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Immigration (Solidarity)
We are one human family, regardless of our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. This is what we describe as solidarity, and Saint John Paul II summarized that it is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people both near and far. On the contrary it is a firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.
~ Sollicitudo rei Socialis, no. 38
As Catholics, we are called to care for all of our neighbors, but especially those who are strangers. Saint John Paul II issued a message for World Migration Day in 1996, saying “The Church acts in continuity with Christ’s mission. In particular, she asks herself how to meet the needs, while respecting the law, of those persons who are not allowed to remain in a national territory. She also asks what the right to emigrate is worth without the corresponding right to immigrate.” Thus, we must challenge our government to see the human dignity in those seeking refuge from their homelands and to protect illegal aliens.
Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the United States - From the Vatican, 10 February 2025
Resources:
Listening to Our Ghosts: Catholics and Immigration
Diocese of Manchester Bulletin: What Catholics Should Know About Immigration
USCCB Bulletin on Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform (January 2025)
USCCB Justice for Immigrants Initiative
Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States)
Testimony:
HB 511 - Ban on Sanctuary Policies - January 22, 2025
SB 563 - Ban on Sanctuary Policies - February 1, 2024
SB 132 - Sanctuary Policies - April 20, 2023
SB 132 - Sanctuary Policies - February 7, 2023
HB 282 - Including Certain Children and Mothers in Medicaid and CHIP - February 1, 2023
HB 375 - Relative to the licensure of nonresident aliens temporarily residing in New Hampshire - January 24, 2023
HB 1578 - Including Certain Children and Mothers in Medicaid and CHIP - January 31, 2022
HB 1621 Relative to Sanctuary Cities - January 13, 2016
Additional Resources:
Catholic Church Teaching on Vulnerable Migrant Populations
World Day of Migrants and Refugees:
Responding to Refugees and Migrants: Twenty Action Points
