Bishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino has dispensed his Diocese from Sunday Mass obligation over ICE raids in California.
“All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation, as provided for in Canon 1247, until such time as this decree is revoked or amended,” Rojas wrote.
“This dispensation applies to all affected faithful within the territorial boundaries of the Diocese of San Bernardino and remains in effect until further notice or until such time as the circumstances necessitating this decree are sufficiently resolved,” added Rojas.
Rojas encouraged people to participate in personal prayer, reading the Bible, praying the Rosary, and watching Mass.
I want to remind everyone that early Christians risked their lives to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.
Additionally, the ability to inform people that they don’t have to attend Mass is minimal. Breaking the law is not a permissible reason. Being physically unable to do so due to age, illness, or other factors is the main one.
Rojas claimed that federal agents detained illegal aliens at two parishes on June 20 in a letter on June 23:
While we surely respect and appreciate the right of law enforcement to keep our communities safe from violent criminals, we are now seeing agents detain people as they leave their homes, in their places of work and other randomly chosen public settings. We have experienced at least one case of ICE agents entering a parish property and seizing several people. It should be no surprise that this is creating a tremendous amount of fear, confusion and anxiety for many. It is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – which guides us in all that we do.
DHS said the arrests did not happen inside the church:
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin disputed what she said were news reports that agents had entered the church hall.“The accusation that ICE entered a church to make an arrest are FALSE,” she stated in an email to CalMatters. “ICE conducted a traffic stop on an illegal alien on June 20 in the general proximity of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Montclair, California. The illegal alien chose to pull into the church parking lot. Officers then safely made the arrest.”
The agents detained the man at Our Lady of Lourdes in Montclair while he was landscaping, with no one else around.
Diocese spokesman John Andrews admitted that the man arrested at St. Adelaide Church in Highland “didn’t appear to have a connection to the parish.”
These people need to stop acting like agents broke down the door during Mass and demanded to see everyone’s papers.
So who is instilling the fear in people, Rojas? Maybe stop with the lies and hyperbole.
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