Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy mixed politics with religion during Sunday Mass this past weekend, speaking out against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We are witnessing a comprehensive governmental assault designed to produce fear and terror,” McElroy said during his homily at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. “It embraces as collateral damage, horrific, emotional suffering.”
The sermon came ahead of the 111th World Day of Migrants.
Cardinal McElroy joined WTOP’s Nick Iannelli to talk more about his homily and beliefs. Hear the full conversation and listen to the transcript below.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
- Nick Iannelli:
Did you receive any criticism for talking politics during your homily?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
I haven’t received much. I have in the past received criticisms about politics, but not particularly, no. For us in the church, it’s part of morality and the social teaching of the Catholic Church, and so when people are suffering, we have to speak to that question. Major political issues often have moral dimensions.
- Nick Iannelli:
You used words that are very unusual to hear from an archbishop when talking about political matters. It was striking to hear some of these words from you. You called the immigration policies a “crackdown,” and you said that it was a “profound injustice,” and you also called it “a governmental assault.” Did you have reservations in using some of that strong language?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
No, I didn’t have reservations because the types of words you are pointing to are two different dimensions. One is words that describe reality. For example, the word of crackdown and assault. Those are questions of what is going on.
The second dimension of it, the justice and moral issues, are the evaluative issues. How do we say that these actions do not represent what we as people, as a nation historically, have stood for, and we must stand up for that.
- Nick Iannelli:
When you knew that you were coming to Washington to become Archbishop, did you have that in your mind that you may have to be more political than if you were to go to other communities given the nature of Washington?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
No, because for the Catholic Church, this isn’t precisely a political issue. The church has no political role. It has a moral role in speaking to the moral dimensions of political questions, in terms of defending others, especially the poor and the vulnerable and those who are being oppressed.
- Nick Iannelli:
So you spoke out about the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Are there any other political issues that you plan to address?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
There will be other moral issues that arise in the political actions, both Democratic and Republican actors in Washington, in the years that I’m here, I’m sure. But the focus I have at this moment is really on the issue of immigrants, the undocumented, who have lived here for so many, often generations, and have built up wonderful lives and contributed to our society; and now find themselves uprooted and being tossed out of our society and separated from their families.
- Nick Iannelli:
Have you had a chance to speak with the president at all?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
I would certainly welcome such an opportunity. I’ve met with a number of other individuals in the administration for lengthy discussions that have been productive discussions.
- Nick Iannelli:
Are you willing to say who you’ve met with in the Trump administration?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
No. If those discussions are to have any substance, you can’t discuss the individuals we met with, what they’re saying, that impedes good discussion.
- Nick Iannelli:
Over the weekend, there was yet another attack at a church, this time in Michigan. Just weeks ago, there was an attack at a church in Minneapolis, people worshipping and then being attacked during this time of crisis in the United States. What do you say to worshippers who are lost right now when they hear that people can’t go to church without fear of something violent happening?
- Cardinal Robert McElroy:
Well, it’s part of the larger question of violence in our society and of guns in our society. We have been facing the terrible moral reality for so many years that children in our schools can’t go to school and be safe, and now we face it in our churches.
It’s a terrible moment for us as a society to step back and face it on the questions of violence and what propagates it, and the question of guns and how they are utilized in our society to kill people, and this anger in our society. We are in a moment of great political, divisive anger, and we need to come to a way of dialoguing on these issues, because that road we’re headed on is very dangerous. It already is dangerous.
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