Catholic Leaders Respond to Immigration Crisis at Two-Day Meeting

Catholic leaders met for a two-day conference titled Witness to Hope: Pastoral Care for Immigrant Communities to discuss supporting migrant populations. The event, hosted by the Villanova University Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, brought together 130 attendees to discuss ways to assist those facing dehumanization and immigration enforcement.

The conference was led jointly by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, and the Mother Cabrini Institute. During a Mass at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on Sept. 17, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez shared his personal experience as an immigrant, describing the feeling of being singled out.

Michele Pistone, a law professor at Villanova University and founding faculty director of the Mother Cabrini Institute, said the gathering serves as an opportunity for the Catholic community to find leadership and ideas to walk alongside migrants living in a climate of fear and potential mass deportations.