When Pedro Arrupe, S.J., founded Jesuit Refugee Service in 1980, there were approximately 10 million forcibly displaced people in the world. Today, there are 120 million.
“These are clear signs that the president-elect intends to carry out some of the worst campaign promises, including mass deportation,” Dylan Corbett, the executive director of Hope Border Institute, told America.
At the annual U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, leaders announced their support and promise to defend immigrants and the poor––vowing to speak out in the event of mass deportations.
This election highlights the deep divisions in American society. But perhaps the strange working of mercy and providence is evident even there, keeping us attentive to the need for conversion and reconciliation.