"They're not all upstanding Catholics" — Megyn Kelly criticizes Pope Francis over the church "getting immigrants" in the US hours after his death

American journalist and political commentator Megyn Kelly discussed the life and legacy of Pope Francis in the April 22, 2025, episode of The Megyn Kelly Show on YouTube. During her discussion, Kelly criticized Pope Francis over the church "getting immigrants" in the US, hours after his death.

"It is one thing if you want to help support your priests. Make sure they are well taken care of. Make sure your church is well taken care of. Make sure its got flowers on the altar for Easter mass, but funding illegals coming into the country? They're not all upstanding Catholics," she said.

In the aforementioned episode, Kelly also discussed Pope Francis' "progressive" approach to immigration policy, arguing that his leadership had steered the Church in a "leftward direction." She suggested that, under his papacy, the Church had shifted focus away from more traditional or contentious theological issues, placing greater emphasis on social justice topics.

"The Church has been participating in getting immigrants here, and then finding them housing, and helping them stay here, irrespective of the fact that they’re here illegally. And Pope Francis didn’t have to deal with that,” she added.

Kelly also noted how this shift affected the laity's sense of responsibility and trust in Church donations.

"It’s caused a lot of us in the Catholic Church to wonder what exactly we’re donating toward on Sunday. It really does," she remarked.

She further claimed that there is a growing sense of alienation among American Catholics because of the disparity between religious values and real-life circumstances. Kelly stated that American Catholics were caught in the "tug of war" between the Pope's "messaging" and what they witnessed around them, like "watching" US citizens get "murdered in the streets" by immigrants.

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Pope Francis criticises US President Donald Trump, says he's not a Christian

Pope Francis Delivers His Weekly Audience At The Vatican (Image via Getty)

The late Pope Francis had often used his pulpit to criticise and speak out against US President Donald Trump. As per a CBS News report, dated February 18, 2016, Pope Francis made headlines when he strongly implied that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's stance on immigration, particularly his calls to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, were contrary to Christian values.

As per the report, without naming Trump directly at first, the Pope commented that someone who only talks about building walls and not bridges cannot truly reflect Christian values.

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel," the late Pope told reporters at the time.

According to the aforementioned article, before these comments were made publicly, Trump had spoken of the Pope in favorable terms during an interview with SiriusXM and Breitbart News Daily.

“I heard the pope and I respect the pope and I love the pope in many ways. I love what he stands for and I like his attitude. He’s very independent and he’s very different… I really respect the fact that he sees both sides", he had said.

However, Trump's tone shifted after hearing the Pope's remarks. He stated how it was "disgraceful" for a "religious leader" to question "a person’s faith". Trump further added that he was "proud to be a Christian" and " as president," he would "not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened."

"No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith," he added.

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Pope Francis, the sovereign leader of Vatican City, passed away on April 21, 2025—Easter Monday. Currently, there are 138 candidates eligible to elect the Vatican's next Pope.