass and effort to bring Communion to persons held at the Broadview facility, federal officials cited safety concerns as the reason for refusing entry.

Crux asked ICE to comment on the Nov. 1 events but received no immediate reply.

Pope Leo XIV framed the broad issue in terms of the Gospel imperative to welcome the stranger.

“[L]et me say that I think in the first place, the role of the Church is to preach the Gospel,” Leo also said. “It’s just a couple of days ago we heard Matthew’s Gospel,” Leo continued, “chapter 25, which says, Jesus says very clearly: At the end of the world, we’re going to be asked, how did you receive the foreigner?”

“Did you receive him and welcome him or not?” Leo said.

Jesuit Father David Inczauskis, who worked with Mass organizers at the Chicago-based Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership on the request to access the Broadview facility, told Crux he found the pope’s remarks “a great statement of solidarity with detained migrants in Broadview and with CSPL’s efforts.”

Pope hopes for justice in high-profile abuse case

Another journalist outside Castel Gandolfo asked Pope Leo XIV about the case of disgraced former Jesuit priest Marko Rupnik, who is credibly accused of abusing dozens of victims – most of them women religious – over a period of thirty years.

More specifically, the journalist asked about the presence of Rupnik’s art in important churches and shrines around the world, including the Vatican, which victims – not only Rupnik’s accusers – have said are traumatic for them and for others, as well as scandalous.

“Certainly,” Leo said, “in many places, it’s precisely because of the need to be sensitive to those who have presented cases of being victims, the artwork has been covered up.”

Earlier this year, the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Jean-Marc Micas, announced that the world-famous healing shrine at Lourdes – which receives more than five million visitors each year – would cover mosaics by Rupnik on the entrances to the shrine’s principal church.

In 2024, Micas had expressed his “personal preference” for the complete removal of the Rupnik works but noted there was resistance to such a move from some quarters and so opted at the time to cease illuminating the Rupniks at night and during processions.

“Artwork has been removed from websites,” Leo said.

In June of this year, the Holy See’s official Vatican Media website removed digital images of works by Rupnik and his Centro Aletti studio. The images disappeared in the night, and without explanation.

RELATED: Vatican website removes pictures of artwork created by priest accused of abuse

The images were removed just a month after Leo XIV took office, and nearly a year after the head of the Vatican’s communications department had strongly defended his dicastery’s continued use of the images in the face of sustained public outcry.

“So,” Leo said, “that issue is certainly something that we’re aware of.”

The pope also said he wants to see justice done in the Rupnik case, and noted that the cleric – a former Jesuit currently incardinated in the Koper diocese of his native Slovenia – is currently on trial under Church law.

“A new trial has recently begun,” Leo said. “Judges were appointed and processes for justice take a long time,” Leo said, “and I know it’s very difficult for the victims to ask that they be patient.”

“But the church needs to respect the rights of all people,” the pontiff said.

“The principle of innocent until proven guilty is also true in the Church,” Leo said, “and hopefully this trial that is just beginning will be able to give some clarity and justice to all those involved.”

Fragile situation in Middle East, US-Venezuela tensions, dignity of labor

In the exchange with reporters, Leo XIV also fielded a question regarding the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where a fragile ceasefire agreement has been threatened by violence including an Israeli strike last week that reportedly killed more than 100 people. Israel has also accused Hamas of violating the truce, which took effect Oct. 10.

“Thank God, at least the first phase of the peace agreement is still holding,” Leo said, saying the truce is however “very fragile,” and stressing the need to move to “the second phase, addressing governance and ensuring the rights of all peoples.”

Israeli settlers in the West Bank have also been committing acts of violence in the West Bank.

The issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is “is truly complex,” Leo said. “Israel said one thing, but sometimes it does another,” Leo said. “We want to work together,” he said, “for justice for all peoples.”

Rising tensions between the US and Venezuela were also among the issues journalists raised with the pontiff, as the New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration is considering options that include military action against targets in Venezuela, including attacks on military units protecting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and “moves to seize control of the country’s oil fields.”

The US has already conducted several attacks on boats the US says were drug-trafficking vessels off the Venezuelan coast.

“A country has a right to have military forces,” Leo said, “to defend peace and to build peace.” However, “This case seems a bit different,” Leo also said, “raising tensions.” Leo mentioned a news report he had seen only a few minutes before meeting with the journalists, which said “[US operations] are every time getting closer to the coast of Venezuela. “I think that, with violence, we don’t win,” Leo said. “The thing,” he said, “is to seek dialogue, to seek – with the right way – to find solutions to problems that may exist in any country.”

At the beginning of the informal session with reporters, one journalist also asked Pope Leo XIV to remark on the dignity of labor in view of the Jubilee of the World of Work, to be celebrated on Nov. 8.

“It is a human right to have dignified work that allows one to provide for one’s family,” Leo said. “The Church can only do so much,” he also said, adding that he hopes the Jubilee celebration will be an occasion “to offer some hope and to try to unite our energies to find solutions, not just to comment on problems.”

Follow Chris Altieri on X: @craltieri