Mary Anna Mancuso
Wed, August 19, 2026 at 3:08 PM EDT
As a Catholic, I'm offended. As a Floridian, I'm exhausted. It seems there are no lengths to which U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, won't go to promote her immigration bill.
Even the pope isn't off limits. Last week, after meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, she quickly took to social media to say she was grateful to "place the DIGNITY Act in the Holy Father's hands." The video posted to her social media channels, shot in front of the Vatican, was in poor taste. What I saw was a South Florida congresswoman using the Vatican as a backdrop to push her legislation.
You don't have to be Catholic to understand why it's offensive. It looks like Salazar used her meeting with the pope to create the impression of support for her legislation. That should bother anyone, religious or not.
The meeting itself wasn't a problem. There's nothing wrong with an elected official discussing immigration with the pope. Immigration is both a moral and political issue that affects millions, and people of faith often bring their convictions into public life.
Leo has spoken directly on immigration. On June 25, 2026, the pope wrote a letter to America marking the 250th anniversary of the United States: "To receive [immigrants] with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person," he wrote.
Many politicians have visited the Vatican and afterward have posted photos of their time with the pope. I don't think that's wrong. The difference is that Salazar used the opportunity to spotlight her legislation. The pope hasn't endorsed her bill; she shouldn't be trying to make it look that way.
But in politics, optics matter. And that was the point. Salazar, in what appeared to be a staged moment, created an impression the facts don't support.
Salazar's office told me it was "entirely appropriate to discuss immigration and the bipartisan work she is leading" during the visit. The statement from her office said Salazar spoke with the pope "about immigration and the dignity of migrants, issues that are central to the Catholic Church and that Pope Leo himself has made a priority, and shared with him the bipartisan solution she has been working on for years."
Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) spoke with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Aug. 13, 2026
Back in Miami, her district is home to many Cuban immigrants who are Catholic and may give a lot of weight to a picture of her with the pope. Many may also remember living under a regime that closed religious schools, seized church properties and continues to interrogate priests. Salazar knows that.
The DIGNITY Act, if passed, would provide legal status to undocumented migrants who meet certain requirements, have no criminal record, pay restitution and give 1% of their earnings to the U.S. government. Critics call it amnesty, but Salazar pushes back, saying it isn't and doesn't create a path to citizenship. Some Catholic organizations such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA have come out in support of her legislation. The Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski has also said, "The DIGNITY Act is a step in the right direction."
We can disagree about whether the DIGNITY Act is the best way to solve America's broken immigration system. That's a debate worth having. But the pope isn't a campaign surrogate and the Vatican shouldn't be a stage to promote legislation. Faith should sharpen our conscience and guide our judgment, not be politicized.
If Salazar, a former television journalist who is running for reelection against Democrat and former CBS news anchor Eliott Rodriguez, believes the DIGNITY Act is the right answer on immigration, she should continue to make her case to lawmakers and voters in the usual ways.
There's no shortcut or papal fast pass to getting a bill passed. Her visit should've been an occasion for reflection, not another chance to promote her bill. If the legislation is really about dignity, perhaps Salazar should've remembered to bring a little of her own into the Vatican that day.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com
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