Many Catholics recently celebrated a quote from Pope Leo XIV that was widely interpreted as a rejection of “open borders.” But is that what he actually meant? And how does this fit into a broader pattern of “loophole Catholicism”, the habit of focusing on small caveats while ignoring the larger message of the Church?
In this video, Pedro Gabriel walks through Pope Leo’s full comments, the U.S. Bishops’ 2025 statement on immigration, and the Church’s teaching on balancing border regulation with the dignity owed to every human person. He also explores why accusations of “open borders” are often used to shut down calls for more humane immigration policies, and how this affects the way many Catholics interpret magisterial guidance.
Pedro Gabriel, MD, is a Catholic layman and physician, born and residing in Portugal. He is a medical oncologist, currently employed in a Portuguese public hospital. A published writer of Catholic novels with a Tolkienite flavor, he is also a parish reader and a former catechist. He seeks to better understand the relationship of God and Man by putting the lens on the frailty of the human condition, be it physical and spiritual. He also wishes to provide a fresh perspective of current Church and World affairs from the point of view of a small western European country, highly secularized but also highly Catholic by tradition.
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