Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed the pope's grief and said the image of the drowned father and daughter demand action.
"This image cries to heaven for justice. This image silences politics. Who can look on this picture and not see the results of the failures of all of us to find a humane and just solution to the immigration crisis?" said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin.
DiNardo serves as president of the U.S. bishops' conference, and Vasquez chairs the migration committee.
"Sadly, this picture shows the daily plight of our brothers and sisters. Not only does their cry reach heaven. It reaches us. And it must now reach our federal government," they said.
The bishops stressed the respect due to every human person, created in the image of God, no matter their legal status or country of origin.
"Recent reports of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions are appalling and unacceptable for any person in U.S. custody, but particularly for children, who are uniquely vulnerable," they said. "Such conditions cannot be used as tools of deterrence. We can and must remain a country that provides refuge for children and families fleeing violence, persecution, and acute poverty."
DiNardo and Vasquez called on Congress to authorize additional spending to meet the needs of children in custody, as well as to raise standards and oversight for facilities on the southern border.
"It is possible and necessary to care for the safety of migrant children and the security of our citizens. By putting aside partisan interests, a nation as great as ours is able to do both," they said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.