Immigrant families are cherished gifts to the world and are not forgotten, said the bishops of Kentucky and Tennessee in a Dec. 27 statement.
The statement, written in part to immigrants, tells them, “Please be assured that you are not forgotten and know that the Church stands with you. You and your families are a cherished gift to the world.”
Kentucky’s four bishops, including Louisville Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, and Tennessee’s three bishops signed the statement. The dioceses of Kentucky and Tennessee together form the Province of Louisville, and Archbishop Fabre is the metropolitan bishop of the province.
They issued the statement with the Dec. 29 feast of the Holy Family in mind, writing:
“As we reflect upon the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and recall during this time their flight into a foreign land as migrants, the ongoing heightened discussion surrounding our migrant community has engendered fear and uncertainty.”
Their statement comes weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has discussed an intention to enact “the largest deportation” in U.S. history, raising fear among immigrants.
The bishops’ statement goes on to pledge their continued support and advocacy “for your just treatment and dignity as our Catholic Social Teaching instructs in every way that we are able to do so.”
The statement emphasizes the church’s longtime stance on migration policy, which “recognizes the right of individuals to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their family members” as well as “the responsibility of nations to control their borders and create migration policies.”
But the bishops emphasize, “this right is not unlimited and must be exercised with respect for the human dignity of each person and the common good.”
They also note the church’s long history of advocating for immigration reform “that includes pathways to citizenship, family reunification, and protections for those fleeing persecution” and other basic human rights that are “based on the dignity of being created in the image and likeness of God.”
The bishops also call on the Catholic community to learn more about the plight of immigrants, to seek understanding of the church’s teaching and to lend their voices in advocating for just reform.
Read the statement in full online at www.archlou.org/statement-of-the-bishops/.
