Archbishop Coakley urges prayer and unity as U.S. bishops confront the moral challenge of ICE enforcement and unrest in Minneapolis.
Newsroom (02/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) As anger and unrest grip Minneapolis following two fatal shootings by federal agents, Archbishop Paul Coakley says the issue of immigration enforcement has become impossible for the Catholic Church in the United States to sidestep. The faithful, he urged, must turn to prayer for grace, courage, and discernment in confronting what he called “a very difficult and challenging situation on the ground.”
Speaking in a Jan. 30 interview with EWTN News In Depth, Coakley described immigration as “a very high priority” for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which he leads as president. The recent deaths of Renee Good, shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti, killed by federal officers on Jan. 24, have intensified scrutiny of federal law enforcement and the broader national debate surrounding immigration and public safety.
In response, Coakley called on bishops and priests nationwide to hold a Holy Hour for peace, inviting Catholics to bring their fears and divisions before the Eucharist. “We felt prompted to change the tone of the conversation,” he said, “and call people to give witness by prayer.”
“An Issue We Simply Can’t Avoid”
Coakley emphasized that the Church cannot separate itself from the struggles facing both migrants and law enforcement officers. “This is impacting so many of our people,” he said. “People are wondering what the proper and appropriate response is for Catholics, Christians, and people of goodwill in the face of a nearly unprecedented situation.”
The USCCB, Coakley noted, reaffirmed its commitment to immigration reform at its fall assembly last November with a near-unanimous message supporting humane and just enforcement practices. For Coakley, the Church’s role is not political but pastoral — standing with all affected by the turmoil, offering moral clarity and hope.
Working with National Leaders
Earlier in January, Coakley met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss immigration challenges, including delays in processing R‑1 visas for religious workers. The meeting yielded immediate relief for priests, sisters, and other religious personnel struggling to renew visas needed to serve in U.S. parishes.
“The administration listened and heard,” Coakley said, calling the progress encouraging. “We did discuss other matters, of course, including meaningful immigration reform.”
He added that the unrest in Minneapolis has reached the global stage, including the attention of Pope Leo XIV, whom Coakley believes is “well‑informed about what’s happening here in the United States, being the land of his birth.”
Confronting Fear and Division
Reflecting on the deeper roots of polarization, Coakley described fear as “a tool of the enemy of our human nature.” Drawing from St. Ignatius of Loyola, he warned that fear blinds people to the dignity of others and breeds division. Overcoming it, he said, requires spiritual renewal: “We need to turn to the Lord, seek his grace, and be careful where we’re getting our information.”
The archbishop cautioned that some media outlets may manipulate fear and anger, urging Catholics to avoid becoming “pawns of that kind of spinning of facts.” Prayer, he said, remains the first step toward clarity and peace.
Voices from Minneapolis
On the ground in Minneapolis, Jesuit Father R.J. Fichtinger told EWTN News In Depth that the local Catholic community feels “afraid” and exhausted. “There’s this pervasive frustration around our community not feeling like we have our own agency,” he said.
Fichtinger encouraged the faithful to “do what Jesus did” — begin in prayer, then separate people from their actions. “Our world is complicated,” he reflected. “The art of having hard and difficult conversations is something we need to rediscover.”
For Fichtinger and Coakley alike, adoration and silent prayer are not escapes from conflict but the groundwork for healing. “I don’t know of a better way of addressing the Lord than in adoration,” said Fichtinger, “in peace and in the beautiful silence that benediction can give.”
As the Church faces one of its most fraught national debates in decades, Archbishop Coakley’s message echoes a familiar Catholic refrain — when anger fills the streets and division clouds judgment, the path forward begins, once again, in prayer.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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