Trump ICE raids prompt Catholic bishop to exempt worshippers from Mass

A Catholic bishop in California has issued a rare decree allowing parishioners to miss Mass due to fears of raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino wrote that “such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful.”

Catholic bishops have occasionally granted Mass exemptions during natural disasters, war or societal events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. But this appears to be the first time a bishop has invoked such a decree over immigration enforcement.

“All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation, as provided for in Canon 1247, until such time as this decree is revoked or amended,” Rojas wrote in the decree released Tuesday.

The exemption is a remarkable step for Rojas to take because observant Catholics are required to attend Sunday Mass and certain holy days of obligation, such as All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and Christmas on Dec. 25.

Failure to attend Mass “unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor” is a mortal sin, according to the Roman Catholic Catechism.

Approximately 20% of U.S. adults, or around 53 million people, identify as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.

The Diocese of Sen Bernardino is among the largest in the United States, and serves approximately 1.6 million Catholics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California.

“In issuing this decree, I am guided by the Church’s mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all entrusted to my care, particular those who face fear or hardship,” Rojas wrote.

Rojas encouraged members of the diocese to find alternative ways to “maintain their spiritual communion with Christ,” including through virtual Masses when offered.

For decades, American presidents have traditionally limited the authority of federal agencies to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in sensitive locations like churches, hospitals and schools.

President Donald Trump revoked these restrictions on his first day in office. Since then, federal immigration officials have detained people suspected of being undocumented in schools and on church grounds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to the decree to highlight the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions, which have included ICE raids at stores and courthouses.

“Freedom of religion? Not in Donald Trump’s America,” Newsom wrote on X. “People now have to choose between their faith and their freedom.”

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the decree or Newsom’s comments.