Ohio bishops demand respect for ‘infinite dignity’ of migrants amid viral false claims and threats

By OSV News

Ohio bishops are urging Catholics and all people of good will to “turn to God and ask for eyes that can see the infinite dignity of every human being,” amid false claims about Haitian immigrants in the state’s city of Springfield that have led to bomb threats and hoaxes.

“Today our nation is divided by partisanship and ideology, which blind us to the image of God in our neighbor, especially the unborn, the poor and the stranger,” the bishops said in a Sept. 19 statement.

“These negative feelings are only exacerbated by gossip, which can spread quickly via social media with little regard for the truth or those involved,” the Catholic bishops of Ohio said in their statement.

During a presidential debate broadcast on September 10, former President Donald Trump — referring to an influx of some 15,000 legal Haitian migrants into Springfield — declared to 67 million viewers: “In Springfield, they eat the dogs. The people that came here. They eat the cats. They eat — they eat the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country.”

When ABC News debate moderator David Muir countered that the city’s city manager had advised the network that there were “no credible reports of specific allegations that pets were abused, injured or mistreated by individuals within the immigrant community,” Trump repeated the accusation and concluded, “We’ll look into it.”

The day before, Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, had begun spreading the rumor — believed to have spread on social media — while his staff had been informed by officials in Springfield that it was “unfounded.”

Vance, who also claimed that infectious diseases had spread due to the migrants’ presence — The Wall Street Journal later reported that the claim was contradicted by county health records showing infectious diseases were at their lowest level since 2015 — insisted in an interview with CNN that he had received “firsthand accounts from my constituents” about the pet-eating claims. But he conceded to interviewer Dana Bash: “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, that’s what I’m going to do, because you’re letting Kamala Harris do what she wants.”

But the Ohio bishops pointed to the warning in the Epistle of St. James that the “tongue is a fire,” with the New Testament writer cautioning the faithful to consider “how a small fire can set a great forest on fire.”

“As the residents of Springfield, Ohio struggle with violent threats and disruptions to their lives fueled by rampant social media posts, we urge the Catholic faithful and all people of good will not to harbor ill will toward anyone involved based on unfounded rumors,” they said. “Instead, we ask for prayers and support for all the people of Springfield as they integrate their new Haitian neighbors and build a better future together.”

The Ohio bishops said, “Throughout our nation’s history, Catholic immigrants have come to our shores seeking freedom to practice their faith and raise their families.”

They cited Pope Pius XII’s 1952 Apostolic Constitution, “Exsul Familia Nazarethana,” in which the pope noted: “There has indeed never been a period in which the Church has not been active in behalf of migrants, exiles and refugees.”

The bishops also pointed to the root causes of migration, which is at a record high worldwide — with an estimated 281 million international migrants, according to a United Nations report in May — as a result of conflict, persecution, political instability, transnational crime, economic hardship and environmental disasters.

“Today we are witnessing newcomers to our dioceses who have escaped extreme violence and poverty and are seeking work to support themselves and their families,” they said. “Some are Catholic, some are not, but all are welcome in our parishes and all are loved by God.

“What is our obligation, as Catholics, to ensure that all segments of our society, including our political leaders, see newcomers first as children of God, while understanding the need to impose reasonable restrictions on legal immigration?” they asked. “Do we ask ourselves how we would want to be received if we were forced to flee our homes?”

The bishops also pointed out that the Haitian migrants in Springfield, the subject of these unsubstantiated rumors, are legally allowed to be there.

“Our Haitian brothers and sisters in Springfield have been granted Temporary Protected Status, a humane federal program that protects foreign nationals from deportation to unsafe home countries,” they said. TPS is consistent with the United Nations principle of non-refoulement, under which no migrant, regardless of migration status, should be returned to a country where he or she would face torture, inhuman treatment, or irreparable harm.

The bishops acknowledged that “the recent influx of so many immigrants in a short period of time has placed a strain on the city’s resources,” and praised “community groups who are working hard to promote Springfield’s thriving, given the need to integrate newcomers into the social fabric.”

“If we stay true to our principles, we can have a dialogue about immigration without scapegoating groups of people for social problems beyond their control,” they said.

The bishops also stressed that the Catholic Church wants to address the root causes of migration and “continues to pray and work in places of violence and economic desperation so that individuals and families do not have to flee their homelands.”

The bishops also noted that “Pope Francis, like Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II before him, reminds us that we are all migrants on this earth, on our way to the ‘true homeland,’ the Kingdom of Heaven.”

In view of the Church’s upcoming World Migrant and Refugee Day on September 29, the bishops noted that “the Holy Father asks us to reflect on the need to open our eyes to those brothers and sisters who live in the shadow of our parishes and communities.”

“Let us reject the mentality of judging who belongs to our community and adopt the mind of Christ to understand that God walks with all his people, especially those in need,” the bishops said.

The letter was signed by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati; Bishop David J. Bonnar of Youngstown; Bishop John Michael Botean of the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton; Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma; Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus; Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who currently serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville; Bishop Edward C. Malesic and Auxiliary Bishop Michael G. Woost of Cleveland; Bishop Robert M. Pipta of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma; and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo.