Many Catholic leaders—bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders—know stories like these, and during the election they could have been talking about how immigrants have contributed to Catholic parishes, ministries, and schools. They could have been sharing personal anecdotes about the good works they have seen. A few spoke up, like Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, after attacks by Trump and J. D. Vance on Haitian immigrants in his state. But if many bishops were in fact worried by Trump’s campaign promises, as Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso observes, then not many joined Seitz in speaking up. I can’t help but wonder whether my priest friend, who does not work in an immigrant parish, would have seen through the disinformation if he had heard more positive stories about immigrants from his fellow priests.
I hope, as the new government ramps up its deportation efforts, that more Catholic leaders speak honestly and publicly about the contributions immigrants make in their Catholic communities. Recent statements defending immigrant rights from the bishops of New Mexico and the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are promising signs, but they lack the visceral punch of personal stories. I hope to hear a more intimate kind of witness about what immigrants do for our Church. I fear, instead, that what we will get, outside of the scattered prophetic voices, is a resounding silence.
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