Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar and a lifelong Catholic, said that he would be willing to invite Pope Leo XIV to accompany U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on a ride-along.
Speaking at an April 22 Turning Point USA event at Baylor University, Homan said he would welcome the Pope to join ICE officers so the Holy Father could come to better understand U.S. immigration operations.
“Yes,” Homan said when asked if he would extend such an invitation. “I will sit down and talk to him, because they’re talking about something that they don’t understand.”
While Pope Leo has repeatedly said that nations have the right to regulate entry, he has also criticized some U.S. immigration enforcement tactics as “extremely disrespectful, to say the least.”
Homan argued that open borders are “the most inhumane thing you can do,” since it leads to migrant deaths along the journey.
“When you make that promise to the whole world, the most vulnerable people will give their life’s savings to the cartels to make that dangerous journey,” he said.
He also sharply criticized policies under former President Joe Biden and former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying they used taxpayer funds to provide transportation, lodging, and work authorization to migrants without legal status.
“The most humane thing you can do is secure the border,” Homan said, arguing that a drop in illegal crossings under the current administration has prevented violence, exploitation, and drug trafficking….
From zeale.co
Pope Leo frequently does not know what he’s talking about. He should talk less, read and think and pray more. I think the modern development in which a pope is followed around all the time and his every word is recorded and broadcast is not healthy for the papacy, its occupant, nor for the church. 100 years ago, nobody cared what the pope’s daily schedule was nor what he said in an afternoon appearance, if he even had one.
The pope is not an expert just because he’s the pope. He doesn’t have an answer to everything, and he’s not gifted with divinely infused knowledge about everything going on in the world.
While that might seem to be a reasonable offer, a more likely one would be to invite the apostolic nuncio, the Pope’s ambassador to the US, to the “ride along.” I respect Mr. Homan and he seems to be a sincere Catholic. And, if inviting Catholic leaders, maybe he should invite Cardinals McElroy, Cupich and Tobin to join them. All might gain insights into the border situation and the tragic situations encountered there, including human, drug and arms trafficking, among other things.
Pope Leo is not going to visit the United States until a Democrat is the president. That way he and the president can make joint statements about opening the border, having a citizenship pathway for illegals, and being a welcoming nation to migrants. Mark my words. By that time, too, Leo will probably have issued a document about giving some form of official recognition to same-sex unions (calling them “friendship covenants”) in the church, and maybe even a path toward a female quasi-deaconate that wouldn’t be ordination but would allow for preaching at Mass. The progressive encroachment is inevitable.
It must be burden, that gift of prophesy..
The fake female “archbishop” of Canterbury is in Rome and is being treated as a genuine bishop by Cardinal Fernandez and Pope Leo himself. At the same time, the rumor is that Pope Leo has drafted a decree of excommunication for all the clerics in the SSPX if the planned unauthorized episcopal consecrations are performed. I agree with the post by “encroachment”. It doesn’t take a gift of prophecy to see what is going on in the Church hierarchy right now and where it will go. Just open your eyes.
And when will we ever see justice at the Vatican, for poor victims of clerical sex abuse? When will they defrock and excommunicate, amd punish Marko “Rapenik” Rupnik? He should have long ago been laicized, excommunicated, and sentenced to many years in prison, for his evil crimes.
Many years ago, when the Anglicans/Episcopalians first began to ordain women, I happened to attend an ecumenical event at Grace Cathedral in SF. Boy, was I in for a big shock! I was introduced to about four or five young “priestesses,” with cute names like “Lori;” “Cheri,” “Debbie,” “Susie,” etc.– with surprising handwriting styles like preteen girls, with cute designs in their signatures, on their name tags. And they all had lovely, well-coiffed hairdos, make-up, nail polish to match their bright red or pink lipstick, and earrings. They wore men’s clerical black suits with Roman collars, and men’s black dress shoes. I asked about how they fit into all of this. I was told that finding men’s black dress shoes that fit, was the hardest thing. And it got worse! Some of these young “priestesses” were married– but some proudly (?) explained to me that they were “living together” with their boyfriends, and “just got engaged”– and the wedding date was to be exactly “six months from now”– “because that’s just fine,” they told me, “to live with your boyfriend for six months and then get married.” I had to stop myself from bursting into laughter! How would they alter their men’s clerical garb– if they were pregnant, especially on their wedding day?
Anglican “priestesses” have no validity, their “sacraments” are invalid. But even worse– Dame Sarah Mullally is a self-described feminist and liberal theologian, who advocates for pro choice on abortion, and favors blessings of gay couples. I do not believe in women’s ordination for any church. I do not think it is a good idea, for the Roman Catholic Church to get mixed up in any liturgical or theological matters, with a liberal, feminist Anglican “priestess” Church leader, with some unChristian beliefs, like pro choice, and blessings of gay couples. Yes, the Pope and Vatican should get busy, and negotiate something with the SSPX, to totally include them in the Church. If they can do this with the Amazonians and their “Pachamama” idols and new “Mayan Mass” Roman Missal — they had better do it with the SSPX!
What would you do, if a pretty, young “Rev. Cindy” or “Rev. Julie” in Episcopal clerical dress, with a Roman collar, invited you and your husband and children to come to her church service, at the pretty Episcopal church down the block– as she is the new “Pastor?” And next, she introduces you to her boyfriend, whom she lives with at the Episcopal church rectory, explaining that she will marry him in six months. What an awful shock in the neighborhood!
“Tom Homan invites Pope to ride-along”
Don’t confuse him with the facts.
He has an agenda to fulfill.
Cousin o Primo, which “him” are you referring to?
The guy in the white clothes.
A pope should lead the world in Catholic teaching. He does not need to teach about control of borders. He needs to preach about Christian Morality. The sanctity of life of an unborn child in the mother’s womb, the holiness of Christian Marriage, the holiness of a chaste life for those not destined to marry– like the LGBTs. He should preach chastity to the young, and to give one’s life in loving service to God. And to discern your life’s vocation– to marry and have children, to become a priest or nun, or to remain single and chaste.
Rod Dreher has a good essay about Catho-slide on his substack. The church is collapsing and dying because parents aren’t raising their kids in Catholic faith beyond first communion and confirmation, they aren’t going to Sunday Mass except maybe on Christmas and Easter, so the kids stop identifying as Catholic when they turn 18 and are on their own.
While Mr. Dreher has some thought worthy writing, he would have more credibility if he had not left the Catholic Church and his wife and children. There are a lot of ex-Catholics criticizing the Church. Sadly, Mr. Dreher is on his own. If we want a better Church, we should stay in the Church and pray and work for its betterment. If one jumps out of the ark, on the right side or left side, one can no longer help right it and turn it in a better direction. Frustration is understandable. But, stay on board, for Christ’s sake. (John 17:21)
Rod Dreher isn’t a good Catholic. The way I see it, is the Popes and their clergy have been very bad for a long time in guiding the Catholic Church. And parents are thus having a tough time raising a family in it. The post-Conciliar Church is terrible. Canon Law correctly does not include untrained laymen’s interests or decisions. The pope and his clerical leaders and advisors in the post-Conciliar Church have failed catastrophically– and they refuse to change. The pre-Vatican II Church also had problems– but basic Church teachings were clear, and upheld. And today– no. A terrible betrayal. We still have yet to hear from Abp. Cordileone about denouncing Notre Dame de Namur University for inviting and honoring pro abortion Rep. Nancy Pelosi as commencement speaker. You cannot run a marriage, a family, a business, a school, a city, a country— or a church– without a good, solid framework— and everyone abiding by good discipline. With mandatory consequences for misbehavior, breaking laws, and sin. Nothing runs on simply “love” and goodwill. People may go astray, cheat, lie and sin– and destroy everything. “If you love Me keep My Commandments.” (John 14:15)
Deacon Anderson, I could not have said it better, and at the Catholic churches I attend there are many parishioners of every age. I cannot say for the Eastern Rites as I have not been to one of those in a long time. I really do not see empty pews. Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara Valley is packed at every Mass and people praying there in between. And as far as sexual abuse of minors, it is a horrific thing and should be punished, but some priests have been proven innocent and could not done what was said. False accusations are horrific, too, and God will punish both.
A former altar boy who was a victim of horrific clerical child sex abuse, in the Diocese of Oakland, was awarded $16 million by a jury, last Wednesday. The evil former priest has more than 60 other clerical child sex abuse cases, and committed many crimes in the past, including manslaughter in a car crash, due to his drunk driving, for which he was sent to prison. Tragically, this is only the first case, for he Oakland Diocese, which declared bankruptcy in 2023. There are over 100 more clerical sex abusers in the Oakland Diocese, with over 290 victims’ cases, currently awaiting trial. The poor victims’ trials have been stalled for years by the Church. What a horrible thing!
The Oakland Diocese reportedly is now facing lawsuits of 350-409 victims of clerical child sex abuse. A horror before Almighty God. May Divine Justice be done.
Here is a link (from a recent email I received) to a successful boys’ school of an excellent, traditiomal Catholic group, the TFP, in Pennsylvannia. They are growing, and greatly expanded their school and facilities, and invited Cardinal Burke to bless their school. Young Alexander Tchugguel (born 6/24/1993) from Vienna, Austria, who was famous for “abducting” the Pachamama idols at the Vatican and throwing them into the Tiber River, has been involved in the TFP movement in Europe. He says that it “changed his life” as a teenager. He got married in 2019, and the wedding was performed by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Tchugguel and his wife live in Vienna, Austria. They work for Pro Life and good family values, among other excellent endeavors.
https://tfpstudentaction.org/news/cardinal-burke-blesses–academy
Not sure what went wrong with typing the link in my comment of April 26 at 6:59pm. I will try again!
https://tfpstudentaction.org/news/cardinal-burke-blesses-academy