U.S. bishops uphold immigrants’ human dignity, call for immigration reform in urgent message
Pope Leo echoes statement
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In their role as pastors of the Church in this country, the U.S. Catholic bishops expressed Christian solidarity with immigrants, called for an end to mass deportations and invited all people of faith and goodwill to enter an immediate discussion about reforming the nation’s immigration system, focusing on the God-given dignity of every human being.
“You are not alone!” the bishops reminded immigrants in an urgent official statement addressing the situation affecting immigrants in this country.
“We stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer,” the bishops continued, invoking 1 Corinthians 12:26.
The bishops spoke out in a rare Special Message, overwhelmingly approved Nov. 12 during their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore.
It was the first time in 12 years the bishops invoked this urgent way of speaking with one voice.
“It was so great to have the opportunity to attend the bishops’ November assembly and be a part of the special statement made by the bishops of the United States,” said Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell of Jefferson City.
A special message can only be adopted at a bishops’ regular plenary assembly, with at least two-thirds of the bishops voting in favor of the message.
Sustained applause filled the assembly following the passage of the motion to approve the message.
Bishop O’Donnell emphasized that the bishops’ message on immigration is given as a timely statement of Christian moral principles, intended to help form our conscience as disciples of the Lord.
“It’s so important that we recognize the dignity of every human person,” Bishop O’Donnell stated. “At the very heart of our Catholic Social Teaching is the fact that we all share human dignity.
“We believe in faith that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and because of that reality we are to love one another as brothers and sisters who share that common dignity,” the bishop said.
Bishop O’Donnell emphasized that Christ came into the world to draw all people to himself — “It is the love of Christ for humanity that calls us to recognize that we all belong to the Lord.”
Therefore, it is incumbent on all men and women of faith to “extend ourselves in the spirit of Christ.”
The U.S. bishops speak clearly and pastorally in their message on immigration.
“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,” they state.
“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” they continue. “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,” they said. “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.”
Dignity and security
The bishops noted that generations of immigrants, despite obstacles and prejudices, have made enormous contributions to the well-being of this nation.
“We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity,” they stated. “For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.”
They pointed to the Church’s official teaching, rooted in objective truth, that summons upon all people 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,” the bishops stated.
They pointed out that human dignity and national security are not in conflict.
“Both are possible if people of good will work together,” they stated.
The bishops 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,” the bishops noted, “immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.”
The bishops reiterated that 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,” they stated.
They echoed the Prophets’ repeated reminders that the priority of the Lord is for people who are most vulnerable: “the widow, the orphan, the poor and the stranger” (Zechariah 7:10).
The bishops pointed further to how Jesus presents himself throughout Scripture: as “one who became poor for our sake” (2 Corinthians 8:9); as “the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust” (Luke 10:30–37) and as “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),” the bishops stated.
They expressed gratitude and solidarity with the many clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful who accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs.
“We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts,” the bishops stated.
The bishops said they also stand against “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”
“We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” the bishops stated. “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.”
The bishops pledged to continue in that dialogue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.
“As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope,” the bishops said of the Church.
“And hope does not disappoint!” they stated, echoing Romans 5:5.
“May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ,” they concluded.
Pope strongly agrees
Pope Leo XIV, a U.S. native, lauded the bishops’ message during a Nov. 18 interview with reporters outside the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
“When people are living good lives — and many of them (in the United States) for 10, 15, 20 years — to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least,” is not acceptable, the pope said Nov. 18.
He told reporters in Castel Gandolfo that the pastoral message is “a very important statement. I would invite especially all Catholics, but people of goodwill, to listen carefully to what they said.”
“No one has said that the United States should have open borders,” the pope stated. “I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.”
However, he said, in enforcing immigration policy, “we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have.”
“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that,” he said. “There are courts. There’s a system of justice,” but the system has “a lot of problems” that should be addressed.
“Non-negotiable”
This year’s U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops plenary assembly was Bishop O’Donnell’s first since his ordination and installation as bishop of Jefferson City. He was the second-most-recently-ordained of the bishops present.
He noted that the U.S. Catholic bishops’ message on immigration is built on the principle of human dignity, articulated in Catholic Social Teaching, rather than on political rhetoric.
“It is important for us to share this statement as widely as possible,” Bishop O’Donnell stated. “The dignity of persons is not negotiable. It is Christ who raises us to himself. We possess inherent dignity because we are all the Lord’s!”
Bishop O’Donnell pointed out that Family Immigration Services of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri is helping people work toward legalizing their immigration status and is making those services available at the parish level.
“That is an important service,” Bishop O’Donnell stated. “We’re very grateful to Catholic Charities for making those resources available.”
The text of the bishop’s special message can be found at: usccb.org/.
Contributing to this report was Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service in Rome.
