Bishops of the USA and Mexico Sign Declaration for Migrants' Protection and Urge All to Join a Prayer Vigil on Oct. 22 - Full Text
On Oct.12, a large group joined in a binational pilgrimage inspired by the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization rooted in the Jesuit order. Catholic bishops marched in solidarity with migrants toward Mexico, with priests, religious brothers and sisters, laity, and immigration advocates, the American prelates walked along Main Street in San Luis, Arizona; they signed a declaration (see below).
Bishop Gerald Kicanas, the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tucson, led the group in its merciful mission to stand in solidarity with migrants. “We join together with our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV as we remember that the Lord has called us to remember the littlest and weakest among us,” he said.
International estimates in the Arizona and Sonora border region have documented more than 3,400 migrant deaths in a 30-year span.
Bishop Kicanas, who led the Diocese of Tucson for nearly 15 years before retiring in 2017, recounted his experiences of blessing migrants. “I could see that they were worried, anxious, but they believed in the Lord, and they understood that each of them was a person of infinite value,” he said.
His brother bishops shared similar sentiments, among them were Bishop Josè Luis Cerra of the Diocese of Nogales, Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, Auxiliary Bishop Gregory Gordon of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino, and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido of the Diocese of San Diego.
Bishops call for migrants and refugees to be treated with dignity and respect
As representatives of God’s people in Mexico and the United States bishops from the U.S. and Mexico reaffirm with one voice, Pope Leo XIV’s affirmation that migrants and refugees need to be treated with dignity and respect. On Sunday, October 12 in a Binational Encuentro: Migrants, Pilgrims of Hope gathered to commemorate the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Migrants.
We, the undersigned, issue the following statement:
Binational Encuentro: Migrants, Pilgrims of Hope in Christ
One week ago, we joined our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and the Universal Church to commemorate the Jubilee of Migrants. Today, as representatives of God’s people in Mexico and the United States, we reaffirm with one voice: In the Church, no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere.
The hope we receive through Christ and the love He has for each of us transcend every border, every barrier, and every source of division. As members of his Mystical Body, sisters and brothers in Christ, we aspire to live what He taught.
In that same spirit, we call to mind our brothers and sisters who are living in fear, faced with dehumanizing rhetoric, policies designed to intimidate, and impossible choices. As we stand together in San Luis, united across the border, we are especially attentive to the local realities, which show the impacts of the policies and practices of both nations. Many people on the move are far from here, forced back and made invisible by policies that keep them in or return them to situations of danger and instability.
The broken immigration systems of both of our countries deny us the chance to welcome them as new members of our community since there are few legal pathways for migration. But now is not a moment for complacency or conformity, it is a moment to be all the more proactive in our pastoral and prophetic work of encounter and welcome to those forced to live in the shadows.
Guided by Scripture and Tradition, we collectively acknowledge:
● The right to life, which precedes all other rights and upon which all other inalienable rights of individuals are founded;
● The right to exist with dignity and to thrive as a family;
● The right to stay in one’s homeland, and there enjoy a dignified, peaceful and prosperous life;
● The right to migrate when the conditions necessary for a dignified life are absent;
● The right and responsibility of nations to regulate immigration, consistent with the common good and with respect for the dignity of all; and
● The right of refugees to seek protection and their duty to respect the community that receives them.
To migrants and refugees, our fellow travelers on the journey, we recognize your inherent and inviolable dignity, which no earthly authority can deny, and we remain committed to walking with you, following in the footsteps of the Good Samaritan.
To the clergy, religious, lay faithful, and all people of good will engaged in acts of solidarity with migrants and refugees, even at your own peril, we commend you and encourage others to undertake similar manifestations of Christ’s love for those in need.
We must all resist the temptation to apathy and instead with courage and hope act to truly live out Christ’s love that transcends borders. In that spirit, we call on each Catholic to commit to the following work of solidarity:
● Encounter and Accompaniment: Go out to encounter and listen to our brother and sister migrants, walking alongside them in their needs and their challenges, their hopes and their possibilities.
● Community Building: Create spaces of mutual work and dialogue. In Mexico, host conversations on local peace-building. In the US, bring together people with experiences of migration and those who are more distant from these realities.
● Fervent Prayer and Advocacy: Pray and advocate fervently for the safety and well being of migrants and refugees. Pray for the members of law enforcement and encourage them to always embrace the personhood of those they encounter and act according to the dictates of their conscience.
● Continued Prayers for Policymakers: Pray for policymakers in the US and Mexico and advocate for them to implement laws and policies that promote safety for people fleeing violence, respect the dignity of migrants and refugees, and uphold the sacredness of family unity.
● Peaceful and Prayerful Public Witness: In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, prepare a Catholic vigil for migrants, following the guidelines and suggestions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Consider organizing one on October 22nd, a Catholic Day of Action, or in the following weeks and months on a symbolic date.
Whatever our country of birth, we endeavor toward the same horizon, yearning for our true homeland. At times, the obstacles before us may seem too great to overcome. But our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, points to a source of inspiration living within our midst: “even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope.”
Bishop Gerald Kicanas, the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tucson, led the group in its merciful mission to stand in solidarity with migrants. “We join together with our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV as we remember that the Lord has called us to remember the littlest and weakest among us,” he said.
Bishop Rojas joined Bishop Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson and other bishops at the Arizona–Sonora border for a binational pilgrimage and Mass, standing in solidarity with our migrant brothers and sisters. 🙏
— Diocese of San Bernardino (@sbdiocese) October 14, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/dTQ9H0h25H pic.twitter.com/9Gj6gssHlI
International estimates in the Arizona and Sonora border region have documented more than 3,400 migrant deaths in a 30-year span.
Bishop Kicanas, who led the Diocese of Tucson for nearly 15 years before retiring in 2017, recounted his experiences of blessing migrants. “I could see that they were worried, anxious, but they believed in the Lord, and they understood that each of them was a person of infinite value,” he said.
His brother bishops shared similar sentiments, among them were Bishop Josè Luis Cerra of the Diocese of Nogales, Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, Auxiliary Bishop Gregory Gordon of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino, and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido of the Diocese of San Diego.
Bishops call for migrants and refugees to be treated with dignity and respect
As representatives of God’s people in Mexico and the United States bishops from the U.S. and Mexico reaffirm with one voice, Pope Leo XIV’s affirmation that migrants and refugees need to be treated with dignity and respect. On Sunday, October 12 in a Binational Encuentro: Migrants, Pilgrims of Hope gathered to commemorate the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Migrants.
We, the undersigned, issue the following statement:
Binational Encuentro: Migrants, Pilgrims of Hope in Christ
One week ago, we joined our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and the Universal Church to commemorate the Jubilee of Migrants. Today, as representatives of God’s people in Mexico and the United States, we reaffirm with one voice: In the Church, no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere.
The hope we receive through Christ and the love He has for each of us transcend every border, every barrier, and every source of division. As members of his Mystical Body, sisters and brothers in Christ, we aspire to live what He taught.
In that same spirit, we call to mind our brothers and sisters who are living in fear, faced with dehumanizing rhetoric, policies designed to intimidate, and impossible choices. As we stand together in San Luis, united across the border, we are especially attentive to the local realities, which show the impacts of the policies and practices of both nations. Many people on the move are far from here, forced back and made invisible by policies that keep them in or return them to situations of danger and instability.
The broken immigration systems of both of our countries deny us the chance to welcome them as new members of our community since there are few legal pathways for migration. But now is not a moment for complacency or conformity, it is a moment to be all the more proactive in our pastoral and prophetic work of encounter and welcome to those forced to live in the shadows.
Guided by Scripture and Tradition, we collectively acknowledge:
● The right to life, which precedes all other rights and upon which all other inalienable rights of individuals are founded;
● The right to exist with dignity and to thrive as a family;
● The right to stay in one’s homeland, and there enjoy a dignified, peaceful and prosperous life;
● The right to migrate when the conditions necessary for a dignified life are absent;
● The right and responsibility of nations to regulate immigration, consistent with the common good and with respect for the dignity of all; and
● The right of refugees to seek protection and their duty to respect the community that receives them.
To migrants and refugees, our fellow travelers on the journey, we recognize your inherent and inviolable dignity, which no earthly authority can deny, and we remain committed to walking with you, following in the footsteps of the Good Samaritan.
To the clergy, religious, lay faithful, and all people of good will engaged in acts of solidarity with migrants and refugees, even at your own peril, we commend you and encourage others to undertake similar manifestations of Christ’s love for those in need.
We must all resist the temptation to apathy and instead with courage and hope act to truly live out Christ’s love that transcends borders. In that spirit, we call on each Catholic to commit to the following work of solidarity:
● Encounter and Accompaniment: Go out to encounter and listen to our brother and sister migrants, walking alongside them in their needs and their challenges, their hopes and their possibilities.
● Community Building: Create spaces of mutual work and dialogue. In Mexico, host conversations on local peace-building. In the US, bring together people with experiences of migration and those who are more distant from these realities.
● Fervent Prayer and Advocacy: Pray and advocate fervently for the safety and well being of migrants and refugees. Pray for the members of law enforcement and encourage them to always embrace the personhood of those they encounter and act according to the dictates of their conscience.
● Continued Prayers for Policymakers: Pray for policymakers in the US and Mexico and advocate for them to implement laws and policies that promote safety for people fleeing violence, respect the dignity of migrants and refugees, and uphold the sacredness of family unity.
● Peaceful and Prayerful Public Witness: In the spirit of this Jubilee Year, prepare a Catholic vigil for migrants, following the guidelines and suggestions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Consider organizing one on October 22nd, a Catholic Day of Action, or in the following weeks and months on a symbolic date.
Whatever our country of birth, we endeavor toward the same horizon, yearning for our true homeland. At times, the obstacles before us may seem too great to overcome. But our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, points to a source of inspiration living within our midst: “even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope.”
Comments