Pope Leo XIV blesses a baby during a meeting at the Vatican Aug. 23, 2025, with refugees and their descendants who were exiled from the Chagos Islands to clear the way for the establishment of a major U.S. and U.K. military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island. CNS PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

Part II: Contemporary witness – Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops

BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION

Note: Last month’s article explored the scriptural and theological foundations for the Church’s teaching on the dignity of every human person. In this second part, we turn to contemporary witness – examining how the Church today, through the pope and the bishops of the United States, continues to apply the Gospel’s call to defend human dignity in modern social and political debates.

The Church’s teaching on human dignity did not end with Vatican II. It continues to be reaffirmed by the Church’s shepherds today.

Recent remarks from Pope Leo XIV have emphasized that Christian discipleship requires a consistent commitment to human dignity. Speaking about the treatment of migrants and vulnerable populations, the pope has reminded Catholics that political debates must never obscure the humanity of those involved.

He has insisted that while nations have a legitimate right to regulate their borders, migrants must never be treated in ways that deny their dignity. In particular, he has challenged Christians to recognize that defending human life must include concern for all vulnerable persons.

In one widely-discussed comment, the pope warned that someone who claims to defend life while supporting the inhumane treatment of migrants risks misunderstanding what it means to be truly pro-life. The point is not political but moral: the Gospel calls Christians to defend human dignity wherever it is threatened.

The bishops of the United States have echoed this teaching. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has consistently reminded Catholics that migrants and refugees are not problems to be solved but persons to be respected.

In their pastoral statements, the bishops have emphasized several principles rooted in Catholic social teaching:

• Every human person possesses inherent dignity.
• Nations have a right to regulate immigration, but policies must respect human rights and family unity.
• Christians are called to see migrants not as threats but as neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ.

At times this teaching can make Catholics uncomfortable, especially in a polarized political climate. Yet the Church’s mission has never been to make the Gospel comfortable. Its mission is to proclaim the truth.

This is why it is important to remember a crucial distinction: when the Church proclaims the Gospel, it is not being political – it is being faithful.

Political movements often attempt to claim religious language or symbols for their own purposes. But the Church cannot allow the Gospel to be reduced to an ideological tool.

The Church does not belong to any party. It belongs to Christ. And Christ consistently places the dignity of the human person above every social boundary – national, ethnic, or political.

For the baptized, this means that our ultimate loyalty is not to an ideology but to the Lord who tells us: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

When Christians defend the dignity of migrants, the poor, the unborn, the elderly, and every vulnerable person, they are not engaging in partisan politics. They are doing something far more fundamental: they are living the Gospel.

And whenever the Church calls society back to the dignity of the human person, it is simply fulfilling the mission entrusted to it by Jesus Christ: to proclaim the truth that every human life is sacred and worthy of love.

Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email [email protected] or call (270) 852-8324.

Originally printed in the May 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.