Puerto Rico Bishops Pledge Fidelity to Leo XIV on Migrants
In Aibonito they thanked him for recent appointments and highlighted his teaching that human dignity has no passport amid deportation fears.
On November 5, 2026, the bishops of Puerto Rico sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV expressing firm adherence to his Petrine ministry, prayers for his health and recovery, and their readiness to collaborate in the mission of the universal Church.
The message was issued during the LX Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Puerto Rico, held November 4–5 in Aibonito. The bishops thanked the Holy Father for his attention to the local Church, noting recent episcopal appointments: Msgr. Geraldo Ramírez Torres as bishop of Ponce, Msgr. Eusebio Ramos Morales as metropolitan archbishop of San Juan, and Friar Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz, O.F.M., as coadjutor bishop of Fajardo-Humacao.
Pastoral Care Amid Hardship
They reaffirmed their pastoral accompaniment of the people through economic, social, and political difficulties, especially the poor, workers, students, and migrants. Particular concern was voiced for those who, under federal authorities, “live under the threat of aggressions, unjust deportations and separation from their families.”
The bishops adopted words spoken by the Pope on June 11, 2026, in Gran Canaria: “You are not just numbers or files. You are people who have left behind families and homes. You have dreams that no one has the right to despise… human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.” They added: “Your words, Holy Father, inspire our journey together with them.”
A Broader Call for Life and Dialogue
A second conference document, titled “We Proclaim God, the Lover of Life,” addressed wider challenges facing the island: rising living costs, crises in electricity and water service, violence, corruption, limited access to health care, and environmental degradation. It called for dialogue grounded in spiritual values.
Both texts were signed by the members of the Episcopal Conference of Puerto Rico and by the diocesan administrator of Caguas. The letter to the Pope was made public on November 6, 2026.
In reaffirming communion with the Successor of Peter while placing the dignity of migrants at the center of their pastoral concern, the Puerto Rican bishops linked fidelity to Rome with concrete solidarity toward those most exposed to fear and family separation.