Pope Leo XIV Meets Chicago Catholic Delegation Defending Immigrant and Religious Rights
Nuestra America Magazine News Desk
VATICAN CITY, October 29, 2026. — Pope Leo XIV welcomed a
delegation of Catholic religious and community leaders from the Chicago area on
Wednesday, October 28, in a meeting focused on immigrant rights, human dignity,
religious freedom, and pastoral care for people detained by U.S. immigration
authorities.
The delegation represented the Coalition for Spiritual and
Public Leadership, known as CSPL, a faith-based organization bringing together
more than 65 parishes, universities, religious orders, and community groups.
Accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop José María García Maldonado
of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the delegation traveled to Rome to share the
experiences of immigrant families affected by detention and to thank the
pontiff for his public support of pastoral ministry.
During the encounter, delegates Abigail Ortiz Valles and
Tiffany Swann-Covington spoke directly with Pope Leo, presenting a handmade
book containing photographs, prayers, and personal testimonies from detained
immigrants and members of the coalition.
Ortiz Valles, who participates in the pastoral ministry at
the Broadview immigration detention facility near Chicago, described the
suffering she has witnessed among detainees. She recalled the experience of a
mother of three children, including one with special needs, who was detained at
a bus stop.
The delegation also carried a banner displaying words
attributed to Pope Leo: “The Church…needs your holy rebellion,” emphasizing the
responsibility of religious communities to confront suffering and promote hope.
According to CSPL, the meeting represented an important
connection between grassroots Catholic organizations and the Vatican,
particularly because Pope Leo was born in Chicago.
The organization's campaign began more than a year ago,
seeking to restore regular religious and spiritual assistance for immigrants
detained at the Broadview facility, operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
Since mid-May, approximately 75 volunteer ministers have
participated in daily pastoral visits under a preliminary court injunction.
CSPL reports that its representatives have completed more than 135 visits,
providing spiritual support to more than 725 detained migrants.
The coalition remains involved in litigation against the
Department of Homeland Security, seeking to establish lasting protections for
religious access to detainees. Its leaders argue that spiritual assistance
should be recognized as an enduring right rather than a temporary accommodation
dependent on court intervention.
Peter Jones, a CSPL board member and professor at Loyola
University Chicago, said the voices of immigrants detained at Broadview had
finally reached the Vatican.
He emphasized that although immigration policy divides
Americans politically, respect for human dignity is a fundamental principle of
Catholic teaching and should not be treated as a partisan issue.
During their visit to Rome, coalition representatives also
met with officials from the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human
Development, discussing immigration, public health, environmental justice, and
community organizing.
Tiffany Swann-Covington thanked the pontiff for encouraging
religious leaders to defend pastoral access for detained immigrants. She also
requested a recorded message of encouragement for CSPL's tenth anniversary,
scheduled for June.
The meeting comes amid continuing national debates over
immigration enforcement, detention practices, religious liberty, and the
treatment of migrant families in the United States.
For CSPL, the Vatican encounter marked another stage in a
campaign that combines legal advocacy, community organizing, and direct
spiritual assistance to people held in immigration detention.
The coalition says its mission is to defend human dignity
and ensure that detained immigrants, regardless of their legal circumstances,
are not deprived of religious support or forgotten by the communities around
them.
Source: Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), press release dated October 29, 2026.
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