U.S. bishops release a special pastoral message on deportation

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement Nov. 12 at its annual conference in Baltimore, Md., on the mass deportation of immigrants. The “Special Pastoral Message” was approved with 216 votes in favor, five opposed and three abstentions.

A “pastoral message” may be issued only at the USCCB annual meeting. The last time the bishops issued one was in 2013 opposing mandated contraceptive coverage in the Affordable Care Act.

Last month, Pope Leo XIV urged the U.S. bishops to present a united statement opposing the Trump administration’s mass deportations. The pope made this decision after Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, hand-delivered 100 letters from immigrants addressed to him.

Parishioners and pastors have initiated contact with almost all American bishops. Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston said, “We have to say something” to show solidarity with immigrants “suffering the effects of this.” Henning emphasized that bishops needed to create a pastoral address to Catholics, rather than lobby the administration or other political leaders.

“We’re pastors,” Henning said. “We care about the people we serve, and what we’re hearing from them is fear and suffering. So it’s hard not to want to respond to that."

The pastoral statement mentions specific human rights concerns, highlights the good works immigrants contribute throughout America and includes official church teaching on migrants and social justice. The message doesn't name the president.

The full text of the bishops’ Special Pastoral Message:

As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones. 

Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.

Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.

We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.

The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord Himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger (Zechariah 7:10). In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John 13:34).

To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone! We note with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful already accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs. We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts. We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.