CNN is asking whether the Republican Party is at risk of losing Catholic voters.
The news network said immigration has emerged as the main issue in the growing conflict between the church hierarchy and the Republican Party under President Donald Trump. It said the church, with Hispanics representing a growing number of its members, is pushing to support immigrants and refugees.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently issued a strongly worded statement calling on Congressional lawmakers to restore legal protections for young immigrants who had been brought into the U.S. illegally by their parents.
"The U.S. Catholic bishops have long supported Dreamers, recognizing that they are contributors to our economy, academic standouts in our universities, veterans of our military, and leaders in our parishes," Rev. Joe S. Vásquez said in the statement.
"These youths have grown up in our country and know America as their only home. They truly exemplify the extraordinary contributions that immigrants can provide to our nation when they are permitted to reach their God-given potential.
"It is both our moral duty and in our nation's best interest to protect Dreamers."
The statement came about the same time it was learned that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had dismissed the Rev. Patrick Conroy, the Jesuit priest who had served as House chaplain. The dismissal touched off controversy with at least two GOP House members confronting Ryan about it, according to the news network.
CNN noted white Catholics have been a key component of the GOP electoral coalition since the time Ronald Reagan was first elected president. But immigration is proving to be a wedge between the two sides.
"Based on the church teaching and history, the bishops have always been committed to immigration," said Kevin Appleby, the former director of migration policy for the Catholic Bishops conference.
"But ... in this particular era, where Trump has taken an anti-immigrant position, they feel that their flock is being threatened and therefore their responses are more frequent and more exact against some of his policies."
And the network noted in late March the bishops filed a legal brief in the Supreme Court dealing with the Trump administration's order restricting immigration from several Muslim counties. The bishops claimed the order "has both the purpose and the effect of discriminating against Muslims."
In addition, the bishops have been critical of Trump for ending a program that allowed U.S. parents to seek reunification with their children from Central American, CNN said.
They have also criticized the decision to send the National Guard to the Mexican border.
"The church has an institutional interest in immigration, and it's something the church wouldn't apologize for," Appleby said. "If you have your flock, you have a pastoral care duty for your flock, and part of that duty is to advocate on their behalf and defend their rights."
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