Indianapolis archbishop grants Mass dispensation amid ICE detention fears

Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson swings the censer over the altar as he celebrates a Mass to welcome pilgrims at St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis July 16, 2024, just ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has provided a dispensation to Catholics who fear being targeted by immigration enforcement going to and from Sunday Mass regardless of their legal status. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

(OSV News) — Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis has granted a temporary dispensation from Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation for those fearing immigration detention.

The move follows similar dispensations and guidance issued in several other U.S. dioceses amid the Trump administration’s overall crackdown on immigration to the U.S.

Archbishop Thompson said his Sept. 4 decree, written in Spanish and posted to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ website, applies to “those who have reasonable grounds to fear being detained, separated from their families, or subjected to intimidation due to the tightening of immigration enforcement measures.” Read full story on Our Sunday Visitor.