Trump’s election gives annual Posada Without Borders event ‘a special poignancy,’ bishop says

San Diego County’s Roman Catholic bishop and Tijuana’s archbishop were among hundreds who gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday to pray for relief from war and safety for those fleeing persecution worldwide.

With a fence separating them, Bishop Robert McElroy, Archbishop Francisco Moreno Barrón, members of human rights groups and others celebrated the 23rd annual Posada Without Borders, or La Posada Sin Fronteras.

The posada traditionally is a reenactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter before the birth of Jesus. The call to help current-day refugees, McElroy said, is rooted in the origins of Christianity.

“The gospel tells us that shortly after his birth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt,” McElroy said. “Thus they became refugees immediately.… We are all called to solidarity with those who are undocumented, those who are immigrants, those who are refugees.”

McElroy said the weekend event had “a special poignancy on the border and a special poignancy this year” with the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to deport all immigrants who were in the country illegally and to increase border security. More recently, the president-elect has said his priority would be to first deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have criminal records.

But the issue, McElroy said, is a global one.

“This is a horrendous time,” the bishop said. “Millions of people have been dispossessed from their homes all across the world and are fleeing and have nowhere to go.

“Pope Francis has said we’re not in the middle of a world war. But in a sense we’re in the middle of a piecemeal world war, because there’s so many [regional] conflicts going on simultaneously.”

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

Fikes writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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