Mobile, Ala., Aug 3, 2011 / 18:17 pm
The Catholic Church and the Department of Justice have filed lawsuits to stop the enforcement of Alabama's new immigration law, which Governor Robert Bentley calls the “strongest” in the nation.
“No law is just which prevents the proclamation of the Gospel message, the baptizing of believers, or love shown to a neighbor in need,” Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile said in an Aug. 1 statement.
The Catholic archbishop has joined with several Protestant denominations in seeking relief from what they say is “the nation's most merciless anti-immigration legislation.” The clergy claim that the law criminalizes aspects of the Church's mission, interfering with the right to the free exercise of religion.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department filed its own lawsuit on Aug. 1, saying the law intrudes on the federal government's immigration policies and responsibilities.