Rejecting refugees defies 'God's word' -- growing religious resistance to Trump



less The Very Rev. Michael Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral, pictured with then-Gov. Chris Gregoire: "What happens when the moral imperatives of God's Word -- and our deeply held beliefs as Christians -- are at odds with positions espoused by our elected leaders?" The Very Rev. Michael Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral, pictured with then-Gov. Chris Gregoire: "What happens when the moral imperatives of God's Word -- and our deeply held beliefs as Christians -- are at ... more Photo: Meryl Schenker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photo: Meryl Schenker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Rejecting refugees defies 'God's word' -- growing religious resistance to Trump 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The rising Seattle-area religious resistance to President Trump's immigration/refugee order was joined from the St. James Cathedral pulpit Sunday, as the Very Rev. Michael Ryan depicted the crackdown as contravening both the "God's Word" and America's values.

The message from the Catholic cathedral follows a pledge by St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral of "circles of protection" for refugees, and a packed pro-immigration rally at Temple de Hirsch Sinai on Thursday attended by survivors of the Holocaust.

Without mentioning Trump's name, Fr. Ryan delivered a faith response to the president's Executive Order.

"The way we deal with immigrants and refugees may sound like partisan politics, but it is not," said Ryan. "It's a matter of faith, of justice."

"To turn away refugees and immigrants, to close our borders to people because of their religion or national origin -- people, many of whom are fleeing violence, oppression and persecution -- is in direct opposition to our most deeply held values as believers."

The cathedral pastor reached into the Old Testament, quoting words from the Book of Exodus "that should ring in our ears":

"You shall not oppress the alien . . . you shall befriend the alien, for once you too were aliens in the land of Egypt."

Ryan evoked words of both the progressive Pope Francis, and the conservative St. John Paul II.

"It is hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty," Francis recently declared.

St. John Paul II spoke of trends of ugliness that have arisen in America as well as Europe since his death: "It is necessary to guard against the rise of new forms of racism or nationalism which attempt to make any of our brothers and sisters scapegoats."

Washington state has been putting it all together since Trump signed the Executive Order directing the crackdown.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has secured a court order halting its implementation. Two major employers, Expedia and Amazon, backed the AG's case. The Nordstrom family has pledged support for any employees and their families impacted by the Trump order.

Two major faith community events are coming up.

"Catholics Called to Accompaniment: An Immigration Summit" will be held next Saturday at the Seattle University student center. The day of "reflection, information and connection" will conclude with a mass celebrated by Bishop Eusebio Elizondo.

An interfaith prayer service, in Plymouth Congregational Church at 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 19, will mark the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 in World War II which mandated the deportation of Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast.

Is this "political?"

Trump has talked in recent days about "religious liberty" defined as letting preachers endorse candidates from the pulpit, or permitting fundamentalist Christians to discriminate against people and groups they do not like.

Catholics have a tradition that dates back 1,600 years. In the year 511, as National Catholic Reporter pointed out Friday, the Council of Orleans offered protection to anyone who sought asylum in a church or an ecclesiastical residence.

Ryan argued Sunday that society has a right to "reasonable precautions" to assure public safety.

"Our nation has one of the most rigorous screening processes for immigrants and refugees in the world," he said. "But when reasonable precautions turn into paranoia that whips up suspicion toward an entire population or religious group, we believers need to speak up and speak out."

In Seattle, and elsewhere across the country, Peter is speaking up against the excesses of Caesar.

"Political controversies come and go -- one minute they flourish, and the next they fade -- but God's Word endures forever," said Ryan. "And the pulpit is for preaching God's Word. Right?

"But what happens when the Word of God clearly clashes with the word of our political leaders? What happens when the moral imperatives of God's Word -- and our deeply held beliefs as Christians -- are at odds with positions espoused by our elected leaders?

"What happens when to pretend otherwise or to look the other way would be nothing short of cowardice?"

Such questions speak to "deepest calling," and confront a religious community finds its "greatest challenge."

Fr. Ryan's words were greeted with a prolonged ovation at the cathedral's 10 o'clock mass.

He thanked parishioners, but told them: "The most important response is what we are going to do in the days ahead."