Defending migrants was a priority for Pope Francis from the earliest days of his papacy

Advocating for migrants was one of Pope Francis' top priorities. His papacy saw a refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, skyrocketing numbers of migrants in the Americas, and declining public empathy that led to increasingly restrictive policies around the world.

Francis repeatedly took up the plight of migrants — from bringing asylum-seekers to the Vatican with him from overcrowded island camps to denouncing border initiatives of U.S. President Donald Trump. On the day before his death, Francis briefly met with Vice President JD Vance, with whom he had tangled long-distance over deportation plans.

Some memorable moments when Francis spoke out to defend migrants:

For his first pastoral visit outside Rome following his election, Francis traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa — a speck in the Mediterranean whose proximity to North Africa put it on the front line of many smuggling routes and deadly shipwrecks.

Meeting migrants who had been in Libya, he decried their suffering and denounced the “globalization of indifference” that met those who risked their lives trying to reach Europe.

A decade later, in a September 2023 visit to the multicultural French port of Marseille, Francis again blasted the “fanaticism of indifference” toward migrants as European policymakers doubled down on borders amid the rise of the anti-immigration far-right.

Francis traveled to the Greek island of Lesbos at the height of a refugee crisis in which hundreds of thousands of people arrived after fleeing civil war in Syria and other conflicts in the Middle East and South Asia.

He brought three Muslim families to Italy on the papal plane. Rescuing those 12 Syrians from an overwhelmed island camp was “a drop of water in the sea. But after this drop, the sea will never be the same,” Francis said.

During his hospitalization in early 2025, one of those families that settled in Rome said Francis didn't just change their lives.

“He wanted to begin a global dialogue to let world leaders know that even an undocumented migrant is not something to fear,” said Hasan Zaheda.

His wife, Nour Essa, added: “He fought to broadcast migrant voices, to explain that migrants in the end are just human beings who have suffered in wars.”

The news of Francis' death shocked the family and they mourned “with the whole of humanity,” Zaheda said.

In December 2021, Francis again had a dozen asylum-seekers brought to Italy, this time following his visit to Cyprus.

Celebrating a Mass near the U.S. border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, that was beamed live to neighboring El Paso, Texas, Francis prayed for “open hearts” when faced with the “human tragedy that is forced migration.”

Answering a reporter’s question while flying back to Rome, Francis said a person who advocates building walls is “not Christian.” Trump, at the time a presidential candidate, was campaigning to do just that, and responded that it was “disgraceful” to question a person’s faith. He criticized the pope for not understanding “the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico.”

As pressures surged in Italy and elsewhere in Europe to crack down on illegal migration, Francis made an impassioned plea to end the practice of returning those people rescued at sea to Libya and other unsafe countries where they suffer “inhumane violence.”

He called detention facilities in Libya “true concentration camps.” From there, thousands of migrants are taken by traffickers on often unseaworthy vessels. The Mediterranean Sea has become the world’s largest migrant grave with more than 30,000 deaths since 2014, when the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project began counting.

After Trump returned to the White House in part by riding a wave of public anger at illegal immigration, Francis assailed U.S. plans for mass deportations, calling them “a disgrace.”

With Trump making a flurry of policy changes cracking down on immigration practices, Francis wrote to U.S. bishops and warned that deportations “will end badly.”

“The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women,” he wrote.

U.S. border czar Tom Homan immediately pushed back, noting the Vatican is a city-state surrounded by walls and that Francis should leave border enforcement to his office.

When Vance visited over Easter weekend, he first met with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Afterward, the Holy See reaffirmed cordial relations and common interests, but noted “an exchange of opinions” over current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

FILE - A cross stands on the Mexican side of the border with the United States hours before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, Jan. 19, 2025, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)

FILE— A Border Patrol van transports a group of migrants, Jan. 21, 2025, after they crossed illegally between two border walls separating Mexico and the United States in San Diego, Texas. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE— Balloons representing the hopes and struggle of immigrant communities are released during an event organized by the Border Network for Human Rights organization along the border fence on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Pierre Aguirre, File)

FILE - Migrants reach through a border wall for clothing handed out by volunteers as they wait for asylum, May 12, 2023, in San Diego, Texas. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - People peer through the border wall as U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego prepare for the arrival of hundreds of pro-migration protesters, in Tijuana, Mexico, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE - Young men peer through the border wall as U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego prepare for the arrival of hundreds of pro-migration protesters, in Tijuana, Mexico, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

FILE— Hundreds of people gather on the U.S. side of the border to watch as Pope Francis prays at the U.S.-Mexico border fence along the Rio Grande, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

FILE - Syrian refugees Wafa, no last name available, and her husband, Osama, hold their children's hands as they arrive with another Syrian family at the St. Egidio Community in Rome, April 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Pope Francis poses for a selfie photo with a migrant during his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Sept. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

FILE - Pope Francis waves to a cheering crowd during his visit to the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, in southern Italy, July 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Pope Francis poses for selfie photos with migrants at a regional migrant center in Bologna, Italy, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

FILE-- Pope Francis, left, speaks to migrants, wearing white caps, during his visit to the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, in southern Italy, July 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool, File)

FILE— A model boat hangs from the ceiling of the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica as Pope Francis delivers a speech in Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

FILE - Pope Francis, center, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, and Archbishop of Athens Ieronymos II, toss floral wreaths into the sea on the Greek island of Lesbos, April 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE - Migrants and refugees walk behind a cross in a camp set up by volunteers near the port of Mytilini, on the Greek island of Lesbos, April 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

FILE - Refugees and migrants are rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms in the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Sergi Camara, File)

FILE— Pope Francis attends a ceremony at the Karatepe refugee camp on the Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, Dec. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - Migrants and refugees wait for assistance on an overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast, Feb. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Bruno Thevenin, File)

LONDON (AP) — Actor-comedian Russell Brand was granted conditional bail by a London court on Friday after appearing to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women.

Brand, 49, did not enter a plea. He previously denied the allegations made against him.

He was swarmed by photographers as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his first hearing since he was charged last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Brand to present himself at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, in central London on May 30 and granted him bail on condition he keeps the court informed of where he is staying, either in the U.K. or in the U.S. He currently lives in Florida but is obliged to attend all future court appearances. If he doesn't abide by the conditions, he faces being remanded in custody.

The comedian, author and “Get Him To The Greek” actor, who wore an open shirt and jeans, listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood his bail conditions.

The alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in the Westminster area of central London. The accusers have not been identified.

Brand has been interviewed by police about the allegations, which he denies. Brand has denied engaging in “non-consensual activity.” In a video posted on X after he was charged, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

Brand is alleged to have raped a woman in 1999 at a hotel room in Bournemouth when she attended a Labour Party conference in the town. It is alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her.

A second woman accuses Brand of grabbing her by the forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in London in 2001.

A third accuser was a television worker Brand met in Soho, central London, in 2004. He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.

The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand while he was working for Channel 4 on a spin-off of the “Big Brother” reality television program between 2004 and 2005. Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks.

The charges follow a September 2023 joint investigation by British media outlets Channel 4 and the Sunday Times.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol. He has appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. He recently said he had moved to the United States.

Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

A person takes a smart phone picture as Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand surrounded by media as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand escorted by police and surrounded by the media arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)