Many in the press and many in internet comboxes have been blasting Pope Leo XIV for his supposed support of open borders. Leo’s recent remarks in Cameroon, that people ought not migrate from their home countries, but stay there to improve them, stood in stark contrast, these critics claim, to the pope’s support for open borders into the United States. U. S. border czar Tom Homan, speaking as a lifelong Catholic, blasted the pope and bishops for their support of open borders, delineating the consequences of open borders and the lives that are being saved because the border is now secure.

The only problem is, Pope Leo and the U. S. bishops have never advocated for open borders. Pope Leo, back in November of last year, clearly stated that, “No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.” Pope Leo and the U. S. bishop’s criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policy is related to what they regard as the indiscriminate nature of that policy and what they consider the disrespectful way immigrants are being treated.

In their November, 2025 “Special Statement” on immigration, the U. S. bishops wrote, “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status.” The bishops continued, “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” praying, “for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

What they never said was that the U. S. must adopt a policy of open borders.

Pope Leo has called for the respectful treatment of immigrants. He has said that immigrants, including those who arrived in the U. S. illegally, who came here to better their lives, who have been here for 10, 15, 20 years, and have led productive lives in their respective communities ought not be treated the same way as violent criminals, gangbangers, or members of cartels.

But here is the problem: whenever anyone raises their voice for immigration reform or for the humanitarian treatment of immigrants, their position is reduced to that of support for open borders. Pedro Gabriel, in this video on the website “Where Peter Is” speaks well to this problem. I have experienced it myself. I dedicated my monthly column for March 2025 in the East Tennessee Catholic newspaper to the issue of immigration. The column, entitled “Church’s Teaching on Immigration is Clear” summarized the U. S. bishop’s position on immigration as follows:

1. The United States has a right to protect its borders and regulate immigration into the country.
2. Those immigrants in this country, legally or illegally, who are committing violent crimes, are members of cartels or organized criminal gangs, must be incarcerated or deported for the safety of the community.
3. Those fleeing poverty or persecution have a right to immigrate legally to other countries, including the United States.
4. Those who have fled poverty or persecution in their country who have entered this country illegally must be treated with dignity in a process that allows them to apply for legalization without the threat of automatic deportation.

I received more comments on that particular column than all my other columns combined. The comments were two-thirds supportive and one-third critical. But every one of the critical comments focused on my supposed support for open borders. One person even wrote that she resented my implying that she wasn’t truly Christian unless she supported open borders! Of course, my column expressed no support for open borders, and the first of my four points was to make clear that the U. S. has the right to “protect its borders and regulate immigration into the country.” To no avail. My critics read right past that part (or, perhaps, considered it a ruse?).

The Church suffered terribly during the pontificate of Pope Francis because the press, and even many in the Church, misunderstood, misinterpreted, or simply purposefully twisted, what Francis said about many issues and because, for reasons I cannot conjure, the Vatican or Francis himself neglected to set the record straight. This cannot be allowed to happen during Pope Leo’s pontificate. The Church needs to teach clearly and consistently, and those responsible for reporting on the Church need to do so truthfully, and those who choose to comment on the Church need to know what they’re talking about before they open their mouths. And when people get it wrong, the Church’s press office, or whatever it’s called, needs to quickly respond with the Church’s true position and teaching.

Wishful thinking? Yeah, probably.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.