Cardinal Tobin: U.S. stands at a crossroad amid violence, rhetoric and must ‘choose life’

“How will you help restore a culture of life in the midst of death?”

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., put that question to participants in a Jan. 25 national online prayer call hosted by Faith in Action, a global, nonpartisan, faith-based network that counts 1,000 congregations in the U.S. and other countries. Organizers described the call as an opportunity to “lament, pray and take action” following the Jan. 24 shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and Veterans Administration nurse who was killed by federal agents as he filmed and observed an immigration enforcement operation in that city. Pretti was the second U.S. citizen federal agents have killed amid immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis within the month.

OSV News spoke with Cardinal Tobin Jan. 26 about his concerns for the country and his call to action. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OSV News: During your reflection in the Jan. 25 Faith in Action prayer call, you referenced Ignazio Silone’s 1936 novel “Pane e Vino,” which takes place in Italy under fascism. In its Jan. 26 editorial, The New York Times editorial board twice used the word “authoritarian” in its criticism of the federal government’s actions surrounding the recent deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis amid immigration enforcement protests. Are you concerned that this nation is veering towards authoritarianism under current federal policies?

Cardinal Tobin: I think that some of the policies of the government, especially as showcased recently in Minneapolis — but not only in Minneapolis, in other places — certainly give question to what sort of oversight this particular branch of law enforcement is actually receiving.

OSV News: In your Faith in Action reflection, you also urged that funding be withheld from an unnamed “lawless organization.” Were you referring to a specific agency, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or its subagencies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection?

Cardinal Tobin: Well, I think the particular incidents that disturbed me recently have been what’s happened in Minneapolis.

Listen, we need good law enforcement, and I’m happy that here in New Jersey, I have good community relations with our local police, state police, county sheriff, deputies and other agencies that work to preserve the peace.

OSV News: It’s interesting that you use the term “community relations,” since what’s known as “community policing” — which focuses on building partnerships and relationships of trust, while developing proactive solutions for public safety — is advocated by many law enforcement professionals as a more productive approach to their work. Have you seen community policing in action, and if so, does it differ from what you’ve seen in the footage from the recent Minneapolis protests?

Cardinal Tobin: I can cite an example from the experience of the city I serve, Newark, N.J. If you recall, 2020 was a difficult year first because of the onset of the pandemic, with its duration and depth that we had not yet been able to glimpse. And in the midst of that, (there was) the murder of George Floyd of Minneapolis (under police restraint) and the urban unrest that generated here in the city.

(Yet) at the end of 2020, a report noted that a law officer of the city of Newark had not fired a weapon in the 12 months of 2020.

And that’s when other cities were wracked with distress and in crises. There were demonstrations here, but they were peaceably conducted. There was no damage or looting. And I think that a lot of it goes to the efforts of the mayor and his council to promote decent reciprocal relations of trust in this urban area.

OSV News: You also quoted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s maxim that “hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” What are some practical ways that people can dial down heated rhetoric in political and social discourse?

Cardinal Tobin: Realize that our words have consequences, and violence and speech may well give license to other forms of violence that are even more noxious and destructive.

OSV News: During your reflection, you issued a call to action regarding the upcoming congressional consideration of an appropriations bill that includes funding for federal agencies involved in immigration enforcement. What is your hope for how that message would be received by the nation’s Catholics and by other people of faith?

Cardinal Tobin: I have full respect for the intelligence of the American Catholic community to be able to weigh alternatives and to choose the right one — “right” being the one that is most consonant with what we proclaim, or how we recognize ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ.

And I hope we call our Congress people frequently to let them know how we feel about this point or that point. Recently, I saw some talk about the weakening of the Hyde Amendment, which I have always found to be a matter of pride for not only the Catholic community, but lots of people who are of good will. We would not hesitate if Congress was going to withdraw this protection for unborn people. We would not hesitate to call.

And religious leaders would invoke us to call, to be responsible for putting out our opinion to our public representatives.

So yes, I think we religious leaders stay in our lane in the sense that we bring a message to our people, and we speak it hopefully responsibly as teachers. And then, you know, it’s up to them (the people) and to God if and how they act on it.

OSV News: During a Jan. 24 press conference following Pretti’s shooting death amid an immigration enforcement operation, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the nation was what he called “an inflection point.” What is your message to the nation’s Catholics at this moment?

Cardinal Tobin: I would say that we do stand at an inflection point — or maybe I would just simply say a crossroad, where there are different alternatives.

And that’s as old as our faith community is. Think of the wonderful and yet terrifying simplicity of God’s words in Deuteronomy, where he says, “I set before you life and death. … Choose life” (Dt 30:19).

And if we’re making choices, we don’t have to make them alone. Certainly we have the enduring presence of the Holy Spirit in the community. And to help us access the Holy Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying today, we have a great leader in Pope Leo XIV. I don’t think it’s just a happenstance; God raises up successors to Peter according to the needs of each time and each epoch. I’ve had the privilege of working closely with about four of them. And I’ve just marveled that God knew what God was doing.

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