Catholic and evangelical leaders call for compassion on immigration

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says Bishop Brendan Cahill and the Rev. Walter Kim released a joint statement on Tuesday, October 13, titled "A Call for Christian Compassion and Wisdom in the Immigration Debate." Cahill chairs the bishops' Committee on Migration. Kim is president of the National Association of Evangelicals. The bishops' conference calls it the first statement on immigration in U.S. history issued jointly by senior leaders of the Catholic and evangelical traditions.

The two men co-chair the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration, a joint initiative of the bishops' conference and the National Association of Evangelicals. The bishops' conference says it was launched in March 2026 and includes five evangelical and five Catholic members in addition to the co-chairs. Several leaders of organizations tied to each tradition take part as observers. Vatican News also reports the group was formed in March with five members from each side.

The bishops' conference quotes this line from the statement: "There is much that can be done to avoid the rupturing of our families and communities brought about by indiscriminate and aggressive enforcement actions." The conference says the statement comes at a time of a significant increase in reported detentions and deportations, especially after several groups of immigrants had their legal protections revoked by the U.S. government. It says this is hard on families whose members hold different immigration statuses, many of whom face the threat of separation. Vatican News points in particular to Haitians who lost Temporary Protected Status.

Cahill and Kim said what makes the statement unique is not its content, which they said rests on centuries of Christian teaching that each tradition has already affirmed on its own, but the clear unity between them in this moment. In the bishops' conference release they wrote: "As pastors devoted to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we share a responsibility to articulate our convictions, even when it comes to subject matter as challenging as immigration." They said the dialogue has given them a strong sense of fraternity and common purpose, and that they offer the statement from a sincere and patriotic perspective, with deep concern for those affected by current immigration policies, "with both conviction and hope."

Leviticus 19:34 tells God's people how to treat the stranger who lives among them. Catholics and evangelicals do not agree on everything, and this statement does not claim they do. It shows two pastors reading the same Scripture and reaching the same conclusion about mercy and wisdom. Pray that Christians on every side of this debate bring both, and pray for the families who fear being torn apart.

Read Leviticus 19:34