Following the fall of Saigon in April 1975, the Catholic Church in the United States was instrumental in helping the thousands of Vietnamese who were forced to escape their homeland. Dioceses and parishes from coast to coast, including the one in which I was raised, were part of this effort. My father, a permanent deacon, was involved extensively in this outreach.
Welcoming refugees, immigrants and the displaced is part of our ecclesial fabric. Recall the words of God in the Book of Deuteronomy: “For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing. So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt.” (Dt 10:17-19).
For decades, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for a just reform of our nation’s immigration system. The elements of reform are grounded in Catholic social teaching that reminds us we are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. We love our neighbors and we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be.
As believers in Jesus, we are obligated to serve those who come to us for assistance – no matter who they are or from where they come. We provide food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and spiritual guidance to those in need because it is a mandate of our Catholic faith, not because of that person’s civil or ecclesial status. We act as Scripture calls us to act, treating everyone with respect and dignity, for indeed, we are all created in the image and likeness of our loving God.
I recognize that some members of our faith community are feeling a heightened sense of unease. I encourage our pastors to counsel those members to draw strength from Christ’s love and to know that we will do all we can to preserve our ministries and outreach to the most vulnerable among us.
We will cooperate with law enforcement in their work of protecting safety and the common good. At the same time, we do not record or track immigrant status for those we serve. Our care is pastoral and sacramental for our community of faith.
We recognize the need for just immigration enforcement and affirm the government’s obligation to carry it out in a purposeful, proportional, and humane way. However, non-emergency immigration enforcement in places of worship, schools, social service agencies, healthcare facilities or other sensitive settings where people receive essential services would be contrary to the common good. When government officials insert themselves between our ministers and those we serve, they violate the natural trust that is an integral part of fruitful and loving pastoral relationships.
While immigration law, status and enforcement are for the civil authorities to determine, we will continue to advocate – and have every right to do so – for the dignity of every human person and for the charitable care of immigrants and aliens in our nation.
As the U.S. bishops’ National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry states: “The Church’s long-standing support for immigration reform is not merely a humanitarian gesture or a struggle to achieve a justice unfulfilled. Rather, our support signifies our efforts to accompany communities that too often remain at the margins and demonstrates our solidarity with them.”
In baptism, we were called to be disciples of Jesus – discipleship that welcomes, respects and upholds the dignity of the human person. It is about living what Jesus instructed on the night of the Last Supper: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).
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