Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

U.S. Bishops Launch Migrant Aid Push, Weigh Rare Message to Trump

The move signals a coordinated response to intensified immigration enforcement affecting Catholic parishioners.

Image
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone speaks during an interfaith service before the inauguration of Mayor Daniel Lurie in San Francisco in January. Cordileone supported a special statement Wednesday by American bishops rebuking President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Archbishop José Gomez joins clergy at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in South Los Angeles as they launch a Family Assistance Program in July in their parishes for those impacted by immigration raids. Photo: Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Image

Overview

  • The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops unveiled the nationwide 'You Are Not Alone' program to mobilize direct aid and solidarity for migrants.
  • The initiative centers on four areas: emergency support, pastoral care, teaching on Catholic principles of migration, and public witness.
  • Bishops planned to consider a rare 'special message' on immigration for President Trump on Wednesday, a step requiring two-thirds approval and last used in 2013.
  • Leaders pointed to reported incidents of clergy being denied entry to detention facilities and cases where incarcerated immigrants were blocked from receiving Communion.
  • The announcement followed elections of Archbishop Paul Coakley as president and Bishop Daniel Flores as vice president, selections some observers see as a moderating shift as deportations near 400,000 and detentions about 60,000 this year.