The Church of St. Luke

American adults in their 20s and 30s plan to have fewer children than adults did a decade ago, Pew Research Center reported on June 19, 2025. / Credit: Fotogrin/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 20, 2025 / 17:51 pm (CNA).

American adults in their 20s and 30s plan to have fewer children than adults did a decade ago, a new Pew Research Center report finds. 

From 2002 to 2012, men and women ages 20 to 39 reported that they planned to have an average of 2.3 children. In 2023, the number of children adults reported they wanted decreased to an average of 1.8, according to Pew Research analysis of government data. 

Pew looked at data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically from the National Survey of Family Growth, which “gathers information on pregnancy and births, marriage and cohabitation, infertility, use of contraception, family life, and general and reproductive health.”

Pew reported that the total number of children included kids the respondents already had, plus any future children they planned to have. Women were asked how many “live births they have had” and men were asked how many children they have “ever fathered.” Adopted children were not included in the study numbers, but children placed for adoption were.

Differences based on gender and education 

In 2023, the total number of children that men and women ages 20 to 39 planned to have fell below 2.1, which is “about the average number of children, per woman, that a population needs to replace itself over time,” according to Pew.

In 2002, the average number of children women planned to have was 2.3 and for men, it was 2.2. These numbers remained mostly stable for the next 10 years until 2012, when they began to decline. 

The exact change in numbers varied depending on the age of the adults. In 2012, women ages 20 to 24 reported they planned to have an average of 2.3 children, but in 2023 the number fell to 1.5. For women ages 25 to 29 the amount of children they wanted declined from 2.3 to 1.9. For women ages 30 to 34, the number declined to 1.9 from 2.5.

The study found that there was not a significant drop for women ages 35 to 39. Among the men surveyed, the declines were similar across all age groups.

The research also found that education levels may affect how many children women age 25 to 39 intend to have. There was less of a decline in the number of children women who had “some college or less” planned to have than among women who had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In 2002, women with some college experience planned, on average, to have 2.4 children, which only fell to 2.2 in 2023. In 2002, women with a bachelor’s degree or higher education planned to have an average of 2.1 children, but this number declined to 1.7 in 2023.

For women 30 to 34, the decline occurred almost entirely among those with a bachelor’s degree. In 2023, women in this age group with at least a bachelor’s degree planned to have 1.5 children. The number for that group was 2.1 in 2002. Those without a bachelor’s experienced almost no change.

Pew’s analysis did not find a significant difference by education among men ages 25 to 39.

Decline in number of adults who plan to have at least 1 child

The analysis found the number of adults in their 20s and 30s who have, or intend to have, at least one child also declined.

In 2012, 9 in 10 men and women reported that they planned to have at least one child. But, in 2023, this declined to 76% of men and 77% of women. The decline was primarily among young women ages 20 to 24.

In 2002, a strong majority (94%) of this group planned to have at least one child, and this remained mostly stable until 2012 with only a small shift to 93%. But by 2023, this number had declined to 66%.

Men ages 20 to 24 experienced a decline from 89% in 2012 to 75% in 2023.

Impact of lower birth rates

In 2024, Pew asked Americans about the impact of lower birth rates on the country and how effective they thought certain federal policies would be at encouraging more people to have children.

Pew reported that 47% of U.S. adults said fewer people choosing to have children would have a negative impact on the country, 20% said it would have a positive impact, and 31% said it would have neither a positive nor a negative impact.

When asked about what policies would be “extremely or very effective” at increasing birth rates, 60% of adults said providing free child care, 51% said requiring paid family leave, 49% said providing more tax credits for parents, and 45% said giving parents of minor children a monthly payment.

The British Parliament building in London. / Credit: Marinesea/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 20, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

British lawmakers in the House of Commons passed a bill on June 20 legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill patients in England and Wales.

The childhood home of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, in Dolton, Illinois. / Credit: Michael Howie, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Jun 20, 2025 / 14:41 pm (CNA).

The auction for the childhood home of Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, has been extended by a month and will now close on July 17, according to the auction house selling the home. 

The extension comes as the village of Dolton, Illinois, continues its efforts to acquire the 1,050-square-foot home located at 212 E. 141st Place in Dolton.

Dolton village attorney Burt Odelson told CNA on June 19 that the auction has been extended because the city has not finalized negotiations with the home’s owner, Pawel Radzik, to purchase the home but expects to close the deal “very soon.”

Odelson told CNA that on the chance the deal falls through, however, the village of Dolton is still prepared to seek ownership of the house through eminent domain.

Steve Budzik, the house’s listing agent, told the Chicago Tribune this week neither the owner nor the auction house would publicly disclose the number of bids received thus far.

Meanwhile, a federal judge declined to block the village of Dolton from purchasing the house after a former Dolton city employee filed a lawsuit on Sunday.

Lavell Redmond, a former employee who is involved in a wrongful termination suit against the city, asked the judge for a temporary order to prevent the city’s purchase of the pope’s childhood home, calling the city’s actions an “endeavor with substantial cost to taxpayers with no compelling governmental necessity.”

U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland denied Redmond’s request this week, citing lack of standing.

Odelson called the suit “absurd,” saying Redmond had no right to tell the village what it can and cannot do.

Odelson acknowledged that Dolton is an “economically deprived” community, however, and said once the house has been purchased, the village will set up a nonprofit charity to help fundraise for the preservation of the house and the revitalization of the neighborhood.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve what many people believe is a sacred” place, Odelson told CNA about the pope’s former home. “We need to do it right and we don’t have the funds to do it right. We have to lean on others.” 

People from “all over the U.S. have already offered to help preserve the house,” Odelson said, “and the charity will enable them to do so.”

While the Archdiocese of Chicago did not respond to CNA’s requests for comment, Odelson told CNA he has been in touch with someone “high up” there who has expressed an interest in helping guide the village of Dolton in the house’s preservation. 

Ward Miller of the group Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to preserving historic sites in Chicago and encouraging landmark designations in the city, told CNA on June 20 that even though the house is outside Chicago city limits, he hopes to assist the village once it acquires the property.

Odelson said Dolton, just like the city of Chicago, has the power to declare the house a village historic site and plans to do so. 

A few blocks from the house, but within Chicago city limits, is St. Mary of the Assumption, the church and school that Pope Leo attended as a child, which has been vacant since 2011 and is now privately owned. 

The property’s current owner, Joel Hall, said in May he is open to a landmark designation by the city, and Preservation Chicago presented its case to make it so at a meeting in May of the Commission of Chicago Landmarks.

While the commission has not yet come to a decision, Miller said he is confident it will do so.

He told CNA that after 11 years of advocacy led by Preservation Chicago and supported by the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was thrilled that the Chicago City Council voted to preserve another historic church, St. Adalbert’s Parish, this week.

“One can’t help but feel that the new American pope may have influenced the idea that everyone should work together to preserve these historic treasures,” Miller said.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chair of the United States’ recently created Religious Liberty Commission, talks with Raymond Arroyo on “The World Over” on June 19, 2025. / Credit: “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo”/Screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 20, 2025 / 14:11 pm (CNA).

As the work of the presidential Religious Liberty Commission gets underway, the commission’s chairman, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, said he sees two major sets of domestic threats to religious liberty in the United States.

The first set of threats, he said, has its origins in several mid-20th-century court decisions, while the second set of threats is due to apathy by people of faith, “because if you don’t fight for it, you can lose it.”

Patrick made these observations during a June 19 interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” following the commission’s opening June 16 hearing in Washington, D.C.

Patrick said the commission’s inaugural convocation addressed a range of topics including the intent of the country’s founders, “what the establishment clause was about … and how we lost it in this country through court decisions.”

He explained that the courts, “particularly the Warren court and Hugo Black,” took religious liberty away, “and now we’re fighting to bring it back. Because if you lose religious liberty … all the other liberties fall by the wayside quickly.”

Patrick said he and his 13 fellow commissioners, which include Bishop Robert Barron and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, received expert legal input on a number of religious liberty cases and the feedback included that “the Supreme Court needs to take up more cases, and they need to quit kicking them back down to the lower courts.”

“We have to get the courts at every level to take more cases on these big decisions,” Patrick said. During the commission’s initial hearing, the U.S. Department of Justice, under which the commission operates, was also called upon to take a more proactive role in religious liberty cases.

Patrick indicated that the commission plans to hold another seven or eight hearings over the next year and then will deliver to President Donald Trump “a report on what he can do in executive orders or maybe legislation he’ll recommend to Congress to take up,” Patrick said.  

Discussing the origins of the commission, Patrick said that “when I talked to the president about this last November, and he had already talked about religious liberty in his first four years, I said, ‘I think the timing is right now.’ And he just loved the idea.” 

Patrick said that “we have to be very smart about how we walk down this path with the president” and expressed his confidence that “we have a president who believes in God, who believes in Jesus Christ, and who has said, ‘I want my government to reflect the values of where I know most of the country is.’”

The full “World Over with Raymond Arroyo” interview with Patrick can be viewed below.

Sister Maria Zhang made her perpetual vows as an Augustinian Recollect on May 13, 2025. / Credit: Diocese of Salamanca

Madrid, Spain, Jun 20, 2025 / 10:29 am (CNA).

Sister Maria Zhang Yue Chun made her perpetual vows on May 13 at the convent of the Augustinian Recollects in Vitigudino, Salamanca province, Spain.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Linz, Austria, is the largest church building in that country. / Credit: Dein Freund der Baum, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 20, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Austria to ordain more priests in 2025 than in previous years

The Catholic Church in Austria is recording a positive trend in priestly ordinations for 2025, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

At least 26 men have been ordained priests across Austrian dioceses, a Kathpress survey estimated, though the number could be much higher. Over the past decade, the average number of ordinations has been 22 per year. 

Christians in Holy Land face ‘systematic displacement’ amid war, collapse

The Christian presence in the Holy Land, already a dwindling minority, is under unprecedented threat amid ongoing regional conflicts, reported ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner. With the Gaza war still raging and tensions between Israel and Iran escalating this month, Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, and Gaza are facing mounting hardship. 

According to ACI MENA, Bethlehem’s economy has cratered, forcing dozens of hotels and shops to close, while in Gaza, the Christian population has halved since October 2023, with churches damaged and civilians killed while sheltering inside. Church leaders warn of a “silent, systematic displacement” as political instability and economic collapse push Christian families to emigrate. Sami El-Yousef of the Latin Patriarchate said remote operations have resumed post-crisis, but the humanitarian need has soared. 

Bishop Thabet, defender of Iraq’s Christians, dies at 52

The passing of Chaldean Bishop Paul Thabet Habib Yousif Al Mekko of Alqosh, Iraq, has brought renewed focus to the suffering of Iraq’s Christian population, ACI MENA reported. A steadfast spiritual leader during ISIS’ occupation in 2014, Thabet returned to his hometown of Karamles after its liberation in 2017, where he discovered the desecrated statue of the Virgin Mary, later restored and blessed by Pope Francis in Erbil during his historic 2021 visit.

Thabet was deeply committed to helping displaced Christians return home, leading rebuilding efforts and blessing fields as symbols of resilience. His work featured in international exhibitions spotlighting Christian persecution. A scholar and writer on Chaldean liturgy, he was mourned as both a religious and national figure. “We lost a man of peace and coexistence,” said Nineveh Gov. Abdel Qader Dakheel, echoing the sentiments of many Christians across Iraq.

Ecumenical group in India discovers 2 Christians are attacked every day

The United Christian Forum (UCF), an ecumenical group that monitors incidents of religious persecutions, has found that more than two Christians per day are attacked in the country, according to a UCA News report. 

UCF recorded 313 incidents from January to May. “If this trend is not stopped immediately, it will threaten the identity and existence of the Indian Christian community in its motherland,” UCF’s national convenor A.C. Michael told UCA. The organization recorded a total of 834 incidents throughout last year. 

Kenyan archdiocese launches rosary marathon for respect for human life

The Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya, has initiated a three-day “marathon of rosaries,” interceding for respect of human life in the East African nation after protests earlier in the week culminated in violent clashes with Kenyan police.

“We are calling on all Catholics in our Archdiocese of Nairobi and beyond to pray the rosary, a marathon of rosaries for the next three days for the respect of human life and dignity,” Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo said in a statement on June 18. The protests erupted after the murder of a teacher and blogger, Albert Ojwang, in police custody, reported ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa. 

Corpus Christi processions unite East and West

Catholic churches across the Middle East and beyond are celebrating Corpus Christi — also known as the feast of the Body of Christ — with processions that reflect both Eastern and Latin traditions, ACI MENA reported. 

Syriac Catholic priest Father Boulos Affas explained to ACI MENA that, although street processions are rare in urban Iraq, rural Christian villages still observe the tradition with solemn rituals, crosses, incense, rose petals, and hymns accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. 

The Chaldean Church has also added a distinctive nine-day novena honoring the Eucharist, featuring penitential prayers and adoration rites. Father Antoine Zeitouni of Qaraqosh told ACI MENA this tradition symbolizes the deep reverence for the Eucharist in Eastern liturgy.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Access to vast amounts of data and information is not the same thing as having intelligence, which is uniquely human and requires being open to truth, goodness and the real meaning of life, Pope Leo XIV told AI experts and executives.

"Authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life than with the availability of data," he said in a written message released by the Vatican June 20.

"Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI," he wrote.

The message, written in English, was addressed to people attending the second annual Rome conference on AI, Ethics and the Future of Corporate Governance being held in Rome and at the Vatican June 19-20.

The conference "brings together executives from leading AI companies as well as large enterprises using AI with policymakers, scholars, ethicists and lawyers to consider in a holistic way the challenges facing the ethics and governance of AI, both for companies developing this revolutionary technology as well as the enterprises incorporating AI into their businesses," according to the event's website. 

Speakers included representatives from top AI-tech firms such as Google, IBM, Anthropic, Palantir Technologies, Cohere and AI21 Labs. Speakers from the Vatican included: Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State; Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, retired president of the Pontifical Academy for Life; and Franciscan Father Paolo Benanti, a member of the U.N. AI committee and a professor of moral theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University.

In his message, Pope Leo said their presence "attests to the urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI, as well as its responsible governance."

"Together with its extraordinary potential to benefit the human family, the rapid development of AI also raises deeper questions concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society," he wrote.

He reiterated Pope Francis' definition of AI platforms as "tools," which, he said, reflect "the human intelligence that crafted them and draw much of their ethical force from the intentions of the individuals that wield them."

While "in some cases, AI has been used in positive and indeed noble ways to promote greater equality," he wrote, "there is likewise the possibility of its misuse for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression."

The Catholic Church wishes to contribute to "these pressing questions by stressing above all the need to weigh the ramifications of AI in light of the 'integral development of the human person and society,'" he wrote. That means the material, intellectual and spiritual well-being of the human person must be considered, human dignity must be safeguarded, and the cultural and spiritual riches and diversity of the world’s peoples must be respected.

"Ultimately, the benefits or risks of AI must be evaluated precisely according to this superior ethical criterion," he wrote. 

"AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity's openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality," Pope Leo wrote. 

He underlined concerns about the possible consequences of AI use on the intellectual and neurological development of children and young people. "Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility," he wrote.

Never before have people had "such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI," he wrote.

"But again, access to data -- however extensive -- must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily 'involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good,'" he wrote, citing the Vatican document titled "Antiqua et Nova (ancient and new): Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence," approved by Pope Francis in January.

Pope Leo told participants he hoped the conference would also consider how AI fits in with helping young people connect with older generations and "integrate truth into their moral and spiritual life, thus informing their mature decisions and opening the path towards a world of greater solidarity and unity."

"The task set before you is not easy, but it is one of vital importance," he wrote, thanking them for their efforts.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy Year 2025 can have a lasting impact on the world's poorest countries if governments and international institutions embrace a key element of the biblical concept of jubilee by forgiving, restructuring or pausing foreign debt repayments, said a report commissioned by Pope Francis.

At the late pope's request, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University in New York brought together 30 global experts in debt, development and the global financial system to address the current debt crisis, prevent future crises and promote sustainable development.

The "Jubilee Commission," which began meeting in February, released "A Blueprint for Tackling the Debt and Development Crises and Securing a Sustainable People-Centered Global Economy" June 20 at the Vatican.

"Today, 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on health, and 2.1 billion live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on education," the report said. "Interest payments on public debt are therefore crowding out critical investments in health, education, infrastructure and climate resilience."

The indebted governments -- "fearful of the political and economic costs of initiating debt restructurings -- prioritize timely debt payments over essential development spending," the report said. "This is not a path to sustainable development. Rather, it is a roadblock to development and leads to increasing inequality and discontent." 

Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, an interfaith group promoting debt relief and development, was not a member of the commission, but supported its work and was at the Vatican for the launch of the report.

Changing the way loans to developing nations are made, structured and restructured when a crisis occurs is essential because economic crises "are the main causes for war, for human rights violations, for migrations, for many of the environmental challenges that we are having," he told Catholic News Service June 19.

Many people will say, "A debt that is owed is a debt that should be paid," LeCompte said, "but I think it's more complicated than that."

Especially since the pontificate of St. John Paul II and his push for foreign debt relief, he said, the Catholic Church's position has been that "a lot of lending has been used not to help people, but to hurt people," and "historically, lending that has been promised to build bridges has built palaces. Lending that has been promised to build roads has been turned into military dictatorship funding."

The Jubilee Commission report said, "Debt contracts are voluntary arrangements between creditors and debtors, and as such, they are equally responsible when matters go badly and there are problems in repayment."

"Indeed," it continued, "in some ways, creditors, who typically have more expertise in risk assessment and management, might even have greater responsibility" than the debtor nation.

The experts on the commission said, "Development inherently involves risk -- whether from long-term investments, exposure to commodity price fluctuations, or vulnerability to external shocks -- and that sustainable development requires these risks to be distributed globally in an efficient and equitable manner."

"The burden should be borne by those most capable of absorbing it, which is not what the current system delivers," the report said. 

And, the experts said, there must be a fair way of responding to situations where a debtor nation simply cannot afford to service its debt while feeding its people.

"At the heart of the problem lies a hole in the international economic architecture: the absence of a sovereign debt crisis resolution mechanism," the report said. "While mechanisms exist for corporate bankruptcy within countries, there is no equivalent framework for sovereign debtors."

Without such a process in place, the experts said, "in each crisis, debt restructurings must be negotiated. These negotiations are governed not by fairness or efficiency, but by power, with the result that the outcomes are typically neither fair nor efficient."

Exacerbating the problem, they said, "prevailing legal systems -- notably those of England and the United States, the major jurisdictions for the issuance of government international bonds -- permit specialized financial speculators, known as vulture funds, to purchase defaulted debt on secondary markets and sue for full repayment."

"This financial play turns a society's suffering into a source of profit," the report said. "Under current rules, a handful of speculators can effectively hold tens of millions of people hostage."

The experts urged support for the creation of a "Jubilee Fund," proposed by Spain, that would help countries buy back their debt at reduced rates rather than having the debt be sold at a discount to the vulture funds.

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See also: The Letter to President Trump on Global Debt Relief During Jubilee Year, April 8, 2025, from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace of the USCCB, and from Eric LeCompte of the Jubilee USA Network.
 

WASHINGTON – “Solidarity with refugees and migrants is not optional; it’s a living testimony of the Gospel,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz. On World Refugee Day (June 20), the Catholic Church stands in prayerful solidarity with refugees around the globe to recognize and honor the courage, resilience, and dignity of those forced to flee their homes.

As chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Bishop Seitz reaffirmed the commitment of the Catholic faithful to walk with refugees in compassion and hope: 

“In their journey, refugees embody the hope we are called to share as Christians. As we welcome them, we reflect on our own pilgrimage toward the eternal home promised to us. Their resilience and faith challenge us to serve others more deeply and to build a world where every person is treated with dignity and can live in peace and freedom. Together with people of faith and goodwill, we recognize the profound witness of individuals and communities who open their hearts and homes to those seeking safety—welcoming the stranger, healing wounds, and restoring hope.

“We bishops of the United States remain resolute in our call for the consistent protection of refugees amid their disparate treatment by our government. The Church recognizes the right of each country to control its borders, while also affirming the right to seek refuge when life-threatening circumstances deny people the foremost right to remain in their homeland. As our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has affirmed, the temptation to turn inward, to isolate ourselves from the needs of our brothers and sisters around the world, is incompatible with a Christian vision for the common good. We must remember Christ’s exhortation in Luke’s Gospel: to whom much is given, much is required.”

In his Pentecost homily, Pope Leo XIV reiterated that Christian love transcends borders, as he declared, “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”

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Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 19, 2025 / 18:53 pm (CNA).

In an op-ed criticizing the current U.S. administration’s mass deportation efforts and immigration raids, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez urged the federal government instead to take a case-by-case approach on how it handles immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Gómez, who is himself an immigrant from Mexico and a naturalized citizen of the United States, penned the op-ed in the archdiocese-run Angelus News, in which he argued that the country needs “a new national conversation about immigration.”

According to Gómez, the conversation should be one that is “realistic and makes necessary moral and practical distinctions about those in our country illegally.”

The archbishop wrote that he is “deeply disturbed by the reports of federal agents detaining people in public places, apparently without showing warrants or evidence that those they are taking into custody are in the country illegally,” which he argued is “causing panic in our parishes and communities.”

“People are staying home from Mass and work, parks and stores are empty, the streets in many neighborhoods are silent,” Gómez indicated. “Families are staying behind locked doors, out of fear.”

Although the archbishop said “we may agree” that the previous administration in Washington “went too far in not securing our borders” and allowed “far too many people to enter our country without vetting,” he contended that the Trump administration “has offered no immigration policy beyond the stated goal of deporting thousands of people each day.”

“A great nation can take the time and care to make distinctions and judge each case on its merits,” the archbishop wrote.

Gómez stated that deportations for “known terrorists and violent criminals” are proper and that “we can tighten border security” and work to help employers ensure “the legal status of their employees.”

The archbishop went on to call for reforming the legal immigration system “to ensure that our nation has the skilled workers it needs” and maintains a “commitment to uniting families.” He further argued the government “should restore our moral commitments to providing asylum and protective status to genuine refugees and endangered populations.”

In addition, Gómez wrote that the solution should include a way for people “who have been in our country for many years” to obtain legal status. He noted that two-thirds of immigrants who are in the country illegally have been here for more than a decade and some were brought here as small children.

“The vast majority of ‘illegal aliens’ are good neighbors, hardworking men and women, people of faith,” the archbishop wrote. “They are making important contributions to vital sectors of the American economy: agriculture, construction, hospitality, health care, and more. They are parents and grandparents, active in our communities, charities, and churches.”

Gómez, who has been critical of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans since the president took office, published the June 17 op-ed amid ongoing protests against immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles, the country’s second most populous city. 

The protests started on June 6 after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested more than 40 immigrants in Los Angeles who were in the country illegally.

In an interview with CNA, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge who is now resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), disputed some of the archbishop’s characterizations of the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. CIS, which refers to itself as a “low-immigration, pro-immigrant” think tank, has been closely aligned with many of the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives.

Arthur, who is Catholic, noted that ICE arrested fewer than 50 people in Los Angeles on June 6 in a city where there are more than 900,000 immigrants who are in the country illegally. He noted that the arrests represented .004% of that population.

As Arthur sees it, the ICE raids in Los Angeles were focused on “businesses that are exploiting workers” and “individuals who have criminal histories.”

“Respectfully, I think that the bishop is working off of a misinformed belief of what’s happening,” Arthur said.

“Many of these reports are overblown,” he said. “Some of them are erroneous and some of them are just downright lies.”

Arthur argued that “statements like this feed the very panic that he’s attempting to address,” asserting that “I haven’t seen that there have been massive sweeps of individuals in the United States.” 

Since President Donald Trump assumed office five months ago, ICE has deported more than 100,000 immigrants who were in the country illegally, according to the White House. The administration has also sought to encourage those in the country illegally to self-deport as well. CIS estimates that there are nearly 15 million immigrants in the country illegally.