A recent survey that reveals a mixed-bag of Catholic perceptions on immigration, including responses that don’t align with Church teaching, brings Bishop Mark Seitz back to the question that Church leaders often grapple with in this age of secularization: How can they form the conscience of their members, and shape them according to Christ’s message?
“That gets down to the very basis, the very foundation, of how we as a Church can help people to live a Christian life, and the truth is that we are very limited in that, especially now that people are losing the conviction that part of being a Catholic/Christian is worshiping on Sunday,” Seitz, the bishop of El Paso and Chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference Committee on Migration, told Crux.
“As we lose that conviction, we don’t even have them for that 50 minutes to an hour on Sunday, but that is such a bare minimum,” Seitz explained. “So where do Catholics/Christians turn? Where can they turn to really hear how the gospel should be impacting their daily lives? That’s a significant problem.”
The survey on Catholic perceptions of immigration, titled “U.S. Catholics’ Attitudes about Immigration, Migrants, and Refugees” was published by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in June.
To compile the data CARA surveyed 1,342 self-identified Catholics from December 13th to the 28th. The respondents were split relatively evenly among men and women, and among people over the age of 18. The majority of respondents were non-Hispanic white (55 percent), with Hispanics making up another 37 percent of respondents. The remaining 8 percent of respondents are people of other races and ethnicities.
The respondents were split relatively even among Democrats, Republicans and Independents.
As the nation’s immigration challenges have unfolded in recent years, with a record number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, Church leaders, Seitz chief among them, have professed a message that the country has a right and responsibility to secure its border, while also highlighting the need to serve and welcome those who arrive and were forced to leave their homes.
When asked if immigration to the United States makes the situation in the country “better,” or “worse,” the highest percentage of respondents said immigration makes the country “worse” in terms of the economy, social and moral values, taxes, and crime. The only categories where “worse” wasn’t the most frequent response were food, music and the arts, and job opportunities.
Further, 43 percent of respondents said that immigration should be decreased. 74 percent of respondents said that the situation at the border is either a “crisis” or a “major problem.” 50 percent of respondents said they “favor strongly” or “favor somewhat” expanding construction of walls along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The survey shows 44 percent of respondents also agree “somewhat” or “strongly” with the decisions of the governors of Texas and Florida to send migrants from their states to California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania – a practice that Church leaders have often spoken out against.
Conversely, when prompted with statements regarding Church teaching on immigration – including on the call of Catholics to welcome migrants and help them receive opportunities, and the preferential concern the weak and vulnerable deserve – respondents overwhelmingly agreed, with more than 65 percent of respondents supporting the message. 54 percent of respondents also said that their Catholic faith “somewhat” or “very much” informs their opinions about migrants and refugees.
The survey also found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans and Independents to follow and hold important the Church’s teaching on immigration, as are weekly Mass attenders.
On those realities, Seitz highlighted that the group of people someone is associated with and listens to on a regular basis have a significant influence on that person’s beliefs, which is why he emphasized the need to get people back into the pews on Sunday.
“It’s not enough, but it’s the starting point,” Seitz said. “The most fundamental aspect of living a healthy Christian life is to worship God on Sunday and from there curiosity is stoked … the door is open for them to learn more about the teachings of the Church that are such a treasure trove for living a happy, healthy, holy life.”
Seitz said that the responses to CARA’s survey had both positive and concerning responses. He said he was pleased to see the number of people who seem to have a familiarity with Church teaching on immigration, and who take that teaching to heart. He was, however, concerned to see responses that reflect what’s said by politicians and portrayed in secular media that often isn’t the reality.
Seitz said that overall, the survey showed that there is an openness of Catholics to learn about immigration, and to have their consciences and behaviors formed by the Church. He noted that one important step the Church can take is fostering more opportunities of encounter.
“What’s the most powerful kind of impact to their opinion is the opportunity to encounter an immigrant,” Seitz explained. “That can have a tremendous impact on the way a person thinks about these issues. When they’re real human beings, and we’ve seen their face and we’ve heard their story then we assess these things in a very different way.”
