Mois : février 2023

Every time Maria del Rosario Gomez gets to have a 15-minute call with her son, Jose Ruben Hernandez Gomez, she asks him, « My precious son, what did you eat today? »

Even though it’s challenging, she tries to send him $150 a month so that he can eat something better than what he is served at the Mesa Verde Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center, and share some of that food with others.

But the weekend before Lent started, Jose Ruben told her, « As the word of God says, ‘One does not live by bread alone,’  » quoting Matthew 4:4, where Jesus tells the devil in the desert, « One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. »

On Feb. 17, 82 people began a hunger strike at two central California immigration detention centers, protesting the facilities’ conditions and demanding their closure. Since then, numbers of hunger strikers have fluctuated as new people have joined and others have stopped due to health concerns. 

The hunger strike at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield and the Golden State Annex in McFarland follows a 10-month-long ongoing labor strike demanding that detained workers who undertake tasks such as cleaning dormitories and dining halls be paid California minimum wage instead of $1 a day.

In December, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the GEO Group, the private prison company that operates Mesa Verde and the Golden State Annex, $104,510 for six violations of state codes at the Golden State Annex.

Minju Cho, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, told NCR that in response to the labor strike, « ICE and GEO reacted with an intensity that belies the idea that [the voluntary work program] is actually voluntary. If it were truly voluntary, then folks could choose to stop participating in it at any time without consequence. » The ACLU is part of a coalition that is supporting advocacy efforts led by detained people. 

Throughout the labor strike, participants have alleged they have faced retaliation, including being placed in solitary confinement and receiving what they describe as « sexually abusive pat-downs. »

On Feb. 23, five hunger strikers filed a class action lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and GEO Group. In the lawsuit, the hunger strikers say that since they began their strike they have been denied access to worship services, family visitation and the detention center yard, and have been threatened with solitary confinement, or kept in dorm rooms that were painfully cold.

Through the hunger strike, participants are asking they be paid California minimum wage for the work they have completed, for safer working conditions, that they have free and accessible ways to communicate with loved ones, that the « sexually abusive » pat-downs end, and for GEO to comply with ICE’s detention standards, including those regarding receiving new clothing and footwear, prompt medical attention, and fresh and high quality food.

Asked for comment about the strike and the lawsuit, an ICE spokesperson told NCR the agency does not comment on ongoing or pending litigation.

In 2022, Mercy Sr. Joan Marie O’Donnell from Burlingame*, California, took part in an interfaith pilgrimage to every immigration detention center in California. She told NCR it was powerful to hear the stories of witnesses who came back to speak outside the facilities where they were detained.

At the Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex detention centers, O’Donnell said, « What they’re describing is expired food at meal times. They’re required to pay astronomical prices for items that they buy in their commissary. They receive inadequate medical care. They lack visitation opportunities with their loved ones. »

O’Donnell said she continues to be motivated to pray and advocate for immigrants in her retirement because of Isaiah 61’s promise of freedom for prisoners and the call in the constitution of the Sisters of Mercy to collaborate in acts of mercy. 

Gomez, Jose Ruben’s mother, is worried about the possibility of his deportation to Mexico. Jose Ruben came to the U.S. when he was 3 years old.

With Jose Ruben in detention, Gomez says he is not the only one who suffers. « I suffer so much that you cannot imagine it, » she said. Jose Ruben used to take her to Mass. Now, she prays constantly that God will take care of him. 

When asked about the spiritual life of detained Catholics in the two detention facilities, Chandler Marquez, spokesperson for the Diocese of Fresno, told NCR that the diocese has not been allowed to provide chaplaincy services in the two facilities since the beginning of the pandemic. The diocese had not known about the hunger strike and is not involved in the strikers’ advocacy. 

A deacon who is a chaplain for both detention facilities remains in contact with the facilities, and he has not been told he is allowed to return to serving Catholics detained in them, said Marquez.

When NCR asked why chaplaincy was restricted and when the Diocese of Fresno would be able to provide chaplain support again, a spokesperson for GEO group wrote, « We strongly reject these allegations. »

« Both the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center and Golden State Annex have dedicated facility chaplains on staff who administer religious programming and facilitate interactions with outside/volunteer ministry personnel who are allowed to visit in compliance with the CDC’s COVID-related visitation guidelines, » said the spokesperson. 

The GEO group spokesperson also said that their facilities provide access to legal services, recreational amenities, and « around-the-clock access to medical care » and that three meals a day are based on nutritional menus that are approved by a registered dietitian.

Regarding the allegation of retaliation, the GEO group spokesperson pointed to their grievance process and zero tolerance policy for staff misconduct. « Any alleged misconduct by GEO staff is promptly investigated and addressed, » they said.

Gomez said she is praying for Jose Ruben as he continues his hunger strike. « I know my son has a good heart and that he doesn’t do it just for himself, but for others, so that the situations in those detention centers change, » she said.

*Correction: The original version of this article misidentified Mercy Sr. Joan Marie O’Donnell’s hometown. We apologize for the error.

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Robert Taylor Jr. ruled Feb. 24 that a redacted version of the Maryland Attorney General Office’s report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore must be released publicly.

The judge ordered the attorney general’s office to redact more than 200 names from the report and submit it to the court by mid-March.

« Ever-aware of the pain endured by survivors of child sexual abuse, the archdiocese once again offers its sincere apologies to the victim-survivors who were harmed by a minister of the church and who were harmed by those who failed to protect them and who failed to respond to them with care and compassion, » said Christian Kendzierski, archdiocesan spokesman.

He made the remarks in a written Feb. 24 statement issued in response to Taylor’s ruling.

« As we said publicly last year, » Kendzierski continued, « we respect the court’s decisions in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the court and the Maryland attorney general’s office. The archdiocese continues to pray this report brings some measure of healing of the deep wounds caused by the scourge of child sexual abuse in the life of the church. »

In a letter sent to Catholics in the archdiocese Nov. 17, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori acknowledged information in the report would be a source of renewed pain for many, « most especially those harmed by representatives of the church. »

The report investigates 80 years of allegations of sexual abuse and the response by the archdiocese to those allegations.

According to a copy of his ruling posted by the Baltimore Sun, Taylor said 208 individuals in the report need to be notified that they are in the report and must have an opportunity to review sections of the report that pertain to them.

The proposed release of the attorney general’s report has prompted calls in the Maryland General Assembly to look again at the statute of limitations in civil cases. There is no criminal statute of limitations in Maryland for sexual abuse of minors.

The Maryland Catholic Conference, legislative advocacy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops, issued a statement Dec. 19 indicating support for legislation that would prospectively eliminate statutes of limitation for civil litigation involving cases of child sexual abuse.

Similar legislation eliminating the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a human trafficking offense or federal sex offense to file a civil action to recover damage was signed into law at the federal level in September.

« That bipartisan federal legislation also allows individuals an unlimited amount of time to file civil litigation in future cases of child sexual abuse, » the state Catholic conference said.

Prospectively eliminating the statutes of limitations would affect cases of sexual abuse that occur now or in the future. It would not affect cases that happened in the past, retroactively. In general, the statute of limitations that applies in a case is the one that was in effect at the time of the abuse, not when it was reported.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore was one of the first in the country to publicly disclose the names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse, even if they had not been criminally charged.

At that time, 57 men were named. Other names have been added in the intervening years as allegations became known. More were added in 2018 after a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailed allegations that included some priests who had served in Maryland or cases where the alleged abuse occurred within the boundaries of the archdiocese.

In April 2019, an additional 23 names were added of priests who had been accused of child sexual abuse after they were deceased.

The Biden administration Feb. 21 proposed its most restrictive border control measure to date, announcing it plans to issue a temporary rule blocking asylum-seekers who cross the border without authorization or who do not first apply for protections in other nations before coming to the United States. Catholic immigration advocates condemned the proposal.

The proposed rule would introduce a « presumption of asylum ineligibility for certain noncitizens » and instead “encourage migrants to avail themselves of lawful, safe and orderly pathways into the United States, » according to the text of the document. Otherwise, it said that migrants should « seek asylum or other protection in countries through which they travel, thereby reducing reliance on human smuggling networks that exploit migrants for financial gain. »

U.S. immigration policy generally differentiates those fleeing persecution in other countries from other migrants who cross the border unlawfully. The proposal, which the administration has characterized as temporary, would scale back that approach.

The move comes as Republicans have made immigration and border security a key point of contention with the Biden administration, and as the primary cycle for the November 2024 presidential election begins in earnest. Biden, a Catholic Democrat, is widely expected to seek a second term in the White House.

The proposed rule will first be subject to a 30-day public comment period before it could be formally implemented.

The U.S. bishops, however, voiced concern the rule would impose punitive restrictions on the right to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a statement, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said the USCCB is « deeply troubled by this proposal, which perpetuates the misguided notion that heavy-handed enforcement measures are a viable solution to increased migration and forced displacement. »

« Decades of similar approaches have demonstrated otherwise, » Seitz said. The El Paso bishop said the U.S. bishops have recognized « our country’s right to maintain its borders, » but have « consistently rejected policies that weaken asylum access for those most in need of relief and expose them to further danger. »

« Because that is the likely result of this proposal, we strongly oppose its implementation, » Seitz said.

He added that while the USCCB appreciates the administration’s « desire to expand lawful pathways to the United States, especially through increased refugee processing, » he emphasized those efforts should not take place « at the expense of vulnerable persons urgently seeking protection at our border. »

« Above all, the sanctity of human life remains paramount, » he said.

Biden administration officials, however, said the proposed rule would incentivize lawful migration.

« We are a nation of immigrants, and we are a nation of laws, » Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

« We are strengthening the availability of legal, orderly pathways for migrants to come to the United States, » he said, « at the same time (we are) proposing new consequences on those who fail to use processes made available to them by the United States and its regional partners. »

Mayorkas said providing individuals a « safe, orderly and lawful path » to the U.S. makes them less likely « to risk their lives traversing thousands of miles in the hands of ruthless smugglers, only to arrive at our southern border and face the legal consequences of unlawful entry. »

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department of Justice, which exercises oversight of the U.S. immigration courts, is establishing temporary rules for asylum eligibility to be in place once the Biden administration lifts the Title 42 public health order.

« We look forward to reviewing the public’s comments on this proposed rule, » he said.

Other Catholic immigration advocates, however, joined with the USCCB in sharply criticizing the proposal.

« The ban unfairly targets those fleeing from northern Central American countries, for whom the administration has provided no parole options, » Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute, said.

« There is nothing but a lack of courage preventing this administration from taking positive steps now to repudiate the damage of the previous administration and finally put in place a functioning, safe, rights-respecting system at the border that works for asylum-seekers and our border communities, » he said.

Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC, said, “In continuing with this rule, the Biden administration is betraying its own commitment to uphold asylum, as well as violating the principles of U.S. law and Catholic social teaching with respect to migration. »

CLINIC compared the proposed rule to an “asylum ban » issued by the Trump administration, which was later struck down by a federal court.

« The right to seek asylum through a full and fair process is a bedrock principle of international and domestic law, » Gallagher said. « These new restrictions undermine that right and will have inhumane and horrific consequences for our immigrant brothers and sisters. »

Ronnate Asirwatham, director of government relations at Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, said the Biden administration was « ending the right to seek asylum on our southern border. »

« (The) success of our southern border, » Asirwatham said, « should not be measured by the number of people we turn away to death and persecution, but by the number of people we welcome to safety. »

Pope Francis has essentially nationalized all assets and property owned by Vatican departments and affiliated institutions, declaring them to be sovereign patrimony owned by the Holy See and not any individual or office.

The action outlined in a new law published Feb. 23 marks Francis’ latest initiative to centralize Vatican assets so they can be managed properly, following years of mismanagement that led to huge losses and, prosecutors allege, criminal wrongdoing.

Francis previously stripped the Vatican’s secretariat of state of its 600 billion-euro ($635 billion) portfolio and ordered the assets transferred to the Vatican’s patrimony office following a scandal involving a 350 million-euro investment in a London property.

Vatican prosecutors have charged 10 people, including a cardinal, of defrauding the Holy See of tens of millions of euros through the London venture.

The new law makes clear that the Holy See owns any asset, security or property owned or acquired by a Vatican office or affiliated institution. This « ecclesiastic public property » is « entrusted » to individual departments to use but is destined for the universal needs of the church to fulfill its mission, the law states.

In previous stages of Francis’ financial reforms, the Vatican ordered all Vatican offices to submit to standardized annual budgeting and accounting measures. Individual offices, or congregations, were allowed to operate in financial silos before then.

The pope also centralized and overhauled the Vatican’s investment strategy to ban speculative investments and to prioritize prudent investing in industries that promote the common good.

Wrapping up his three-day visit to Poland Feb. 22, President Joe Biden attended Ash Wednesday Mass in his hotel room in Warsaw.

The Mass took place at the Marriott Hotel, where the U.S. president stayed during his trip to Poland’s capital, and was celebrated by a Polish priest, Fr. Wieslaw Dawidowski.

« Today, I join Christians worldwide in observing Ash Wednesday, » Biden wrote on Twitter. « The Lenten season is a time for reflection and discernment and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to God and to one another. »

« May we continue to keep the faith and look with hopeful hearts towards Easter, » the Catholic U.S. president added.

Social media users quickly observed a faded cross on the president’s forehead on the pictures from the Feb. 22 Bucharest Nine (B9) summit held at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

In Poland, ashes are sprinkled over one’s head, which left social media commentators surprised at the smear of ash on the president’s forehead during the official meeting hosted by Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Dawidowski, an Augustinian, shared his experience of the Ash Wednesday Mass with Biden on his Facebook page.

« Today is Ash Wednesday. Even the most powerful in this world take ashes — if they belong to the Catholic tradition, » Dawidoswki said. « I had the honor today of placing ashes on the forehead of the US President Mr. Joe Biden. »

The priest posted a photo of an improvised altar in a hotel room, the U.S. presidential seal, and himself with Biden.

« Everything took place in great secrecy, but now I can speak: in an improvised chapel, next to the President’s apartment, we prayed for peace, the conversion of Russia and the light of the Holy Spirit for Mr. President, » he wrote.

Dawidowski was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison during the time of martial law in communist Poland for his involvement in anti-communist movement. Martial law existed between Dec. 13, 1981, and July 22, 1983.

Biden concluded his three-day visit to Poland, which followed a Feb. 20 surprise visit to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, days before the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s full scale invasion of the country.

During his visit to Poland, in a conversation with Duda, Biden recalled his meeting with St. John Paul II, which took place in the Vatican, at the beginning of Biden’s political career.

« At one point (John Paul II) said, ‘Senator, please remember that I spoke to you as a Pole, not as the pope. Then I understood the power of Poland, » Biden said, according to KAI news agency.

Biden’s suprise visit to Kyiv and the scheduled visit to Poland, marking one year of war in Ukraine, has been hailed by commentators as one of the foreign policy highlights of Biden’s presidency.