Missouri's Catholic bishops support Syrian refugees

The four bishops who supervise Catholic Church operations in Missouri support allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the state.

"In our view, appropriate security measures have been taken and our country should not refuse to welcome Syrian refugees who have been through the vetting process," the four wrote in a statement released Friday through the Missouri Catholic Conference.

"We urge Governor Nixon and all public officials to work with federal officials to both keep our citizens safe and to allow refugees from war-torn Syria to settle in our state."

In their one-page letter, the bishops - John Gaydos of the Diocese of Jefferson City, James V. Johnston Jr. of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Thomas E. Reidy of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis - first expressed their "solidarity with all those terrorized by ISIS and other violent extremists who falsely invoke the name of God to justify their bloody attacks on innocent people."

They said their concern "especially goes out to the French people as they cope in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks and to the many Syrians also terrorized by ISIS who are fleeing their country for the safety of new lands."

They noted last Friday's attacks in Paris have "galvanized the world as never before to the threat posed by ISIS and other violent extremists."

And, they wrote, the "worldwide intelligence" understanding that the attacks in Paris "were either masterminded or inspired by ISIS forces in Syria" has raised concerns ISIS "is seeking to insert terrorists into the ranks of refugees coming to Europe and America from Syria."

The bishops acknowledged it's "only natural that Americans wonder whether they can be safe from terrorist attacks and whether allowing Syrian refugees into our country will raise the threat of those attacks."

But, they wrote: "In this time of increased anxiety, it is especially important to reflect and take stock of what is actually occurring when admitting Syrian refugees into our country.

"The Syrian refugees go through multiple layers of interviews and security checks, making them the most thoroughly vetted group of people who come to the United States."

The bishops noted the rigorous security screenings involving the FBI and the federal Homeland Security and Defense departments, as well as multiple intelligence agencies, can take up to two years before a refugee has passed through the vetting process.

"It is true that none of these security measures can guarantee our absolute safety," the bishops wrote. "Even a police state could not offer this guarantee.

"The challenge is to weigh security concerns with our American tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees, as symbolized by the iconic Statue of Liberty."

For those with questions, the bishops referred readers to a Nov. 18 Wall Street Journal article explaining, through a question-and-answer format, how the Syrian refugee screening process works.

That article, which can be found at blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/11/18/qa-how-does-the-syrian-refugee-screening-process-work, explains the kinds of screenings refugees from all countries go through before being allowed to enter the United States, and Syrian refugees "go through an enhanced review process on top of that with extra national security checks," which can take 18-24 months.

Additionally, the Wall Street Journal article noted, since the Syrian crisis began in 2011, more than 332,000 refugees have been allowed into the U.S. - and only about 2,200 (.0066 percent) of those have been from Syria.