At least two Catholic dioceses have told migrants fearful of being arrested in immigration raids outside church that they do not have to attend Sunday Mass. San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas, who leads more than 1.5 million Catholics in California, formally excused his parishioners from their weekly obligations after ICE officers targeted two parishes in his diocese. “There is a real fear gripping many in our parish communities that if they venture out into any kind of public setting they will be arrested by immigration officers,” Rojas said in a statement Wednesday. “Sadly, that includes attending Mass.” The move follows a similar decree in May made by the Diocese of Nashville, which told parishioners, “Our churches remain open to welcome and serve our parish communities, but no Catholic is obligated to attend Mass on Sunday if doing so puts their safety at risk.” Twenty-seven Jewish and Christian groups sued the Trump administration in February, alleging that immigrants’ right to worship freely was being impeded by immigration raids. The case was later dismissed.
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