Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, warned on Sunday that the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign was “instilling fear in a pretty widespread way” across the United States.
Archbishop Coakley of Oklahoma City urged the Trump administration to “welcome immigrants generously” while stressing, “We certainly have the right and duty to respect our nation’s borders.”
“This is a fundamental principle of Catholic social teaching on migration and emigration: People have the right to remain in their home country, but they should also be allowed to immigrate when conditions in their home country are unsafe and require them to move to a place where they can find peace and security,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan.
Coakley, who was elected last month to a three-year term as conference president, has often aligned himself with the church’s social conservatives but has joined other church leaders in being an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
After Trump’s inauguration in January, Coakley issued a statement reiterating his view that “the majority of undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma are upstanding members of our communities and churches, not violent criminals.”
Coakley’s comments came less than a week after Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York, replacing conservative Cardinal Timothy Dolan as leader of the country’s second-largest Catholic diocese. Dolan, Trump’s pick to succeed Pope Francis, announced in February that he would resign after his 75th birthday, as required by Catholic law.
Hicks, who like Leo grew up in the Chicago area and spent several years as a missionary in Latin America, endorsed the bishops’ conference’s special message condemning the Trump administration’s immigration raids.
Coakley defended the message on Sunday, explaining that the bishops wanted to “calm people” amid growing anxiety over an immigration crackdown.
“In communities with high immigrant populations, there is a great deal of fear, uncertainty and anxiety due to the rhetoric that is often used when addressing issues surrounding immigration and the threat of deportation,” he said.
Coakley said he has not yet met with Trump or Vice President Vance – who accused the church of putting economic motives ahead of humanitarian concerns after a bishops conference leader criticized the administration’s immigration policies – but said he looked forward to “engaging with them on issues of mutual concern.”
Since taking office in May, Leo has repeatedly challenged the Trump administration’s stance on high-profile issues, suggesting that those who support “U.S. inhumane treatment of immigrants” may not be “pro-life” and warning against a U.S. military invasion of Venezuela.
Trump told POLITICO earlier this month that he was open to meeting the pope, saying, “I’m sure he’s a lovely guy,” like his brother, who praised the president and met with Trump at the White House in May.
Coakley has repeatedly said that immigration policy must be rooted in respect for human dignity, adding, “I don’t think we can ever say that the end justifies the means.”
“This is a fundamental cornerstone for us, that people should be treated with respect and dignity, whether they are documented or undocumented, whether they are here legally or illegally, without losing their dignity as a human being,” he said.
