"The stridency and polarization of politics in America today can be discouraging. 24 hour cable 'news' cycles have made 'politics' another form of entertainment as 'real' as professional wrestling," Archbishop Wenski wrote.
"'Share the journey' invites us to see through the eyes of others rather than turning a blind eye," he wrote.
Dioceses have already begun putting the campaign into practice. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced "DACA renewal workshops" which will help immigrants who would have benefitted from the program.
DACA, the "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals," was a program begun by the Obama administration to stay the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16 by their parents, who had lived in the U.S. for more than five years, were of a certain age, and who had no criminal record.
The Trump administration recently announced the phasing-out of the DACA program, affecting around 800,000 immigrants who would have benefitted from the program.
In light of this development, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is hosting workshops at parishes in the diocese to help immigrants benefitting from DACA apply for an extension of their stay in the U.S. by the Oct. 5 deadline.
"Here in the United States, millions of immigrants have been living in the shadows because of a broken immigration system," Archbishop Gomez said. "We will begin the 'Share the Journey' campaign in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by offering a series of workshops to help process extensions for those who qualify for DACA renewal."
Catholics can also advocate for policies that help migrants under the initiative, Canny said. They can ask their representatives in Congress to "at least maintain and expand international humanitarian assistance" to help resettle displaced persons back home and cut down on the number of refugees.
The initiative also comes as the Trump administration is reportedly planning to lower the number of refugees the U.S. accepts even further.
Originally, the Obama administration set a goal of 110,000 refugees that the U.S. would accept in the 2017 fiscal year, but President Donald Trump, in his executive order on immigration, ordered a four-month shutdown of the refugee resettlement program to investigate its security. He capped the total number of refugees at 50,000 for FY 2017.
Now, Axios reports that, according to sources within the Trump administration, the number could be lowered to 40,000 or 45,000 in FY 2018. The U.S. bishops' conference has called on the administration to accept 75,000 refugees in the upcoming fiscal year.
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Canny hoped that, amidst increasing polarization and hostility towards immigrants, the "Share the Journey" campaign would hopefully "check these tendencies" and "contribute to the national debate that's been shaped by politics, a national debate on immigration and welcoming refugees."
Matt Hadro was the political editor at Catholic News Agency through October 2021. He previously worked as CNA senior D.C. correspondent and as a press secretary for U.S. Congressman Chris Smith.