On a more practical note, reform is long overdue. And it’s an unpaid debt. Let’s not forget, in many ways, immigrants are already at the center of our society. During the pandemic, Dreamers and essential workers without documents kept us healthy and fed and kept the economy going, often at great risk to their own health, and some of them paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Don’t we owe them something in return? Our politicians need to catch up.
JG: Last November, your fellow bishops elected you to become chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee. What are your goals for that role?
Bishop Seitz: Above all, I want to be a servant to my brother bishops in the conference, to read the signs of the times with them, interpret the magisterium of Pope Francis on this issue in our American context, and do my part to help revitalize our witness to the social gospel. I also want to find creative ways to make sure migrants and refugees feel that the Church is with them. Wherever they’re from, whatever their documentation status, whatever their faith commitment might be, they should feel that the Church is on their side and rooting for them. They need to feel God’s mercy in everyday life. We’ve got to be ministers of joy. I want to understand from immigrant leaders how our Church can better stand with them in their work for reform so our advocacy can be grounded. There are so many inspiring immigrant leaders who are showing us the way. Many of them were formed in our parishes and Church halls.
We’ve also got to work to reduce inequality and injustice abroad so people don’t have to migrate. I ministered for a while in Honduras and I learned how important it is to be in touch with the pain in those countries. This is where the Church can play an important role. As a global Church, we can build bridges with faith communities in sending countries to learn from them and better understand how we can stand alongside them in their struggles.
JG: In 2020, you knelt down with a Black Lives Matter sign for eight minutes and forty-six seconds in a prayerful protest to draw attention to the police killing of George Floyd. That image drew international attention and Pope Francis praised you in an interview. Why did you take that stand and what do you think Catholics can do to support anti-racist movements?
Bishop Seitz: First of all, racism is real. We have to recognize it. If you don’t acknowledge sin, how can you repent? We used to kneel at the beginning of every Mass and beat our breast because we’re sinners. And second, those who suffer racism need to know we’re with them. We believe in a crucified God, after all. George Floyd died because someone we gave a badge and a gun knelt on his neck. And we all know he’s not alone. That’s scandalous. When Jesus was killed, the cross was a sign of shame at first. It smelled of torture and death. But it became a source of life and communion. As Paul said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It was haunting to see how a people that were tired of injustice and death transformed a wretched image of asphyxiation into a rallying cry for justice and solidarity. On a human level, how could you not be moved by that? But on a spiritual level, how could you not hear the strains of the Gospel in their cries?
There were those who thought it was indecent or somehow threatening to the Christian message because not everyone involved in the anti-racism protests held all of our beliefs, but I don’t agree. The Scriptures say “rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” We need to recognize that when people have a deep thirst for justice and recognition of human dignity, even when some might think differently from us, it isn’t without a holy foundation. And we might have something to learn.
JG: For people who don’t live on the border and are not actively involved in advocacy for immigrants, what are some ways to take action in their own states, neighborhoods, or parishes?
Bishop Seitz: Get to know the poor where you are. Go to Mass in a different language. Get involved in ministry with detained migrants and prisoners. Accompany someone to check in with ICE or to immigration court. Ask yourself who picks your food and pray for them before eating. Never refer to people as “illegals” again. Recognize the different cultural communities in your parish and give them the space to lift up their feast days. Eat together. Pray over the scriptures together. Make space for people from different countries to be leaders in your parish. Work with your parish to sponsor a refugee family. Support your local immigrants rights organizations. Thank a priest when he preaches on immigration. Vote. Allow God to push you out of your comfort zone. He will open up pathways for you to serve, to build community, to encounter Jesus and be transformed.