By Taking Up the Migrant Cause, Francis Took On Trump and Vance
His final Easter message before death was a powerful call for peace, love, and charity toward all — especially migrants — and for the political leaders of the world to lead the way in embracing those values.
“I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear, which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger, and to encourage initiatives that promote development,” Pope Francis declared in a missive read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli after the ailing pope greeted the Easter crowds at St. Peter’s Square.
The forces against Francis’s brand of Catholic theology are powerful, too — maybe more powerful. Before he died on Easter Monday at 88, you could say Francis confronted them directly when he met with Vice President JD Vance, who as a representative of President Trump is part of a sweeping political movement that champions fear and division over hope and inclusiveness.
The hope on the progressive side began the year Francis was elected pope, when in answer to a question about gay Catholic priests he said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” The mere expression of tolerance in a church known for the opposite on that topic was norm-shattering. With that papal thought and others that followed, he infuriated conservatives. But he also frustrated liberals, who came to see his words as more talk than action. He was also a disappointment to those who wanted the church to take more concrete steps to address clergy sexual abuse.
Francis will be judged by conservatives who saw in his words of tolerance a weakening of church doctrine, and by liberals who yearn for a church that is kinder, gentler, and more welcoming to all. Soon enough, with the election of the next pope, we will see what he attained for the church, and what he could not accomplish.
But in the last months of his life, Francis staked out the grounds upon which he wanted to be judged, as a voice of moral clarity, speaking out for the marginalized. He made that clear in his fight with Trump and Vance over immigration.
Answering a question about Trump’s plans to deport undocumented immigrants right before his inauguration, Francis said, “If true, this will be a disgrace … This is not the way to solve things.”
Later, he took on Vance after the vice president tried to use Catholic theology to justify Trump’s immigration policy.
“Just google ordo amoris,” Vance wrote on X on Jan. 30. That post came after the vice president said in an interview, “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” With that, Vance was presenting his interpretation of the “order of love,” or “order of charity,” a concept known as “ordo amoris.”
No, the pope said to Vance. You got that wrong.
A February letter from Francis to US bishops that chastised them for not speaking out against Trump’s immigration policies included this paragraph:
“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” wrote the pope. “In other words: The human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings!... 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.”
In his Easter message, Francis made an even more passionate case for inclusivity, love, and peace.
“What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of our world!” his message said. “How much violence we see, often even within families, directed at women and children! How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!”
He also said, “There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.”
If only that could be the final word, not just for the church — but also for this country.
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at joan.vennochi@globe.com. Follow her @joan_vennochi.