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Beyond deportations: There is still a way forward on immigration reform, Angelus News:
Archbishop Gomez: "My brother bishops and I have seen how this deportation policy is ruining people’s lives and breaking up families; in our parishes and neighborhoods, people are now living in constant fear... Surely a great nation can find a generous solution for these people — to hold them accountable for breaking our laws, but also to provide them with a pathway to a permanent legal status. Pray for me and I will pray for you."
Bishop Tyson says the church faces a test on immigration issue, OSV News:
Bishop Tyson: "I think the question we have to ask is, 'Do you love Jesus? Do you love Jesus more than your political party? Do you love Jesus more than your opinion about any given public policy issue? Do you love Jesus and your Church more than your particular stance?'"
Bishops elect new president, stress need to support immigrants in first day of meeting, National Catholic Reporter:
"'Our immigrant brothers and sisters, from those who are undocumented to those who are naturalized citizens, are living in a deep state of fear,' Seitz said. 'Many are too afraid to work, send their children to school and avail themselves of the sacraments.' But adding that the Catholic Church in the United States 'stands as a reminder that they are not alone,' Seitz described a new national initiative, to be called "You Are Not Alone," that he said will provide accompaniment and show solidarity with immigrants. 'As the Holy Father said last month, the church cannot be silent,' Seitz said."
‘You Are Not Alone’ migrant accompaniment initiative announced by U.S. bishops, Catholic News Agency:
"The initiative, which was inspired by similar efforts in Catholic dioceses throughout the country, will focus on four key areas: emergency and family support, accompaniment and pastoral care, communication of Church teaching, and solidarity through prayer and public witness. Seitz said the Catholic Church has been 'accompanying newcomers to this land since before our country’s founding.' He said — in addition to spiritual and corporal works of mercy — the Church “cannot abandon our long-standing advocacy for just and meaningful reform to our immigration system.”
Catholic Bishops Rebuke U.S. ‘Mass Deportation’ of Immigrants, New York Times:
“For months, Catholic bishops have pushed back against the federal actions. Prelates have accompanied migrants to courthouses and protested Mr. Trump’s domestic policy bill in Congress. But this action sends a particularly strong message not only to the administration, which includes many high-profile Catholics, but also to the millions of the church’s immigrant families.”
In Pulpits and Pews, Catholic Churches Urge Compassion for Immigrants, New York Times:
“In humble rural churches and tall urban cathedrals across the country this weekend, Catholic priests and parishioners reflected on the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Some said that the roundup of hundreds of thousands of people, which has disproportionately affected Catholic congregations full of immigrants, goes against Christian teachings.”
Pope Leo's critique of Trump emboldens top US Catholics to help immigrants, Reuters:
There's a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what's happening," the pontiff said on Tuesday, when asked about the condition of migrants detained at a federal facility in Broadview, Illinois, near Chicago. "I know how much it means to detainees and their families that Pope Leo is paying close attention to the suffering of migrants and their families here," Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich told Reuters.
Immigration is a ‘personal one because we’re pastors,’ U.S. bishops say, Catholic News Agency:
“'Bishops across the board' are seeing 'people in our dioceses being swept up in this effort to go after people who are immigrants,” Seitz said. 'I say that in a very broad sense, because although what the government has been saying, ‘We’re after criminals,’ it’s extended much more broadly than that.'”
Bishop Seitz ‘very optimistic’ religious worker visa issue will soon see ‘positive developments’’, OSV News:
"[Bishop Seitz] said he was 'very optimistic' that efforts to resolve backlogs for religious worker visas were moving forward, thanks to potential new legislation and dialogue with the current presidential administration... The issue of religious worker visas highlights the perfect storm created by a downturn in priestly and religious vocations among U.S. Catholics, and the entrenched challenges of the nation’s immigration laws and policies."
Archdiocese of Washington's Walk with Mary, December 13:
Each year, we honor Our Lady with a pilgrimage through the streets of Washington, D.C. Our pilgrimage begins at The Shrine of the Sacred Heart and concludes at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where together we pray the Rosary and celebrate Mass.
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