“Brothers and sisters, As pastor, I have heard a great deal of conversation in recent weeks, and I have spoken with a number of individuals about how deeply the events in our country have weighed on their hearts. Many are anxious, many are troubled, and many are searching for clarity. So I thought I would offer a few thoughts of my own:

The Church teaches that lawful authority has a rightful place in society. Holy Scripture calls us to pray for rulers and to honor just laws, because a peaceful and ordered society protects the vulnerable and allows charity to flourish. Authority is not an evil thing. Saint Paul reminds us that society cannot function without order, and that just laws serve the common good.

Saint Thomas Aquinas offers a wise and balanced perspective that remains very relevant today. Aquinas taught that every nation has the right and responsibility to regulate immigration prudently for the sake of justice and security. Reflecting on the Old Testament, he noted that Israel did not treat all foreigners in the same way. Some peoples were welcomed more easily because they could integrate peacefully, while others who were hostile were not admitted at all. Aquinas saw this not as hatred, but as responsible governance.

He also distinguished between different kinds of foreigners: travelers passing through, residents living in the land, and those seeking full membership in the community. Even then, Aquinas emphasized that full integration takes time and must happen in an orderly way – a three-year probationary period of formation and discernment before full membership.

His reasoning was simple: if newcomers are immediately given full influence before they understand the culture, language, and common good of the nation, real dangers can arise. Charity, therefore, must always be guided by prudence.

Welcoming the stranger is a Christian duty, but it must be done in a way that preserves peace, justice, and the common good. Mercy does not mean lawlessness, and compassion cannot be separated from responsibility.

At the same time, we know that in our world today there are real and heartbreaking conflicts at the edges of society, where protest meets law enforcement. Some demonstrations are peaceful and legitimate, but others can turn chaotic. When that happens, people—both protesters and officers—can be put in grave danger.

Many in our community serve in law enforcement, and I want to say plainly: to protect the public, to uphold the law, and to preserve peace is a noble duty. It is not something to be mocked or demonized.

Now, people may have the right to express concerns, but we must also speak honestly: when protests become violent, chaotic, or lawless, they stop being acts of justice and become acts of disorder. Disorder always harms the innocent.

No cause, however just, excuses violent unrest. When people choose reckless confrontation, when they provoke violence or inflame chaos, they bear responsibility for what follows. Tragedy is never something to celebrate, but neither can we pretend that irresponsible actions have no consequences. That is not martyrdom—it is disorder.

The Christian way is not chaos.

The Christian way is peace.

So we pray: for migrants and the vulnerable, for just and humane laws, and for those entrusted with enforcing the law, who often serve quietly, courageously, and at great personal cost.

Mercy does not mean mobs.

Charity does not mean disorder.

Justice does not mean lawlessness.

God calls us to compassion, yes—but also to truth, peace, and responsibility.”