Barres Responds to Pope Leo’s Call with Pastoral Immigration Guidance

(LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK) Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre is charting a cautious course as Pope Leo presses U.S. church leaders to take a harder public line against the immigration crackdown. While Pope Leo has urged American bishops to be “more forceful” and has condemned what he called “inhumane treatment” of migrants under President Trump’s 2025 enforcement policies, Barres has not shifted to a confrontational stance. He is keeping his focus on pastoral outreach, legal counseling, and charity programs rather than direct protests or civil disobedience.

Barres has made one boundary unmistakably clear: he will not declare a “sanctuary diocese.” He argues that such a declaration could raise false hopes for undocumented parishioners and does not work from a civil or practical perspective. His position aligns with similar views voiced by other church leaders who worry that a sanctuary label may promise protection the Church cannot legally provide. That limits the Diocese’s public posture even as it ramps up service-oriented support for immigrant families.

At the same time, Barres emphasizes outreach to Latino Catholics and immigrant communities through Catholic Charities and parish ministries. He points to legal counseling, job assistance, housing help, food banks, and small-group support as concrete ways parishes can steady families under stress. He describes Long Island parishes as “oases of mercy, oases of pastoral care and compassion,” drawing a firm line between welcoming ministry and any promise of formal sanctuary from deportation.

Pope Leo’s latest interventions set a sharper tone than Barres’s measured approach. The Pope has linked pro-life values to immigrant dignity and questioned the moral consistency of Catholics who back harsh enforcement tactics. He has called for public advocacy and direct action by Church leaders, challenging bishops to defend migrants more forcefully. Barres agrees on the dignity of immigrants and the need for compassionate care, but he has avoided direct confrontation with civil authorities and continues to stress legal compliance.

Pastoral Support Without a Sanctuary Label

Barres’s stance centers on accompaniment rather than activism. In recent remarks and public events, including a keynote meditation at a United Nations prayer service, he has lifted up the immigrant struggle and praised Catholic schools and parishes that serve as anchors for families, including those worried about gang violence.

His advocacy highlights:
– Community integration
– Safe pathways for youth
– Steady access to services

All of this is promoted without crossing into civil disobedience or symbolic sanctuary gestures.

Within the Diocese, that means more resources for:
– Legal information clinics and referrals through Catholic Charities
– Employment support and job-readiness training
– Emergency housing placement and rent help where available
– Food distribution and counseling for families under stress

Barres’s team frames these steps as immediate, practical ways to help people who fear family separation. The Diocese’s approach reflects a belief that charity and lawful assistance can co-exist with respect for civil process. It also reflects a desire to avoid overpromising what a parish or diocese can do when federal enforcement reaches a neighborhood.

For official information on immigration enforcement, readers can consult U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, debates over whether to claim the “sanctuary diocese” label often hinge on whether the term creates confusion about legal protections and the limits of church buildings as safe spaces. Barres’s decision attempts to avoid that confusion. He is choosing to grow services while staying away from symbolic moves that could imply a shield from United States 🇺🇸 immigration authorities.

Local Reaction and Wider Church Pressure

On Long Island, advocates and parishioners say they see the good in Barres’s steady support. Many families rely on parish food pantries, legal workshops, and English classes. Pastors report that parents ask for advice on how to talk to children about potential enforcement actions. Community organizers appreciate the Diocese’s outreach teams and the calm tone they set in visits and listening sessions.

At the same time, some wonder whether words about mercy will be matched by stronger public action in the face of the Pope’s challenge.

Pope Leo’s appeal for a more forceful stance lands at a sensitive moment. The immigration crackdown under President Trump’s 2025 enforcement agenda has stirred fear among mixed-status families and young adults who grew up in parish life. Parish leaders say they receive frequent questions about what might happen at home, at work, or on the way to school. Barres’s answer so far has been to deepen parish-based support structures while keeping the Diocese within legal boundaries.

His approach also reflects a broader calculation: charitable service often builds trust and keeps families connected to schools, sacraments, and counseling. Diocesan teams say those ties help them spot urgent needs early—such as:
– Mental health strain
– Housing loss
– Sudden loss of income when a breadwinner cannot work

By contrast, a “sanctuary diocese” announcement might draw headlines but risk confusing parishioners about what a church building can actually prevent.

Barres’s refusal to declare a sanctuary diocese does not signal indifference to policy. It instead shows a preference for quiet, sustained support that can be scaled at the parish level. He echoes Cardinal Cupich’s concern that sanctuary language can overpromise and underdeliver. Yet the contrast with Pope Leo remains stark: the Pope urges bishops to confront the moral costs of harsh enforcement; Barres focuses on care that remains clearly inside the law.

Practical Implications for Parishes and Schools

This tension raises practical questions for Catholic institutions. Schools and parishes will continue to see families ask for guidance on:
– Safe planning for emergencies
– Legal paperwork and documentation
– Day-to-day routines under stress

Church staff and volunteers will likely continue to:
– Accompany parishioners to court check-ins
– Help prepare document packets
– Provide translation and interpretation services

The Diocese frames these tasks as works of mercy that also promote stability in the wider community.

Barres’s public messaging underscores the power of local ministry. He points to catechists, social workers, and youth ministers who stand with children coping with fear or loss. He highlights mentors who steer teens from gang recruitment, and principals who keep school doors open to students whose parents are in detention or removal proceedings.

He seeks to anchor the conversation in the lives of families, not political rallies, and to draw energy to parish programs that deliver daily help.

Outlook and Ongoing Review

For many on Long Island, that focus lands well: they want church leaders who are present, practical, and visible in neighborhoods. Others, inspired by Pope Leo’s rhetoric, would like to see louder moral witness and publicly declared lines that the Church will not cross.

The coming months will test whether Barres’s service-first strategy can hold amid mounting calls to meet confrontation with confrontation. His stance—compassionate yet careful—leaves room for ongoing review. For now, he believes pastoral care and legal aid can do the most good and is betting that a strong network of ministries will protect families from isolation and despair.

Whether that is enough, as Pope Leo urges more direct action, remains the central question for a diocese trying to serve people caught in the middle of the immigration crackdown.