Overview
- In a CBS Face the Nation interview, Archbishop Paul Coakley defended the bishops’ November message opposing indiscriminate mass deportations and said he has not yet spoken directly with the president or vice president.
- Coakley said current enforcement tactics are instilling fear in a widespread manner and called for due process, stressing there is no conflict between secure borders and human dignity.
- He noted some dioceses have granted dispensations for those afraid to attend Mass, but reported no significant attendance decline in Oklahoma.
- Responding to claims the Church is driven by money, Coakley rejected that framing and said the end does not justify the means, emphasizing each person’s God-given dignity.
- The bishops’ statement also raised concerns about detention conditions and limited pastoral access, and Fox News reported that Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Ronald Hicks endorsed the message.