News Release: Michigan Catholic Bishops Release Statement Calling for Prompt Federal Immigration Reform

(LANSING)—As the Catholic Church prepares to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, and as a predominately Hispanic immigration rally is set to take place throughout the Detroit area that day, the Catholic bishops of Michigan have promulgated a statement urging the enactment of comprehensive federal immigration reform that respects the dignity of immigrant workers, the Michigan Catholic Conference announced today.

“The Catholic bishops of Michigan are calling on Catholics and non-Catholics alike to urge Congress and the president to pass comprehensive immigration reform in order to preserve families and to protect the dignity of immigrant laborers,” said Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy Paul A. Long.

The statement, composed in both English and Spanish, has been distributed to all 795 Catholic parishes across the state and is signed by the state’s seven diocesan bishops:

• His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida, archbishop of Detroit
• Bishop Carl F. Mengeling, bishop of Lansing
• Bishop Walter A. Hurley, bishop of Grand Rapids
• Bishop James A. Murray, bishop of Kalamazoo
• Bishop Patrick R. Cooney, bishop of Gaylord
• Bishop Robert J. Carlson, bishop of Saginaw
• Bishop Alexander K. Sample, bishop of Marquette

English and Spanish versions of the bishops’ statement are both available for download at the Michigan Catholic Conference’s Web site.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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