Cardinal Dolan: Vance’s remarks on bishops and immigration ‘scurrilous,’ ‘very nasty’

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York strongly criticized comments Vice President JD Vance made on Sunday questioning the motives of U.S. Catholic bishops in their efforts to serve migrants and resettle refugees, in which Vance suggested financial incentives were their driving force rather than compassion.

Vance, a Catholic who took office last week, was asked Jan. 26 about the bishops’ criticism of the Trump administration’s various new directives on immigration, specifically the government’s rescinding of a policy that previously restricted immigration arrests at “sensitive locations” such as churches.

“I think that the [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” Vance replied. 

Asked if he believed the U.S. bishops are “actively hiding criminals from law enforcement,” Vance argued that the USCCB has “not been a good partner in commonsense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for, and I hope, again, as a devout Catholic, that they’ll do better.”

Dolan on Tuesday expressed frustration over Vance’s implication that the bishops’ pro-immigrant stance was merely a financial calculation, calling the comments “scurrilous” and “very nasty.”

“I was really disappointed with what he said on ‘Face the Nation’ the other day. And I don’t mind telling you, somewhat hurt. This was not only harmful, this was inaccurate. You heard what he said: ‘Oh, the bishops, they’re pro-immigrant because of the bottom line, because they’re making money off this.’ That’s just scurrilous. It’s very nasty, and it’s not true,” Dolan said, speaking on his weekly SiriusXM show “Conversations with Cardinal Dolan.”

Dolan said the Church’s involvement in migration and refugee services is frequently at the behest of secular leaders such as mayors and governors, who he said recognize the Church’s ability to manage resources efficiently and transparently.

“You want to come look at our audits, which are scrupulously done? You think we make money caring for the immigrants? We’re losing it hand over fist … we’re not in a money-making business,” he continued. 

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