'This is domestic terror': Shaken by ICE raids, pastors rethink ministries

When the Rev. Tanya Lopez talks about the day in June when she had to confront masked agents in her church parking lot, she focuses on the man they detained. As the pastor of Downey Memorial Christian Church near Los Angeles, California, she said her primary concern was the person being taken away by the apparent federal immigration agents, though they declined to identify what agency they worked for.

But the fact that agents felt comfortable apprehending a man on church property — and were willing, Lopez says, to raise a weapon at her even after she identified herself as a pastor — left her shaken.

“This is domestic terror, in my opinion,” Lopez told Religion News Service in June. “I don’t feel safe. I still have to show up at church on Sunday. I still have to lead worship.”

Religion & Politics

Photos of the Week: Pachamama, Tisha B'Av

People gather on La Cumbre, a mountain considered sacred to burn offerings in observance of the month of Pachamama, or Mother Earth, performing an ancient tradition to ask for a good harvest, on the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

In Opinion

And finally, Pope Leo is focused on AI. What should his guidance offer the world?

From the start of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV signaled his interest — and concern — over the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, prompting many Vatican observers to believe a major papal document might be coming to address autonomous systems and their impact on humanity.

The Vatican has been carefully observing the rise of AI, which has made dramatic leaps just this year. The new version of ChatGPT, released by OpenAI in February, claims improved emotional understanding, and Google’s AlphaEvolve is creatively solving mathematical problems. Google’s Veo 3 creates state-of-the-art AI videos with synched audio. AI-controlled F-16s are now rivaling human pilots, and China is deploying intelligent robots to do an increasing number of tasks, from waiting tables to providing health care. Experts say Artificial General Intelligence — machines capable of simulating human reasoning — may be only a few years away.

A mathematician, canon lawyer and theologian, Pope Leo has shown he understands the stakes. Speaking to cardinals in the Sistine Chapel only 48 hours after his election, he said he was inspired to take the name Leo to follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who in 1891 issued “Rerum Novarum” (“On Revolutions”) to address the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution.

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