By Matt Steiner, The Gazette
At least two Christian leaders in the Pikes Peak region said that compassion needs to win out when it comes to providing refuge for immigrants in need of relief from religious or political persecution.
In the wake of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, and a wave of protests and rhetoric that has ensued since, Brady Boyd of New Life Church in northern Colorado Springs and Bishop Michael Sheridan, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, each talked about conflict Monday with the new president’s decision.
“On the one hand, there is expressed concern for the safety of our country and the need to vet as carefully as we can those coming into the U.S.,” Sheridan said. “But there is great concern for those who are suffering, religiously, politically or whatever.”
Trump’s order banned travel from seven countries with Muslim majorities for 90 days and suspended the admission of all refugees into the U.S. for 120 days. The Muslim countries targeted by the ban are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
Boyd echoed Sheridan’s assessment, saying that there needs to be a process to screen immigrants that wish to come to the U.S. But he added the role of the Christian church is “to call attention to anything that is not compassionate.”
“I know that people are very nervous in our country because of some acts of violence that have happened,” Boyd said. “But I don’t know how urgent it was. I think the bigger urgency is helping these people get to a place of safety.”
Jim Daly, the president of Focus on the Family that has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, was not available for comment on Monday that has integrity and is thorough needs to be put in place to “offer religious asylum to families” that have been persecuted.
“If we can verify their sincerity, and their story, as we’ve done for centuries, I think it would be wise to be open to a healthy immigration policy that allows people to flee,” he said.
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