Bishop Olson joins Texas Bishops in call for just and humane approach to migration

North Texas Catholic
(Jan 25, 2025) Local

front of immigration office

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office located in downtown San Francisco; USCIS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (istock.com)

FORT WORTH — Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth joined his 20 brother bishops in Texas on Jan. 24 to call for a just and humane approach to migration.

Bishop Olson, in a letter accompanying two statements from the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, said, “As Catholics, we know that truth, justice, and love are inseparable. It is therefore incumbent upon us to pray humbly, so that Christ our Light can help us to act accordingly.”

He continued, “The substance of our pastoral response to the ongoing problem of injustice in our broken immigration system continues to be informed by compassion formed by authentic Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person, the common good, and the preferential option for the poor and the most vulnerable.”

He cited four of those principles of Catholic teaching, including the right and responsibility of each country to maintain its borders and the rule of law; the necessity for an orderly immigration process; the need to screen immigrants to protect the common good; and the positive contributions made by immigrants to society and the gratitude and respect due to the country that receives them.

The Texas bishops published two statements that Bishop Olson attached to his introductory letter. The first described the basic human right of religious liberty and defended “the sanctity of every human life and the God-given dignity of each person, regardless of nationality or immigration status.”

The second document enumerated the rights of individuals when they encounter a law enforcement official or government official.

Bishop Olson’s letter and accompanying statements from the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops can be found on the website for the Diocese of Fort Worth, fwdioc.org.

He reaffirmed “his solidarity with my brother bishops in Texas and throughout the United States of America” and asked that his letter and the TCCB statements be read in a spirit of prayer.

Statements from the TCCB on just and humane migration and the letter from Bishop Olson are available in English and Spanish at fwdioc.org

Bishop Michael Olson, migration, Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, immigration, immigrants, trending-english