A major and never-before-seen step has been taken by a California bishop to shield church members from the growing fear of immigration raids. Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino has announced a new rule that excuses people from the usual Sunday Mass requirement if they are truly afraid of possible immigration enforcement actions.
This decision came with a statement that was a direct response to recent federal immigration operations happening across the country. The Diocese of San Bernardino covers a large part of Southern California, including San Bernardino and Riverside counties, and serves about 1.6 million Roman Catholics. These counties have big Latino communities, many of whom are especially at risk under current immigration enforcement policies.
