TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Catholic bishops from across the Southwest gathered in Nogales on Friday for Border Mass 250, a service centered on faith,migration, and human dignity.
Catholic dioceses from the U.S. and Mexico preached to a united congregation on the state of the country, focusing on the plight of immigrants just ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Tucson Bishop James A. Misko led the congregation in prayer with a message of support to immigrants across the Catholic faith.
"First and foremost, the human condition is a migrating experience. Humans have been migrating for centuries. For hundreds of thousands of years, people have been migrating to improve their lives," Misko said.
Bishop Misko and the diocese from across the southwestern United States gathered at the Nogales border as a show of unity within the congregation.
Deacon Robert Vigil of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe said the gathering carried a message of solidarity.
"I think tonight is going to be a good representation of solidarity, that people are people, and we all need each other," Vigil said. "So I think tonight's going to be a sign of hope, especially for our immigrant community, who is struggling and continues to struggle."
The meeting of faith came after the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Trump Administration to end Temporary Protected Status for thousands of asylum seekers on Thursday, scaling back protections for immigrants.
Misko addressed the Church's position on border policy directly.
"The Church holds to be true is that nations do have a responsibility and a right to manage their borders," Misko said. " The Church has never been for open borders, but rather the Church is for borders being managed properly."
At the end of the service, Misko led the congregation to the border to join hands with the dioceses in Nogales.
While Misko and church leaders acknowledged sovereign borders, they emphasized that the Church and the country should treat each other with grace.
"The Church always holds to be true that human dignity is the very foundation of migration. And so we do hold to be true that nations should manage their borders based on human dignity, on the care of the human person," Misko said.