Vatican, US bishops hope for unity after Trump victory, fear for migrants

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said he hopes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will work to overcome divisions in the country following a contentious election campaign.

“We wish him much wisdom, as this is the principal virtue of rulers according to the Bible,” Parolin said November 7, according to the Italian news agency, ANSA. “I believe that he must work above all to be the president of the entire country and thus, overcome the polarization that has occurred, which has been very, very clearly felt in this time.”

Trump and his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance won the election in an overwhelming victory against Vice President Kamala Harris and Timothy Walz, promising the American public to curb illegal immigration, fix the economy and ending global conflicts.

Cardinal Parolin said he hoped Trump “can really be an element of détente and pacification in the current conflicts that are bleeding the world.”

“He said he will bring wars to an end,” the Vatican Secretary of State said. “Let us hope, let us hope. Of course, not even he has a magic wand.”

U.S. bishops call for protection of human life, dignity of marginalized

In a statement released November 6, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference (USCCB), called on Catholics to pray for Trump, “as well as all leaders in public life, that they may rise to meet the responsibilities entrusted to them as they serve our country and those whom they represent.”

While the tone of the statement was particularly sober, Archbishop Broglio wrote that the United States is “blessed with many gifts” and thus “must be concerned for those outside our borders and eager to offer assistance to all”.  The statement was noteworthy as Trump campaigned largely on the promise of drastically reducing immigration.

Archbishop Broglio also called on the incoming administration to “uphold the common good of all and promote the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, the stranger, the elderly and infirm, and migrants.”

Issuing a separate statement on the election, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago called for national unity and prayed for those elected. Echoing Archbishop Broglio, he also alluded to Trump’s promises about migrants: “We must never tire of living our tradition of service to the needy, of welcoming the stranger, of respecting the dignity of human life, care of the planet and outreach to all those living at society’s margins”.

A second Trump administration stoked fears among migrants and human rights organizations, including the U.S. branch of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). JRS issued a statement after the election urging “the incoming administration to honor the United States’ historic role as a proud nation of immigrants” and echoed the U.S. bishops’ call to reject “the anti-immigrant stance that has become popular in different parts of our country.”

“During the 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump’s and allies’ rhetoric created danger for asylees and other foreign nationals in the U.S. legally and brought despair to those who have seen the U.S. as a light in the darkness as they struggle to escape violence and persecution,” the statement read.

“As an organization of people expressing our Catholic faith through our work, JRS/USA believes that to welcome, accompany, serve, and advocate for displaced people is an obligation,” the organization added.