Immigration is among the many difficult concerns facing our nation. It is impacting the lives of countless individuals and families, and it is front and center for many Christians in our nation this election season.
Last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals offered a thoughtful joint declaration calling Christians to approach this issue with compassion and wisdom. The five-page document was signed by Bishop Brendan Cahill, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, and NAE President Walter Kim. Their shared effort, known as the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration (ECDI), is titled, “A Call for Christian Compassion and Wisdom in the Immigration Debate.”
The statement declares: “We write as Christian leaders who love our country and our immigrant neighbors. As Catholic and Evangelical Christians, we have doctrinal differences, but we are united in our conviction that God calls us to stand both with our fellow Americans who are experiencing economic and cultural anxieties and with our immigrant neighbors who are facing existential challenges.”
The document places immigrant children and their families at the heart of this shared call to compassion and Christian charity. It cites Matthew 18:5, where Jesus teaches, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”
In their press release, the U.S. bishops explained that the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration issued this document in response to reports of the cruel detention and deportation of innocent children and families, as well as the heartless termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from unstable regions, including Haitians and Syrians. The document reminds us that all people – regardless of where they come from or what hardships brought them to our shores – are made in the image and likeness of God.
As it states, “This dignity comes from God, not government, and no earthly power may erase it.” The document continues: “The stranger is not merely a burden to bear. Again and again, God has blessed His people through the outsider. From Ruth the Moabite to the present day, immigrants can bring renewal to congregations and communities that welcome them. We lament approaches that pit citizens against noncitizens.”
Catholics and Evangelicals affirm that nations have both the right and the responsibility to secure and manage their borders. At the same time, they emphasize that governments must uphold religious liberty, protect the persecuted and provide pathways for legal immigration. Bishop Cahill and President Kim call for “a better way forward” that meets these obligations with compassion and reflects the values of a just and civilized nation.
The document notes that Catholic and Evangelical Christians make up a significant portion of the American population, and that majorities in both communities support reforms offering longtime residents meaningful opportunities to regularize their status. It therefore advocates secure borders while calling for enforcement that preserves family unity and focuses on those who pose a threat to civil society.
The document calls on all Christians to pray for their leaders as instructed in 1Tim. 2:1-2, which reads, “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.”
They added, “Our promise of prayer extends to our law enforcement officers, our policymakers, our judges, and all in our communities who play an essential role in building up the common good. Every Christian deserves to know that he or she has been made a new creation in Christ and is a member of His body – no matter what the particular circumstances of duty or residence.”
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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