It is not a rumor. It is not a distortion. It is written in black and white in an official papal document, and Pope Leo XIV is now pushing U.S. bishops to act on it.
In Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis explicitly dismisses abortion as merely "grave" in scare quotes, then scolds Catholics who treat it as a primary issue while calling immigration a secondary concern. His words: "Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to... grave bioethical issues." The implication is unmistakable: abortion and immigration are to be regarded as equivalent moral priorities.
Now Pope Leo has been caught on tape urging American bishops to "persevere" and "keep pushing" the same message, telling them not to let political concerns get in the way. The same bishops who once affirmed abortion as the preeminent moral issue are being pressured from Rome to elevate immigration to equal status.