Pope Leo XIV used a visit Saturday honoring St.Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint and patron saint of immigrants, to deliver his latest appeal on behalf of them, asking Catholics to look to her example at a time when migration remains one of the defining issues of his emerging papacy.The remarks came as Leo continues to make migration a central focus of his public ministry, a position that has sparked months of public friction with President Donald Trump over immigration and foreign policy."What could be more relevant today than a missionary charism dedicated to serving migrants?" Leo said during an evening prayer service in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, the northern Italian town where Cabrini was born.The American-born pope prayed at Cabrini's tomb and urged young Catholics to learn from the saint's life of serving immigrants, many of whom had left their homelands in search of better opportunities.POPE LEO XIV STRONGLY SUPPORTS US BISHOPS' CONDEMNATION OF TRUMP IMMIGRATION RAIDS: 'EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL'Pope Leo XIV presides over a celebration at the parish of Santi Antonio Abate e Francesca Cabrini in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, Saturday.
The visit was part of his pastoral journey to nearby Pavia and marked the birthplace of Francesca Cabrini, the first U.S.saint and Patroness of Migrants.
(Mario Tomassetti/Vatican Media)But Leo also invoked his predecessor, Pope Francis, whose own papacy was defined in part by calls to welcome migrants."Let us ask ourselves: if Mother Francesca were alive today, what would her missionary spirit tell her?" Leo said."And what would a pope like Francis — who, as the son of Italian immigrants, made service to migrants one of the key priorities of his pontificate — ask of her?"The comments are the latest in a series of migration-focused appearances that have helped define Leo's first year as pope.POPE LEO APPOINTS PRO-IMMIGRATION BISHOP TO DIOCESE HOME TO TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGOPope Leo XIV greets faithful as he leaves t...