Church must remain steadfast in its advocacy for migrants, El Paso bishop says January 10, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, U.S. Congress, World News As immigration shapes up to become a key election issue in 2024, the church must remain steadfast in its advocacy for migrants, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, told OSV News.
As migration increased in 2023, so did pressures on the church’s ministry December 28, 2023By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Unauthorized border crossings increased in 2023, fueled in part by shifts in U.S. policy and global migration trends. The year saw increasingly heated anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions that also put Catholic Charities agencies — and the church’s religious freedom to minister to migrants — in the crosshairs.
Catholic leaders say church must vocally advocate for migrants amid increasing hostility December 22, 2023By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Amid increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment, the Catholic Church must remain vocal in its ministry to and advocacy for migrants, Catholic leaders said at a Dec. 21 panel.
New Texas law criminalizing unauthorized migrants’ entry into state called inhumane December 19, 2023By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, signed an immigration bill into law Dec. 18 that makes it a state crime for unauthorized migrants to cross into Texas from Mexico. Catholic organizations including the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops have opposed the legislation.
Analysis: U.S. Catholics’ priest shortage faces new ‘serious crisis’ due to immigration law December 18, 2023By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Vocations, World News In a particularly unwelcome revelation for American Catholics, the federal government announced that same month in a Federal Register notice a procedural change in how it processes green cards for foreign-born religious workers.
Defining immigration terms: Refugee, asylum-seeker and parole December 15, 2023By Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Immigration and Migration The migration phenomenon is not easy to understand, but understanding it is not as important as our concern for those who seek protection for their families, especially for the many children involved in these migrant situations.
Beyond legal status, refugees need recognition of dignity, pope says December 15, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Vatican, World News In addition to a legal status that allows them to flee unsafe situations, refugees also need the opportunity to integrate into the societies that host them and build a dignified life, Pope Francis said.
White House’s offer on border deal for Ukraine aid alarms migrant advocates December 14, 2023By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, War in Ukraine, World News The White House has signaled it is open to making some concessions to congressional Republicans on border policy in order to pass an emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in wartime aid to Ukraine and Israel amid their respective conflicts.
Wearing a rosary can make a Latino a target for police, historian says December 3, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Immigration and Migration, News, Religious Freedom, World News Many law enforcement officers associate Catholic imagery and symbols with criminality in the U.S. Latino community, a historian researching the American Southwest said.
Texas immigration bill will likely face legal challenge November 28, 2023By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, is expected to sign an immigration bill that would make it a state crime to cross into Texas from Mexico. Catholic organizations including the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops have opposed the legislation.
Jesuits minister to migrants waiting in dangerous Mexican border cities November 23, 2023By David Agren OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Celebrating an outdoor Mass in a camp for migrants amid a cold and unrelenting rain, Jesuit Father Brian Strassburger preached patience. He spoke of “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” from the Gospel of Matthew, urging the assembled migrants to “wait well” as they bided their time in trying conditions.
‘We have to defend life,’ says Sister Norma, who ministers at border amid growing tension November 18, 2023By David Agren OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Respect Life, World News Dressed in her usual blue habit, striped Oxford shirt and sandals, Sister Norma welcomed the migrants and dignitaries with the same warmth — though the motives for their visits drastically differed.
