Seeking Sanctuary: Church leaders see
duty to protect immigrants -- even against ICE
Chronicle-Telegram [Elyria, OH],
by
Garrett Looker
Original Article
Posted By: Harlowe,
2/8/2025 7:25:24 PM
Daylight broke through the stained glass windows behind the Rev. Patrick Nicolino as he sat in the quiet sanctuary of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Elyria. [Snip] It was there in that sanctuary nearly a week before that...the pastor..spoke to his congregants about the fears and concerns spiking throughout the community of threats of deportation and xenophobia. “Historically, churches have always been places of safety and security,” ... “The place in which, no matter what the individual has done, if they come into the church space, on to the church property, they are protected.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
crashnburn 2/8/2025 7:41:06 PM (No. 1892448)
Christ said “Render unto God that which is God’s, and render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”. The n other words, obey the laws of God and man. If this pastor wants to offer aid and comfort to illegal aliens, he should escort them to their home countries and minister to them there. Otherwise, he is no obeying Christ’s teaching.
36 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
crashnburn 2/8/2025 7:42:02 PM (No. 1892449)
In other words
He is not obeying
26 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
DVC 2/8/2025 7:42:03 PM (No. 1892450)
Too many "church leaders" these days are extreme leftist political hacks, uninterested in the Bible and God, only in power and money, and their grifting.
56 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
MickTurn 2/8/2025 7:47:06 PM (No. 1892453)
No Problem, now that you are political your Church's tax exemption is GONE. Happy Now?
46 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
judy 2/8/2025 7:48:46 PM (No. 1892455)
The Bible says obey the laws of the land……
28 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
earlybird 2/8/2025 7:52:23 PM (No. 1892458)
By that reasoning they will attempt to justify protecting all criminals against law enforcewment? Are they ready to go that far? Illegal aliens have broken the law by entering our soverign country illegally. Calling them "immigrants" is Demspeak intended to gloss over their already-existing criminal status.
41 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Kate318 2/8/2025 8:00:41 PM (No. 1892461)
Save it, reverend. You guys are in on the grift that has come from the US government which gives you money to “be Christian.” You’re not fooling anybody.
32 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
privateer 2/8/2025 8:02:16 PM (No. 1892463)
Have the Health Department quarantine the churches. They are harboring people who have not been vaccinated, nor examined for carrying dangerous infectious diseases.
29 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
RubiconDan 2/8/2025 8:04:53 PM (No. 1892466)
All who enter into the US without permission are illegal aliens. They are not immigrants. They should go back to their own country, wait in line, follow the immigration laws of the US, and then re-enter when they have permission and legal authority. Over 1 million people immigrate each year into the US, pay all the fees and comply with the myriad rules and regulations. To equate a legal immigrant with an illegal alien is not fair to the legal immigrant. Period.
42 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
thekidsmom66 2/8/2025 8:05:02 PM (No. 1892467)
These "pastors" are extremely misguided.
An excellent discussion on this subject:
https://abriefhistoryofpower.com/breif04-immigration-sanctuary-and-the-church/
18 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
nelsonted1 2/8/2025 8:05:09 PM (No. 1892468)
A friend was a priest at the Basilica in St Paul. He said he was wandering around when he heard the main door shut.
He walked into the nave to no one sitting or standing. Then, he got down and looked down the underside of the pews and saw a guy hiding.
It was a long walk and the door opened and a bunch of gang bangers came rushing in.
He stood at the pew with the guy hiding underneath. He asked if he could help them. They said they wanted the guy under the pew. He whisper "No."
Father Tom asks why?
One of them pulls out a gun. Father Tom yells out: "You aren't killing him in my church!"
They finally left. Tom took the guy to a side door and the guy ran.
Poor Tom couldn't get past the story. They could kill him just not in the church.
That guy got protection of the church or at least a priest who wasn't going to stand for murder. That's what I see as refuge.
14 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Birddog 2/8/2025 8:06:53 PM (No. 1892469)
Studied Journalism at Ball State University
Lives in Buffalo, New York
From Logansport, Indiana
galooker.wixsite.com/my-site-1
2 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
singermom9 2/8/2025 9:32:08 PM (No. 1892512)
Fine keep em but NO Fed Funding for those states. See how much your people support you when their taxes go up
8 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
jalo1951 2/8/2025 9:33:43 PM (No. 1892514)
Might I suggest leaders return with the illegal aliens to their own country. Stay and try and make their home country a better place to live. Sorry but leave us alone.
16 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
PChristopher 2/8/2025 9:34:39 PM (No. 1892515)
Hmm....Do Church Leaders see themselves becoming irrelevant? They should.
11 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
anniebc 2/8/2025 9:55:29 PM (No. 1892526)
ICE has a duty to arrest said church leaders aka wolves and whited sepulchers. The Bible tells us to obey the laws of the land except when it requires us to deny Christ or things of that nature. Helping illegals for marxist purposes is not one of those things. The is only one true God, and He is not mocked.
14 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 2/8/2025 10:14:57 PM (No. 1892533)
Another leftist calling for a two tier Just-Us system. One for the Church and one for the rest of us. I guess these men believe the Church is above the state and Clergy and the church can dictate the laws of the land. One law rfor illegals and another set of laws fro the rest of us. Why is nit the clergy don't seem so Hades bound to defy the state when mass merders show up on their doorstep begging for sanctuary? Shouldn't the church protect all criminals and not just illegals?
7 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
Quigley 2/8/2025 11:28:54 PM (No. 1892550)
Their righteousness is as filthy rags. They carefully pick the virtues that pay $$$ millions.
9 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
greggojo 2/8/2025 11:30:34 PM (No. 1892551)
I saw a list of government (i.e. taxpayers') monies paid to churches for sheltering immigrants, totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. Not just from USAID, but via other agencies and departments as well. The rude pastor from the prayer service, her church received more than 50 million dollars.
11 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
bighambone 2/8/2025 11:52:35 PM (No. 1892554)
After a couple of those Church leaders are prosecuted for hiding illegal aliens from Federal law enforcement they will alter what they claim their duty is today. There Is a difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien that those Church leaders do not want to acknowledge. Maybe their current stance is buoyed by so-called “deep state” payouts through some Federal Executive Agency?
8 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
mifla 2/9/2025 4:43:13 AM (No. 1892595)
So if ICE is looking for an immigrant who raped and murdered someone and then hides in church, is that protection?
8 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
DCGIRL 2/9/2025 5:54:59 AM (No. 1892613)
These so call christian NGOs will soon stop when the money dries up. Watch, they are worried about the bottomline.
6 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
WhamDBambam 2/9/2025 7:34:55 AM (No. 1892634)
“Church leaders.”
3 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
SpentPenny 2/9/2025 8:53:19 AM (No. 1892670)
The Lord sanctioned borders and even gave specific lands to each of the 12 tribes.
The Lord is a borders supporter. These people (in the article) are not truly Christ followers.
5 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
paral04 2/9/2025 9:32:23 AM (No. 1892690)
Yes, the churches give sanctuary in theory but can they feed and house over 20 million in their churches? Those are the only place they will be allowed.
5 people like this.
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“An act of civil disobedience is borne out of the belief that a church has a religious responsibility or duty to protect those in need, Nicolino and others explained. He recalled when churches “gave harbor to those seeking refuge; African Americans fleeing slavery before and during the Civil War, or LGBTQ+ individuals struggling and suffering during the AIDS epidemic.” Pastor Nicolino “is confident human goodness will win out.” ~ “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1-7)