The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a rare statement Wednesday condemning President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, while launching an initiative to provide aid and solidarity to immigrants.
“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the statement read. “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.”
The letter, which doesn’t explicitly name Trump but details several of his administration’s policies, passed almost unanimously at the bishops’ annual conference in Baltimore with a final vote of 216 votes in favor, 5 votes against and 3 abstentions.
The statement, called a “Special Message,” is the only outlet bishops have to issue a united statement on pressing current events. The body has not issued such a statement since 2013, when it opposed a contraceptive coverage mandate under the Affordable Care Act.
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“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” the letter concluded. “We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”
For months, bishops around the country have ramped up their objections to the treatment of immigrants, showing up at court hearings and detention centers to provide pastoral care to those being held.
Senior church leaders told Reuters earlier this week that they were motivated by the advocacy of Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Church’s first American pope, who has spoken out against Trump’s policies since assuming his role.
“There’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening,” the pontiff said Tuesday, when asked about the condition of migrants detained at Chicago’s Broadview detention center.
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