(Vatican Radio) The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement decrying President Trump’s orders to construct a wall at the US/Mexico border and to increase immigrant detention and deportation.Actions, the statement says, that put immigrants’ lives needlessly in harm’s way, tear families apart and spark fear in communities. Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: Reacting to the US President’s executive orders to build the wall, Bishop Joe Vasquez, Chair of the Committee of Migration and Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, points out that its construction “will only make migrants, especially vulnerable women and children, more susceptible to traffickers and smugglers”.“I will continue, Bishop Vasquez says, to follow the example of Pope Francis” looking to build bridges between people, “bridges that allow us to break down the walls of exclusion and exploitation”.In regards to the announcement of...
(Vatican Radio) The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement decrying President Trump’s orders to construct a wall at the US/Mexico border and to increase immigrant detention and deportation.
Actions, the statement says, that put immigrants’ lives needlessly in harm’s way, tear families apart and spark fear in communities.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
Reacting to the US President’s executive orders to build the wall, Bishop Joe Vasquez, Chair of the Committee of Migration and Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, points out that its construction “will only make migrants, especially vulnerable women and children, more susceptible to traffickers and smugglers”.
“I will continue, Bishop Vasquez says, to follow the example of Pope Francis” looking to build bridges between people, “bridges that allow us to break down the walls of exclusion and exploitation”.
In regards to the announcement of the planned surge in immigrant detention and deportation forces, Bishop Vasquez said these “will tear families apart and spark fear and panic in communities”.
Vasquez expresses his respect for the right of the government to control its borders and ensure security but, he says, he does not believe that “a large scale escalation of immigrant detention and intensive increased use of enforcement in immigrant communities is the way to achieve those goals”.
Reiterating the Bishops’ commitment to comprehensive, compassionate, and common-sense reform, Vasquez says: “we fear that the policies announced today will make it much more difficult for the vulnerable to access protection in our country”.
Bishop Vasquez concludes the statement with the promise to continue to support and stand in solidarity with immigrant families.
“We remind our communities and our nation that these families have intrinsic value as children of God. And to all those impacted by today’s decision, we are here to walk with you and accompany you on this journey.”Trump
Pope Francis waves while traveling by boat in Venice, Italy, for a meeting with young people at the Basilica della Madonna della Salute on April 28, 2024. Earlier in the day he met with inmates at a women's prison. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings. "A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute," the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca. Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the mo...
Pope Francis prays in front of the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist inside St. Mark's Basilica in Venice on April 28, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 09:35 am (CNA).Pope Francis had a full slate of events Sunday during his day trip to Venice, a trip that tied together a message of unity and fraternity with the artistic patrimony of a city that has been a privileged place of encounter across the centuries. "Faith in Jesus, the bond with him, does not imprison our freedom. On the contrary, it opens us to receive the sap of God's love, which multiplies our joy, takes care of us like a skilled vintner, and brings forth shoots even when the soil of our life becomes arid," the pope said to over 10,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Mark's Square. Framing his homily during the Mass on the theme of unity, one of the central points articulated throughout several audiences spread across the morning, Pope Francis reminded Christians: "Remaining ...
Prayer house at San Simeone, Italy, September 2012. / Credit: Courtesy of Ricostruttori nella preghieraRome, Italy, Apr 28, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Across Italy there are houses of prayer run by the Ricostruttori (Reconstructors) community, a Catholic movement dedicated to people who are far from the Church but attracted to spirituality, particularly Eastern meditation and Buddhist practices. The Reconstructors was founded in 1978 by Jesuit Father Gian Vittorio Cappelletto. "During the postconciliar period, the Church was faced with the need for new forms of evangelization and apostolate, to reach out to people who were drifting away," Don Roberto Rondanina, priest and superior of the Ricostruttori, explained to CNA. "It was a time when Eastern meditation, Hinduism, Buddhism, the New Age ... were beginning to spread in Europe." "Father Cappelletto, who lived in Turin, sought to understand the meaning of this 'flight to the East' and felt the need to find new forms of sp...