Years before the migrant crisis that reshaped American politics in recent years, Pope Francis made immigration a defining theme of his papacy, including during a 2015 visit to the U.S.

“As the son of an immigrant family, I’m happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families," he told the audience during a speech on the South Lawn of the White House.

What You Need To Know

Pope Francis made immigration a defining theme of his papacy, dragging him into policy debates and into conflict with the Trump administration

In 2016, he sparked a firestorm by suggesting that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was “not a Christian”

Francis criticized mass deportations and repudiated JD Vance after the vice president cited Catholic doctrine in justifying immigration

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