Churchgoers in one Southern California diocese have been excused from attending services due to fears over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
A Catholic bishop in the diocese of San Bernardino issued a decree this week that members would not be obligated to attend Sunday Mass or other holy day observances, citing the “genuine fear” of immigration raids and deportations.
“All members of the Faithful in the Diocese of Jan Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation,” San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas announced.
Bishop Alberto Rojas issues a decree dispensing the obligation to attend Sunday Mass due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions.
Yesterday, Bishop Rojas released the decree, stating:
“Dispensation from the Obligation to Attend Mass: All members of the faithful in… pic.twitter.com/YvRePuAEvt— Diocese of San Bernardino (@sbdiocese) July 9, 2025
“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, I, as your shepherd, issue this decree in accordance with my authority,” the bishop wrote in the rare decree.
“Those dispensed from attending Mass are encouraged to maintain their spiritual communion with Christ and His Church through acts of personal prayer, reading of Sacred Scripture, or participation in devotions such as the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Where possible, the faithful may also participate in televised or online Masses offered by the diocese or other reputable Catholic sources,” the decree read.
Rojas enjoined church leaders ” to provide compassionate support to those affected by this fear.”
The Diocese of San Bernardino “is the sixth largest in the United States, and serves around 1 million Catholics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties,” according to Fox News.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom added his two cents, conveniently ignoring his own record.
“Freedom of religion? Not in Donald Trump’s America,” the Democrat wrote on X. “People now have to choose between their faith and their freedom.”
Freedom of religion? Not in Donald Trump’s America.
People now have to choose between their faith and their freedom. https://t.co/I3hN3RdX9A
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 9, 2025
“This is rich coming from Gavin Newsom, who shuttered churches during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened the movie industry, marijuana dispensaries, and other secular gathering places,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Religious Americans were locked out of their places of worship because of him. Newscum doesn’t care about religious liberty, he cares about flip-flopping around to try and exploit everything he can for perceived political gain.”
While Rojas had plenty of support for his move from those who support illegal immigration, many X users called out the bishop’s hypocrisy.
Bishop of San Bernardino dispenses the faithful from their Sunday Mass obligation
Once they did it for COVID they will do it for any excuse according to their woke agenda
This season’s fear porn is ICE raids
Instead of exhorting criminals to hand themselves over to… https://t.co/5eKqGWBdf4
— Deacon Nick Donnelly (@ProtecttheFaith) July 9, 2025
ICE is the new COVID and we’re gonna all go back to Zoom
— #NAFO Human (@uavictory22) July 9, 2025
It might go a long way to dispel fears of ICE raids during Mass to clarify that in U.S. legal history there are zero cases involving law enforcement officers arresting migrants during church services for immigration violations.
— Richard Beckman (@RichardBeckman8) July 10, 2025
Bishop Rojas is giving a dispensation to foreign nationals who have entered the USA illegally and thus broken the law. Invoking Our Lady of Guadeloupe to aid him is inappropriate.
I wonder if he has reached out to American citizens that have been negatively impacted by illegal…
— Wolfshead
(@WolfsheadOnline) July 9, 2025
Bishop Rojas of San Bernardino is apparently not understanding his Catholic Faith! Issuing a dispensation to those who fear deportation IS NOT helping anyone, and in fact makes a mockery of our Catholic Faith! If people are afraid of deportation then they should self deport.
— Julie (@juliegirl1948) July 10, 2025
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Author: Frieda Powers
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