Pope Francis has released another scolding to American Trump supporters. In it he says, “I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations.” Then he equates migration with necessity, as if all the millions who came here illegally did so to escape persecution. Clearly, he has not followed our open border crisis closely.
He claims that “the rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.” Sorry, but no. A criminal is someone who has committed a crime. A crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. Entering any locale in a manner that violates their law is a crime. What is hard about this? The United States has procedures for those who genuinely need to flee persecution. Those who follow them are genuine migrants. Those who sneak in are criminals as are those who have been denied asylum, yet have stayed anyway.
Pope Francis is a hypocrite. Although Vatican City does not require visitors to produce a passport or have a visa to visit, it does not permit overnight stays. And of the few areas that are open to visitors, most require an entrance fee and/or have a dress code. If you break the Vatican’s laws, its highly trained and well armed law enforcers will deal with you.
Just three weeks ago, Vatican City announced increased penalties for those who violate its borders:
- These sanctions apply especially to those who enter with expired permits, who do not meet the established requirements, who bypass border controls or security systems, or who enter by means of violence, threats, or deception.
- Penalties can be increased if the crime is committed with firearms, corrosive substances, by a person in disguise, or by several people together. Likewise, if illegal access is made in a vehicle, the penalty can increase by up to two-thirds.
- Anyone convicted of illegal entry will be banned from entering Vatican territory for a period of up to 15 years. If this sanction is breached, the offender may be punished with a prison sentence of one to five years.
Sources
- https://aleteia.org/2025/02/11/pope-writes-letter-to-us-bishops-about-migration-full-text
- https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/en/2025/2/11/lettera-vescovi-usa.html
- https://va.usembassy.gov/visiting-the-vatican/
- https://www.romewise.com/visiting-the-vatican.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Guard
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corps_of_Gendarmerie_of_Vatican_City
- https://special-ops.org/pontifical-swiss-guard/
- https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261557/vatican-cracks-down-on-illegal-entry-into-its-territory
- https://zenit.org/2025/01/17/this-is-the-financial-penalty-imposed-by-new-vatican-law-for-those-who-enter-its-territory-without-permission/
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