NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey diocese and several priests are suing the federal government over a rule change in religious worker visas in a case that highlights the perfect storm created by the nation’s shifting immigration policies and the Catholic Church in the United States’ increased reliance on foreign-born clergy amid a downturn in domestic vocations to the priesthood. The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, and five of its diocesan priests filed the lawsuit Aug. 8 in the U.S. District Court in Newark. Four of the priests are citizens of the Philippines, while a fifth priest is a Colombian national. At issue is what the diocese’s legal counsel described in an Aug. 16 statement as an unlawful and unconstitutional alteration of how visa availability is calculated for certain noncitizens, which creates “profound immigration delays for noncitizen religious workers.” “Our Catholic communities rely on our international clergy to shepherd our flocks and nourish their spiritual journey,” said Paterson Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney in an Aug. 16 statement. “The State Department’s change to the regulations threatens our mission to serve our communities.” (OSV News)
