A Vatican official condemns the lack of safe and legal channels for migration, citing the dependency that creates among migrants on smugglers and human traffickers who may exploit them.
Mr. Spicer, a Catholic, had expressed a desire to meet Pope Francis in May, but he was left off the list of U.S. officials who accompanied President Trump to the Vatican.
The pope said that church teaching can contribute to a more humane and just society, but only if the church is allowed a voice in answering "the great questions of society in our time."