Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago called Catholics to see advocacy for immigrants as an essential expression of Christian discipleship, telling the faithful that serving migrants and defending their dignity cannot be separated from worship.
The remarks came during an Oct. 3 Mass opening “City of Welcome: A Teach-in on Catholic Solidarity and the Journey of Migration” in Chicago, an event focused on the Church’s response to migrants and refugees.
According to the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cupich told those gathered that “advocacy for immigrants belongs to every single disciple of Jesus, and it is, in its truest sense, an act of divine worship.”
Cupich began by reflecting on Chicago’s long history of immigration and migration, pointing to generations of newcomers who established families, neighborhoods and parishes throughout the city.
But the cardinal argued that the country’s traditional “spirit of welcome” has weakened amid growing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement.
According to LifeSiteNews, Cupich pointed to the U.S. bishops’ November 2025 Special Message on immigration, which expressed concern over what the bishops described as a “climate of fear and anxiety” surrounding immigration enforcement, detention conditions, access to pastoral care and the separation of families.
“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in that message, while also calling for meaningful immigration reform and an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence directed either at immigrants or law enforcement.
Cupich connected the issue directly to Scripture, citing the biblical command to “love the stranger” and Christ’s teaching in Matthew 25 that what is done for the vulnerable is done for Him.
According to his homily, Cupich said Catholics should recognize Christ in migrants experiencing poverty, displacement and exploitation.
“When undocumented workers are exploited because they lack legal protection, Christ is being exploited,” Cupich said. He added that when Catholic parishes provide food, clothing, legal assistance and other support, “we are encountering Christ, we are engaging in eucharistic discipleship.”
The cardinal also invoked St. John Chrysostom’s teaching connecting reverence for Christ in the Eucharist with care for Christ in the poor and marginalized.
Cupich argued that Catholic concern for migrants therefore goes beyond humanitarian assistance alone. “By serving, loving and honoring the least among us,” he said, Catholics recognize Christ Himself in those who suffer.
The cardinal called for what he described as “significant and common-sense immigration reform,” humane conduct by law enforcement, accountability for violations of human rights, pastoral access to people held in detention centers, and expanded parish efforts to feed, clothe, house and educate people in need.
The Catholic Church’s teaching on immigration, however, encompasses both the duty to welcome migrants and the responsibility of governments to regulate immigration for the common good.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that prosperous nations are obliged, “to the extent they are able,” to welcome foreigners seeking security and the necessities of life unavailable in their countries of origin.
At the same time, the Catechism explicitly recognizes the authority of governments to establish immigration laws. Political authorities “may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions,” according to paragraph 2241. The Catechism also teaches that immigrants have a duty “to obey” the laws of the country receiving them and contribute to its civic responsibilities.
Those principles place Catholic immigration teaching within a broader framework: the dignity of migrants must be protected, families and vulnerable people deserve compassionate treatment, and nations retain legitimate authority to regulate their borders in pursuit of the common good.
Cupich’s remarks emphasized the first of those responsibilities, urging Catholics not to allow political debates over immigration to obscure the human beings affected by enforcement and migration.
The October 3 gathering brought together Catholic leaders, theologians, immigrants, advocates and community organizations for prayer, education and workshops on refugee assistance, immigration court accompaniment and other forms of service.
According to the Archdiocese of Chicago, the event was intended to provide Catholics with both a theological understanding of migration and practical opportunities to assist migrants and refugees.
For Cupich, that work ultimately flows from the Christian obligation to recognize Christ in those who are vulnerable.
“Let our North Star always be the firm conviction,” he concluded, “that our advocacy for immigrants belongs to every single disciple of Jesus, and it is, in its truest sense, an act of divine worship.”
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