Pope Leo XIV has audience with Catholic Charities USA; care for the poor is an integral part of the Christian life

 

File photo of Pope Leo XIV  (@Vatican Media)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• audiences
• United States
• charitable organizations
• Caritas

Pope: Care for poor difficult but ‘integral part of Christian life’

As he meets with members of Catholic Charities, Pope Leo XIV encourages the American Caritas-affiliate never to succumb to discouragement despite challenges, noting that care for the poor is an integral part of authentic Christian life.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV met on Monday with members of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities USA, the American member of Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s charitable outfit.

In his address, the Pope recognized that personal and institutional difficulties often confront those who seek to proclaim the Gospel through caring for the poor and most in need.

“These include finding sufficient resources, demonstrating to others that this type of service is an integral part of authentic Christian living, and not giving way to discouragement, particularly when we meet those whom we cannot help in the way that we would like,” he said.

Pope Leo noted that Catholic Charities USA is “by no means immune from these challenges.”

“Yet, it is precisely when we are confronted with such obstacles that we must learn to hear Jesus’ voice saying to us once more, ‘I am with you always!’” he said.

In late March 2026, the US government cut funding to a program run by the Archdiocese of Miami, which provided services for unaccompanied minors for decades.

Operation “Pedro Pan” had helped the Office of Refugee Resettlement place children in foster care and reunite them with family members since 1960.

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities USA (@VATICAN MEDIA)

The Pope went on to encourage the “worthy efforts” of Catholic Charities USA to carry on the Lord’s “ministry of compassion, especially to the least among us.”

“In doing so, you seek to find solutions to inhumane situations, alleviate the suffering of individuals and families, and relieve the burden of those who are weighed down by hardship and strife,” he said. “In all of these circumstances, it must be the charity of Christ that compels you in your daily work.”

Catholic Charities USA includes over 170 diocesan agencies and is one of the largest social services organizations in the United States.

Pope Leo recalled that love for neighbor offers tangible proof of a Christian’s authentic love for God.

Catholic charitable workers, said Pope Leo, must be driven by “the desire to bring to others material aid with the love of the heart of Jesus, for it is in that love that they will find genuine rest and their dignity be respected.”

As they assist the less fortunate through practical assistance, he added, Catholic Charities comes into contact with the flesh of Christ.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the Board of Directors to recognize that Christ’s Resurrection “makes all things new” and allow the organization’s work to be guided by the hope of Easter.

“I offer good wishes for your noble mission and assure you and all of your colleagues of a remembrance in my prayers.”

With the "shutdown" nearing an end, Catholic groups still concerned about health insurance subsidies

 

As deal to end shutdown advances, Catholic groups urge action on health insurance costs

written by Kate Scanlon 

The U.S. Capitol building after the U.S. Senate advances a bill to end the government shutdown in Washington Nov. 10, 2025. (OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — A key procedural vote in the Senate signaled the beginning of a funding deal that may bring about the end of the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. But Catholic groups expressed concerns that the potential deal leaves the matter of health insurance subsidies to a future vote with an uncertain outcome and just as premiums are skyrocketing.

The Senate voted 60-40 late Nov. 9 to advance the House-passed stopgap funding legislation, which lawmakers indicated they will use as a vehicle for a funding deal. The potential deal would involve three full-year appropriations bills to fund certain departments through the end of the fiscal year, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture which manages the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is a major part of the nation’s social safety net that provides food support for 42 million Americans and has already been disrupted under the shutdown. A continuing resolution would then fund the rest of the government at status-quo spending levels through Jan. 30.

“After 40 long days, I’m hopeful we can bring this shutdown to an end,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in remarks on the floor shortly before the vote.

Impasse over health insurance subsidies

Republicans and Democrats previously reached a stalemate in October over the subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s health care law also known as “Obamacare.” The subsidies, or tax credits, are used by lower-to-middle-income households to reduce their out-of-pocket costs for enrolling in the program. It is set to expire soon, and Democrats are seeking an extension.

Health policy researcher KFF published an analysis Sept. 30 showing ACA marketplace premiums are expected to spike an average of 114% in 2026 for those relying on health insurance subsidies unless they are extended. A family of four with a household income of $40,000 is expected to pay $840 more annually, while a family of four with a household income of $110,000 is expected to pay more than $3,200. 

KFF found approximately 24.3 million Americans access health care through the ACA marketplace, and almost 22.4 million Americans receive subsidies in the form of advanced premium tax credits.

“Democrats have wanted to lower costs,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in his own remarks on the floor Nov. 9. “But Republicans have fought us every step of the way. We gave Republicans not one, not two, but three chances this year to extend the ACA premium tax credits. Republicans said no every time.”

Lucas Swanepoel, senior director of government relations at Catholic Health Association of the United States, told OSV News, “We are glad that members of Congress are beginning to discuss a path to reopen the government and ensure critical safety net and government programs for those who need them most. However, if extending the enhanced premium tax credits is not included in the final agreement, Congress’s work is not done.”

“Open enrollment is already underway, and families across the country are experiencing real sticker shock as they shop for coverage,” Swanepoel said. “For households already stretched thin by rising costs in food, housing and the cost of living, dramatically higher health care premiums mean millions of Americans will face the real choice of deciding whether to buy health care coverage or food to feed their families. As Catholic health care providers, this is not a choice that any person should have to make.” 

Loss of health insurance could affect millions

A substantial number of Catholic households are affected by the government shutdown and rising health care costs pricing out families. Updated Pew Research data released in 2025 found 36% of Catholic households make under $50,000, including 18% making under $30,000.  

The federal poverty line for a family of four in the U.S. is $32,150 in 2025.

The Senate deal was met with pushback among Schumer’s party as the health insurance subsidies were a key part of the Democrats’ position about funding bills. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an independent who caucuses with Democrats, called it “a very bad night” in a video posted on social media.

Laurie Carafone, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice advocacy group, said in a Nov. 10 statement, “The American people are worried for good reason: without the extension of the ACA health care premium subsidies, millions of people will lose their health insurance, and it is projected 50,000 people will die every year.”

A letter from public health and policy researchers at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania issued earlier this year warned that 51,000 Americans annually could die as a result of disenrolling from Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care marketplace, cuts to nursing home staffing rules, and the expiration of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits.

A policy brief from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities from Aug. 27 detailed the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s findings that as many as 15 million Americans will lose health coverage by 2034 due to $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and ACA marketplaces from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted by Congress this year and the expected expiration of ACA premium subsidies.

Catholic positions set out on government shutdown

Swanepoel added, “Health care is a fundamental human right — not a privilege reserved for the few. Our leaders have a responsibility to ensure that every person has access to affordable, reliable coverage. Extending these tax credits isn’t just a necessary step — it’s a vital safeguard for millions of families who depend on stable, affordable health care.”

Teaching set out by the U.S. Catholic bishops in their 1993 “Framework for Comprehensive Healthcare Reform” declared that “every person has a right to adequate health care. This right flows from the sanctity of human life and the dignity that belongs to all human persons who are made in the image and likeness of God.”

Catholic leaders and ministries have expressed concern about other aspects of the government shutdown that affects the vulnerable, notably the lapse in SNAP federal food assistance, which 1 in 8 Americans rely on. 

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement released late Oct. 28 the bishops are “deeply alarmed that essential programs that support the common good, such as SNAP, may be interrupted.”

Catholic Charities USA, the network organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States, recently announced a national fundraising effort to provide an emergency supply of food to Catholic Charities agencies around the country.

Carafone added, “It is our government’s moral obligation to make sure Americans can eat, work, and access health care in this, the world’s richest nation.”

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon. OSV News national news editor Peter Jesserer Smith contributed to this report.

San Antonio Archbishop prays for the flood victims as Catholic Charities ramps up assistance

 

An American flag sits atop a pile of debris on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas  (2025 Getty Images)

World

• United States
• Pope Leo XIV
• bishops
• prayer
• solidarity
• charitable organizations

San Antonio Archbishop prays for families of flood victims as death toll rises

As the death toll from floods in central Texas rises to 82, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio visits a Catholic church offering care and assistance to those affected.

By James Blears & Devin Watkins

Eighty-two people are confirmed dead in the flooding disaster in the city of Kerrville, and forty-one others remain missing.

So far, the death toll in the Kerr County tragedy in the US state of Texas includes twenty-eight children and is expected to rise because people are still missing. Ten of those are from a Christian Girls Camp, along with their counsellor.

The tragedy occurred on Friday, July 4, when the Guadalupe River, swollen by massive downpours rose an unprecedented eight meters in just forty-five minutes, burst its banks and engulfed the sleeping campers and Independence Day vacationers in mobile homes, which were swept away.

Weather forecasters are warning more storms are expected during the next thirty-six hours.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says a full-scale search-and-rescue operation will not stop until every person affected is located and accounted for.

US President Donald Trump has signed legislation enabling the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reinforce the rescue efforts.

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims and their families at the Sunday Angelus address.

“I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were at summer camp in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River, in Texas, in the United States. We pray for them,” he said.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Archbishop of San Antonio, visited Kerrville the day of the disaster, offering prayers and support.

He met with families at the Notre Dame Catholic Church, one of four sites that the city has designated as centers for refuge, care, and assistance.

Speaking to OSV News, the Archbishop said Catholic Charities—the US affiliate of Caritas Internationalis—was providing food, clothes, hygiene articles, water, and a place to sleep for people who have been evacuated or lost their homes.

“A lot of young parents were there, very young and they were coming from different places too,” he said. “This is not an issue just for the San Antonio Archdiocese, which is part of it, but no, there were people from Houston, from Austin, from other states.”

U.S. Bishops sue Trump administration over refugee resettlement

 

US Catholic bishops sue Trump administration for halt in funding for refugee settlement

By  PETER SMITH

February 18, 2025

AP photo/Anjum Naveed

Catholic bishops sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its abrupt halt to funding of refugee resettlement, calling the action unlawful and harmful to newly arrived refugees and to the nation’s largest private resettlement program.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says the administration, by withholding millions even for reimbursements of costs incurred before the sudden cut-off of funding, violates various laws as well as the constitutional provision giving the power of the purse to Congress, which already approved the funding.

The conference’s Migration and Refugee Services has sent layoff notices to 50 workers, more than half its staff, with additional cuts expected in local Catholic Charities offices that partner with the national office, the lawsuit said.

“The Catholic Church always works to uphold the common good of all and promote the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable among us,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB. “That includes the unborn, the poor, the stranger, the elderly and infirm, and migrants.” The funding suspension prevents the church from doing so, he said.

“The conference suddenly finds itself unable to sustain its work to care for the thousands of refugees who were welcomed into our country and assigned to the care of the USCCB by the government after being granted legal status,” Broglio said.

The conference is trying to keep the program going, but it’s “financially unsustainable,” he said, adding that it’s trying to hold the U.S. government to its “moral and legal commitments.”

The conference is one of 10 national agencies, most of them faith-based, that serve refugees and that have been sent scrambling since receiving a Jan. 24 State Department letter informing them of an immediate suspension of funding pending a review of foreign-aid programs.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, notes that the resettlement program isn’t even foreign aid. It’s a domestic program to help newly arrived refugees — who arrive legally after being vetted overseas — meet initial needs such as housing and job placement.

“USCCB spends more on refugee resettlement each year than it receives in funding from the federal government, but it cannot sustain its programs without the millions in federal funding that provide the foundation of this private-public partnership,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit said the government is attempting to “pull the rug out” from under the program, causing it longstanding damage.

The lawsuit names the departments of State and Health and Human Services as well as their respective secretaries, Marco Rubio and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both departments have roles in delegating resettlement work to the bishops conference.

There was no immediate reply in court from those departments. An HHS spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

The USCCB said it is still awaiting about $13 million in reimbursements for expenses prior to Jan. 24.

As of Jan. 25, it said, there were 6,758 refugees assigned by the government to USCCB’s care that had been in the country less than 90 days, the period of time for which they’re eligible for resettlement aid.

The conference said suspending the resettlement effort will only prolong the time it takes for refugees to find employment and become self-sufficient.

President Donald Trump, whose first administration sharply cut refugee admissions, immediately suspended the decades-old program upon taking office again in January. He and his proxies have criticized refugee resettlement and other avenues of immigration.

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, recently accused the bishops conference for resettling “illegal immigrants” in order to get millions in federal funding — an apparent reference to the resettlement program, which involves legally approved refugees. The lawsuit noted that federal reimbursements don’t cover the entire cost of the program and that in 2023 the conference paid $4 million more than it received, while additional donors supported resettlement efforts by local Catholic Charities and other recipients.

Vance’s criticisms drew rejoinders not only from U.S. bishops but an implicit rebuke from Pope Francis, who said Christian charity requires helping those in need, not just those in one’s closest circles.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Catholic responses and call to action in the flooded areas of western North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene

 

In Hurricane Helene’s Wake, Priests Offer Mass by Candlelight as Catholic Parishes Become Lifelines

Such a storm is uncommon for the region, but Good Samaritans and the Church are lending a hand in the devastating aftermath.

A load of supplies is blessed by chaplain Father Christopher Brock at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, North Carolina. (photo: Courtesy of the Catholic News Herald/Diocese of Charlotte)

Jim Graves NationOctober 4, 2024

Among the hardest-hit communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene are those in the Diocese of Charlotte in western North Carolina, where more than half of the more than 200 deaths recorded so far occurred, with fast-moving water wiping away communities and leaving residents homeless and at risk. 

Many residents remain isolated without electricity, water, email or phone communication and other vital supplies and services, and some still have no contact with loved ones in the hardest-hit regions. 

The flooding has devastated the western portion of North Carolina.(Photo: Courtesy of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Catholic News Herald)

The diocese is playing a leading role in recovery efforts, both in providing basic necessities and for pastoral needs.

Father Patrick Cahill, pastor of St. Eugene parish in the historic town of Asheville, said early Friday morning, Sept. 27, was the worst for the storm. 

“The rain wouldn’t let up, holy cow!” he told the Register. From midnight onward, “We had 12 straight hours of pouring rain. It was unbelievable to see the volume of water pouring off our rectory house and down the hills, as drains clogged with debris.”

Howling winds followed. As he drove to the parish church (about a mile away) last Friday evening, he said it was a challenge to navigate fallen trees and downed power lines. 

A week later, power and water is still off at the church, he said, but “Good Samaritans” have since descended on the parish to clean up. One parishioner drowned, and many parishioners’ homes are damaged. He said his permanent deacon’s house was “crushed” by trees. Had the deacon and his wife been home at the time, they, too, might have become fatalities.

Father Cahill noted that local hospitals were “overrun” with injured victims; and he knew of one parishioner, a nurse practitioner, who worked a 24-hour hospital shift in the immediate aftermath of the storm. He added that as he and a fellow priest were waiting for utilities to be turned back on, they were living off bottled water and tap water from a bathtub they’d filled before the storm hit.

 

Shelter From the Storm

Claudia Graham is business manager of St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa, which was “ground zero” of storm damage in North Carolina. She lives 6 miles from the church; she and her husband took shelter in their basement as winds of more than 100 mph battered the mountain community. 

The next morning, she went to the church amid widespread destruction that was “mind-boggling,” she told the Register. Of greatest concern was the extensive damage to the community’s water and sewer system.

Although a large cherry tree fell atop the church building, damage to the parish was not deemed as serious. Water and power is not yet back on, and cellphone service is irregular. The parish is still attempting to locate parishioners. 

St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Swannanoa remains closed and without electricity after a large oak tree fell on the 88-year-old church building during Tropical Storm Helene Sept. 27. However, parishioners have turned the church into a central distribution point for aid supplies to residents in need, with a daily supply line from Charlotte bringing truckloads of relief supplies from the Diocese of Charlotte's Pastoral Center to the church. Swannanoa, which sits alongside the Swannanoa River, has been one of the worst affected communities.(Photo: Gabriel Swinney for the Catholic News Herald/Diocese of Charlotte)

Catholic Charities appeared quickly on site, with two truckloads of emergency supplies, with a third truck on standby for when storage space can be acquired. 

“It is hard to express all the good that has already occurred amongst so much damage and suffering,” Graham said. “The Diocese of Charlotte has been incredible. I am doing what good I can through our parish; I think that is why God has put me here.”

Father Joshua Johnson of St. Edmund Campion parish in Flat Rock noted that his parish was undamaged, but “our roads are flooded out and their concrete and asphalt have been washed away.”

N.C. road washed away.(Photo: Father Joshua Johnson)

Trees fell on the homes of three parishioners, and six feet of water flooded the interior of a fourth home. 

Father Johnson is one of multiple priests being called on to go to the harder hit areas to provide Mass and the sacraments, this weekend celebrating Mass for St. Margaret Mary, as well as assisting with emergency resources. He has been celebrating Mass by candlelight, due to the lack of electrical power.

44 Parishes Severely Affected

Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard, said some of his parishioners were flooded out of their homes and that there was one death of a parishioner’s relative during clean-up efforts. The parish provided temporary shelter, as well as hot meals, to the homeless.

Father Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, noted that 44 of the diocese’s 93 parishes were in severely affected areas. And, while damage to diocesan structures has been minor, “our parishioners have experienced a great deal of devastation from the flooding. With the water rising and flowing hard, it created a lot of destructive force and power,” he told the Register. “Many of our people are without homes and automobiles, communication, potable water and basic supplies.”

He noted such a storm was uncommon for western North Carolina and that “many of our towns are in valleys surrounded by mountains so they were hit by large volumes of runoff.”

The Catholic Charities team of the Diocese of Charlotte immediately sprung to action to connect with victims, he said, starting by compiling lists of needed items. 

“Within 24 hours we were loading trucks and getting them to places where we knew we could reach,” said Father Winslow.

Donations of cash and supplies began coming in from surrounding communities, and distribution sites, such as Immaculata School and Immaculate Conception Church in the hard-hit community of Hendersonville, became distribution sites for supplies. 

Nearly half of the parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte lie within a federal disaster area declared by FEMA. The diocese and its Catholic Charities agency have organized emergency supply drives in the eastern half of the diocese to gather aid, including bottled water that is then being trucked multiple times each day to the hardest-hit communities in the western half of the diocese. Water has been among the greatest needs for the region, where municipal water systems have been severely damaged by catastrophic flooding from the storm.(Photo: Catholic News Herald)

The diocese has also been active in providing for the spiritual needs of parishioners, Father Winslow added, “as our priests are imbedded in the affected areas and are doing what they can to help parishioners put their lives back together.”

Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin noted that he was moved by the suffering of so many within the diocese and promised that the Church would do what it could long term to help people rebuild their lives. 

Touring the affected areas, he commented, “Along with Catholic Charities providing for the material needs of the people, I think the most important thing the Church can do is be with these people as they are suffering.”

Father Winslow added, “While the hurricane has been devastating, it’s been impressive and inspiring to see neighbors coming together to help one another.”

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Bishop Martin welcomes donations for victims of Hurricane Helene: giving.classy.org/campaign/624511/donate. 

Also help via Catholic Charities USA: Hurricane Helene Response - Catholic Charities USA.

Louisiana's Catholic Governor cuts a million bucks from Acadiana Catholic Charities

 

Louisiana governor cuts $1 million for Catholic Charities homeless shelter over serving migrants

A Honduran man and his son, who had migrated to the U.S. without authorization and were recently released from detention, pass the time before beginning a bus journey to Louisiana at the Catholic Charities relief center in McAllen, Texas, April 6, 2018. Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., recently cut $1 million in state funding from Catholic Charities of Acadiana, accusing the Catholic Church's charitable arm of having a mission "to support the influx of illegal aliens into our country," a charge the Catholic ministry denied. (OSV News/Loren Elliott, Reuters)

KATE SCANLON

Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., vetoed $1 million in state funds for an emergency homeless shelter run by Catholic Charities of Acadiana over the organization's work with migrants, he acknowledged in press statements.

Landry said that he vetoed the funds for the largest homeless shelter in Lafayette, Louisiana, because its operator, Catholic Charities of Acadiana, works with migrants. The governor, a Catholic, alleged Catholic Charities facilitates illegal immigration, a charge the Catholic Church's charitable arm denied.

In a statement provided to local media outlet KATC, Landry said, "As you can see from their website, part of Catholic Charities' mission is to support the influx of illegal aliens into our country. Taxpayers should never foot the bill for nonprofits who are contributing to the illegal immigration crisis our nation is facing."

But when accessed July 3, the Catholic Charities of Acadiana website stated, "Our Immigration Services provides low-cost legal aid services to immigrants, and newcomers to this country, all within the confines of the law."

"These services allow clients an opportunity to contribute and participate more fully in our communities," the website states, and lists legal forms they provide migrants assistance with, including Temporary Protected Status and work authorization forms.

"We affirm the inherent dignity bestowed by God on every human person, including immigrants and refugees, no matter the circumstances that compel a person to begin a new life in our community," the website states.

A spokesperson for Catholic Charities of Acadiana did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News. Their CEO, Kim Boudreaux, told KATC, "The vetoed shelter appropriations are a significant setback to our pro-life efforts to care for our vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness."

According to KATC, Catholic Charities of Acadiana's homeless shelters serve nightly around 90 people who are homeless and are in need of food, shelter and other resources.

Landry's move comes as some elected officials have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, particularly Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants, including those at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In July, a state judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's effort to shut down Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants in obedience to the Gospel, finding his office "failed to establish probable grounds for the proceedings" and violated the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

In February, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty, issued a statement expressing solidarity with faith-driven ministries to migrants.

"It is hard to imagine what our country would look like without the good works that people of faith carry out in the public square," Rhoades said. "For this, we can thank our strong tradition of religious liberty, which allows us to live out our faith in full."

Catholic Charities accused of "assisting" illegals in getting settled in USA

 

Catholic Charities Reacts To 

‘Disturbing’ Online Threats To Staff Over Migration Work

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic Charities USA, the organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States, responded Oct. 31 to “disturbing” recent remarks by a social media influencer threatening its staff.

The right-wing social media influencer Stew Peters said in Oct. 28 comments that Catholic Charities helps “coach illegals on how to get admitted here.”

“We need troops on the border that will shoot people that are trying to invade our country,” he said. “That’d be a good first step. But you know what a better second step would be? Shooting everyone involved with these fake charities.”

The comments were livestreamed from Fall Freedom Fest in Vero Beach, Florida, on the social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Rumble. As of Oct. 31, the video appeared to be removed from Rumble, but was still accessible on X.

Kevin Brennan, a spokesperson for Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement provided to OSV News Oct. 31 that “these comments are deeply disturbing and could endanger Catholic Charities staff members and volunteers, who on a daily basis selflessly serve people in need in every corner of this country.”

“Sadly, these reprehensible threats against our agencies are an extension of a disturbing trend from a small but vocal group of critics who misrepresent and malign the basic humanitarian care — a warm meal, fresh clothing, a bed to sleep in for a night — that some Catholic Charities agencies provide to migrants after they have been released into the country by federal authorities,” he said. “As our nation continues to mourn in the wake of yet another mass shooting, we pray for all victims of gun violence and for an end to dangerous, hateful rhetoric.”

Catholic Charities serves migrants in accordance with Catholic teaching. The group states on its website that “sovereign nations have the right to control their borders while affording protection to refugees and asylum seekers and respecting the human dignity and rights of undocumented migrants.”

Peters has previously used violent rhetoric on a number of other topics, including making similar comments about doctors who facilitate gender transitions and even about the celebrity couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Peters doubled down on his comments about Catholic Charities in an Oct. 30 post on X linking to an article about them and writing, “These people are enemy combatants who are facilitating the invasion and overthrow of our country. They should be treated accordingly.”

In response to an inquiry from OSV News, a spokesperson for Rumble said the platform “has strict moderation policies banning the incitement of violence, illegal content, racism, antisemitism, promoting terrorist groups (designated by the U.S. and Canadian governments), and violating copyright, as well as many other restrictions.” The spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked if the video had been removed.

Recent guests on Peters’ show on Rumble include some Republican lawmakers and candidates, such as Rep. ??Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who signed a letter in December targeting Catholic Charities’ work with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

A spokesperson for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News on whether making threatening remarks on a livestream would violate its terms of service.

An apparent automatic response from X read, “Busy now, please check back later.” X owner Elon Musk’s layoffs at the company impacted nearly the entire communications department, according to multiple reports.

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @kgscanlon.