A man walks past a memorial Aug. 7, 2019, for those killed in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, four days earlier. Three U.S. bishops’ committee chairmen issued a statement Aug. 8 to call on the nation’s elected officials “to exert leadership in seeking to heal the wounds” of the country caused by the Aug. 3 and 4 mass shootings and urged an end to hateful rhetoric many see as a factor in the violence particularly in Texas. The Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas, was followed less than 24 hours later by the mass shooting in Dayton Aug. 4. (CNS photo/Bryan Woolston, Reuters)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“We ask our leaders and all Americans to work to unite us as a great, diverse, and welcoming people.” (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, August 2019)
In August, three serious crises devastated American families, spurring the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to raise its collective voice about upholding the dignity of every human person. The conference urged elected officials to strengthen gun laws and reform immigration policies that jeopardize the safety and security of innocent and vulnerable families.
Below are the three USCCB statements made in the aftermath of the massacres in El Paso and Dayton; the Trump administration’s recent proposal of the “interim final rule” to severely limit asylum seekers; and the latest imposition of the “final rule on public charge,” which would restrict many lawful, qualified immigrants from receiving public benefits. It is important to hear what the U.S. bishops had to say.
First, the bishops expressed their deep concern about racism and xenophobia that apparently motivated the massacre in El Paso and other recent mass shootings in the United States: “The tragic loss of life of 22 people this weekend in El Paso demonstrates that hate-filled rhetoric and ideas can become the motivation for some to commit acts of violence. The anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic sentiments that have been publicly proclaimed in our society in recent years have incited hatred in our communities. Hatred and harsh rhetoric were echoed in the El Paso shooter’s explanation about why he committed this weekend’s shooting, as well as being evident in the motivation of the shooters who attacked the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh last year and the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015. We, therefore, renew our call to all to act swiftly to stop using hate-filled language that demeans and divides us and motivates some to such horrific violence.”
Within days of the El Paso mass murder aimed at Mexican migrants, the Trump administration issued an “interim final rule” that would basically eviscerate the current refugee asylum system. The move allows the administration to block most individuals arriving at the southern border from gaining access to asylum in the United States. The USCCB immediately called the rule “unlawful, unjust, and unwise. … We have grave concerns about the administration’s interim final rule that greatly limits U.S. asylum eligibility at the southern border. … The rule would turn our back on the vast majority of asylum seekers, requiring them to apply for protection in almost any other country through which they transit, leaving access to U.S. asylum exceptionally rare. Not only do we believe that this rule is unlawful, but it also jeopardizes the safety of vulnerable individuals and families fleeing persecution and threatens family unity. Further, the rule undermines our nation’s tradition of being a global leader providing and being a catalyst for others to provide humanitarian protection to those in need. We remind the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security that how we respond to asylum seekers arriving at our border is a test of our moral character and strongly urge the Administration to rescind this rule.”
A week later, the USCCB expressed its strong opposition to a “final rule on public charge” put forth by the Department of Homeland Security. The rule will have cruel consequences for families accessing critical public benefits for which they would otherwise qualify. “This rule will undermine family unity and lead many lawful immigrants to forgo vital assistance, including enrollment in nutrition, housing and medical programs. Families already in the U.S. will be faced with deciding whether to access critical assistance programs for which they qualify, knowing that in doing so they could jeopardize their ability to stay here with their loved ones. And it will reduce the ability of many to reunify with family in the U.S. We have already seen the culture of fear that the anticipation of this rule has created in our communities. Ultimately, we believe that this rule is in tension with the dignity of the person and the common good that all of us are called to support.”
Let us increase our prayer and actions to bring about healing in our country which “unites us as a great, diverse and welcoming people.”
For more on the USCCB positions on current events affecting all Americans, please go to www.usccb.org/news.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
