By Simone Orendain (OSV News) – The Catholic bishops of Ohio issued a statement on Thursday, September 19, urging faithful and all people of goodwill to “turn to God and ask for eyes to see the infinite dignity of every person,” while deploring the “partisanship and ideology, which blind us to the image of God in our neighbor, especially the unborn, the poor, and the stranger.” The statement comes after lockdowns of schools and city offices in Springfield, Ohio – along with the evacuation of classrooms and grocery stores – have followed threats of bombs and other violence against the immigrant Haitian community arising from viral claims fueled by the American presidential campaign that the city’s migrants are stealing pets and eating them. These claims have persisted even after local and state authorities, along with community leaders and other individuals caught in the controversy, refuted them as unfounded. An asylum-seeking migrant family from Haiti cross the Rio Bravo to turn themselves in to U.S Border Patrol agents to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, April 22, 2022. (OSV News photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters) “Like all people, these Haitians should be afforded the respect and dignity that are theirs by right and allowed the ability to contribute to the common good,” the bishops wrote. “The recent influx of so many migrants in a brief time has caused a strain on the city’s resources. We applaud all those community groups working hard to advance the flourishing of Springfield, given the need to integrate newcomers into the social fabric. If we remain true to our principles, we can have a dialogue about immigration without scapegoating groups of people for societal issues beyond their control.” Social media was abuzz with the pet-eating claims sparked by Republican vice presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance on Monday, September 9, even as Springfield and other Ohio officials told multiple news outlets that there was no evidence of harm, injury, or abuse of pets by any immigrant group. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, amplified the unverified claims on Tuesday, September 10, during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, watched by 67 million people. “They’re eating the dogs – the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said. Bansal Oreus is seen Aug. 15, 2024, at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Springfield, Ohio, where he helps other Haitian immigrants with government documents. (OSV News photo/Howard Schneider, Reuters) On social media, Vance claimed he “didn’t invent constituents complaining about this,” but one Springfield resident, Anna Kilgore, who made a police report (cited by Vance’s spokesperson) claiming that Haitians might have taken her missing cat in late August, told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, September 17, that she actually found “Miss Sassy” a few days later safe in her own basement. Kilgore, a Trump supporter, said she apologized to her Haitian neighbors. On Monday, September 16, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced he would send a contingent of state troopers to be stationed inside and outside the city of Springfield’s schools, which had received more than 30 bomb threats in recent days. “Many of these threats are coming in from overseas, made by those who want to fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield. We cannot let the bad guys win,” Governor DeWine said. “We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to be in school, and parents deserve to know that their kids are safe. The added security will help ease some of the fears caused by these hoaxes.” Springfield estimates there are 12,000-15,000 Haitian immigrants in the city based on data from the state motor vehicles department, city schools, the health care system, and service agencies. A 2022 census community survey numbers Springfield’s population today at around 58,000 – for a city that once boasted 83,000 in 1960. The population surge of the past three years has increased demand for government benefits including Medicaid, food stamps, and other welfare services. Aid workers have said these are mostly temporary until migrants receive their work permits. Those who work with Haitian migrants said the city’s infrastructure was not prepared to handle the new arrivals. A mural adorns a wall in the city of Springfield, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2024. (OSV News photo/Julio-Cesar Chavez, Reuters) Lisa Lenard, pastoral associate of the St. Rose Family of Parishes, which oversees five Catholic churches in Springfield, told OSV News that the surge “stresses that infrastructure.” As Springfield’s public services have been stretched to the limits with this growth, resident complaints during public comments have become a regular occurrence at city commissioner board meetings. Among them are traffic incidents in the area, which has seen an uptick in vehicular accidents involving injuries and some deaths – some of which have been attributed to Haitian migrants whose driving habits were formed in Haiti and have not adapted to American driving norms. National political candidates have also pointed to the 2023 death of Aiden Clark, an 11-year old boy in a school bus accident caused by a Haitian immigrant driving without a license, who was sentenced to between nine and 13 and a half years in prison for the crime. During a Springfield City Commission meeting, Aiden’s father, Nathan Clark, spoke in order to rebuke politicians claiming his son was “murdered by a Haitian migrant,” saying his son loved learning about people from different cultures and that he wanted to protect Aiden’s memory from those he said were spreading hatred “for political gain.” Casey Rollins, who serves as volunteer executive director of the Springfield District Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said the organization along with other social service agencies in Springfield have helped about 8,100 Haitian migrants, whom she said mostly sought work permits. Because of political instability or other dangerous situations in their home countries, certain migrants, including Haitians, qualify for “temporary protected status” and are allowed to work in the country without being deported for a limited period. But they are not precluded from applying for residency. Rollins told OSV News she first began working with Haitian migrants in 2017. According to Springfield officials, the city’s Haitian migrants have legal authorization to live and work there. “I can speak to their ethics, their faith, their absolute desire and dedication to work, to finding work, and most importantly … their care and concern for their own family,” Rollins said. “They care for community in such a way,” she added, “even though they’re being vilified and they’re being persecuted here. They care for our people in such a way that once they receive a hand-up that we give them or that all the other agencies all over town are giving them, they become part of the leadership to give other people a hand-up, whether they’re Haitian or American or whatever they are.” Lenard said St. Rose Parish began offering a Haitian Mass last October to accommodate the growing Haitian population, which is mostly Catholic. A Haitian priest from the nearby Diocese of Columbus celebrates the weekly Mass in French and Creole. But Lenard also said a number of Haitians join the English Mass to learn English. She said about a dozen Haitian children enrolled in catechism classes this year, and many participated in vacation Bible school during summer. “As people are coming into the community, they’re becoming more and more a part of the community and getting into the education program,” Lenard told OSV News. “They are trying their best to assimilate to American life. … People that are born and raised here leave. Now, with the influx of immigrants, jobs are being filled. But there are still a lot of places with help wanted signs that need more workers.” In their statement, the Ohio bishops stressed that “it is our belief in the dignity of human life that guides our consciences and rhetoric when engaging in politics or personal conversation.” The bishops added: “Each of us, therefore, must turn to God and ask for eyes to see the infinite dignity of every person. As the residents of Springfield, Ohio, struggle with violent threats and life disruptions fueled by unfettered social media posts, we exhort the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill not to perpetuate ill will toward anyone involved based on unfounded gossip. Instead, we ask for prayers and support for all the people of Springfield as they integrate their new Haitian neighbors and build a better future together.” Simone Orendain writes for OSV News from Chicago. OSV News’ Peter Jesserer Smith and Gina Christian contributed to this report. The post Catholic Leaders Call for Truth, Compassion amid Crisis in Ohio appeared first on Today's Catholic.