On November 12th, American Bishops gathered for their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore. They issued a “Special Statement” and accompanying video expressing their concern for the plight of illegal immigrants in the United States. The message was basically a strong rebuke of the Trump Administration’s policy of deporting illegal aliens. The video featured many balding, soft-spoken, plump bishops, each taking a portion of the script, reading it with furrowed brows and serious faces.
It is reminiscent of that ridiculous video of Hollywood celebrities urging Republican electors of the Electoral College not to vote for Trump after his 2016 general election victory. Leave it to the USCCB to think that something that didn’t work nine years ago would have some impact now.
The statement reads like a left-wing diatribe. It talks about the “vilification of immigrants” and those who “arbitrarily lost their legal status.” It claims that those who disagree with them have “prejudices” and calls for the “human dignity” of all persons. Then it pulls some quotes from scripture that seem to bolster their position and demand an “end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence.”
Okay, but why the selective outrage, bishops? Where are your statements and heartfelt videos denouncing the horrors of abortion, transgender surgeries, the mistreatment of the January 6th prisoners, and the arrest of pro-life warriors praying at abortion clinics, among other atrocities that occurred during the Biden Administration?
Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire sums it up nicely: “I don’t recall the bishops making any sort of video like this to condemn the Biden White House for supporting, funding, and facilitating the mass slaughter of children in the womb. I also can’t remember seeing any video with the solemn condemnations of the Biden White House and its support for the castration and sexual mutilation of children.”
He’s not wrong. So to help the bishops out, GMC fixed the “Special Statement” to at least make it appear that they are nonpartisan and espouse the entirety of Catholic teaching. Here goes:
As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of free speech and religious freedom. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of those who are requesting that illegal criminals who have committed unspeakable crimes be removed from our country.
We are concerned about the conditions in Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers, and the lack of access to both true health and pastoral care. We lament that unborn children in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of life. We are grieved when we meet women who have aborted their children, and we try to console their family members who have been forever separated from their loved ones.
Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of Conservative Christians have made enormous contributions to our nation’s well-being. We, as Catholic bishops, love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled, in this environment, to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.
Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including the unborn. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s laws and procedures around the sanctity of life. Human dignity and the defense of the unborn are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of goodwill work together.
We also recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, vulnerable immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. A secure border and the enforcement of just immigration laws will serve as an antidote to such risks.
The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). This is why we strongly rebuke the mutilation and castration of mentally ill individuals who under duress, receive transgender surgeries from unscrupulous medical personnel.
As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord Himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the unborn, the mentally ill, and those who seek and speak the truth regardless of the costs.
In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for the vulnerable is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John 13:34).
To our unborn brothers and sisters, and all who are persecuted for standing up for what is right, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone!
We note with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful already accompany and assist in meeting the basic human needs of so many. Thank you for your generosity, and we urge all people of goodwill to continue and expand such efforts.
We oppose the indiscriminate arrest of those who pray at abortion clinics. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence against Conservative and Christian voices. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials and remind those who claim to be Catholic that they must not publicly support abortion, homosexual marriages, and other cultural evils that are at odds with Catholic teaching. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful reform that is in keeping with Catholic teaching. As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope, and hope does not disappoint! (cf. Romans 5:5) May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ.
If only our bishops would issue a statement like this!
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