Editorial

Welcoming strangers is not optional

The Catholic Church in the United States has been advocating immigration reform for decades by teaching the principles of human dignity and social justice that should underlie our country’s policies. In addition, Catholic organizations have worked tirelessly to welcome individuals and families who come to the United States seeking a better, safer, and more productive future.

The bishops hope to create a world where immigrants, refugees, migrants and people on the move are treated with dignity, respect, welcome and belonging. To achieve this, Catholic organizations must work with the government officials who enforce our laws. Unfortunately, this is difficult when our country’s immigration system is badly broken.

The bishops acknowledge that sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. At the same time, the Church has consistently advocated for policies that defend the dignity and human rights of migrating people. As is so often true in Catholic teaching, the truth is a “both/and” not an “either/or.”

In May 2007, Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, then Bishop of Orlando, Fla., testified before Congress:

As providers of pastoral and social services to immigrants throughout the nation, we in the Catholic Church witness the human consequences of a broken immigration system every day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals and schools. Families are divided, migrant workers are exploited and abused and human beings unnecessarily die in the American desert. As a participant in the public debate, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has attempted to point out the human suffering that occurs in our country each day as a result of an immigration system that lacks due process protections and fails to provide the legal status and legal avenues needed to protect immigrants from exploitation.

Last month, responding to a question about the Trump administration’s plans for the deportation of illegal immigrants, Archbishop Wenski said, “They do have the prudential judgment to enforce, and it’s their obligation to enforce the laws of the land. How they do it or the spirit in which they do it should be one that promotes the common good and does not create more harm than good in the process of implementing the laws.”

On January 25, 2025, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis issued a statement that affirms Catholic teaching on both the right to control our nation’s borders and the necessity of safeguarding human dignity. This statement says:

As pastors, we hear the concerns of our brothers and sisters, heightened by recent threats of aggressive immigration enforcement actions, who flee to escape various forms of injustice, such as violence, war, and persecution. These migrants and refugees are often beloved members of our communities, parishes, and schools who inspire by their faithful witness and devotion to their faith, commitment to their families and fruitful participation in the civic life of their communities. Using the foundational principles of the Church’s social and moral teaching, we will continue to advocate for the just and dignified treatment of migrants as well as for national immigration reform that includes targeted, proportionate, and humane enforcement, and reasonable pathways to citizenship for long-time residents with an emphasis on family unity. We are committed to accompanying those in need through prayer, advocacy, ongoing formation and education, legal remedies, and all proper means of support.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB said recently that the bishops have “always insisted on respect for the law, but we have to respond to the concrete situation. If there is someone who has come here even illegally and needs assistance we must help them because it is Christ himself who is asking us.” Archbishop Broglio also observed that “some provisions of the [Trump administration’s] immigration orders are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us.”

As long as there are people in need of the Church’s pastoral care, Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, hospitals and other service providers will be there for them. For Christians, “welcoming the stranger” is not optional. It is an essential requirement of the mandate we have been given by our Lord Jesus Christ.

—Daniel Conway