U.S. Catholic churches need to ‘be more aware’ of the migrants among us
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, often criticized for their tactics, are tasked with clamping down on cross-border crime and illegal immigration. Photo courtesy of ICE.
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(OPINION) As the U.S. government continues to grapple with how to handle migrants crossing the southern border, the issue continues to drive a political wedge between the Biden administration and Congressional Republicans.
It will certainly be a major wedge issue heading into next year’s midterm elections. While the ongoing argument over whether pro-abortion politicians should receive the Eucharist has caused divisions between President Joe Biden and Catholic bishops, how to handle aspects of the country’s refugee crisis is something these sometimes-warring sides can actually work together on. In fact, the bishops are focusing on new ways to meet the needs of immigrants entering the United States.
The U.S. bishops used last week’s spring gathering to urge the church to be welcoming to migrants. The Pillar reported that the prelates discussed during their online meeting “the necessity of welcoming immigrants and migrants, and of considering the root causes of migration in violence, corruption, climate change and lack of education and opportunity in many countries.”
The church’s role is to provide pastoral care, especially when so many of these immigrants share the same faith tradition as so many American Catholics. It’s wonderful that the bishops have decided to pinpoint where these communities are located and increasingly try to meet their needs. Catholicism has traditionally done this with past waves of immigration in the U.S., where the church was the center of their lives in so many communities across the country.
A report, based on those findings, is expected to be published soon, part of an ongoing effort to change perceptions after the Trump administration sought to clamp down on illegal border crossings and construct a wall. The U.S. bishops, as well as Pope Francis, were at odds with President Donald Trump’s enforcement only policies that included separating families at the border.
It is widely believed that there are 11 million undocumented individuals currently living in the United States. Each year, some 300,000 more enter the country. To meet this challenge, Catholic Social Teaching, the USCCB website reminds us, calls for the government to focus on “two duties.”
“The first duty is to welcome the foreigner out of charity and respect for the human person. Persons have the right to immigrate and thus government must accommodate this right to the greatest extent possible, especially financially blessed nations,” the website says.
One of the problems, the bishops found, is that many of these migrants — most of them from Central America — are here or passing through their churches, although many parishes are unaware of it.
“There is a widespread lack of awareness of the presence of the communities by Catholic worship sites,” said Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Wash., who also chairs of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers.
The subcommittee conducted a survey of U.S. worship sites, which included churches, chapels and cathedrals, in an effort to collect data on Catholic travelers across the U.S. This snapshot of “people on the move” are largely tourists and religious pilgrims, which is estimated at 79.6 million. Next are undocumented people at 10.5 million.
The survey, compiled by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, found that found the archdioceses of Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Atlanta and Galveston-Houston are those with the greatest number of people passing through their parishes, Tyson said.
The survey found that 554 worship sites reported that they serve immigrant communities. In all, communities from 93 different countries and/or regions were identified by responding worship sites. To meet the needs of changing communities, the survey found that an estimated 22% offer Masses in Spanish.
“Are they aware of their presence?” he asked. “What about Catholic tourists? How do parishes serve the many Catholic workers who pass through?”
In the spirit of Mother Cabrini, the church needs to continue to reach out to immigrant communities. Remote Mass during the pandemic certainly didn’t help matters. The bishops have made it a priority to pinpoint some of the issues around who attends their churches. It’s time now for talk to be put into action — and that’s something all American Catholics can participate in.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi