The Deacon's Bench
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse “stands at the ready” to help temporarily house migrant children from Central America who are awaiting deportation hearings, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham said today.
In an open letter to the community, Cunningham said the Diocese of Syracuse would be a willing partner to help take care of the children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human services is considering former convents and the former Maria Regina College owned by the Sisters of St. Francis on Syracuse’s North Side as a potential site for temporary housing.
Cunningham said he is aware that the issue has been the subject of intense debate, and will continue to be in the future, but in the interim he said the church has an obligation to help.
“In the midst of this debate that will continue over the course of months, one fact remains,” Cunningham wrote. “We must care for the children. Whether we agree with the method or the circumstance, the fact is that there are 52,000-plus children who are in our country who are in need right now.”
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