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A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump’s Border Wall
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- The 29-foot-tall limestone Jesus statue atop Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico is a sacred site attracting pilgrims worldwide, but its future is threatened by plans to build a border wall.
- The Department of Homeland Security seeks to use eminent domain to seize 14 acres of land from the local Catholic diocese to construct about 1.5 miles of the border wall.
- The diocese opposes the wall, arguing it would desecrate the holy site, violate religious freedoms, and serve as a symbol of hostility toward migrants.
- Homeland Security has offered approximately $180,000 in compensation, but the diocese is challenging the seizure in court, citing First Amendment protections and religious liberty laws.
- Local community members and church leaders view the wall as a physical and ideological scar on the land and a contradiction to Catholic values.
