Mois : mars 2025

The Supreme Court appeared March 31 to be leaning toward a Catholic charitable organization pushing back against the state of Wisconsin in the latest religious rights case to come before the court.

In a case that could have wide-ranging effects, the justices suggested the Catholic Charities Bureau should not have to pay unemployment taxes because the work of the social services agency is motivated by religious beliefs, and the state exempts religious groups from the tax.

« Isn’t it a fundamental principle of our First Amendment that the state shouldn’t be picking and choosing between religions? » Justice Neil Gorsuch said.

The dispute is one of three cases involving religion under consideration this term by the justices who have issued a string of decisions siding with churches and religious plaintiffs. The others involve religious objections to books read in public schools and public funding for religious schools.

The charities don’t qualify for the tax exemption because the day-to-day services it provides don’t involve religious teachings, Colin Roth, an attorney for Wisconsin, argued. Catholic Charities has paid the tax for over 50 years, and if the court finds it can claim the exemption that could open the door to big employers like religiously-affiliated hospitals pulling out of the state unemployment system as well, he said.

While Roth faced a grilling from both liberal and conservative justices, some like Amy Coney Barrett also raised questions about how far such exemptions would go. « One of the problems here is figuring out what the line is, » she said.

The Trump administration weighed in to support the charity, urging the court to toss out a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling siding with the state. The state high court misinterpreted a federal law when it found that both the motivations and the work itself has to be religious for organizations to avoid paying the tax, Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon said.

« I do think that the Wisconsin Supreme Court deserves to know that it was incorrect, » he said.

The arguments coincidentally come the day before a closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court election that’s drawn the involvement of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk.

Catholic Charities argues the state supreme court decision violates religious freedoms protected by the First Amendment by making determinations about what work qualifies as religious.

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan was among those questioning Wisconsin’s contention that one way organizations can get the exemption is by actively proselytizing. Some faiths, she pointed out, purposely avoid attempting to convert people. « I thought it was pretty fundamental that we don’t treat some religions better than other religions, » she said.

Wisconsin exempts church-controlled organizations from unemployment tax if they are operated primarily for religious purposes. The Catholic Charities Bureau, though, has paid the tax since 1972. Much of the groups’ funding is from public money, and neither employees or people receiving services have to subscribe to any faith, according to court papers from the state.

If the Supreme Court sides with the charity, employees would be covered by the faith’s unemployment system, an option it argues is better than the state’s system. The state says the costs are about the same, but the state offers more due process for employees who feel claims were wrongly denied.

A decision is expected by late June.

The leader of an organization representing a national network of Catholic domestic humanitarian agencies will receive the oldest and most prestigious honor bestowed exclusively on American Catholics.

The University of Notre Dame announced March 30 that Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the school’s Laetare Medal.

Robinson will be presented with the medal during the university’s commencement on May 18.

The award’s name points to Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent in the Catholic Church’s Roman liturgical calendar. The day’s entrance antiphon for Mass begins with the word « Laetare, » Latin for « Rejoice, » with the liturgy anticipating the joy of Easter.

The inscription on the medal, « Magna est veritas et praevalebit, » is Latin for « Truth is mighty, and it shall prevail. » The award, inaugurated in 1883 as a counterpart to the papal Golden Rose honor, is bestowed annually by the school to a Catholic « whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity. »

Notre Dame’s president, Holy Cross Fr. Robert Dowd, said the university named Robinson this year’s recipient for her « boundless compassion, visionary leadership and inspiring example of faith-filled service. »

He noted Robinson « has dedicated her career to serving the church, standing in solidarity with those on the margins so that they may experience the abundant love of God. »

Robinson was appointed head of Catholic Charities USA in 2023, becoming the second layperson and second woman to lead the organization. A longtime advocate for greater leadership opportunities for women, youth and laity in the Catholic Church, she was invited by the Vatican in 2012 to advise officials on how to engage women leaders.

She took the helm at Catholic Charities after almost two decades at the nonprofit Leadership Roundtable, of which she was the founding executive director. Established in 2005 amid the clerical abuse crisis, Leadership Roundtable works to ensure transparency and accountability in the business operations of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Robinson later served as the nonprofit’s global ambassador and executive partner.

Her appointment at Catholic Charities has coincided with an accelerating shift in the nation’s public discourse on issues such as migration and outreach to those made vulnerable by natural disasters, economic hardship and other circumstances.

However, Robinson has stressed that ministering to migrants and refugees, and all of the efforts undertaken by Catholic Charities throughout the U.S. and its territories, are a response to the call of the Gospel.

« The charitable services we provide are fundamental to who we are as Christians, » she said in a Jan. 23 joint statement with Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chair of the U.S. bishops’ committee on migration, and Sr. Mary Haddad, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States.

The statement — issued in response to the Trump administration’s lifting of restrictions on immigration arrests in « sensitive locations » such as houses of worship and schools — affirmed that human dignity « is not dependent on a person’s citizenship or immigration status. »

« I have always loved the church and held its potential in the highest esteem, » Robinson said in Notre Dame’s announcement of her selection for the Laetare Medal. « The church’s explicit religious mission has formed the person I am. »

Robinson was born into a devoutly Catholic, philanthropic family, a legacy Robinson said she has upheld since her earliest years.

Her great grandparents, John and Helena Raskob, established the Raskob Foundation in 1945, with John Raskob having made his fortune as a financial executive for DuPont and General Motors. He and Helena Raskob met while she was playing organ at St. Mary’s Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

The family foundation has over the decades funded a wide array of Catholic efforts, including seminarian formation, humanitarian assistance, maternal and child care, and education, awarding over $5 million in domestic and $1.87 million in international grants in 2024.

Robinson, who became a member of the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities as a teen, said in the Notre Dame announcement that five generations of her family have served as foundation volunteers.

« Through that experience, we are exposed to the very best of what the church does through the example of our applicants who are women and men, ordained, religious and laypeople, » she said. « Their commitment to helping, healing and caring for those in need rendered them compelling role models whose example deepened my faith and inspired me to study theology and Catholic social teaching. I am grateful for so much of what our faith offers. »

Describing herself on the social media platform X as « tenacious about hope » and « full of love of humankind, » Robinson wrote in her 2014 book Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy and a Spiritual Call to Service that both philanthropy and fundraising require « a relinquishing of self, a disposition of humility before the great potential at hand, and the shared goal of blessing other people’s lives. »

If you listened closely at a meeting of mostly evangelical Christian communicators, activists and lawyers that took place in Dallas in February, you could hear more than a few panel discussions and hallway conversations repeatedly circle back to the same topic: same-sex marriage. 

Having helped to engineer the demise of Roe v. Wade after half a century of anti-abortion activism, attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters conference openly discussed plans to make shorter work of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

« Obergefell is on very shaky ground, » Mathew Staver, founder of the conservative Christian nonprofit legal group Liberty Counsel, which leaders describe as a ministry, told the audience of one panel at the conference. « It’s not a matter of, in my opinion, if it will eventually be overturned, but when it’ll be overturned. »

It’s a brazen claim critics and legal analysts have dismissed as unlikely in the short term. But conservative Christian advocates say they are emboldened by President Donald Trump’s election and the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, and hope justices will eventually respond to a growing list of efforts to overturn Obergefell cropping up across the country.

Among them is the legal case surrounding Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who made headlines after Obergefell was decided when she refused to grant a marriage license to a same-sex couple, citing her conservative Christian faith. She has lost repeatedly in court and even spent time in jail for her defiance. But in July 2024, the Staver and the Liberty Counsel filed an appeal on her behalf arguing the Supreme Court overstepped in Obergefell, only to be denied in early March.

Staver has vowed to press on, but Micah Schwartzman, professor at University of Virginia Law School and director of the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, said the prospects for a Davis victory remain thin.

« That case is going nowhere, as best I can tell, » Schwartzman told RNS.

While Justice Clarence Thomas left room in his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization for the court to reconsider the Obergefell decision, no other justices joined him, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh declared in his own concurrence that « overruling Roe does not mean the overruling of those precedents, and does not threaten or cast doubt on those precedents, » referring specifically to Obergefell.

Support for same-sex marriage remains high among Americans, according to a 2024 report by Public Religion Research Institute, which showed that about 67% agreed it should be legal. Solid majorities of white mainline Protestants, white Catholics and Hispanic Catholics back same-sex marriage, as do high percentages of Jewish Americans (80%), Buddhists (82%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (86%).

But Schwartzman said those who depend on or support LGBTQ rights still have reason to be concerned. « There are political constituencies that want to see Obergefell reversed, and they know that a majority of the justices, at least with respect to writing on a blank slate, objected to Obergefell and thought Obergefell was wrongly decided — including the chief justice, John Roberts, who dissented in Obergefell, » he said.

Lawsuits aren’t the only route to getting Obergfell back in front of the justices. Speaking on a panel to the religious broadcasters the day before Staver’s, Katy Faust, who founded the activist organization Them Before Us, suggested her group was focused on a legislative challenge.

« Just because gay marriage was legalized in 2015 that does not mean this is a dead issue, » she said. « We have to fight against it, because five Supreme Court justices do not determine whether or not children deserve, need or have a right to their own mother and father. »

In an interview, Faust pointed to legislative efforts intended to chip away at Obergefell that are already underway. Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers, a Calvinist Southern Baptist pastor who co-authored a 2023 statement in support of Christian nationalism that defined « marriage as the covenant union of a biological male and a biological female » as a core value, introduced two bills in January seen as targeting Obergefell.

The first, the « Covenant Marriage Act, » would create a $2,500 state tax credit for people who opted in to « covenant marriages » that are « based on the traditional understanding of marriage » and could only be dissolved « in cases of abuse, adultery, or abandonment. » The tax credit could be carried forward for up to five years.

The effect of the bill, Schwartzman said, would be to create « two classes of marriage, one that’s privileged and one that’s treated as second class or disadvantaged. »

In the last few months, similar bills have been introduced in Tennessee, Missouri and Texas. Versions of covenant marriage are already legal in Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana, where House Speaker Mike Johnson married his wife in a covenant ceremony in 1999, according to The Associated Press. (Deever’s bill, which died in committee last month, appears to be unusual for its inclusion of a tax credit for covenant marriages.) Less attention has been paid to another bill introduced by Deevers: the Promote Child Thriving Act, which creates a $500 annual state tax credit per child for a mother and father filing jointly and escalates to $1,000 if the child was born after the marriage of the parents.

Faust suggested Deevers’ bill appears patterned after a template produced by her group whose aim is to create a « competing track » that focuses on « biological connections between parents and child, and rewarding that family formation. »

« It takes the focus off of the adults and their relationship, and their own identification and romantic bonds, and puts it on to what marriage is and historically has been — which is an institution that is responsible for the procreation and raising of the next generation, » she said.

The legislation is not an end in itself. If the Promote Child Thriving Act or a bill like it is signed into law and faces a constitutional challenge, « that could create the kind of live issue that the justices could then rule on, » Faust said. Staver agreed the strategy « certainly has legs » and could constitute a « direct challenge » to Obergefell if passed.

Staver and Faust also pointed to a resolution passed in January by Idaho’s lower house asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its 2015 ruling. The resolution, known as a memorial, argued the ruling misunderstands « liberty » to mean people should « seek dignity from the state » instead of God, and that the result causes « collateral damage » to other liberties « including religious liberty. »

In South Dakota, a seemingly identical resolution recently passed out of committee, while a North Dakota version passed that state’s House but failed to win approval in its Senate. A version in Montana was recently tabled by the state Senate, and another in Michigan is currently languishing in committee.While Staver admitted the resolutions are largely symbolic — « If you filed suit against it, there’s no enforcement aspect to it, » he said — the movement « sets the tone » for other efforts.

Introduced by state Rep. Heather Scott, who has argued that the U.S. is a « Judeo-Christian based country » and sometimes described as « the Marjorie Taylor Greene of Idaho, » Idaho’s resolution also called Obergefell « illegitimate overreach » and asked the justices to restore the « natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman. » 

During debate, state Rep. Clint Hostetler repeatedly quoted the Bible, saying, « We could go hours and hours pointing to Bible verses in Scripture that validates the institution of marriage given by God and how it’s between a man and a woman. »

The tone has not been unified, however. Rep. Ilana Rubel, a Democrat representing Boise and the minority leader of the Idaho House, later fired back: « We talked about Scripture — we don’t legislate according to Scripture. »

In many cases, locals, including one United Church of Christ pastor, have testified against the resolutions, objecting that they don’t represent all religious Americans or even all Christians. In South Dakota, Sioux Falls resident Christine Morgan told a committee hearing: « My church and many other churches are open, supportive and welcoming of LGBTQ+ couples. This feels like a very pointed attack from one specific subset of a large belief system. »

Schwartzman said the raw number of cases challenging same-sex marriage is more determinative than any individual effort. « One of the strategies that led to Dobbs was that states were willing to ping the court repeatedly to test whether the court’s commitment to Roe was sound, » he said. « It’s not just that there was one case that did it — there were many cases over many years asking the court to reconsider its earlier decision. »

According to Schwartzman, the combined activism he’s seen so far resembles the « early stages » of the campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade. Their success « doesn’t turn on whether any of those particular efforts win or lose, » Schwartzman said. Instead, « it turns on whether they gain momentum and show that they have sufficient public support to give the justices enough reason to reconsider the earlier decision. »

Overturning Roe, of course, took decades. Yet Staver and his allies insist they’re working on a shorter timeline. Asked when he thinks Obergefell will be reversed, Staver initially said « within my lifetime » before clarifying he had an even smaller window in mind.

« Within the next four years, » he said. « I think we’re close. We just need the right case. »

The Rev. Jim Rigby has one question on his mind these days: What’s the plan if immigration officers knock on his church’s doors?

« That’s what I’m feverishly trying to figure out — I’m trying to talk to lawyers, » said Rigby, a pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.

Since 2016, St. Andrew’s has sheltered Hilda Ramirez and her son Iván, who say they fled Guatemala to escape domestic violence. They reached the U.S. in 2014, when Hilda applied for asylum, but was denied.

Ramirez has talked to NPR in the past, but doesn’t feel safe giving interviews since President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises of mass deportation, took office in January.

Until recently, churches were considered « sensitive locations » and immigration officers were restricted from taking action there. But on his first full day in office, President Trump rescinded these restrictions, making churches and other houses of worship susceptible to immigration enforcement.

Faith groups have sued the federal government over the change in two separate lawsuits, saying that it infringes on their religious freedom.

In February, a federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending immigration agents into the Quaker, Baptist and Sikh congregations that sued. But the ruling only applies to their congregations.

Other faith leaders, like Rigby, say the uncertainty has had a chilling effect on their ministries.

« To me, the bottom line is more gospel than it is legal, » said Rigby. « If there is religious liberty, we should have religious liberty to obey scripture and its commandment to treat the immigrant as well as we treat citizens. »

Others at St. Andrew’s are discussing plans about how to deal with a potential immigration raid — and what it means for Ramirez and her son.

« We know that Hilda and Ivan have a target on their back because they have been very outspoken about their situation. We’ve done everything we can to make sure that even though they have that target, they’re safe here, » said the Rev. Babs Miller, a pastor at St. Andrew’s.

Expanding the concept of sanctuary 

« Jesus himself — before he was born, his parents sought sanctuary, » said Linda Rabben, a professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland who writes about the Sanctuary Movement.

During the 1980s when the Sanctuary Movement started, it was reported that there were more than 400 congregations involved, according to Rabben.

The term « sanctuary » has often meant that the person or family being housed is under immediate threat of deportation.

« So if they (houses of worship) give shelter to somebody, they are not protected by the law to do that, » said Rabben.

Under the Trump administration, churches are now thinking more expansively about the concept of sanctuary to include migrants who fear that new policies could suddenly make them vulnerable to arrest or deportation.

The Rev. Ashley McFaul-Erwin said her Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago has stepped up their efforts to aid migrants since Trump’s election.

« We have held multiple trainings for church members — because on Sunday mornings we are a public building and our doors are open. We just feel like it’s best to be prepared. »

These trainings include information about what to do if immigration agents enter the church, and which areas of the church are considered public and private.

Lake View Presbyterian has housed two different families since October 2023, after converting a Sunday school classroom into a studio apartment.

When asked about the family currently living there, McFaul-Erwin said she wanted to keep their details private, because she is reluctant to risk their safety.

When the church is open for worship is when they’re most vulnerable, the pastor said.

« We now have signs up saying that ICE are not able to enter this space without a signed judicial warrant, » she said.

Asked about the lifting of restrictions on immigration officers entering houses of worship, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that: « Our officers use discretion. Officers would need secondary supervisor approval before any action can be taken in locations such as a church or a school. We expect these to be extremely rare. »

Sending mixed messages to migrants 

In central Washington state, Catholic Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima said that he’s worried about how these policies will affect his congregants and their ability to worship. According to him, more than 30% of his parishioners are likely in the U.S. without legal status.

« I’m heartened that we haven’t had a noticeable drop in numbers at our Sunday masses in Spanish, » said Tyson. « Folks are coming. »

Tyson said people should be able to flee violence and poverty, and the United States has sent mixed messages to potential migrants.

« We’re saying, ‘Yeah we need your work. But no, don’t come. But, yes come. But don’t come.’ The goal posts have moved around — a lot, » the bishop said.

The Yakima Diocese isn’t publicly offering sanctuary in their churches, but Catholics from within the diocese are offering legal recommendations, and places to hide for vulnerable migrants.

Fr. Jesús Mariscal, parochial vicar of St. Paul Cathedral in the Yakima diocese, said that after one service, several of his Anglo parishioners messaged him privately offering to help migrants. One texted, « If ever you know or hear of someone who needs a place to literally hide from ICE, send them to my house. The key is under the front mat. »

Before he became a citizen, Mariscal said, he crossed the border without documentation, at age 12. He said he’s touched to know that there are people in his community who are willing to take risks to offer sanctuary for others.

« I feel like my chest is filled with something, and my mind, and I feel like my brain also, and the blood rushes to my head, » said Mariscal. « And I get goosebumps, and I get watery eyes. That’s the feeling I get when I get the offers from these people. »

The Texas race for a vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives will feature a number of Black Catholics, including former Houston city councilwoman Amanda Edwards and Democratic consultant Isaiah Martin.

The heavily Democratic 18th congressional district was represented by former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner for just two months before his unexpected death in Washington on March 5. He succeeded the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who herself died from cancer following a successful primary campaign in 2024.

Three Texas Democrats have officially declared their candidacy for the seat, including Edwards, Martin, and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee — whose announcement triggered his pending resignation from the county-wide office.

Martin, a 26-year-old former Jackson Lee staffer, ran in the 2024 Democratic primary before withdrawing to endorse his former boss. He filed campaign papers on Monday and is emphasizing his opposition to the policies of the Trump administration and his blueprint for a strong Democratic response.

« Donald Trump has done nothing for you. Not for your family, not for your paychecks, and not for your future, » he said in a viral video on social media announcing his candidacy.

« Things are bad right now. You know that, and I know that. They’re throwing everything at you, so now’s the time to be bold and fight fire with fire. »

Edwards — who narrowly lost to Turner in the Harris County Democrats’ special vote in August 2024 for a nominee to fill the seat — also ran against Jackson Lee in the primary earlier that year, losing in a relatively close race. She announced her new campaign on Wednesday.

« We are standing in a critical moment, a moment where our jobs, our schools, healthcare, economic opportunity, and the very essence of who we are are being attacked by President Trump, » she said in her own social media video.

« Some say that in this moment, we should just lay back or roll over and play dead, but being raised in the 18th congressional District, I happen to know that this is a moment where we need to stand up and fight. »

The three Democratic frontrunners for the seat appear to represent a youthful shift for the seat, which was held by Jackson Lee from 1995 until her death at the age of 74. Turner died at 70, while Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, was elected in November to serve for just two months to finish out her mother’s term.

Edwards, 43, has yet to announce any major endorsements, while Menefee, who is 36, has secured at least one of Edwards’ supporters from her 2024 primary campaign, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas. Menefee’s other supporters include Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas and former Reps. Carter and Collin Allred.

The 18th district seat has been held by African Americans since 1973, when Barbara Jordan became the first Black woman in Congress from the South. She was succeeded by a Black Catholic in Mickey Leland, who died in office in 1989. He was followed by Craig Washington, who last year endorsed Edwards’ primary campaign.

There is uncertainty as to how soon (or if) someone will fill the remainder of Turner’s term, which expires in 2027. Gov. Greg Abbott could call a special election for the next eligible date, May 3, but that would require an announcement by the end of next week, March 29.

Abbott could also leave the seat vacant — as it was for four months in the 1980s following Leland’s death. This would involve the GOP governor delaying an election to November or even 2026, giving his party a stronger advantage in Washington for at least the rest of the year.

Under the Texas Constitution, there is no deadline for the governor to act in such circumstances, potentially leaving the 18th district without representation for the foreseeable future.

Mexican parishioners placed eight candles on church altars in memory of the eight young people shot dead in an attack outside a parish church.

Catholic leaders called for action on insecurity and urged reflection on how violence is scandalously claiming the lives of many young people.

Masses were celebrated around the country March 23 as Catholics prayed for the victims of the attack, which claimed eight lives and left five injured, in the city of Salamanca in western Guanajuato state March 16.

Details are still unclear, but Bishop Enrique Díaz Díaz said in a March 18 statement, « They were talking and socializing after the celebration of holy Mass, (then) at approximately 7:30 pm, armed men arrived … and opened fire. »

Investigators found 50 shell casings from high-powered weapons, along with bullet holes in the wall of the San José Mendoza Church, according to Mexican media.

« This act makes us reflect on the violence plaguing our nation, which has become a cancer for our society. Criminals flaunt their impunity, manifest contempt for life, and make insecurity prevail in our community spaces, » the Mexican bishops’ conference said in a March 18 statement.

« This reality wounds the hearts of all Mexicans; no one can feel excluded from it. It’s time to unite and for us to assume our commitment to peace in our country, » the statement continued.

« Let us form a common front, living the solidarity that has so often characterized us in the face of the tragedies we confront, and fight crime and the lack of justice that bleeds our country and thwarts the dreams of thousands of our young people. »

The attack on the young people came as violence continues to convulse Mexico. Stories of horror routinely make the headlines — including the recent discovery of what appears to be an extermination site, where searchers looking for their missing loved ones found bone fragments, clothing and ovens used to cremate victims.

Mexico has stepped up its enforcement against drug cartels under U.S. pressure since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office Oct. 1. But her administration continues to downplay atrocities such as the discovery of the apparent extermination site.

Violence has been rife in Guanajuato — considered one of Mexico’s most Catholic states — as drug cartels battle over an illegal business of stealing gasoline from pipelines operated by state-run oil company Pemex. A December 2023 massacre at a Christmas party in a community served by the Diocese of Irapuato killed 11 young people and left 14 injured.

The attack on the church youth highlighted the tragedy of young Mexicans losing their lives amid the violence. Young people are also falling into lives of crime with teenage boys being recruited as drug cartel gunmen and young women claimed as girlfriends by cartel bosses.

« Adolescents and young people are the most affected by this wave of violence in Mexico, and each death calls us to protect their lives and take steps to protect them from the evil that seeks to trap them and lead them into darkness, » said a statement from the National Dialogue for Peace, an initiative to pacify Mexico sponsored by the bishops’ conference, the Jesuits and the Conference of Religious Superiors of Mexico.

« For many authorities, (the eight slain young people) will be a normalized part of Mexico’s violence statistics and the tragedy that saddens the country and has touched thousands of anonymous families, » the Catholic Multimedia Center, which tracks violence against clergy and religious, said in an editorial.

Fr. Andrés Larios has worked with young people in the conflict-ridden Tierra Caliente region of western Michoacán state, where drug cartels dispute territories and run extortion rackets, and says some there see organized crime as a path to prosperity due to limited social mobility.

He said that young people there have told him: « I want to be a narco, because narcos have the best trucks and soldiers and the police do everything for him. They practically don’t work. »

« That’s what motivates them, unfortunately, living in a somewhat limited and impoverished situation, and also seeing injustice, corruption and impunity, » he added in comments to OSV News. « At the end of the day, drug trafficking is what solves that problem. »

Life expectancy is short for drug cartel hitmen. But Larios said a mentality exists in which « many of these young people say, ‘I prefer to live without limits for a month, a year or two rather live poor all the time.' »

Larios also spoke disappointingly of church efforts at keeping young people from the clutches of drug cartels.

« It’s about raising awareness of the reality our people are experiencing, trying to educate ourselves, from morals, religion … to be good citizens, » he said.

« We’re neglecting a lot of pastoral care, » he added. « Sometimes we exhaust ourselves training children for the sacraments of baptism or confirmation, first Communions, weddings, and that’s where our time ends up, unfortunately, on purely sacramental training. »