It's Up to the Catholics in the Pews

Fr Alex Santora Speaks on CNN for the humane treatment of immigrants

Reminder: readers can view the following post, and dozens of other ones, at the Social Catholicism and a Better Kind of Politics website.

Yesterday I watched the following interview on CNN with Fr. Alex Santora of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph in Hoboken, NJ, and I thought it was worth sharing.

We have already seen laity and clergy making procession in support of the detainees, and we heard Pope Leo and the United States bishops speaking out in defense of the rights and human dignity of immigrants. It is understandable that parish priests might be hesitant to address the topic, especially given the mixed views among their congregations, many of whom voted to put the current administration into office, even if they promised mass deportations. Of course, we all need to be prayerful, wise, and prudent about how we respond to this situation. The pastor who knows best how to do so at a given parish will be the one who is best formed in pastoral prudence, pastoral charity and all the virtues, and aided by the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

That said, we are facing not just the violation of the human rights of immigrants, but an encroaching autocracy that threatens the entire human family. The sad experience with twentieth century fascism tells us, moreover, that Christians must bear witness to the God of justice. Doing so can be the difference between a dystopian future and an opportunity to renew both the Church and American democracy.

The following interview with Fr. Santora gives an excellent example of a pastor speaking the truth in love. This can, I hope, inspire many others to take a stand for their vulnerable neighbors, which is to stand with Christ, and with his vicar Pope Leo XIV, and in union with our bishops, who have exemplified the kind of shift that is needed among the broader American population.

Fr. Santora opens with a sad story about an immigrant who has worked in the United States for 45 years, during which he raised his family. The man is now being forced, however, to self-deport to Mexico. Santoro also speaks of the many Latinos who are unable to attend mass for fear of being rounded-up, and perhaps having their families separated. They also discuss the roughly 1000 immigrants being held at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark (where, at least, a priest is allowed to visit). Whereas there was a significant division among bishops over Pope Francis, Santora speaks of how there is much greater unity under the American-born Pope Leo XIV, as evidenced by the near-unanimous vote. With sound pastoral care, priests need to trust that God will move the hearts and minds of the people. Pastors need to take prudent steps to help their parishioners to understand that the good news that Jesus brings is the fulfillment of the Old Testament vision of a justice that is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable: the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. They must also deal prudently and courageously with the reality that today’s hard right—including the MAGA movement, the groypers, etc—is utterly opposed to fundamental Catholic principles like respect for the dignity of every human person, and thus to the gospel.

Along these lines, Amanpour asks specifically about prominent Catholics in the administration who attack Catholic leaders for speaking in defense of immigrants. Fr. Santora speaks clearly about how these Catholics are misguided and clearly wrong. He emphasizes that it is up to Catholics to be doing what needs to be done, and closes with an anecdote about how the atrocities of the Nazis were only possible because people failed to speak up.

As we approach the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope, it seems that the earthly sources of that hope will include fellow Catholics—in different stations of life and different spheres of influence—exercising leadership, and the virtue of courage, especially by speaking the truth in love. We need more Fr. Santora’s, especially among younger clergy, and even more so among native born and caucasian ones. This will be facilitated by Catholic intellectuals and journalists helping to explain the mistakes we made in getting into this mess and how we can draw upon our tradition to navigate it.