From the Vatican to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the California Bishops, including Bishop Alberto Rojas, Church leaders are speaking out in the wake of the killing of two Minneapolis civilians at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in January.
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coackley, President of the USCCB, issued a statement Jan. 28 calling on clergy nationwide to offer a Holy Hour for peace. He also commented specifically on the violence and death surrounding immigration enforcement.
“The recent killing of two people by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and that of a detained man in Texas, are just a few of the tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life,” Archbishop Coakley wrote.
The bishops of California issued a strongly worded statement Jan. 28 calling for “restraint, transparency and respect for the dignity of every human life.”
“The actions of many who give orders and follow orders no longer reflect the values upon which our society is based, and certainly not the Christian command to love one’s neighbor as oneself,” the statement reads.
In his message to the faithful for the start of the coming Lenten season, Bishop Rojas referenced the violence surrounding immigration enforcement.
“Let us pray for an end to the violation of human dignity that is occurring right now in the treatment of our immigrant brothers and sisters at the hands of federal immigration authorities,” Bishop Rojas’ message states. “While we as a Church do not condone unlawful entry into the country, the brutal way authorities are enforcing the law is unacceptable and does not recognize immigrants as human beings, much less as the children of God that they are.”
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez called on government leaders, law enforcement and protestors to “take a step back in the interests of the common good” while noting that the foundational value of the country – that all men and women are created equal – is not being respected.
“The country cannot go on like this,” Archbishop Gomez wrote on Jan. 27. “We are caught in a dangerous pattern of angry rhetoric, provocations, and violence…There is no question that the federal government has the duty to enforce immigration laws. But there must be a better way than this.”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, agreed in a response to international media questions about ICE actions in Minneapolis.
“Difficulties, problems and contradictions must be resolved in other ways,” he said Jan. 28, describing the situation as “unacceptable” and agreeing with recent statements by U.S. bishops.