California Bishop Suspends Mass Obligation Over ICE Fears

San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas, who leads more than 1.5 million Catholics in Southern California, has formally excused parishioners from their weekly obligation to attend Mass following immigration detentions on two parish properties in the diocese, the AP reports. The dispensation is a move usually reserved for extenuating circumstances, like the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Rojas says it's necessary because the fear of being apprehended and possibly deported has swept communities, including Catholic churches. "There is a real fear gripping many in our parish communities that if they venture out into any kind of public setting they will be arrested by immigration officers," Rojas said in a statement Wednesday.

"Sadly, that includes attending Mass. The recent apprehension of individuals at two of our Catholic parishes has only intensified that fear. I want our immigrant communities to know that their Church stands with them and walks with them through this trying time." Rojas is an immigrant himself. He was born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He has been consistent in his support of immigrants and said when he assumed this role that it would be one of his top priorities. In early June, the Trump administration significantly ramped up immigration arrests and raids in Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles, with federal agents conducting sweeps in workplaces and public spaces and apprehending hundreds.

Last month, as federal agents made arrests and the federal government deployed the National Guard to maintain order amid protests in Los Angeles, Rojas issued a statement calling out federal agents entering parish properties and "seizing several people," creating an environment of fear and confusion. "It is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—which guides us in all that we do," he said. "I ask all political leaders and decision-makers to please reconsider these tactics immediately in favor of an approach that respects human rights and human dignity and builds toward a more lasting, comprehensive reform of our immigration system." Neither the Los Angeles Archdiocese nor the neighboring Diocese of Orange, which serves about 1.3 million Catholics, has issued similar dispensations.