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The archdiocese this week put out a four-page letter entitled, "Justice and Mercy: The Case of Maribel Trujillo and the Catholic Church's Involvement," which outlines the situation of the mother of children between ages 3 and 14. She was a volunteer lector at St. Julie Billiart Church in Hamilton, reading scriptures during some services.
The church’s entire message offers answers to questions like:
- How did the Archdiocese of Cincinnati get involved?
- Why didn't Maribel come here legally to begin with or try to become a citizen?
- While the law might be dysfunctional, it's still the law. Doesn't the Church believe in the rule of law?
- We can't just turn a blind eye whenever we want to. On what basis does the Church plead for mercy?
- Why was so much attention given to this one immigrant? Is she the only one deserving of mercy?
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Among reasons the church gave for its support of Trujillo, officials wrote: “Maribel has no criminal record, and she is embraced by a large community who wants her to remain. Limited enforcement resources should prioritize true threats to society, not a breadwinning wife and mother. President Trump had conveyed such sentiments during his campaign, and so we urged the Administration to honor this sense of prioritization.”
Church leaders, noting Trujillo still has a pending appeal of her deportation on asylum grounds, asked that supporters do five things:
- Support her family with prayers and, if able, financially through a GoFundMe account that has been established
- Contact U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown at 202-224-2315 and Senator Rob Portman at 202-224-3353
- Contact the White House at www.whitehouse.gov/contact
- Consider having your parish or group sponsor the Archdiocese's "Restoring Order and Human Dignity" presentation
- Consider volunteering to help more local immigrants and refugees at Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio or Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley
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