LONSDALE, Minn. — A Roman Catholic priest apologized after making controversial statements in a homily earlier this month.
In a statement released by the St. Paul-Minnesota Catholic archdiocese, Father Nick VanDenBroeke apologized for the comments he made on Jan. 5 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Rice County, Minnesota. The apology, published on the archdiocese website, reads:
"My homily on immigration contained words that were hurtful to Muslims. I’m sorry for this. I realize now that my comments were not fully reflective of the Catholic Church’s teaching on Islam."
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Minnesota Catholic Conference to repudiate the statements on Wednesday.
According to CAIR, Father VanDenBroeke told his congregation at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale that there was an exception to the Christian concept of "welcoming the stranger," and that as Americans "we should not be allowing large numbers of Muslims asylum or immigration into our country."
The priest went on to say that Islam is "the greatest threat in the world" to Christianity and the U.S. Father VanDenBroeke also told his congregation that they "must oppose their [Muslim] religion and worldview."
In a statement released by Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the St. Paul archdiocese, he emphasized that Father VanDenBroeke "expressed sorrow for his words and an openness to seeing more clearly the Church's position on our relationship with Islam." The Archbishop went on to emphasize the teachings of Popes Francis and Benedict, underlining the importance of dialogue and cooperation between believers.
Archbishop Hebda wrote that he is "grateful for the many examples of friendship offered by the Muslim community in our region, and that we are committed to strengthening the relationship between the two communities."
The homily was issued on Immigration Sunday. According to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, Immigration Sunday is a time for Minnesota Catholics to "show their commitment to welcoming migrants and refugees in our communities through our prayers, education, and actions."
