Standing alongside a banner reading “Dignity Not Detention” Aug. 9, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said that despite the world’s moral complexities, “any time that there is a policy or law that has such a detrimental effect upon families, that it’s wrong.”

Speaking near the end of an hour-long vigil that began at 7:30 a.m. outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis to raise awareness about the plight of undocumented immigrants living in the United States, he pointed to “Unlocking the Gate in Our Hearts,” a statement the Minnesota Conference of Catholic Bishops published in 2012: “… it is also true that laws that undermine human dignity, separate families and which prevent the exercise of basic human rights are unjust laws in need of reform. Good laws should not and need not exclude the possibility of mercy.”

“Brothers and sisters, we need to stand for that mercy as best we’re able to do that,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Hebda said he wakes up every morning seeing a quote by Sister Norma Pimentel, a sister of the Missionaries of Jesus and the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande, who works at the U.S.-Mexico border: “As leaders today, we must allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and to do more. True leadership unfolds by accompanying others who are suffering.”

“I’m so grateful for the way, even in an action like this, that we’re encountering those who are so vulnerable, our brothers and sisters who face these pressures that come with immigration, and we know that they are among the most vulnerable in our society, so that anything we can do in their support is so incredibly important,” he said.

He noted the upcoming World Day of Migrants and Refugees Sept. 25, which he called “an important day in our archdiocese and around the world because of the importance that Pope Francis has given it.” He said he was edified by Pope Francis’ words during his recent penitential pilgrimage in Canada, and he recalled that the pope’s first trip away from the Vatican was to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, which receives refugees and migrants from the Mediterranean.

“It was a way of highlighting the importance of standing with our brothers and sisters in their moments of need. I always feel so inspired by the Holy Father in that regard, and know that if we’re standing with him, we’re standing with our Church as well,” he said, before praying a blessing over participants.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration. It was co-hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates Justice Commission’s Immigration Working Group, Maryknoll Lay Missioners, Twin Cities Nonviolent, and the Basilica of St. Mary and Ascension parishes, both in Minneapolis.

Other speakers included two young men, one a parishioner of Ascension in north Minneapolis, who described how their lives have been affected by having immediate family members who were undocumented immigrants. The vigil also featured an update on immigration policies from an Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota representative and petitions for immigration-related intentions, with some participants requesting prayers for particular situations.

Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration holds monthly morning prayer vigils to raise awareness about undocumented immigration.