Catholic Bishop Says Congregants Don’t Need to Attend Sunday Mass Due to Fear of ICE Raids

The day after dozens of armed soldiers on foot and horseback marched across MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, Most Revered Alberto Rojas, Bishop of San Bernardino, released a decree on Tuesday, dispensing members of the diocese from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

As the decree notes: “In light of the pastoral needs of our diocese and the concerns expressed by many of our brothers and sisters regarding fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities, I, as your shepherd, issue this decree.”

The decree also notes that raids by ICE “may deter some members” from attending Mass on Sundays. It offers comfort for those who are deterred by “acknowledging that such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom is amplifying the decree on social media, where he wrote: “Freedom of religion? Not in Donald Trump’s America. People now have to choose between their faith and their freedom.”

Note: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that she is suing the Trump administration (see below).

Bass said: “The idea of having troops go through the park and disrupt a children’s summer camp, or drive through the streets and just pick people off—people don’t know if a kidnapping is happening or what. So our city attorney is leading the way. We are filing a lawsuit and calling for an injunction to stop this. We need to remember who we are as a country. I’m very clear about who we are as a city, and I’m clear about my job—which is to make sure this city is safe for all Angelenos, regardless of when you came here, what country you came from, or why.”