On becoming a sanctuary: Five points for Catholic institutions to consider

by Jim McDermott | Feb. 1, 2017

As President Donald Trump announces measures targeting the undocumented, refugees and those with green cards from certain countries, the possibility of offering some kind of sanctuary has leapt to the fore in many cities and among local groups.

The concept is an ancient one; in the Catholic tradition, the First Council of Orléans in 511 granted protection to anyone who sought asylum within a church or an ecclesiastical residence like the house of a bishop, even those guilty of the very worst crimes.

Today, however, the civil protections that sanctuary can offer are highly debatable. Jesuit Fr. Bryan Pham, a canon and civil lawyer practicing immigration law at Loyola Marymount University, presented a number of issues Catholic institutions should consider before making such a move.

Though most of what follows looks specifically at offering sanctuary to the undocumented, Pham finds the issues surrounding sanctuary for other groups, such as green-card holding foreign nationals, remains much the same.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/becoming-sanctuary-five-points-catholic-institutions-consider