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On Monday, Pope Francis sent a letter to the bishops of the United States. Criticizing the Trump administration’s plan to deport illegal immigrants, he wrote: “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is . . . love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.” That’s clearly a response to Vice President JD Vance, who argued last month that ordo amoris means that it is perfectly natural and good for Americans to put their families, communities, and country first.
The pope’s letter also comes amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) over the more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars that the USCCB and its affiliates received to resettle and support inadmissible aliens in America during the Biden administration. Just last Friday, citing pressure from the new administration, the USCCB laid off fifty staff members from its immigration and refugee services office.
I respect the Holy Father, but his letter sends the wrong message. If the USCCB continues to criticize President Trump—who won the Catholic vote by an 18-point margin after campaigning on conducting a massive deportation operation—it could divide the laity and hurt the Church’s ability to work with the administration on other important priorities, such as ending the war in Ukraine and creating a pro-family culture.
A better solution would be for the USCCB to proactively refuse to accept federal funding for resettling and supporting immigrants.
Continued below.
The pope’s letter also comes amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) over the more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars that the USCCB and its affiliates received to resettle and support inadmissible aliens in America during the Biden administration. Just last Friday, citing pressure from the new administration, the USCCB laid off fifty staff members from its immigration and refugee services office.
I respect the Holy Father, but his letter sends the wrong message. If the USCCB continues to criticize President Trump—who won the Catholic vote by an 18-point margin after campaigning on conducting a massive deportation operation—it could divide the laity and hurt the Church’s ability to work with the administration on other important priorities, such as ending the war in Ukraine and creating a pro-family culture.
A better solution would be for the USCCB to proactively refuse to accept federal funding for resettling and supporting immigrants.
Continued below.
The USCCB Should Reject Federal Funds - First Things
On Monday, Pope Francis sent a letter to the bishops of the United States. Criticizing the Trump administration’s plan to deport illegal immigrants, he wrote: “The true ordo amoris...
firstthings.com
