Defining Obedience to the Magisterium in Light of the “Special Pastoral Message on Immigration”

Corey Kibbel*

On November 12, 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the official assembly of Catholic bishops who work to support bishops and the Church in the United States, published a “Special Message” on immigration.¹ The designation “Special Message” requires that the bishops meet in plenary assembly and approve it by a two-thirds vote of bishops.² This message was overwhelmingly approved by the American bishops, receiving 216 of 224 votes in its favor.³ This blog will begin with a brief discussion of obedience and the application of subsidiarity to principles, norms, and directives and will conclude with an application to the Special Pastoral Message on Immigration. 

While Catholics are broadly obliged to be obedient to the magisterium, that obedience has particular limits depending on the type of teaching made, usually applying to teachings on faith and morals, but not to particular expressions of policy.⁴ In Octogesima Adveniens, Pope Paul VI—recognizing the Catholic Church’s inability to put forward universal political solutions—provides guidance regarding the way popes or bishops should speak on policy-based matters.⁵ Within this letter, Paul VI distinguishes between “principles of reflection, norms of judgment and directives for action from the social teaching of the Church.”⁶ Principles, norms, and directives provide a framework to discuss who has proper subsidiary authority over each area.⁷  

The establishment of principles most properly belongs to the magisterium of the Church.⁸ This category includes teaching known either directly by revelation or through the application of human reason within the natural law.⁹ Principles include universal human dignity and the need to love thy neighbor.¹⁰ They are always true regardless of circumstance.¹¹  

Norms follow from principles but are more practically applied to a particular time, place, or circumstance.¹² They are still within the magisterium’s purview, but are often similarly informed by academia, think tanks, and special commissions.¹³ Rerum Novarum offers a key example of the pope speaking to particular circumstance as it applies the principles of human dignity and the good of human labor to the particular circumstances posed by the exploitation of workers following the Industrial Revolution.¹⁴ Norms follow from a direct synthesis of principles applied to particular circumstances, though not stated so particularly that they do not apply more broadly.¹⁵ To this end, Rerum Novarum offers defenses of private property, the right to associations for mutual benefit, and just wages.¹⁶ Though the societal circumstances have changed dramatically since its writing in 1891, its arguments still apply because of their nature as norms. While it may be difficult to imagine circumstances in which these norms may not apply, they are not necessarily universal, as would be principles. As a general rule, positive norms are more particularized than negative norms.¹⁷ For example, the theoretical norm requiring a country to reform a particular policy would only apply when that country exists and is exercising the problematic policy. However, a norm stating that a particular action is immoral would apply across national boundaries and circumstances.¹⁸ 

Authority over directives most properly falls to the laity; those people who live in the particular circumstance in which the principles and norms apply.¹⁹ The magisterium has little expertise in policy, regardless of the area of legislation.²⁰ This lack of expertise and demand of subsidiarity requires that the magisterium leave directives to the laity.²¹ Within the relevant principles and norms, there is always a “legitimate variety of possible options.”²² Directives are the fine-line drawing done by legislators and regulators. While the Church may be able to say we have a responsibility to care for the environment (a principle) and thus countries should adopt appropriate regulations to do so (a norm), it is up to the individual legislatures or agencies to dictate more precisely which regulations will be most profitable and what limits need be set to fulfill the necessary principles and norms. 

When viewed through this categorical lens, the Special Pastoral Message on Immigration highlights four principles and six norms.²³ Catholic lawmakers are obliged to be obedient to these principles and norms, though remain wholly independent in the directives used to achieve them. The Special Pastoral Message on Immigration primarily utilizes the principles of human dignity, compassion, love for the stranger, and love for the poor to synthesize norms applying to the immigration circumstances within the United States.²⁴ From these principles, the United States bishops draw the following norms: (1) There is a need for significant reform in immigration laws and procedures; (2) National security is not in conflict with human dignity; (3) Nations have a responsibility to regulate borders and immigration; (4) There is an obligation to assist immigrants in their basic human needs; (5) The indiscriminate mass deportation of people is not permissible; and (6) Dehumanizing rhetoric and violence against both immigrants and law enforcement must cease.²⁵ Of these norms, the first is a positive norm which is immensely particular to the current policy circumstances within the United States. The second and third are also positive norms which give immense flexibility to policymakers in their application. The fourth, like the second and third, is broad in its application, but carries far more weight for the average person, not only those with political authority. Finally, the fifth and sixth norms presented are negative norms which do not make a positive demand for policy but rather prohibitions upon affronts to human dignity. 

Fulfillment of the first, second, and third norms above now largely falls to the responsibility of policymakers by leveraging institutions. The obligation to assist those in need with their basic human needs, however, falls also to the private person because of the practical demands of charity. The directives necessary to apply the negative norms presented by the bishops will largely rely upon policy prohibiting certain actions and enforcing those prohibitions. However, even those who do not effect policy should reform their language and personal behavior to accommodate these negative norms. While it is largely the responsibility of lawmakers to achieve these norms in an institutional manner, it remains the duty of every Catholic to act privately in accord with these norms.  

Though any statement on immigration may enflame political tensions, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Special Pastoral Message on Immigration gives a clear framework which can and should be utilized by advocates for human dignity and the rights of the poor regardless of their political affiliation. Rather than an occasion for resistance against the Church, the bishops, by properly respecting subsidiarity, have appropriately advocated for the dignity of the disadvantaged. 

*Corey Kibbel, J.D. Candidate, University of St. Thomas School of Law Class of 2026. Corey is also pursuing a master’s degree in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas.

1. See U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Nov. 12, 2025), https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/us-bishops-issue-special-message-immigration-plenary-assembly-baltimore [https://perma.cc/KL2H-X6AU]. ↩︎
2. See id. ↩︎
3. See id. ↩︎
4. See generally Religious Obedience, Catholic Answers, https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/religious-obedience [https://perma.cc/GJU6-X6RN] (last visited Dec. 8, 2025). ↩︎
5. See generally Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens (May 14, 1971), https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_letters/documents/hf_p-vi_apl_19710514_octogesima-adveniens.html [https://perma.cc/TC6C-TAHV]. ↩︎
6. Id. at para. 4.  ↩︎
7. Id. ↩︎
8. See generally id. ↩︎
9. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Donum Veritatis para.12 (May 24, 1990), https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19900524_theologian-vocation_en.html %5Bhttps://perma.cc/3NVJ-5HQH%5D.  ↩︎
10. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 48.  ↩︎
11. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 48. ↩︎
12. Ratzinger, supra note 9, at para. 10. ↩︎
13. See generally Ratzinger, supra note 9. ↩︎
14. See generally Leo XII, Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891), https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html [https://perma.cc/W8JX-5LNQ]. ↩︎
15. Paul VI, supra note 5, at 49. ↩︎
16. Paul VI, supra note 5, at 49. ↩︎
17.  See generally Ratzinger, supra note 9. ↩︎
18.  See Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 2.  ↩︎
19. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 48. ↩︎
20. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 4. ↩︎
21. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 4. ↩︎
22. Paul VI, supra note 5, at para. 50. ↩︎
23.  See United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Special Pastoral Message on Immigration, 1–2 (2025), https://www.usccb.org/resources/USCCB%20Special%20Message%20on%20Immigration.pdf [https://perma.cc/BN57-GDWV]. For a video version of the message, see Special Pastoral Message on Immigration, U.S. Conf’s of Catholic Bishops (Nov. 12, 2025), https://www.usccb.org/resources/special-pastoral-message-immigration [https://perma.cc/D6B6-6HDB]. ↩︎
24. See id. ↩︎
25. See id. ↩︎

Defining Obedience to the Magisterium in Light of the Special Pastoral Message on Immigration

By Corey Kibbel