Pope Leo says faith and love for migrants are connected
toggle caption Andrew Medichini/AP
VATICAN CITY – In the first official document of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV placed the poor at the heart of the Catholic Church's teaching, calling bishops around the world to take on the mantle of social justice in defense of the most vulnerable in society, including migrants.
"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking," Leo wrote in the document released by the Vatican on Thursday.
"Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community."
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