The religious and legislative missions of the Roman Catholic Church met Saturday when Archbishop Christophe Pierre addressed the Missouri Catholic Conference at St. Joseph Cathedral.
Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, serves as Vatican ambassador to the U.S. The Missouri Catholic Conference, the lobbying and public policy arm of the Roman Catholic Church in Missouri, prides itself of tackling issues important to poor and disadvantaged parts of society and held a day long event for about 500 attendees.
In his address, Pierre expressed concerns about a drop in church participation and called for Missouri and the U.S. to open its borders to refugees and immigrants.
A France native, Pierre also previously worked as a Vatican representative in Mexico, Uganda and Haiti. For now, he resides in Washington and travels the country spreading the church's message.
Early in his address, Pierre said a reorganization of family roles; an erosion of communal life in favor of individualism; and cultural wars that lead to the demonetization of people with different viewpoints all contribute to increasing secularization and decreasing church participation. Twenty-five percent of Americans and 50 percent of baptized Catholics under age 30 identify as having no religious affiliation, he said.
"The challenges are great but not insurmountable," Pierre told the crowd. "This affects that deepest core of each culture, which is now likewise difficult to hand on through education and the beauty of cultural expressions."
Pierre said these changes threaten the church because changing family attitudes toward faith could take away one of the best vehicles for handing down the Catholic faith.
Pierre called on congregants gathered at the cathedral to better preach the word of Jesus to their friends and the world. After the speech, Pierre said this mission is critical to him.
"It concerns me not just personally but because it affects the life of the church," Pierre said. "For the people who are here encourage them to be better witnesses of Jesus."
Mike Hoey, the executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, said a critical mission of the group is to promote policies that encourage aiding refugees and immigrants.
"It's a challenging message for people right now, because people are naturally scared," Hoey said. "They don't want people to come into the country that they think might be terrorists, but there are people that are fleeing war and they need a safe place to go."
Likewise, Pierre called for congregants to continue to open their doors to migrants and immigrants from all walks of life. Pierre quoted Pope Francis and said migrants at times are not searching for a better future, but simply a future.
"It is imperative that we seek not only what is in our best interest but what is in their interests, creating an open community in which there is space for all - rich and poor, near and far," Pierre said.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee approved a security bill including $10 billion for President Donald Trump's proposed border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
In February, Pope Francis rebuked the president's proposed wall and hard line approach to immigration, saying society should not create "walls but bridges" to encourage good relations among people. Pierre carried this message to the Missouri Catholic Conference in more blunt terms.
"To keep others out, especially by building walls, thereby remaining closed in on oneself, is an affront to human dignity," Pierre said. "This promotion of the common good involves serious consideration of the preferential option for the poor."
Pierre said afterward the proposed wall and the president's approach to immigration concern him deeply because they conflict with many of Jesus' teachings.
"Jesus told us, 'You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world,'" Pierre said. "So we must invite society to be at the service of the people. We have to work to change the direction of society."
Each year, the Missouri Catholic Conference meets at the Capitol. Months ago it invited Pierre to speak but decided the larger and more formal gathering spaces at the cathedral would better fit this year's event.
Just under 500 attendees from across Missouri came to the event Saturday, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Missouri Catholic Conference. Some clergy members traveled from other Midwestern states like Iowa and Arkansas to hear Pierre speak. Bishops from across the country including places like Washington, D.C., also attended.
During the event, the Missouri Catholic Conference held three workshops, covering topics like the church's pro-life stance on abortion, the history and heritage of Catholic education in Missouri, and social justice. Pierre ate lunch with cathedral congregants and event attendees.
After giving his address early Saturday afternoon, he broke bread with church's congregants when he attended a special Mass.
Pierre said he'd been to St. Louis once recently, but this was just his second trip to Missouri. He opened his address by reading a statement sent from Pope Francis that wished the Roman Catholic Church in Missouri good luck in accomplishing its mission.
"We're really lucky to have him," Hoey said. "It's an honor that he would come here to speak at this event."