Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
April 2, 2025 Column Father De Celles
I’ve been in bed the first part of this week with a bad cold (finally caught what’s been going around), so I am using my column to reprint Bishop Burbidge’s recent letter on illegal immigration. It may help you to put in perspective what other prelates are saying on the matter. More on that soon…
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Diocese of Arlington
A Pastoral Statement on American Immigration Law and the Catholic Imperative of Upholding Human Dignity and the Common Good
January 31, 2025
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As the United States government revises its immigration policies, and after prayerful discernment and consultation, I offer pastoral encouragement to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Congressional leaders, elected officials, and all Catholics and people of goodwill to consider the common good of our country with the light of faith. The Church teaches, as does our Constitution, that a political community exists to protect the family and human dignity. We always defend and protect the most vulnerable, even as we defend the rights and duties of nations to govern themselves and to safeguard the common good.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has rightly stated that “our Nation is blessed with many gifts,” and our great bounty comes with a duty to care for “our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees.” Similarly, Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, has emphasized that we must insist on the dignity of every immigrant, regardless of his or her status. I join him in holding up the Church’s teaching that every country has the right and the responsibility “to promote public order, safety, and security through well-regulated borders and just limits on immigration.” All my brother bishops agree with this, and together with Pope Francis, we affirm that every migrant is “a child of God.”
This wise counsel from my brother bishops rests on a two-fold commitment: to uphold human dignity and the common good. As principles of Catholic social teaching, human dignity and the common good must not be brought into conflict. As Catholics, we understand the common good as inclusive of the individual good of each and every member of society. We also understand that the rule of law is to defend and promote the common good. For this reason, I have confidence that comprehensive immigration reform need not harm the dignity of any person. Even when immigration reform includes repatriation of those persons who have committed violent crimes, or who otherwise violate the terms of a right to remain, human dignity can be respected. We must not presume a conflict between human dignity and the rule of law.
As a bishop and pastor, I offer my gratitude for all those immigrants in the Diocese of Arlington who, through their goodness and faithfulness, contribute so much to our Church and to our country. Over the past generation, immigrants have settled within the Diocese of Arlington from as many as 20 nations including Afghanistan, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mexico, Gambia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Venezuela. Immigrant Catholics have enriched our diocese with their great faith, their devotion to our Lord, their families, and their service to Christ’s Church. Their presence is a gift to all of us, and we are grateful to God for them. We pray for their faithfulness, fortitude, and perseverance in the face of uncertainty.
Spiritually, we are all migrants on a holy pilgrimage to our heavenly home. The Church carries us through every flood of life, towards the eternal safety of the City of God. When addressing the topic of migration, the Church has historically emphasized two crucial points. First, the rights of persons to the integrity and unity of their families irrespective of where they settle. Second, the right of all to the spiritual care afforded by the sacraments. We are also obligated, as believers in Jesus Christ, to serve those who come to us for assistance—no matter who they are. No Church ministry should hesitate to provide that vital assistance our faith compels us to offer: celebrate the Mass and offer the sacraments, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and welcome the stranger. For these reasons, I plead with those responsible for law enforcement to refrain from entering our sacred spaces unless absolutely and unequivocally necessary to ensure the safety of all persons.
Along with our greatest respect for human dignity, and as a consequence of our respect for the common good, the Church has always shown the greatest concern for all that is right and just. We implore all leaders to strive to keep our nation safe for the sake of thriving and healthy families, including migrant families. Sadly, some of those who have entered our country, legally or illegally, have committed serious crimes. There must be consequences for such behavior, as there is no place for violence, trafficking, or gang activity in our society. Our laws exist to safeguard the good of all, and they must be respected. We therefore also recognize all those law enforcement officers, including many immigrants and children of immigrants, who work diligently to uphold our laws and protect our communities, often at great risk to themselves. They deserve and receive our prayers. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes, Catholic teaching does not support an open border policy, but rather emphasizes a common sense approach where the duty to care for the stranger is practiced in harmony with the duty to care for the nation.
Therefore, I encourage President Trump and Congressional leaders to develop a national immigration policy that reflects the Catholic commitment to human dignity and the common good. Americans earnestly look to our elected officials for a humane and peaceful immigration policy that is just, compassionate, and restores confidence in the rule of law. American law must always include pathways for legal entry and as citizens we should always celebrate the contributions of immigrants, ensure the protection of the vulnerable, and uphold the common good which is the condition for ordered liberty and public safety.
We pray for courage and wisdom among our leaders to enact reforms that reflect both the heart of the Gospel and the spirit of our laws. May God grant them wisdom, mercy, and charity as they undertake this task. We are a Church that stands for justice, not against the enforcement of law, but for its application with mercy and understanding for the good of all persons and our country.