Pope Francis’s Apocalyptic Dream, by R. R. Reno 

By R. R. Reno, First Things, February 11, 2025

Pope Francis published his suicide note. It took the form of a letter to the American Catholic bishops. In so many words, the Holy Father urged his brother bishops to intervene in American politics and oppose the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce our country’s immigration laws. Along the way, Pope Francis also took a jab at Vice President JD Vance, correcting him (along with St. Thomas Aquinas). No, we are not to love our parents, spouses, and children more than others. The true order of love, ordo amoris, starts with the vulnerable and outcast. We must seek “a fraternity open to all.”

There can be reasons to criticize immigration policies and their enforcement. Pope Francis is correct when he states that the “infinite and transcendent dignity” possessed by every human being “surpasses and sustains every other juridical consideration that can be made to regulate life in society.” The law cannot turn human beings into property, nor can it compel men to marry or women to have children. Since the end of World War II, countries in the West have recognized that immigration restrictions must be waved when confronted with refugees fleeing persecution. …

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