Following news that a second person, Alex Pretti, had been shot and killed during immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminded the faithful: “Peace is built on respect for people.”
“Today, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that ‘the Gospel must be proclaimed and lived in every setting, serving as a leaven of fraternity and peace among all individuals, cultures, religions and peoples.’
“It is with this in mind that I prayerfully urge calm, restraint, and respect for human life in Minneapolis, and all those places where peace is threatened. Public authorities especially have a responsibility to safeguard the well-being of people in service to the common good.
“As a nation we must come together in dialogue, turning away from dehumanizing rhetoric and acts which threaten human life. In this spirit, in unity with Pope Leo, it is important to proclaim, ‘Peace is built on respect for people!’”
Read Pope Leo’s Jan. 25 Angelus message
Read the statement from Archbishop Hebda, Archbishop of St. Paul & Minneapolis
Learn more:
U.S. Bishops issue special message on immigration (Nov. 2025)
Michigan Bishops issue FOCUS publication on Seeing Christ in the Immigrant (Spring 2025)
Making room at the inn and in our hearts this Christmas – Bishop Walkowiak’s Jan./Feb. 2026 FAITH Grand Rapids column (English | Español)