Catholic leaders bring communion to immigration detainees near Chicago after court win


Faithful pray over two priests and a nun before they deliver communion and ashes to people detained in an immigration detention facility, in Broadview, Illinois, U.S., February 18, 2026. REUTERS/Heather Schlitz

BROADVIEW, Illinois, Feb 19 (Reuters) - For the first time ⁠in six years, two priests and a nun escorted by police have walked past barbed wire and concrete barriers to enter a Chicago-area immigration facility ⁠to give communion and ashes to detainees after a judge ordered faith leaders be allowed inside.

Catholic priest Paul Keller recounted the shocked and tear-stained ‌faces of the immigrants at the facility on Ash Wednesday. His hands stained black from distributing ashes, Keller describedit as a bittersweet moment after a months-long court battle to gain access to the facility in order to minister to detainees.

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