What the Pope and Vance get wrong on immigration, Fort Worth Catholic bishop gets right | Opinion
Nothing creates intrigue quite like an internal religious quarrel.
Vice President J.D. Vance wasted no time in picking one with the U.S. Catholic bishops.
Last weekend, Vance, a practicing Catholic, effectively accused the church hierarchy in the U.S. of opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda because the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been the beneficiary of federal grant dollars for refugee resettlement.
But let’s back up, because Vance didn’t fire the first salvo.
His comments came in response to a USCCB statement that criticized Trump’s decision to rescind immigration enforcement policies limiting where arrests could happen; namely, that immigration-related arrests may now occur in schools and even churches.
Even before Trump took the oath Jan. 20, Pope Francis made known his feelings about the president’s plans to deport migrants who illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.
“It doesn’t work. You don’t resolve problems this way,” the pope said in an interview with Italian television, adding that such a plan would be a “disgrace.”
His words probably emboldened the U.S. bishops and ultimately set off a war of words that is making plenty of hay but doing very little good for faithful Catholics and their church or for migrants, for that matter.
To start, Vance’s assertion that U.S. bishops are enriching themselves from federal grants for programs intended to care for immigrants who illegally entered the country under the previous president is wrong.
As the Catholic publication The Pillar explains, “according to the last 10 years of audited USCCB financial statements, the conference has spent more than it received to fund its migration and refugee programs every single year.”
In 2023, for example, it spent $134 million on contracts for programs dealing with refugees and migrants but received only $130 million in federal grants for such programs.
The church is most certainly not seeking to get rich off of failed U.S. immigration policy.
However, it was uniquely positioned in a crisis to administer help to those who made their way to the U.S. courtesy of Biden’s lax border policies.
Vance does not have a full understanding of the issue.
Unfortunately, he’s not the only guilty party in that regard.
Pope Francis and other church leaders are primarily responsible for the salvation of souls.
Part of that solemn charge is accomplished by sharing the gospel and teachings of Christ with the world, which does legitimately include lessons on how to treat each other with dignity and care.
But that does not mean the decision to speak broadly and assertively on immigration policy, a topic not within their expertise and outside their scope, is always prudent or helpful.
Church leaders do not fully appreciate all the considerations that go into making U.S. immigration policy.
Frankly, why should they? Most American politicians don’t, either.
Speaking about Catholic social teaching, which calls for love of migrants and mercy for them, without reference to the responsibilities of those individuals to follow the laws of nations in which they dwell (also described in Catholic doctrine) does a disservice to the church.
Believe it or not, Catholic teaching on such matters is like immigration policy itself — complex and multi-layered; dialogues about social teaching are therefore deserving of thoughtful and deliberate language.
Thankfully, Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson provided such nuance and delicacy in his letter to the faithful, issued without fanfare as hotter heads prevailed.
“We advocate for laws that respect human rights including the right to seek asylum in the face of oppression and threats to human life,” he added. “We do not advocate for the breaking of the law.”
In a tight one-pager, Olson reminded readers that dignity lies within every human being and of our role in caring for the vulnerable; that nations have the responsibility to maintain their borders and govern them; that immigrants contribute to the good of society, but that they are called to respect the laws and heritage of the lands that receive them.
“Please be kind to each other and avoid incendiary language and actions that will not help us to act justly or mercifully,” he concluded.
If only all bishops — and vice presidents — could speak with such clarity and purpose.
