SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
U.S. Catholic bishops took on two hot-button issues this week at their meeting in Baltimore - immigration enforcement and gender-affirming care for transgender people. Here to talk about what went on is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Hi, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
DETROW: Let's start with immigration. What did the bishops say?
DEROSE: Well, they approved a statement that reads, in part, quote, "we are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement." But it goes on to say, quote, "we recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good." Now, at one point, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago argued for even stronger language.
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BLASE CUPICH: Should we not say that we oppose the indiscriminate deportation of people which is taking place today? I think that's a central issue.
DEROSE: And, Scott, that language was added. You know, 3 in 10 Catholics in the U.S. are immigrants, according to Pew Research, so this is a crucial issue for the church here. And our reporting has shown that attendance is down at some predominantly Latino congregations around the U.S. because of fears of immigration actions.
DETROW: Now, there had been a lot of hope from some quarters that the bishops would go further, they would say more, right?
DEROSE: Right. Statements like this are fairly rare, so when they happen, people know it's serious - right? - and since the last time they made one of these was a dozen years ago to criticize some provisions of the Affordable Care Act. So having said that, at least one bishop at the meeting said this statement on immigration didn't go far enough. And perhaps more importantly, Pope Leo had asked bishops to speak out clearly and strongly. Last week, Leo himself spoke to reporters outside Rome and said he was deeply concerned about the treatment of immigrants in the U.S., especially that some were being denied the Eucharist.
DETROW: Let's talk about another topic. What actions did the Catholic bishops take regarding treatment for transgender people at Catholic hospitals?
DEROSE: Well, they're officially barring those hospitals run by the church from providing gender-affirming care for trans people, such as hormone treatment or surgeries. Here's Bishop Robert Barron from Minnesota speaking during the meeting, describing a conversation he had with the late Pope Francis on the topic.
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ROBERT BARRON: As we were ending a three-hour discussion with him, he specifically said to us, I want you to fight gender ideology, which is repugnant to the Bible and to our tradition.
DEROSE: Now, these new rules also say Catholic hospitals can't refer trans people elsewhere for care, and that's similar to how these hospitals also deal with contraception and abortion care, for example. Now, this directive from the Catholic bishops comes as other religious leaders are publicly expressing their support for trans people. Just yesterday, the leaders of a number of denominations, including Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Reform Jews, put out a statement that said, quote, "our faiths call on us to proclaim that transgender, intersex and nonbinary people deserve respect, love and equal rights."
DETROW: How do these actions and statements by the bishops square with the beliefs of everyday Catholics?
DEROSE: Well, you know, there's a clear disconnect between what the church and the bishops teach and what Catholics actually believe and do. Polling shows, for instance, that majorities of Catholics favor contraception from some form of birth control, abortion rights and LGBTQ rights. But it's not just a disconnect with people in the pews. It's also a disconnect with the pope. Pope Leo asked bishops to speak out strongly on immigration. Instead, they took a more pastoral approach, I might say, expressing their concern for their flock rather than what might be called a prophetic approach, calling for change.
Now, at the same time, they elected a new conference president this week and went with a clear conservative, Archbishop Paul Coakley from Oklahoma City. He beat out another bishop from a diocese on the U.S. southern border, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas. However, Flores was elected vice president of the conference, which some Catholics who care about - a lot about - immigration see as a sign of hope.
DETROW: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Jason, thanks so much.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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