Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Minneapolis-St. Paul released a statement following the second shooting by federal immigration officers in the city. The Archbishop called for prayer for the victim, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, his family, and all involved parties, including law enforcement. Hebda urged people to seek ways to restore peace and overcome hatreds to see everyone as created in God's image, including undocumented neighbors and elected officials. The Archdiocese scheduled times for Eucharistic Adoration and a Votive Mass for the Preservation of Peace at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. A separate Mass for Alex Pretti was scheduled for the evening at the Basilica of Saint Mary.
about 1 month ago
A second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers (ICE) occurred in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, claiming the life of Alex Jeffrey Pretti.1
Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Minneapolis-St. Paul issued a statement on January 25, addressing the tragedy amid ongoing tensions in Minnesota.1
Hebda urged all people of good will to pray for Pretti, his parents, and loved ones.1
He emphasized restoring "the Lord’s peace" by eliminating hatred and prejudices that hinder seeing others as "brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of God."1
The archbishop extended prayers to undocumented neighbors, elected officials, and law enforcement officers enforcing immigration laws.1
He described the latter's role as having the "unenviable responsibility," calling for humble prayers for everyone.1
On the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul—a patronal feast for the archdiocese—the Cathedral of Saint Paul opened for afternoon Eucharistic Adoration.1
This included the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 4:00 p.m., Benediction at 4:30 p.m., and a Votive Mass for the Preservation of Peace at 5:00 p.m., led by Hebda.1
The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis scheduled its Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass for Pretti, his family, and the Twin Cities community.1
Investigate Catholic teachings on justice and mercy toward immigrants
Catholic teachings on justice and mercy toward immigrants are deeply rooted in the Gospel mandate to love one's neighbor as oneself, viewing every stranger as an image of Christ Himself. This tradition emphasizes both individual acts of compassion—such as welcoming, feeding, and clothing—and systemic commitments to human dignity, integration, and the common good, transcending national borders and cultural differences. Drawing from Scripture, papal encyclicals, and longstanding Church social doctrine, these teachings call for a balanced approach that combines merciful outreach with the pursuit of just structures, condemning exploitation while promoting fraternity among all peoples.
At the heart of Catholic teaching lies Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25:35-40, where welcoming the stranger is equated with receiving Christ: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Commentary on Matthew, interprets this as one of the corporal works of mercy, alongside clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and aiding those in prison—needs that apply directly to immigrants facing displacement, poverty, or affliction. Aquinas stresses hospitality, citing Hebrews 13:2: "Do not neglect hospitality, for by this some have entertained angels unawares," and underscores that prisons symbolize any "affliction," making immigrants' hardships a direct call to action.
He nuances this mercy by prioritizing aid to the virtuous—"give to the merciful and uphold not the sinner" (Sir 12:4)—yet insists on helping even sinners in extreme need, not to enable sin but to sustain nature. This reflects a merciful disposition that sees acts for the needy as done "to one of these, my least brethren," uniting head and members in Christ's body. Similarly, in his Commentary on John, Aquinas links serving the faithful poor to "anointing the feet of Jesus," using surplus goods for neighbors as alms, while critiquing hypocritical concern for the poor, as in Judas' feigned piety. These commentaries ground mercy in humility: the just respond in wonder, "When did we see you a stranger?" because such service flows naturally from love.
Popes have consistently framed immigrants within the universal call to fraternity, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis opens with Francis' counsel to love one's brother "as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him," fostering openness regardless of geography, birth, or proximity. This echoes Francis' own perilous journey to meet Sultan Malik-el-Kamil amid the Crusades, modeling humble subjection to nonbelievers without renouncing faith— a radical openness to dialogue over hostility.
Pope John Paul II, in his 1987 address to U.S. bishops, celebrates the Church's ethnic universality and inculturation, urging evangelization in migrants' languages and symbols without betraying truth (citing Paul VI's Evangelii Nuntiandi). He praises the U.S. Church's history of welcoming immigrants—from east coast waves to Los Angeles as a new entry point—commending efforts to legalize millions of undocumented, fulfilling "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35). This pastoral care extends to refugees and the poor, aligning justice with peace.
Justice toward immigrants demands recognizing their "inherent dignity as any person," rejecting xenophobia that treats them as lesser humans for political gain. Fratelli Tutti warns against decisions that implicitly deny their worth, insisting Christians prioritize faith convictions like fraternal love over preferences. Pope Leo XIV's Dilexi te (2025) reaffirms this, highlighting saints like John Baptist Scalabrini and Frances Xavier Cabrini, who founded missions for migrants, offering spiritual, legal, and material aid. Scalabrini envisioned a Church without barriers; Cabrini built schools and orphanages for exploited newcomers. Leo XIV invokes Pope Francis' four verbs—"welcome, protect, promote, and integrate"—for migrants as for all on peripheries, seeing them not as problems but "brothers and sisters" bearing Christ's image, opportunities for just societies.
Broader social doctrine ties this to economic justice. Centesimus Annus (John Paul II) calls love for the poor—often immigrants—concrete in promoting justice, not mere surplus-giving but enabling marginalized peoples' entry into development through lifestyle changes, fair production, and international coordination prioritizing the needy over market powers. The U.S. bishops' Forming Consciences echoes this: treating others as "the prolongation of the incarnation" (Mt 25:40), measuring mercy by what we give, building a "civilization of love." Centesimus Annus further positions social doctrine as essential to evangelization, analyzing realities like migration for Gospel-based solutions.
Mercy manifests in concrete aid—reception centers, border missions, Caritas—but demands discernment against manipulation, as Fratelli Tutti decries religions twisted for violence, reiterating the Abu Dhabi appeal: in God's name, affirm equal dignity, protect life, aid the poor and refugees, foster dialogue over extremism. God needs no defense through terror; instead, mutual cooperation builds fraternity.
Church history exemplifies this: women's congregations educating poor immigrants, forming consciences amid illiteracy; Teresa of Calcutta serving the destitute, proclaiming God's love to affirm dignity. Justice and mercy intertwine—no full justice without seeing the poor as Christ, risking change for their enrichment.
In summary, Catholic teachings integrate justice and mercy toward immigrants as imperatives of faith: scriptural mercy welcomes strangers as Christ; papal doctrine demands dignified integration against fear; social teaching urges structural reform for the common good. This forms consciences for faithful citizenship, urging dialogue, protection, and love that builds bridges where walls rise, faithful to the Church's mission of fraternity.