A US Catholic diocese has suspended the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for immigrants who fear immigration raids.
Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino, California issued the decree dispensing from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass on Monday, 8 July, “in light of the pastoral needs of our diocese and the concerns expressed by many of our brothers and sisters regarding fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities.”
The bishop continued: “I, as your shepherd, issue this decree in accordance with my authority under the Code of Canon Law, particularly Canon 87 §1, which states: ‘A diocesan bishop, whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good, is able to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws issued for his territory or his subjects by the supreme authority of the Church.’”
