In his Christmas Day homily [1] this year, Pope Leo XIV delivered a heartfelt call for peace, compassion, and solidarity with the world’s suffering, especially migrants and refugees. He painted Christmas as a moment to speak of the fragility of others and said, “How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza… or of those of so many other refugees and displaced persons on every continent; or of the makeshift shelters of thousands of homeless people in our own cities.”
Pope Leo’s Christmas message – widely reported as compassionate and uplifting –urged the faithful to show concern for the poor and those fleeing hardship.
He reflected on the Incarnation – the Word made flesh – as the foundation of genuine peace and joy, emphasizing that Jesus’ humble birth calls the faithful to welcome God by welcoming the vulnerable and suffering in the world.
He highlighted how Christ’s fragile humanity speaks to us of the dignity of every person, urging Christians to move beyond indifference toward concrete acts of tenderness and solidarity, especially with those enduring war, displacement, or marginalization. The Pope connected the gift of peace already present in Christ to a missionary call for believers to engage compassionately with others, listening and responding to human need as part of the Church’s vocation.
That sounds wonderfully virtuous – until you realize that the Vatican itself does not practice what he preaches.
Here’s the reality check: The tiny city-state of Vatican City is one of the strictest when it comes to immigration. Unauthorized entry is not tolerated – people who enter without permission can face jail time, fines, and long bans from the territory.
So while the pope preaches global hospitality and inclusion, his own backyard has:
- Walled borders kept secure by Swiss Guards.
- Criminal penalties for anyone who crosses without permission.
- No asylum or migrant intake program whatsoever. The Vatican admits only those officially connected to its work.
In other words, the pope wants your country to take in the world’s displaced – but doesn’t want to take in even one migrant himself. He’s literally surrounded by walls, gates and guards.
So while the Pope urges the rest of the world to fling open its doors, absorb the costs, and absorb the chaos, Vatican City remains the most tightly controlled “nation” on Earth – a walled micro-state with zero tolerance for unauthorized entry. Compassion, apparently, is a sermon for other people to live out. It’s easy to preach radical hospitality when your own borders are guarded by Swiss soldiers, your population is hand-picked, and the consequences of open borders are outsourced to everyone else.