To His Holiness, Pope Leo XVI:

We, the undersigned (hereafter referred to as “we”), being citizens from all nations and from all walks of life, creeds, and belief systems, with heavy hearts and without malicious intent or political agenda, request that His Holiness start the process of a tribunal for Ferendae Sententiae on the following individuals: James David “J.D.” Vance, Vice-President of the United States; Tom Homan, Boarder Czar of the United States; Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States; and Ron DeSantis, Governor of the State of Florida, USA (who was raised in the Catholic faith, but whose current affiliation is unknown.) All of the stated individuals profess to be devout Catholics. As such, we make this request under Canon Law 1399, as there is no specific Canon Law that addresses violations of human rights.

Regarding the following violations, we request that the Tribunal investigate allegations that these practices are occurring to both U.S. citizens and non-citizens held in self-described detention centers in the U.S. and foreign prisons. These allegations, if true, deny human rights, and include, but are not limited to, a lack of sanitation, food, and medical care; legal services and due process; abuse and lack of care for minor children; separation from family, causing psychological damage to all detainees, children and adults alike; sleep deprevation; and beatings and torture allegedly from CECOT in the country of El Salvador. In more recent allegations from the Floridian facility referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz”, detainees cite that facility personnel claim the detainees have no right to religious freedoms or faith. We believe these allegations, if true, suggest this is true for not only Catholics, but Protestants and other religions/religious affiliations alike. These allegations would be denying the detainees the comfort afforded them by their faith in times of such trials and peril.

Currently in the U.S., 36% of those of Hispanic descent identify as Catholic, which equates to 23.8 million out of approximately 65.2 million, who are brothers and sisters in the Catholic faith. As Hispanics and Latinos have been the largest target of recent ICE raids, detentions, and deportations, it is reasonable to believe there is a vast majority of detainees who identify as Catholic. It has been reported that these brothers and sisters have been denied access to Bibles, whether having their Bibles removed from their possession upon entering a facility, or being denied access to Bibles when requested. If these allegations are true, it is our concern that they are also being denied access to religious counseling from priests, access to confession, denied communion, and even denied the last rites should they pass away in custody. It is also reasonable to believe that people of Protestant and other faiths are also being denied the basic tenets of their faith.

If upon investigation, these allegations are found to be credible, these would be serious crimes in the American judicial system, as well as the world courts through the ICC, which prosecutes human rights crimes. Additionally, the denial of their religious rights is a direct violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. But most importantly, these allegations would go against the core beliefs of the Catholic faith. Per the Catechism of the Catholic Church, particularly Catechism Part 3, Section 2: 2235, 2237, 2241, 2246, 2269, 2273, and 2297 regarding respect for human life; as well as the document Dignitatis Humanae, which is from the second Vatican Council of 1965; and the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church, published June 29, 2004, all Catholics must be afforded human dignity. These documents convey the core beliefs of the Holy Roman Catholic Church concerning human rights. In order to establish a precedent for excommunication, we present the case of Leander Perez. While it is unusual for a politician or public servant to be held accountable by the Catholic Church, it has been done. Perez was excommunicated on April 16, 1962, for the denial of human rights due to racism by Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. 

In short, racism and cruelty to our fellow human beings have no place in the Christian faiths. To act knowingly and support these actions, if found by the Tribunal to be true, violates church doctrine and core beliefs of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. We understand the severity of what we ask. Yet we must ask because, since God created all human life in His image, all human life is sacred. We also understand that in Mark 12:17, Jesus told the Pharisees and Herodians, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Thus, we are to respect the law of the land. However, concerning basic human rights, we must respect God’s law. We hold firmly to the belief that, if this immigration enforcement must be done, it must be done humanely and in keeping with the dignity of all human life.

We pray for all involved and pray that, like Leander Perez, all parties return to the core values of our Catholic faith. We ask our brothers and sisters of other faiths to do the same, and call for the accountability of all elected officials who are in support of these inhumane actions, if the allegations have merit. 

Peace be with you,
We, the Undersigned