Online: Culture war, immigration arrests in churches and St. Agatha parents act

In recent weeks, the Catholic Church has been in the news. The naming of a new United States Ambassador to the Vatican, the latest summary of deportation arrests and the actions of families and supporters of Portland's St. Agatha Catholic Elementary School are subjects of three recent online stories.

President Donald Trump chose Brian Burch as the administration's official liaison to Pope Leo XIV, and Burch was confirmed by a Senate vote on Aug. 2. Burch is a co-founder of the far-right voter advocacy group Catholic Vote. During the Senate hearing, Burch defended the U.S. government decision to withdraw money from foreign aid programs. "Millions, if not billions dollars of our dollars have been going to places around the world that are not aligned with United States' interests," he said.

The National Catholic Reporter suggests that the president's choice "signals that the Trump White House is willing to wade into the struggle in American Catholicism between Catholics focused on the church's teachings related to economic and social justice and Catholics centered on its doctrine regarding gender and sexual morality. In picking Burch, in other words, the administration is ensuring that that culture war remains alive in Catholicism."

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Pastors continue to agonize over federal deportation actions occurring in or on church property.

The Religion News Service has identified several examples of immigration enforcement activity conducted by federal agents since Trump's inauguration in January.

The news service reports "at least 10 instances of apparent immigration enforcement activity conducted by ICE or other federal agents" have occurred on or immediately near church property. The incidents occurred across five states and Puerto Rico and involved Catholic, evangelical, Cooperative Baptist and mainline Christian churches.

"The Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino reported at least two instances in June alone where ICE detained people on parish property: one in which agents chased men into the parking lot of St. Adelaide Parish and detained them, and another where a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes was apprehended on church property while doing landscaping."

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The paper cups at a Portland, Oregon, lemonade stand recently bore rainbow stripes and the proceeds from their sale -- $1600 -- were donated to Basic Rights Oregon, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+. Last month, the Rev. Luan Tran, pastor of St. Agatha Catholic Church, notified a same-sex couple that their children could not attend the school and refunded their deposit.

“Ultimately, families who seek enrollment in our Catholic school must be able and willing to support the goals of Catholic education," Tran wrote in a subsequent parish bulletin. "This includes the ability to provide a home environment that has reasonable hope of supporting and modeling a life of holiness, virtues and Christian discipleship in conformity with all the teachings of the Catholic church.”

The Oregonian reported on the story, but non-subscribers can read it on MSN. St. Agatha parents rallied around the parents, some organizing the lemonade stand, some considering taking their children out of the school. The Archdiocese and its department of education did not return phone calls.