Free Republic

San Bernardino bishop dispenses Sunday obligation over ICE fearsBishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino issued a dispensation from Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation July 8, citing “genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions” among parishioners.In his letter to the faithful, Bishop Rojas cited Canon 87 §1, which allows diocesan bishops to exempt parishioners from universal norms “whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good.” “All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions,” he wrote, “are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days...

The sun was bright and the sky was blue on Saturday morning as I enjoyed breakfast with a friend at my wife’s restaurant in downtown Santa Ana. We were talking about how Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will bounce all over the Kansas City Chiefs defense like a pinball during the Super Bowl, when the sound of faint yelling made us look outside. Street preachers, boisterous hipsters and people blasting corridos and oldies are part of the neighborhood’s soundtrack, so we went back to our chat. But the faraway noise kept getting louder and louder until it began to...