Church And State I’m not a practicing Catholic—not because I reject the teachings of Christ, but because the institutional Church has, too often across centuries, including the 20th Century, betrayed those teachings through its complicity in the most egregious human rights violations. 

Yet I still believe in the moral vision attributed to Jesus: the sanctity of human dignity, the triumph of kindness over cruelty, and each of our obligation to protect the vulnerable.

These are values that transcend religion. They are the bedrock of any humane society, and in the case of Americans, a shared aspiration of moral behavior.

Today, Christian Nationalists distort that vision. Their rhetoric and policies—especially around immigration—stand in opposition to the Gospel’s call to welcome the stranger. Their support for militarized deportation forces, like ICE under Trump, reveals a theology of exclusion, not compassion.

Pope Leo’s recent message to U.S. bishops offers a stark moral contrast. He urged them to speak out forcefully against deportations and to act in unity for the protection of migrants. His words were clear:

1. Those who condone inhumane treatment of immigrants contradict the very essence of a pro-life ethic. 2. Every migrant should be welcomed as if welcoming Christ himself.

Immigration And Human Dignity Needs Moral Clarity

Church And State I’m not a practicing Catholic—not because I reject the teachings of Christ, but because the institutional Church has, too often across centuries, including the 20th Century, betrayed those teachings through its complicity in the most egregious human rights violations. 

Yet I still believe in the moral vision attributed to Jesus: the sanctity of human dignity, the triumph of kindness over cruelty, and each of our obligation to protect the vulnerable.

These are values that transcend religion. They are the bedrock of any humane society, and in the case of Americans, a shared aspiration of moral behavior.

Today, Christian Nationalists distort that vision. Their rhetoric and policies—especially around immigration—stand in opposition to the Gospel’s call to welcome the stranger. Their support for militarized deportation forces, like ICE under Trump, reveals a theology of exclusion, not compassion.

Pope Leo’s recent message to U.S. bishops offers a stark moral contrast. He urged them to speak out forcefully against deportations and to act in unity for the protection of migrants. His words were clear:

1. Those who condone inhumane treatment of immigrants contradict the very essence of a pro-life ethic. 2. Every migrant should be welcomed as if welcoming Christ himself.

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