California Bishop Excuses Mass Attendance Amid Immigration Raid Fears

Bishop Alberto Rojas of the San Bernardino Diocese in Southern California has issued a rare dispensation excusing parishioners from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation due to widespread fear of immigration raids. This decree follows recent immigration enforcement actions where individuals were detained on parish properties, creating anxiety and fear among the Catholic immigrant community. Rojas emphasized that the Church stands with immigrants during this difficult time and encouraged spiritual communion through prayer and online Masses. Such dispensations are uncommon and typically reserved for crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the severity of the current situation. The increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has intensified fear in communities, prompting public officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, to criticize the impact on religious freedom. Bishop Rojas, an immigrant himself, has consistently prioritized support for immigrants and called for a reconsideration of the immigration enforcement tactics causing fear and disruption in his diocese.