The special statement was released during the annual meeting of the bishops in Baltimore. It was the first time since 2013 that the bishops jointly expressed their concerns about an issue. The last time they did that was in response to the federal government contraceptive mandate.
“We are alarmed to see a climate of fear and anxiety among our people around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the statement said in part. “We are concerned about the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.”
The bishops called for immigration reform and expressed sadness that some immigrants had arbitrarily lost their legal status. They said they were also concerned about threats against the “sanctity of places of worship and the special character of hospitals and schools.”
“We oppose the arbitrary mass deportation of people,” the statement said. “We pray for an end to the dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or law enforcement.”
A White House spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Wednesday’s action underlines the bishops’ united front against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and their support for them Pope Leo XIVthe first US pope to speak out against the mistreatment of immigrants and to call on federal authorities to allow clergy and other pastoral workers access to prisoners.
Some priests and other religious leaders have been on the front lines of protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies shot at with less-lethal ammunition by federal agents.
In Los Angeles County, immigration raids have contributed to a drop in refugee numbers the number of people attending mass in some parishes.
In July, a day after an arrest at or near a local church, Bishop Alberto Rojas told his diocese of San Bernardino, which has about 1.2 million people, that they could stay home on Sundays because of concerns about immigration attacks.
“I want our immigrant communities to know that their church stands by their side and walks with them through this difficult time,” he said in a statement at the time.
About 58% of people living in the United States who were born abroad consider themselves Christian, according to findings from the Pew Research Center. Of those, 30% identify as Catholic, the most of any denomination.
In Los Angeles, 28% of all Christians consider themselves Catholic, the highest of all denominations at 12 percentage points, according to Pew.
The raids were also a reason the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to enhance hot meal deliverygroceries and prescription medications to parishioners living in fear of deportation amid ongoing enforcement raids.
“This is a challenging moment for our community,” Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said in a statement at the time. “Many of our friends and family, our neighbors and fellow parishioners are scared and worried. These are good, hardworking men and women, people of faith, people who have lived in this country for a long time and contribute significantly to our economy.”
In Wednesday’s special statement, the bishops said the church’s concern for immigrants is a response to “the Lord’s commandment to love as He has loved us.”
Times staff writer Andrew Campa contributed to this report.
#Catholic #bishops #rare #statement #oppose #Trumps #arbitrary #deportations