The Catholic Message Board

I’ve wondered for a while, do churches secretly hide illegal aliens (the real definition not woke-definition) do priests sneak them in at night under cover of darkness? Then sneak them out in the early morning?

Do they sleep in the pews???? Do the woke priests cover it all up and not tell the parishioners of the crimes they commit?

I know in my archdiocese the Cardinal, Cardinal Dolan is pro-illegal. He thinks they are to be harbored and given free things for some reason, but there’s never any concrete description why he thinks it’s okay to harbor foreign fugitives and thieves.

I suppose one can always misuse the scriptures and continually lie to everyone, over and over and over and over again until people believe it’s smart to harbor illegal criminals.

But do they secretly wait until everyone is gone and then sneak their fugitives into the church underground and let them sleep and then sneak them out early in the morning?

My wife thinks that’s what they do. I wouldn’t doubt it either because Cardinal Dolan is very pro-crime and a lot of Cardinals are speaking out saying they will continue to refuse to obey our immigration and labor laws.

This way they can deceive the legal citizens and they’d never know? It just seems insane that any cardinal would violate so many laws on such a large scale, so, who’s giving these guys the power to get away with this?

Also how are these woke church leaders not held accountable for participating in harboring fugitives? Do they have some special rights as priests that they can circumvent federal laws? Or really they break laws locally, city, state, national, federal and religious laws as well.

Are cardinals in the USA not residents of the USA? Maybe they are classified with dual citizenship with the Vatican?

You should read the history about the heart of Catholicism. Churches have been offering sanctuary in the spirit of Christ since the beginning. Churches as sanctuaries even predates Christianity because natural law impels godly people to care for people in strife.

One article for you to start with.

https://www.history.com/news/church-san ... iddle-ages

A lot of that relates to people facing death or imprisonment for false or made-up crimes and a lack of any sort of due process. This isn't about false not made up crimes nor is it about imprisonment, and certainly not death. There are (and certainly) should be consequences for breaking the law.

I have absolutely no objection to the religious standing for a moral belief. I have an absolute objection to the religious demanding an exemption from the consequences of standing for a moral belief.

The Civil Rights Era was replete with various Catholic, Protestant, and other clergy and more standing and accepting the consequences for their stand on civil rights. As an observation, the idea of being accountable for consequences seems to have waned. The argument that "I'm on the right side of justice, so you can't do nuthin to me" does not convince me. In the collective sense, a sanctuary city is an example. Another example would be sheltering a criminal in a sanctuary.

I don't know that the Church teaches that sheltering murderers is morally correct. I'm willing to be educated.

I think the idea behind sanctuary in a church, or a city, was for the purpose of protecting a person from a vigilante mob. It's not that the person would be safe, but that they would be kept alive until authorities could mete out proper justice if warranted.

I appreciate your point. It makes sense.

The guy who now heads ICE has stated that (1) criminal aliens (i.e., any shade of illegal immigrant) will be arrested and deported and (2) those who interfere in the arrest of criminal aliens will be arrested, since they are also felons. Under current law. I am addressing version (2) -- felons who interfere with the arrest of felons. Like mayors and police chiefs of sanctuary cities actively preventing ICE from arresting felon aliens.

A recent talking head was frothing on about ICE arresting priests and nuns if they were preventing the arrest of various criminals. AIR, the word "sanctuary" was used. The, IMHO, propagandistic image being evoked was stormtroopers beating up on Sister Mary Mary and then throwing her into the Black Maria. The underlying message -- at least the one I received -- was that Sister Mary Mary should be inviolate in her felonious activity. As she is performing, to her, God's work.

And, then, the floodgates open.

Finding sanctuary in Churches is an ancient custom dating from the Early Church. However, the purpose of the custom was never to shield criminals from the consequences of their crimes. The purpose was to protect people, guilty or innocent, from mob violence and vigilantism. Assuming the one seeking sanctuary was guilty, the priest or bishop would then negotiate to turn them over not to a violent mob but to lawful authority to ensure that the accused would receive the full benefit of due process. The objective was never to make sure the guilty get away scot-free.



These cases are not like this: these criminals are not being protected from mob violence or vigilantes seeking revenge; they are being shielded from lawful authority in a way that suggests they are to be regarded as simply above the law.

And that is an abuse of the tradition, not to mention that by shielding these criminals, these priests are probably putting their own lives or the lives of other church employees or parishioners at risk. I don't even need to ask if it has ever happened that a church offered sanctuary to a criminal only for that criminal to commit rape or murder inside the church, it has almost certainly already happened, and probably more than once.

Well said.

I wonder if it’s any different if the countries were switched.

If it was 45,000,000 Americans who invaded El Salvador. And if the El Salvadorians were all forced to pay for our hotel rooms, food stamps and new Air Jordans while we wait 9 years for our bogus asylum claim to be heard, and forming gangs and robbing stores all day long. If there were any deportation orders or arrests, we can just go hide in the church?

If it were reversed I’m sure the El Salvadorian people would be preaching a different song.

Another loophole I’ve heard of

A Catholic Church in the USA gives employment to an illegal alien. The job is working exclusively in the church as security or maintenance role. It is a specific visa that is unknown by most people but it allows the illegal to work there for 2 years and then they are granted full citizenship.

Of course, any church that does this keeps it extremely quiet, telling no one else in the church (essentially shielding the act of aiding a fugitive) because if any common sense church goers figured out what the church was concealing it would create problems.

Inthepews wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2025 5:58 pm...a specific visa that is unknown by most people but it allows the illegal to work there for 2 years and then they are granted full citizenship.

I am one of the people who has never heard of this special visa. Pray tell, what visa is that? It seems to me that, with a visa, there is no need to hide from anyone.

OTOH, a large number of religious organizations have now sued to prevent ICE from making arrests in churches. If an injunction is granted, these churches wouldn't have to hide illegals ... as the judiciary would make comprehensive sanctuary a legally protected phenomenon.

Well, yes, it's important to distinguish, as conservative Catholics do, between the teaching of the Church and the opinions of the Pope where they differ (as is the case e.g. on the death penalty).

IMO, the role and position of religion, denominations, and the religious vis-a-vis immigration is a complex and layered matter. For me, the most offensive position is for one of the religious to maintain they that can commit a felony without consequence ... a common radical left entitlement. If one who opposes legal action against an illegal border crosser and then acts to impede legal action aimed at the illegal crosser -- and -- is willing to go to jail for their action --- then more power to them. I will respect them as they sit in jail.

The Turnip: Vice President Vance appointed adjunct professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville

would likely be interesting!