The Catholic bishop of Pensacola–Tallahassee has issued a pastoral letter urging local Catholics to place immigration inside the Church’s pro-life ethic, arguing that mercy and family unity should guide how the region responds to migrants.
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Released Tuesday during Respect Life Month, the letter from Bishop William A. Wack connects Scripture, Church teaching, and current events to parish life in Northwest Florida. Without naming specific policies or politicians, Wack framed the debate in moral rather than partisan terms, writing, “I call on all Catholics in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee to set aside partisan talking points and reflect instead as disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Wack described immigration as part of a broader “culture of life” and said the diocese is already feeling the human consequences of enforcement actions. He warned against rhetoric that paints all immigrants as dangerous and pressed for changes to law and practice so that justice and mercy are upheld together.
“While we rightly affirm that law enforcement has a responsibility to apprehend and detain individuals who commit crimes,” he wrote, “we must resist the dangerous narrative that every immigrant is a threat; someone to be parodied, punished, and deported.”
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Family separation is a central moral concern in the letter. The bishop asked, “Can we accept that more children are being pushed into the foster care system because both parents have been deported?” He added that safeguarding the border does not justify blanket suspicion: “In our efforts to safeguard our borders, we must carefully distinguish between those individuals who intend harm and those who seek hope.”
Wack grounded his appeal in Catholic sources, citing the biblical command to care for the stranger and quoting the Catechism on the duties of prosperous nations: “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.”
The letter arrives amid a broader push from Rome. Since his election in May, Pope Leo XIV has sustained his predecessor’s focus on migrants and the poor—warning in his first teaching document, "I Have Loved You," that elites risk living “in a bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor, including migrants, are pushed to the margins. Earlier this month, in a meeting with U.S. Catholic leaders focused on migration advocacy, he voiced strong support for their efforts, telling them, “You stand with me and I stand with you,” according to Dylan Corbett, founding executive director of the Hope Border Institute, who attended the session. Corbett told Politico that the pope urged American bishops to be “more united and more forceful” in defending migrant families and that he appeared “very well-briefed and informed and concerned” about the U.S. immigration debate. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has echoed that message during this year’s National Migration Week, themed “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope,” calling for reforms that preserve family unity and uphold the dignity of the person.
Wack's letter invited practical responses—prayer, education, parish-based pastoral care, and public advocacy—and directed Catholics to learn more about Church social teaching and immigration history. It also referenced local impacts from recent enforcement.
"The immigrant detention center in the Everglades – tragically dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' – received many of our brothers and sisters," he wrote, "some from our own diocese, who were taken from their workplaces and their families suddenly and without notice."
Catholic social teaching holds several principles together at once: the dignity of each person; a consistent concern for the poor and vulnerable; the importance of family unity; solidarity and the common good; and the legitimate role of governments in regulating borders and enforcing just laws. The Church does not prescribe a single immigration blueprint. Instead, it leaves room for debate over how to apply shared principles in concrete policy—what Catholic moralists often call “prudential judgment.” Some Catholics emphasize sovereignty, resource constraints, and public safety, arguing for stricter enforcement and faster removals—so long as abuses are prevented. Others stress the risks of criminalization and family separation, urging broader legal pathways and limits on detention. Wack’s letter locates itself in that spectrum by warning against dehumanizing narratives, calling for reforms that protect families and due process, and rooting his appeal in Scripture and the Catechism.
While the letter spoke generally, its timing and examples were local. Parishes in the region include mixed-status families who may face disruption when a breadwinner is detained or deported. Wack wrote that the diocese has “come together in times of great need,” and he asked parishioners to extend that same ethic to immigrants they encounter—in parishes, workplaces, and schools—so that mercy and accompaniment temper the harsher edges of enforcement.
The bishop closed the letter by framing the issue as a test of Christian discipleship and communal identity, not just public policy.
“Our nation has long been a beacon for those fleeing violence, persecution, and extreme poverty,” he wrote. “As people of faith, may we choose hope and life – not just for ourselves and our loved ones, but for every child of God.”
