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Yesterday, nine Catholic bishops from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration journeyed to Nogales for a tour of the US-Mexico border. Today, they will hold a special mass at the border starting at 11:30 AM ET to commemorate the thousands of migrant lives lost in the desert because Congress has refused to pass immigration reform. Watch livestream of the mass below:
As the bishops wrote in their press statement:
As pastors who witness the human consequences of our broken immigration system every day, we are deeply troubled by the division of families caused by current immigration enforcement policies. In this regard, we urge you to take steps within your authority to limit these deportations in a way that protects immigrants who are no threat to the community…the record number of deportations separating families is a moral crisis which must be addressed.
Organizers say the trip follows the example of Pope Francis, who, in his first trip outside of Rome, traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa to remember African migrants who died attempting to reach Europe. During that trip, Pope Francis spoke about the “globalization of indifference” toward migrants and decried the “throwaway culture” that disposes of human beings in the pursuit of wealth.
