The Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination in the United States. With that comes a lot of influence.
And now a Catholic Archbishop teased a high profile meeting with Trump and Vance.
USCCB President Looks Forward to Constructive Dialogue with Trump Administration
Archbishop Paul Coakley, elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November, stated this week that he anticipates speaking with President Donald Trump “in the near future.”
In a Dec. 21 interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Coakley said he has “not had any personal conversations” with Trump or Vice President JD Vance but is eager to begin “engaging with them over matters of mutual concern.”
He highlighted immigration as a likely topic of discussion, noting potential for collaboration. “Undoubtedly, the question of immigration is going to come up,” he said. “I think we have opportunities to work together. We have opportunities to speak frankly with one another.”
Concerns Over Rhetoric Amid Enforcement Priorities
Archbishop Coakley acknowledged “anxiety” among some migrant communities, with the level of concern “varies from place to place.” He observed: “In communities with a more dense migrant population, there’s a great deal of fear and uncertainty … because of the level of rhetoric that is often employed when addressing issues around migration and the threats of deportation.”
While a few dioceses have granted Mass dispensations for immigrants worried about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, Coakley reported no broad decline in church attendance nationwide. In his own Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, he has seen no drop, and he has not “heard it reported widely” from fellow bishops.
“I know that that is the case in some places, but I don’t think it’s as common at least here locally or in places that I have personal contact with. There’s an anxiety, there’s a fear, but I don’t think it’s kept people away in great numbers,” Archbishop Coakley said.
Balancing Human Dignity with Secure Borders
Coakley reaffirmed the USCCB’s November statement on immigration, which declared: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”
The bishops also asserted: “Human dignity and national security are not in conflict.”
He emphasized the compatibility of strong border security with respect for persons. “There’s no conflict necessarily between advocating for safe and secure borders and treating people with respect and dignity. We always have to treat people with dignity, God-given dignity. The state doesn’t award it and the state can’t take it away. It’s from the Creator,” Archbishop Coakley said.
Whether people “are documented or undocumented, whether they are here legally or illegally, they don’t forfeit their human dignity,” he said.
“I don’t think we can ever say that the end justifies the means,” he said. “We have to treat everyone with respect, respect of the human dignity of every person.”
Coakley also noted America’s immigrant heritage: “we are a nation of immigrants ourselves,” and “we are founded upon the immigrant experience.” He added that the nation has “a right and a duty to respect sovereign borders of a state, but we also have a responsibility to welcome migrants,” describing this balance as “a fundamental principle in Catholic social teaching regarding immigration and migration.”
