The U.S. bishops’ conference on Thursday sharply rejected claims by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon that the bishops support undocumented immigrants in order to fill churches and make money.
“It is preposterous to claim that justice for immigrants isn’t central to Catholic teaching. It comes directly from Jesus Himself in Matthew 25, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food…a stranger and you welcomed me,’” said James Rogers, chief communications officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Immigrants and refugees are precisely the strangers we must welcome,” he said in a statement Thursday.
Bannon, who was the White House chief strategist before leaving the Trump administration on Aug. 18, told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” host Charlie Rose, in an interview set to air on Sunday evening, that he thought the U.S. bishops support illegal immigration because of a cynical “economic interest.”
When asked by Rose about the Trump administration’s announcement that they would be phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA), Bannon defended the decision. Rose pressed Bannon on it, noting that he is a Catholic and that Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York – among other Church leaders – opposed the administration’s ending of the program.
“The Catholic Church has been terrible about this,” Bannon said, in comments reported on CBSNews.com on Thursday morning.
The bishops, he said, “need illegal aliens to fill the churches” and “have an economic interest in unlimited immigration, unlimited illegal immigration.”
He added that, on immigration, “this is not about doctrine. This is about the sovereignty of a nation.”
Rogers, speaking for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on Thursday afternoon that Bannon’s claim of the bishops having an “economic interest” in “unlimited illegal immigration” was “outrageous and insulting.”
“The Bible is clear: welcoming immigrants is indispensable to our faith,” Rogers said.
US Bishops, Immigration, Catholic News, DACA, Steve Bannon
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
Bannon is right, the bishops wrong.
The US bishops’ claim regarding their pure altruism for illegal immigrants might have obtained greater creedence if they hadnt rung up $91 million via Catholic Charities for Syrian refugee resettlement by 2016 under the Obama admin.
And US-born Catholics are ditching the Catholic Church (according to Pew) since 2000 to the tune of 11 million.
So, yes, Bannon is right: the USCCB is involved in population replacement politics.
Bannon’s comments regarding the Bishops is like the pot calling the kettle black. As the chief at Breitbart news he has promoted outright lies for political and personal expediency. It used to be a sin to violate the 8th Commandment. Mr. Bannon should be excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. His views on humanity, economics and politics are cynical and contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Christian faith.
It still is a sin to violate the 8th Commandment.
Excommunication is not used to punish people for having different views from the Catholic Church.
Yep…All those busboys, maids and gardeners must throw a grand or two in the collection basket each Sunday. The Bishops are following the teachings of Jesus Christ. Bannon is evil and nuts!
No C&H Bannon is right without illegals the Church in US would crumble to dust, the USCCB received in 2016 over $91MM from the US government so do not tell me there is in inherent interest of the USCCB to have illegals poor over the border. The Bishops ARE NOT following the teachings of Christ, not word on the evil of abortion, contraception, GAY MARRIAGE, adultery you know the sins that send souls to Hell. But when it comes to issues that affect the coffers, they open their big mouths.
Bohemond … The Church is reacting to a situation of migrants fleeing poverty and danger, not creating or promoting it. If the Church can leverage Federal efforts to resettle people than it makes sense from a point of subsidiarity and solidarity which are orthodox Catholic concepts. Anti-Catholics on the Left would actually like to see no funding of ANY sort to us no matter the good humenaterian reason. As gay marriage, during the Prop 8 Campain I was travelling and it was hard to find a mass where the subject wasn’t brought up in the homily or prayers of the Faithful.
Utter nonsense C&H the Church should not be taking ANY money from the government as so as not have to bow to its corrupt whims. The US is not the dumping ground for the world’s poor, it IS NOT a human right to come and stay here, just like I do not have the right to live in Switzerland. As for prop 8, what’s your point. I am talking about how the Bishops did nothing and do nothing to uphold the moral order. They give a wink and nod to sodomy but when it come to Faithful Catholics, we must be crushed. Please do not mention orthodoxy to me, you know nothing of it.
The truth hurts. Why the bishops would support illegal aliens over US citizens is beyond me. Our Blacks and working poor are not supported, cannot get into colleges or get jobs while illegal aliens are given free education and good jobs. Is this justice? Nothing wrong with these illegal aliens returning to Mexico and other countries to make them better.
Illegal is illegal. Bishops are wrong to favor those using illegal means to surpass those awaiting through legal means.
Steve Bannon is absolutely right!!…I am so disgusted with the USCCB…for years we have watched the Catholic church sit back and do nothing!! absolutely NOTHING with the slaughter of our Catholic & Christian families in Syria and Iraq…and other parts of the Middle East…yet, they can’t jump on the bandwagon quick enough for these young ISIS undocumented men who want to slaughter us…why? it is all about $$$…you bet it is….the majority of our bishops are worthless and they are cino’s….(catholic in name only) if there was not big sums of govt. $$ involved they would not be interested at all….and I most certainly am an orthodox CATHOLIC!!
Juanita, you are SO RIGHT!! Could not have said it better, and I did weigh in on the America (Amerika??) Magazine, you know, the Jesuit faux Catholic, pro socialista rag….with basically the same message. Be blessed and don’t stop telling the truth. Without being uncharitable, we should be reminded the church fathers, like St. John Chrysostom, warned about the road to hell being paved by the bones/skulls of bishops.
https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/global-issues/middle-east/syria/index.cfm
https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/global-issues/middle-east/syria/index.cfm
Bannon is correct; the bishops, as usual, are lying. All the bishops care about is the almighty dollar, and to fill the empty pews with illegals. They could care ;less that Trump is pro-lfe, pro family and pro America. The bishops want a one world government. They kneel before the altar of Obama and true evil. For years now the bishops are not concerned with saving souls, preaching the truth, and converting sinners. The Church is dying, simple and true. Ave Maria Purrissima !
Right on. Archbishop Gomez says he will not cooperate with ICE. Isnt it against the law to harbor and protect criminals? We are a nation of laws, Mexico isn’t . Immigrants come here for that very reason. Love it or leave it! as they say.
Right on, Anonymous 2!
We can give credit to Cardinal Dolan for giving us Obama as President. Do you remember the Al Smith Dinner before the
inauguration and Cardinal Dolan yukking it up with Obama….pats on the back, hugs, etc. Disgusting. Thank you Cardinal Dolan
for 4 more years of abortion, etc. He did not do that to Mitt Romney. The message was loud and clear as to who Cardinal Dolan’s
choice for re election was.
I trust Bannon more than I trust most of the bishops of the Catholic Church. Bannon is at least loyal to Trump and to the millions of people who voted for the president. The bishops are not the least bit loyal to Christ, or the Catholic Church. The hierarchy is lying; all they are interested in is filling the pews, even though the pews are being filled by apostates and non believers.
Jesusita: do not be deceived by Bannon and his minions! The US Catholic Bishops are preachers of the Gospel and, therefore, the Truth. On the other hand, Bannon has purveyed deception and falsehood. The Bishops are right on this issue…they are promoting the teachings of Jesus Christ our Lord. Please spend some time on your knees in prayer with Jesus, Joseph and Mary.
Can you cite specific references of Bannon’s alleged lies and of their substance?
St. Thomas Aquinas, a saint and an esteemed doctor of the Church taught that a nation has a right to protect its borders, and to decide who is to be admitted. NONE of the bishops are saints, nor are they doctors of the Church. Sorry, Georgia, you are wrong, just as the majority of bishops around the world are wrong. For many years now the bishops have preached a false Gospel of liberation theology and Marxism. I pray every day, and by following Catholic tradition, I know I am correct. Cheers to Stephen Bannon, a true Catholic.
I have never heard nor read about a priest or bishop saying that it is a sin to immigrate illegally, yet that conclusion is supported by the Catechism. Have any bishops or priests encouraged illegal immigrants to confess the sin of illegal immigration? Or do they not consider it to be sinful? Probably similar to asking whether Fr. James Martin, S.J. has ever encouraged the “victim” group he’s most enamored with to confess the sinful things that group tends to do. Why are all these priests and bishops harping on conservatives? Isn’t that unjust discrimination and singling them out as the only group of sinners? What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Go with Bannon on this one. Dolan and the bishop’s conference are wrong. We are a country of laws that are to be obeyed. Obama and the Democrats want to destroy Western Civilization. Resist.
As long as a law is just, it is a sin not to obey it. A nation has a duty to defend and protect her borders. It is not a sin or a crime to control the borders and deport illegal aliens.The bishops of the world should be enforcing traditional Catholic morality and teaching the faithful to seek first the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, since Vatican II, man is worshiped and God has been dethroned. Situation ethics and liberation theology have replaced the Decalogue. Steve Bannon is correct, and the episcopal conference is wrong.
Steve Bannon is absolutely correct about his comments on the episcopacy. Many of the bishops are a scandal to the laity; instead of speaking loudly against abortion, birth control, pornography, sodomy and adultery, they ignore Catholic morality and refuse to defend the Catholic faith,. However, they are in favor of what the DNC stands for. This is because they are an extension of the DNC, and like the DNC they see their political power enhanced by the invasion of illegal aliens. The bishops despise the West and the Catholic faith, and are more faithful followers of Marx, Mao and Castro than they are of Christ.
You don’t know my bishop.
Pilar: any person who has been married and divorced three times is not a “true Catholic.” You are incorrect in asserting the Bishops have promoted liberation theology and Marxism. Pope Benedict XVI and St. Pope John Paul II quashed liberation theology back in the 1980’s. However, every pope of recent memory has advocated on behalf of the poor – the number of which has increased in recent years. Bannon is irresponsible for accusing the Bishops without any evidence – his typical “Fake News”. Please pray to Jesus, Joseph and Mary for world peace.
Welcoming the $tranger: What’s Really Motivating the USCCB on Immigration & Refugees? – OnePeterFive
“According to the table provided — with figures from USAspending.gov — We see that from 2008 to 2015, the Catholic Charities/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops shows funding received for refugee resettlement in an amount totaling over $2 billion dollars.”
https://onepeterfive.com/welcoming-the-tranger-whats-really-motivating-the-usccb-on-immigration-refugees/
Refugees are not illegal immigrants. The bishops and the Church don’t get the money.
This article is very confused. It mis-states the bishop’s position on illegal immigration from the very beginning of the article.
Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet
Being married even twenty times outside the Church does not make one a heretic, just a sinful Catholic. Despite his flaws, Bannon is correct. The bishops are concerned only with money. Under Obama, the bishops collected millions and millions of federal dollars for their Marxist programs, while over 3.1 million Catholics left the Church. For the bishops, Moslems and illegal aliens are more important than American Catholics. These bishops are followers of Che Guevara, and liberation theology. They are not disciples of Our Blessed Lord. The facts I presented to you are true; I did not make them up.
Georgia, another thing to point out, considering you are invoking the Holy Family. as we read in Luke’s Gospel, Joseph, being OBEDIENT TO THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT, he and Mary went to Bethlehem to REGISTER for the census. If the Holy Family was obedient to lawful authority, why can’t the illegal aliens do the same?
Pilar: please provide the names of the U.S. Catholic Bishops who are followers of Che Guevara and liberation theology. Also, please remembering that spreading falsehoods and gossip is a sin!
Well, perhaps not Che, but this pope has praised one of the most notoriously extreme liberation theologians (ex-Franciscan priest Leonardo Boff, who is functionally an atheist and at one point said he had left the Catholic Church), even incorporating Boff’s pantheistic idea that the Earth is “a living soul crying out” in the first lines of Laudato Si.[#2]
Then there was his former chief theologian, Gerhard Muller, who praised another extreme lib theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, calling his class-warfare doctrines “orthodox”, even consistent with PF’s Gospel “to the peripheries”.
Is that enough for a start, Fred?
Most of the bishops adhere to liberation theology. Many of them think Che Guevara are heroes. These are facts. Look at how many of them have praise for Fidel and Raul Castro. When you see all the attention that is given to the beatification of Archbishop Romero, and hardly any attention given to Father Miguel Pro, who was also murdered, you see where the loyalty of the episcopacy lies. that is, with followers of liberation theology. Do you want me to name the name that is above the bishops? It is Pope Francis.
Please read Catholic, Latin America, Poland Experts: ‘Bannon’s Comments Gave Cardinal Dolan Heartburn Because Bannon’s Right’ @
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/12/exclusive-latin-america-expert-bannons-comments-gave-cardinal-dolan-heartburn-bannons-right/
Long live Poland!
It is interesting that Pope Francis has honored Archbishop Oscar Romero, but has basically forgotten a fellow Jesuit, Father Miguel Pro, S.J. Archbishop Romero was a proponent of liberation theology, and he was warned and told by Pope John Paul II NOT to be involved in politics. He ignored the pontiff, and was murdered. Father Pro, never disobeyed religious authorities, and was killed by communists. The film FOR GREATER GLORY tells the true story of the cristiada movement.
With great respect, Father, I can not find anything to document your charges against the Archbishop. I found this from his secretary:
“When I wrote his life story, I looked over his library. Obviously, the liberation-theology proponents always visited him and left him their books. … I saw them, and they were like brand new; he never even opened them. … On the other hand, all the books of the Fathers of the Church were worn and were the source of his inspiration.” He added that Romero “knew nothing about liberation theology; he did not want to know about it. He adhered faithfully to the Catholic Church and above all to the teachings of the popes.”
Pilar and Anonymous: your condemnation of the US Catholic Bishops and the Holy Father is weak and based on your personal opinions not facts. May God enlighten your hearts and minds to perceive and speak the truth.
Georgia, the truth will set you free. What was correct, good and right for well over 1900 years, cannot all of a sudden become wicked, false and evil. Liberalism is a disease; it is based on emotion, not on truth. By reading what many are saying, and listening when they speak, I realize that they are subverting and undermining the basic truths and doctrines of Catholicism.The USCCB was paid off by the Obama administration. This cannot be refuted.It is not a personal feeling, but the truth. Look at the websites that carry this fact. Ave Maria Purrissima !
Jesusita: Yes! The Truth will set us free…and the Truth is the most Holy Redeemer, The Lord, Jesus Christ. Your comment: liberalism is a mental disease is cute…but the same can be said of any ideology, including conservatism. As Catholics we believe in God, not an ideology. The conservative’s attempts to co-opt Jesus has resulted in such ridiculousness as the prosperity Gospel, John Vanneri, Pat Robertson, etc. May God save us all!
St. Thomas Aquinas writes” that not all immigrants are equal. Every nation has a right to decide which immigrants are beneficial, that is peaceful, to the common good. The State as a matter of self-defense, can reject those criminal elements, traitors, enemies and others it deems harmful or hostile to its citizens.” Keeping this fact in mind, the federal government is correct in trying to deport illegal aliens, stopping illegal entry, and abolishing DACA. Because most seminaries no longer teach Thomastic philosophy or theology, it is no wonder the bishops are wrong in their judgement of Steve Bannon.
Father Rutler, a scholarly priest from NYC said “A cleric will have his personal views on prudential matters, but he becomes a clericalist when he stereotypes those who disagree with him as UNCHRISTIAN or UN-AMERICAN. Those who inflict themselves with assumed moral superiority while skipping lightly over hard facts tend to be uniform in notions of enlightened thought. Self congratulatory moral posturing called ‘virtue signaling’ can be a semaphore for hypocrisy. Samuel Johnson said, “Clear your mind of cant (meaningless talk)” In other words, bishops, stick to saving souls.