Exploring elasticity and shielding in the Catholic Church: priests’ relationships with Latino worshippers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Examining the relationship between Catholic priests and Latino parishioners, we explored how five clergy understood their roles in easing the way for immigrants to the Boston area. Just as the Catholic Church welcomed European immigrants of an earlier period, priests believed that their parishes continued to embrace a newer wave of immigrants during a time when Latinos experienced heightened fear of deportation under the immigration policies that took place between 2017 and 2021. However, an alternative narrative emerged in this study, in which priests acknowledged their own reliance on Latino parishioners to revitalise their church and fill their pews as their numbers of white members were dwindling. We argue that priests’ descriptions of their interactions with Latino worshippers highlight their move to elasticise the Catholic Church to accommodate the needs of new immigrant families. Priests then seek to establish a loyalty among Latino parishioners which serves to shield them from the criticism of white Americans in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal.