St. Louis archdiocese sues over restrictions barring sacraments for ICE detainees

The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a federal lawsuit Oct. 5 challenging restrictions on Catholic priests’ ministry to detainees at a Missouri immigration detention center.

The case focuses on restrictions at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center that bar priests from hearing confessions, distributing holy Communion, and celebrating Mass for detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to an Oct. 5 report from the St. Louis Review.

Father Chris Schroeder, who ministers to detainees at the facility, and St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski joined the archdiocese as plaintiffs in the case.

In an Oct. 5 press release, the archdiocese emphasized the central place of the sacraments.

“Offering and receiving these sacraments is a central tenet of our faith. Catholics receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the deprivation of these sacraments imposes real and immediate harm on Catholic detainees and priests,” the archdiocese said.

The lawsuit names Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer and other local officials as defendants, along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and officials with ICE. The plaintiffs are also seeking a preliminary injunction to block the restrictions while the case proceeds, according to the St. Louis Review.

Under the policy at issue, priests may communicate with detainees only by phone through a glass partition, the outlet reported.

The complaint says the only accommodation proposed by a jail official came in response to a reporter. The official suggested clergy place the Eucharist in a plastic bag for a guard to deliver to a detainee.

The lawsuit argues that the restrictions violate the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion and other state and federal religious freedom protections.

The complaint argues that priests face restrictions not imposed on other visitors. Attorneys may meet detainees face-to-face without screens or dividers, and consular officials are exempt from the no-contact policy.

The archdiocese sought to resolve the dispute before filing the suit. Archbishop Rozanski wrote jail administrators in May requesting greater access for priests to administer the sacraments but received no response, according to the St. Louis Review. A renewed request in August was denied.

Federal judges have granted clergy access to immigration detainees in similar cases in Illinois and Minnesota, allowing pastoral visits at facilities in both states, according to the outlet.

The archdiocese expressed confidence that the court would protect the right to practice the faith.

“We have faith that the judicial system will vindicate the God-given right to religious freedom that ensures Catholics—and all the faithful—may practice their faith, even while imprisoned,” the archdiocese said.

The lawsuit and the archdiocese’s request for a preliminary injunction remain pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

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