Pope Leo invokes immigrant and enslaved roots in call for US to honour founding ideals

Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, told NBC on Thursday that he holds 'great love' for his home country and its principles of freedom, opportunity, and welcoming immigrants, The Guardian reports. In an interview at a papal retreat near Rome, he discussed his own family history in explaining his relationship with the United States. His remarks implicitly criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies, which Leo has previously condemned—a stance he qualified by saying he 'just happens to be American.'

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