By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-30 21:55:57 | Updated at 2025-01-31 02:41:05
4 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said in a recent interview that U.S. bishops are open to discussion about immigration with the Trump administration.
“We are willing to dialogue,” Archbishop Broglio stated in an interview with Italian TV channel TV200, according to Vatican News. “We have also asked for the possibility of meeting with the president or the vice-president to talk, not in the media, but face to face. In this way I believe we can try to understand each other and move forward.”
The Archbishop was responding to recent criticisms from Vice-President J.D. Vance.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Vance said he was “heartbroken” over the bishops’ criticism of the Trump administration’s border policies.
“And I think that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns, or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” Vance continued.
He added later in the interview, “I think the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has, frankly, not been a good partner in common sense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for, and I hope, again, as a devout Catholic, that they’ll do better.”
The USCCB issued a statement in response, writing that funds from the federal government do not entirely cover their programs for refugees and immigrants.
Archbishop Broglio also responded to Vance’s statement, stating in his interview with TV200, “The words used are false, and we have decided to respond in a very chaste manner, without going into the substance of speeches, but telling the truth.”
He said that helping immigrants, including illegal immigrants, is the Church’s responsibility, even though the Church also insists on respect for the laws.
He also said that it was important to continue dialogue with Congress on reforming immigration laws.
The Archbishop added, “We almost all agree that it needs to be changed.”
