U.S. Catholic bishops oppose Trump's 'indiscriminate' deportations in a rare statement

"For the first time in 12 years, U.S. Catholic bishops issued a unified statement Wednesday to support the country's immigrants and oppose the Trump administration's "indiscriminate mass deportations of people." The special statement was issued during the bishops' annual gathering in Baltimore. It was the first time since 2013 that the bishops had collectively voiced their concerns over an issue. The last time they did so was in response to the federal government's contraceptive mandate."

""We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement," the statement read in part. "We are concerned by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care." The bishops called for immigration reform and expressed sadness that some immigrants had arbitrarily lost their legal status."

"They said they were also troubled by the threats against the "sanctity of houses of worship and special nature of hospitals and schools." "We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people," the statement read. "We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement." A White House spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment."

U.S. Catholic bishops issued a unified statement backing immigrants and opposing indiscriminate mass deportations. The statement, released at the bishops' annual Baltimore gathering, marked the first collective action of this kind since 2013. The bishops expressed concern over a climate of fear, profiling, vilification of immigrants, conditions in detention centers, and lack of pastoral access. The bishops called for immigration reform and lamented the arbitrary loss of legal status by some immigrants. The statement decried threats to houses of worship and to hospitals and schools, and prayed for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence.

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