Mahony calls on US bishops to denounce ‘chilling’ Trump plan for mass deportations

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-27 02:05:54 | Updated at 2024-11-29 16:39:54 2 days ago

Mahony calls on US bishops to denounce ‘chilling’ Trump plan for mass deportations
Crux ^ | November 26, 2024 | John Lavenburg

Posted on 11/26/2024 5:13:49 PM PST by ebb tide

Facing what he calls the “chilling and frightening reality” of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in the United States, Cardinal Roger Mahony is encouraging America’s Catholic bishops to raise their voices.

“The pending ominous initiative to round up and deport some eleven million undocumented immigrants across the country is a chilling and frightening reality,” Mahony, the archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, told Crux, noting the impact deportation policies will have on mixed families in the United States – those where some family members are citizens and others undocumented.

“Devastating repercussions will occur with a massive deportation assault,” he said. “Family disruptions will become our reality, and family members may be separated for even years.”

What follows is Crux’s conversation with Mahony, which includes his perspective on how bishops nationwide should respond. It has been edited for clarity and length.

Crux: As a native Angeleno who eventually became Archbishop of Los Angeles, you’ve spent most of your life in the City of Angels. Are there similarities between the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies you see today, and what you’ve seen in Los Angeles over the years?

Mahony: Sadly, this intense focus on immigrants as the cause of so many woes in our society is nothing new here in California.

Go back to 1858 when the California Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented across the State. A similar Federal law was enacted in 1882. … In the 1930s, laws were passed in California that forbade Filipino immigrants from marrying except with another Filipino.

In 1994 Governor Pete Wilson fostered many anti-immigrant proposals following the recession of 1993.

I recall vividly when Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. sponsored in the 109th Congress H.R. 4437 that would inaugurate herculean measures to search for, apprehend, and deport undocumented immigrants back in 2006. The bill passed the U.S. House on December 16, 2005 [239 to 182]. What made this bill so frightening was that it specifically made aiding any undocumented immigrant either a misdemeanor or felony. For us in the Church, the broad interpretation included all and any aid or assistance.

So even suggesting that offering them the Sacraments of the Church, or including them in any spiritual or pastoral program, could be construed as a misdemeanor or felony. It was even suggested that giving Holy Communion to an immigrant could be deemed a misdemeanor with penalties for the priest or minister.

How did you respond to H.R. 4437 after it was enacted in 2006?

At a special Mass in our Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in 2006 I publicly declared that none of our parishes, schools, institutions, or clergy and lay personnel would abide by the provisions of H.R. 4437.

I urged that our refusal to participate was based on our Gospel duty to see the image of God in each and every person, and to refuse to participate in any public effort to denigrate that dignity through punitive measures: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me [Matthew 25:35-36]’.

Since so much opposition was growing in 2006 against such overtly punitive measures, many of us in Los Angeles organized the largest pro-immigrant March in the history of the country. Some 500,000 marched peacefully on March 26, 2006, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who were being threatened.

As you know, anti-immigrant policies have become more commonplace across the country in recent years, as has anti-immigrant rhetoric. In your opinion, how should American bishops respond?

If today I were an active Arch/Bishop of an Arch/Diocese, I would not hesitate to raise my voice and invite our Catholic Community to join me in understanding the role of the Church in government efforts to consider certain principles:

The role of the United States government is to control our borders, and in harmony with Federal laws, to expel convicted criminal immigrants back to their country of origin.
The role of the Church is to provide spiritual and pastoral ministries to all our people, regardless of immigration status. The Church is not an instrument of the government to provide information to government officials concerning the immigration status of our parishioners.
The Church does not have, nor does it retain, the immigration status of anyone who comes for spiritual and pastoral assistance.
The Church will not reveal any records concerning parishioners’ private information such as place of residence and other personal information.
The Church will remain vigilant if it appears that Border Patrol or other immigration authorities are making themselves present near our Churches and other Church program facilities. Since the Church has many parishes serving particular immigrant groups, the Church must object if unwarranted intimidation appears.
Family unity is a key component of our ministry to all people, including immigrant families. We must object to threats towards family unity.
The Arch/Diocese welcomes collaboration with civil and other organizations which exist to promote family unity, the legal rights of all peoples, and combined efforts to create a comprehensive immigration reform to end the many piecemeal efforts to control illegal immigration.

The Catholic Church has always been a faithful member of society, but it has not hesitated to raise our voice when the least among us are singled out for undue treatment under the principles of Jesus and the Gospels and our tradition of standing with the most vulnerable in our midst.

TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: demoncrats; dudeinadress; dudeinareddress; frankenbishops; frankenchurch; griftinpos; illegals; invaders; mahoney; mahonythegrifter; papistgrifter; rogermahony; rogerthisroger; sedition; sovereignty

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1 posted on 11/26/2024 5:13:49 PM PST by ebb tide

To: ebb tide

Sorry Mahony this is a national security issue!

2 posted on 11/26/2024 5:15:15 PM PST by DarthVader (Not by speeches & majority decisions will the great issues of the day be decided but by Blood & Iron)

To: ebb tide

More like 40 million I should think. It was 11 million 30 yars ago.

3 posted on 11/26/2024 5:15:42 PM PST by Daralundy

To: ebb tide

Maybe the good Cardinal needs to have his tax deferment pulled if he wants to play politics?

4 posted on 11/26/2024 5:16:08 PM PST by ASOC (This space for rent)

To: Al Hitan; Fedora; irishjuggler; Jaded; kalee; markomalley; miele man; Mrs. Don-o; ...

5 posted on 11/26/2024 5:16:17 PM PST by ebb tide ("The Spirit of Vatican II" is nothing more than a wicked "ideology" of the modernists.)

To: ASOC

Along with Al not so Sharpton.

6 posted on 11/26/2024 5:16:39 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)

To: ebb tide

Have the church step up and sponsor these migrants. Be totally responsible without Gov largess for their well being like the good ol daysv

7 posted on 11/26/2024 5:16:42 PM PST by griswold3 (Truth Beauty and Goodness)

To: ebb tide

This makes them enemies of the American people.

8 posted on 11/26/2024 5:17:07 PM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18)

To: ebb tide

Hasn’t the Catholic church made enough money from bringing in illegals to this country?

9 posted on 11/26/2024 5:18:11 PM PST by ladyjane

To: ebb tide

“Chilling” seems to be a favored word for newspaper headlines, since Mr. Trump was elected (especially among the British tabloids, for what is likely a quite chilling reason ;^)...

10 posted on 11/26/2024 5:19:57 PM PST by Who is John Galt? ("...mit Pulver und Blei, Die Gedanken sind frei!")

To: ebb tide

Is this the same US Bishops/Catholic Charities getting paid by the US feral government to load illegal invaders into charter buses on the Mexican border while engaging in child trafficking?

11 posted on 11/26/2024 5:19:59 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)

To: ebb tide

I honestly thought Mahony was dead.

12 posted on 11/26/2024 5:21:43 PM PST by rhinohunter (Free at last, free at least! Thank Almighty God, we're free at last!)

To: ebb tide

“Cardinal Roger Mahony is encouraging America’s Catholic bishops to raise their voices.”

Maybe these upperclassmen in the church should be more concerned about perverts, pedos and the like in their ranks as their priests and bishops. I left the Catholic Church almost 40 years ago because of this stuff, nothing has changed.

13 posted on 11/26/2024 5:22:24 PM PST by quantim (Victory is not relative, it is absolute.)

To: ladyjane

14 posted on 11/26/2024 5:22:25 PM PST by jcon40 (Leftists are usually obnoxious Bullies)

To: ebb tide

The chilling and frightening reality is that the tens of millions of illegal aliens are here.

Nowhere else in the world is such an invasion allowed.

15 posted on 11/26/2024 5:22:39 PM PST by FlyingEagle

To: ebb tide

Hey Mahony, shut yer mouth. We got millions of homeless people needing living space, but the illegal criminals need to be sent packing to free up the space stolen from American citizens! We got lots of unemployment because of illegal criminals stealing jobs away from American citizens! We got crowded hospitals and clinics full of illegal criminals stealing medical services that are needed by poor American citizens! And we got injured and killed American citizens because of the illegal criminals that absolutely must get kicked out of the USA, for our safety!

16 posted on 11/26/2024 5:24:01 PM PST by roadcat ( )

To: ebb tide

17 posted on 11/26/2024 5:24:27 PM PST by Mr. Mojo

To: Daralundy

Over 11 million came in just in the last 4 years that they know of.

18 posted on 11/26/2024 5:25:32 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Not my circus. Not my monkeys. But I can pick out the clowns at 100 yards.)

To: ebb tide

Needs to just STFU and take his little mackrel snapping friends with him.

19 posted on 11/26/2024 5:27:02 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (Donald John Trump. First man to be Elected to the Presidency THREE times since FDR.)

To: rhinohunter

The Pope (Francis) responded to McCarrick, “But on the other hand, maybe the Devil did not have your accommodations ready.”

“The bad ones, they never die!” The pope teased McCarrick again when he saw him.”

20 posted on 11/26/2024 5:28:54 PM PST by ebb tide ("The Spirit of Vatican II" is nothing more than a wicked "ideology" of the modernists.)

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