Latest news with #U.S.ConferenceofCatholicBishops
Herald Malaysia
01-08-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
US bishops: Youth are ready to make world better
The church must give young people space to discern God's call and boldly shape a better future, they say Aug 01, 2025 Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia (Photo: Wikipedia) By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service Young people have such a great desire to make the world a better place that church leaders should help give them the space to discern what God wants for them, a group of bishops said during the Jubilee of Youth. "We need their voice," Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia told Catholic News Service before the start of the USA National Jubilee Pilgrim Gathering at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. "We need to listen to their hearts and listen to their minds. They have a great desire to make the world a better place, to make the church a better place, and our lives a better place," he said July 30. "So I'm thrilled that so many of them are here." The archbishop was one of eight archbishops and bishops who attended the special gathering at the basilica organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with the support of the Knights of Columbus. More than 4,000 people from the U.S. attended the event as part of their pilgrimage to Rome for the Holy Year. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell'Oro of Galveston-Houston told CNS he tries to attend as many youth activities as he can, especially World Youth Days and this Holy Year's Jubilee dedicated to young people July 28-Aug. 3. The Italian-born bishop used to serve as the vocation director for his religious order, the Congregation of Somascan Fathers, so he is aware how much young people need a lot of "dedicated attention." "I think the church should offer space for them so that they can confront one another in a way that makes them look forward," and broadens their mind beyond their current situation to see how they can play a role in changing things for the better, he said. They have a responsibility "to become good disciples on their own," he said, so he sees his role as "challenging them" to not only enjoy being young but to also "be brave, courageous and trustful that if they make one step forward, the foot will land on solid ground." Recalling his youth and the "struggle to find the answer" to whether he should get married or pursue the priesthood, Bishop Dell'Oro praised the guidance of his spiritual director who helped him discern and provide "the tools to make what I would say were courageous decisions, (and) renounce what needed to be given up and taking the chances of being in another setting." "I was fortunate to have had such good guidance in a fairly Catholic environment," without the "distractions of the media that we have today," he said. "It was, in a certain way, easier to focus on the fundamentals of life, of our faith." The church, therefore, should give young people "the space to discern, which is absolutely very, very important, even more than, if I may, space to do some ministries," he said. If "we engage them to live their life in the fullness as lay people, and then if they have vocations, they can discern, and that's a very, very important space that needs to be provided," he said. Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas, who was giving a homily during the Eucharistic adoration in the basilica for the pilgrims, told CNS he wanted young people to know that the presence of today's online "Catholic influencers" is nothing new. "We've had apostles, we've had martyrs, we've had saints" who were "the influencers of their day and through their lives and through their sanctity, and they continue to influence us," he said. Young people can continue to be "authentic as disciples in proclaiming the Word of God, even through digital means," he said. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Australia, who coordinated World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 as an auxiliary bishop, told CNS the Jubilee of Youth has been just as big an event as a World Youth Day and will have the same positive impact. "We have had fruit from that World Youth Day for 20 years now," he said, and the Jubilee celebrations will be "very good" for Rome, for Italy and for the young people from all over the world because of their testimony and their joy in their faith. "Certainly that's what World Youth Day does wherever it goes. It brings huge fruit in terms of vocations, good marriages, just young people thinking, 'Where does God fit into my life?' and 'Where do I fit into God's plans?' So that's going to happen here," he
Los Angeles Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Christians should be speaking up against ‘cruel' immigration raids
To the editor: I am appealing to Christians in Los Angeles and those who were raised Christian and still have good values to speak up against these cruel raids ('A crisis of faith: ICE raids force some churches to take 'extraordinary' action,' July 11). The Bible tells us to take care of strangers. Undocumented immigrants must be treated as individuals with histories and given due process. They should have legal status after years in this country. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has stated that many are only here illegally because of our broken immigration system and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB, said mass deportations 'represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent.' Each individual in this country has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are watching good people's lives being destroyed by racists who only care about themselves and not about their neighbors or our country. A true Christian is not filled with hate. Jesus' commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves, and those of us who strive to be true Christians must speak up now and act to protect and shelter the least of these: our immigrant neighbors, co-workers and friends. Laura Murray, Los Angeles .. To the editor: I'm sorry my fellow Catholics are afraid to go to Mass in person, but I understand their fear. For those who have a computer, there may be one thing that might help. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Monica's Catholic Community invested in a lot of television equipment and broadcast the Sunday Mass online. It proved so popular that it continues. People from across the country tune in because they like the community. Kay Devonshire, Santa Monica
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
In Virginia, a military stronghold becomes a haven for Afghan refugees
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Kat Renfroe was at Mass when she saw a volunteer opportunity in the bulletin. Her Catholic parish was looking for tutors for Afghan youth, newly arrived in the United States. There was a personal connection for Renfroe. Her husband, now retired from the Marine Corps, had deployed to Afghanistan four times. 'He just never talked about any other region the way he did about the people there,' she said. She signed up to volunteer. 'It changed my life,' she said. That was seven years ago. She and her husband are still close to the young man she tutored, along with his family. And Renfroe has made a career of working with refugees. She now supervises the Fredericksburg migration and refugee services office, part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. That faith-based work is now in peril. As part of President Trump's immigration crackdown, his administration banned most incoming refugees in January and froze federal funds for the programs. Across the country, local resettlement agencies like hers have been forced to lay off staff or close their doors. Refugees and other legal migrants have been left in limbo, including Afghans who supported the U.S. in their native country. The upheaval is particularly poignant in this part of Virginia, which boasts both strong ties to the military and to resettled Afghans, along with faith communities that support both groups. Situated south of Washington and wedged among military bases, Fredericksburg and its surrounding counties are home to tens of thousands of veterans and active-duty personnel. Virginia has resettled more Afghan refugees per capita than any other state. The Fredericksburg area now has halal markets, Afghan restaurants and school outreach programs for families who speak Dari and Pashto. Many of these U.S.-based Afghans are still waiting for family members to join them — hopes that appear on indefinite hold. Families fear a new travel ban will emerge with Afghanistan on the list. A subset of Afghans already in the U.S. may soon face deportation as the Trump administration ends their temporary protected status. 'I think it's tough for military families, especially those who have served, to look back on 20 years and not feel as though there's some confusion and maybe even some anger about the situation,' Renfroe said. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in April that it was ending its decades-old partnership with the federal government to resettle refugees. The move came after the Trump administration halted the program's federal funding, which the bishops' conference channels to local Catholic Charities. The Fredericksburg Catholic Charities office has continued aiding current clients and operating with minimal layoffs thanks to its diocese's support and state funds. But it's unclear what the local agency's future will be without federal funding or arriving refugees. 'I'll just keep praying,' Renfroe said. 'It's all I can do from my end.' Religious groups have long been at the heart of U.S. refugee resettlement work. Until the recent policy changes, seven out of the 10 national organizations that partnered with the U.S. government to resettle refugees were faith-based. They were aided by hundreds of local affiliates and religious congregations. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington has been working with refugees for 50 years, starting with Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon. For the last 10 years, most of its clients have been Afghans, with an influx arriving in 2021 after the Taliban returned to power. Area faith groups like Renfroe's large church — St. Mary's in Fredericksburg — have been key to helping Afghan newcomers get on their feet. Volunteers from local congregations furnish homes, provide meals and drive families to appointments. 'As a church, we care deeply. As Christians, we care deeply,' said Joi Rogers, who led the Afghan ministry at her Southern Baptist church. 'As military, we also just have an obligation to them as people that committed to helping the U.S. in our mission over there.' Rogers' husband, Jake, a former Marine, is one of the pastors at Pillar, a network of 16 Southern Baptist churches that minister to military members. Their flagship location is near Quantico, the Marine base in northern Virginia, where nearly 5,000 Afghans were evacuated to after the fall of Kabul. With Southern Baptist relief funds, Pillar Church hired Joi Rogers to work part time as a volunteer coordinator in the base's makeshift refugee camp in 2021. She helped organize programming, including children's activities. Her position was under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which the government contracted to help run the camp. For Pillar's founding pastor, Colby Garman, the effort was an easy decision. 'It was affecting so many of the lives of our families here who had served in Afghanistan.' 'We've been told to love God and love our neighbor,' Garman said. 'I said to our people, this is an opportunity, a unique opportunity, for us to demonstrate love for our neighbor.' Within five months, as the Afghans left the base for locations around the country, the support at the camp transitioned to the broader community. Pillar started hosting an English class. Church members visited locally resettled families and tried to keep track of their needs. For one Pillar Church couple in nearby Stafford, Va., that meant opening their home to a teenager who had arrived alone in the U.S. after being separated from her family at the Kabul airport — a situation they heard about through the church. Katlyn Williams and her husband Phil Williams, then an active-duty Marine, served as foster parents for Mahsa Zarabi, now 20, during her junior and senior years of high school. They introduced her to many American firsts: the beach, homecoming, learning to drive. 'The community was great,' Zarabi said. 'They welcomed me very well.' She attends college nearby; the Williamses visit her monthly. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this spring, they broke fast with her and her family, now safely in Virginia. 'She has and will always be part of our family,' Katlyn Williams said. Her friend Joi Rogers, while careful not to speak for Pillar, said watching the recent dismantling of the federal refugee program has 'been very hard for me personally.' Veterans and members of the military tend to vote Republican. Most Southern Baptists are among Trump's staunch white evangelical supporters. For those reasons, Pillar pastor Garman knows it may be surprising to some that his church network has been steadfast in supporting refugees. 'I totally understand that is the case, but I think that is a bias of just not knowing who we are and what we do,' Garman said after a recent Sunday service. Later, sitting in the church office with his wife, Jake Rogers said, 'We recognize that there are really faithful Christians that could lie on either side of the issue of refugee policy.' 'Regardless of your view on what our national stance should be on this,' he said, 'we as Christ followers should have a heart for these people that reflects God's heart for these people.' Later that week, nearly two dozen Afghan women gathered around a table at the Fredericksburg refugee office, while children played with toys in the corner. The class topic was self-care, led by an Afghan staff member. Along the back wall waited dishes of rice and chicken, part of a celebratory potluck to mark the end of Ramadan. Sitting at the front was Suraya Qaderi, the last client to arrive at the resettlement agency before the U.S. government suspended new arrivals. She was in Qatar waiting to be cleared for a flight to the United States when the Trump administration started canceling approved travel plans for refugees. 'I was one of the lucky last few,' said Qaderi, who was allowed to proceed. She arrived in Virginia on Jan. 24, the day the administration sent stop-work orders to resettlement agencies. Qaderi worked for the election commission in Afghanistan, and she received a special immigrant visa for her close ties to the U.S. government. She was a child when her father disappeared under the previous Taliban regime. The return of the Taliban government was like 'the end of the world,' she said. As a woman, she lost many of her rights, including her ability to work and leave home unaccompanied. She studied Islamic law during her university years. She believes the Taliban's interpretation of Islam is wrong on the rights of women. 'Islam is not only for them,' she said. The resettlement office includes not only Catholic staffers, but many Muslim employees and clients. 'We find so much commonality between our faiths,' Renfroe said. Her Catholic faith guides her work, and it's sustaining her through the uncertainty of what the funding and policy changes will mean for her organization, which remains committed to helping refugees. 'I'm happy to go back to being a volunteer again if that's what it takes,' Renfroe said. Regardless of government contracts, she wants local refugee families to know 'that we're still here, that we care about them and that we want to make sure that they have what they need.' Stanley writes for the Associated Press.
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Takeaways from AP's report on Afghan refugees in Virginia
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — The Trump administration's suspension of the federal refugee program has upended the lives of many Afghans who worked with the United States during wartime. The upheaval is particularly poignant near Fredericksburg, Virginia, which boasts both strong ties to the military and to resettled Afghans, along with faith communities that serve both groups. The city and its surrounding counties are home to tens of thousands of veterans and active-duty personnel. Virginia also has resettled more Afghan refugees per capita than any other state. Here are other takeaways from AP's reporting : Policy changes and uncertain futures Refugee resettlement work is in peril. As part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown , his administration banned most incoming refugees in January and froze federal funds for the programs. Across the country, resettlement agencies have been forced to lay off staff or close their doors. Many U.S.-based Afghans are still waiting for family members to join them — hopes that appear on indefinite hold. A subset of Afghans already in the U.S. may soon face deportation as the Trump administration ends their temporary protected status. Kat Renfroe, the spouse of a retired Marine, supervises the Fredericksburg migration and refugee services office, part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. 'I think it's tough for military families, especially those who have served, to look back on 20 years and not feel as though there's some confusion and maybe even some anger about the situation,' Renfroe said. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in April that it was ending its decades-old partnership with the federal government to resettle refugees. The move came after the Trump administration halted the program's federal funding, which the bishops' conference channels to local Catholic Charities. The Fredericksburg Catholic Charities office has continued aiding current clients and operating without layoffs thanks to its diocese's support and state funds. But it's unclear what the future of the local agency will be without federal funding or arriving refugees. A legacy of faith-based service Religious groups have long been at the heart of U.S. refugee resettlement work. Until the recent policy changes, seven out of the 10 national organizations that partnered with the U.S. government to resettle refugees were faith-based. They were aided by hundreds of local affiliates and religious congregations. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington has been working with refugees for 50 years, starting with Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon . For the last 10 years, most of its clients have been Afghans, with an influx arriving in 2021 after the Taliban returned to power . Area faith groups have been key to helping Afghan newcomers get on their feet. Volunteers from local congregations furnish homes, provide meals and drive families to appointments. 'As a church, we care deeply. As Christians, we care deeply,' said Joi Rogers, who led the Afghan ministry at her Southern Baptist church. 'As military, we also just have an obligation to them as people that committed to helping the U.S. in our mission over there.' Rogers' husband, Jake, a former Marine, is a pastor at Pillar, a network of 16 Southern Baptist churches that minister to military members. Their flagship location is near Quantico, the Marine base in northern Virginia, where nearly 5,000 Afghans were evacuated to after the fall of Kabul . With Southern Baptist relief funds, Pillar Church hired Joi Rogers to work part time as a volunteer coordinator in the base's makeshift refugee camp in 2021. Her position was under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which the government contracted to help run the camp. Christians called to care for refugees, politics aside Veterans and members of the military tend to vote Republican. Most Southern Baptists are among Trump's staunch white evangelical supporters. For those reasons, Pillar founding pastor Colby Garman knows it may be surprising to some that his church network has been steadfast in supporting refugees. 'I totally understand that is the case, but I think that is a bias of just not knowing who we are and what we do,' Garman said after a recent Sunday service. Jake Rogers said, 'We recognize that there are really faithful Christians that could lie on either side of the issue of refugee policy.' 'Regardless of your view on what our national stance should be on this,' he said, 'we as Christ followers should have a heart for these people that reflects God's heart for these people.' The last Afghan to arrive Suraya Qaderi was the last client to arrive at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington before the U.S. government suspended new arrivals. She was in Qatar waiting to be cleared for a flight to the United States when the Trump administration started canceling approved travel plans for refugees. 'I was one of the lucky last few,' Qaderi said. She arrived in Virginia on Jan. 24, the day the administration sent stop-work orders to resettlement agencies. Qaderi worked for the election commission in Afghanistan, and she received a special immigrant visa for her close ties to the U.S. government. She was a child when her father disappeared under the previous Taliban regime. The return of the Taliban government was like 'the end of the world,' she said. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Takeaways from AP's report on Afghan refugees in Virginia
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — The Trump administration's suspension of the federal refugee program has upended the lives of many Afghans who worked with the United States during wartime. The upheaval is particularly poignant near Fredericksburg, Virginia, which boasts both strong ties to the military and to resettled Afghans, along with faith communities that serve both groups. The city and its surrounding counties are home to tens of thousands of veterans and active-duty personnel. Virginia also has resettled more Afghan refugees per capita than any other state. Here are other takeaways from AP's reporting: Policy changes and uncertain futures Refugee resettlement work is in peril. As part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, his administration banned most incoming refugees in January and froze federal funds for the programs. Across the country, resettlement agencies have been forced to lay off staff or close their doors. Many U.S.-based Afghans are still waiting for family members to join them — hopes that appear on indefinite hold. A subset of Afghans already in the U.S. may soon face deportation as the Trump administration ends their temporary protected status. Kat Renfroe, the spouse of a retired Marine, supervises the Fredericksburg migration and refugee services office, part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. 'I think it's tough for military families, especially those who have served, to look back on 20 years and not feel as though there's some confusion and maybe even some anger about the situation,' Renfroe said. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in April that it was ending its decades-old partnership with the federal government to resettle refugees. The move came after the Trump administration halted the program's federal funding, which the bishops' conference channels to local Catholic Charities. The Fredericksburg Catholic Charities office has continued aiding current clients and operating without layoffs thanks to its diocese's support and state funds. But it's unclear what the future of the local agency will be without federal funding or arriving refugees. A legacy of faith-based service Religious groups have long been at the heart of U.S. refugee resettlement work. Until the recent policy changes, seven out of the 10 national organizations that partnered with the U.S. government to resettle refugees were faith-based. They were aided by hundreds of local affiliates and religious congregations. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington has been working with refugees for 50 years, starting with Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon. For the last 10 years, most of its clients have been Afghans, with an influx arriving in 2021 after the Taliban returned to power. Area faith groups have been key to helping Afghan newcomers get on their feet. Volunteers from local congregations furnish homes, provide meals and drive families to appointments. 'As a church, we care deeply. As Christians, we care deeply,' said Joi Rogers, who led the Afghan ministry at her Southern Baptist church. 'As military, we also just have an obligation to them as people that committed to helping the U.S. in our mission over there.' Rogers' husband, Jake, a former Marine, is a pastor at Pillar, a network of 16 Southern Baptist churches that minister to military members. Their flagship location is near Quantico, the Marine base in northern Virginia, where nearly 5,000 Afghans were evacuated to after the fall of Kabul. With Southern Baptist relief funds, Pillar Church hired Joi Rogers to work part time as a volunteer coordinator in the base's makeshift refugee camp in 2021. Her position was under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which the government contracted to help run the camp. Christians called to care for refugees, politics aside Veterans and members of the military tend to vote Republican. Most Southern Baptists are among Trump's staunch white evangelical supporters. For those reasons, Pillar founding pastor Colby Garman knows it may be surprising to some that his church network has been steadfast in supporting refugees. 'I totally understand that is the case, but I think that is a bias of just not knowing who we are and what we do,' Garman said after a recent Sunday service. Jake Rogers said, 'We recognize that there are really faithful Christians that could lie on either side of the issue of refugee policy.' 'Regardless of your view on what our national stance should be on this,' he said, 'we as Christ followers should have a heart for these people that reflects God's heart for these people.' The last Afghan to arrive Suraya Qaderi was the last client to arrive at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington before the U.S. government suspended new arrivals. She was in Qatar waiting to be cleared for a flight to the United States when the Trump administration started canceling approved travel plans for refugees. 'I was one of the lucky last few,' Qaderi said. She arrived in Virginia on Jan. 24, the day the administration sent stop-work orders to resettlement agencies. Qaderi worked for the election commission in Afghanistan, and she received a special immigrant visa for her close ties to the U.S. government. She was a child when her father disappeared under the previous Taliban regime. The return of the Taliban government was like 'the end of the world,' she said. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
