From November 11-14, the fall plenary meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was held in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the predominant topics during the discussions was the immigration issue, due to the imminent start of the administration of President-elect Donald Trump who promised to begin on the first day of his administration a "massive deportation of thousands of immigrants, the largest in the history of the country."
In response, the U.S. bishops expressed their solidarity with migrants through a "statement of pastoral concern" in which the prelates raise "the voice on behalf of the huddled masses yearning to breathe freedom." In the text, the bishops call on the new administration of President Trump to provide fair and humane treatment to immigrants.
Reform of the legal framework
"Since our nation's founding, immigrants have been essential to the growth and prosperity of this society. They come to our shores as strangers, drawn by the promise this land offers. They continue to provide food security, health care and many other essential activities that sustain our thriving nation," the purpurates assert.
The bishops also recognized the need for reform of the U.S. immigration system in order to have a legal framework that welcomes refugees and helps families stay together, "an immigration system that keeps our borders safe and secure, that is able to stop the flow of drugs and put an end to human trafficking".
Other topics of the plenary assembly
During the work of this plenary assembly the purpurates also addressed other topics, among them the Synod of Bishops, the National Eucharistic Congress held in July; the pastoral implementation of an integral ecology program to commemorate the tenth anniversary of "Laudato Si"; the approval of the translation of liturgical texts in English, including the "New American Bible" for liturgical use and finally the progress at the local level of two causes of beatification and canonization: Sister Annella Zervas - a native of Moorhead, Minnesota - a religious of the Order of St. Benedict and known for her kindness, sense of humor and devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary; and Servant of God Dr. Gertrude Agnes Barber, a laywoman born in Erie, Pennsylvania who dedicated her life to the education and care of children and vulnerable populations.
