Rasande Tyskar via Flickr
Catholic Responses to Recent Developments in Migration Policy in the United States and Germany
Speaker: Kathrin Ritzka, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow
Moderator: Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director of the Society, Culture & Politics Program, AGI
In 2025, migration policy design in many Western countries has reached a turning point. Current policy tendencies include a focus on increased border enforcement and deportations, alongside a growing debate on the balance between national security, humanitarian responsibility, and the economic and demographic implications of migration.
The Catholic Church has historically played a pivotal role in advocating for migrants. Catholic social teaching is grounded in the conviction that every human person possesses inherent dignity and that social, political, and economic life should be ordered toward the common good, guided by principles such as solidarity, subsidiarity, and justice. However, stances within the Church have never been monolithic; while many Catholic leaders and institutions actively advocate for the protection and inclusion of migrants, other voices support policies that emphasize stricter immigration controls.
This webinar will explore how Catholic actors in the United States and Germany respond to a shifting migration policy discourse. Drawing on the long and complex relationship between Catholicism and the nation-state, it will highlight both historical continuities and contemporary transformations by examining how different Catholic voices across ideological and institutional lines mobilize theological arguments to justify their stances. The talk will also discuss the role of Catholic advocacy in shaping migration debates and shed light on the broader intersection of religion and politics in democratic societies.
Kathrin Ritzka is a doctoral researcher and Research Associate in Catholic Theology at Humboldt University of Berlin and coordinator of the Center for Interreligious Theology and Religious Study at Humboldt University of Berlin. She holds a master’s degree in German literature from Humboldt University of Berlin, an MPhil in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree with a double-major in Catholic Theology and German Literature.
Her research at AGI will examine how the Catholic Church in the United States and Germany has responded to migration policy debates between 2001 and 2025. Focusing on key turning points after 9/11, during the 2015 refugee crisis, and in the run-up to the 2024/25 elections, she investigates how Catholic leaders, institutions, and lay organizations have positioned themselves in relation to theological principles, political realities, and a shifting public discourse. On the basis of historical analysis and interviews with key actors her project compares national and transnational dynamics to understand how the Church balances universal theological commitments with local realities. In doing so, her research highlights the role of Catholic advocacy in shaping migration debates and sheds light on the broader intersection of religion and politics in democratic societies.
Ritzka is currently co-editing volumes on religion and modernity (Legitimität der Moderne: Reflexionen zwischen Dogmatik, Kirchenrecht und Geschichte, forthcoming 2026) and on language and theology as well as finishing her doctoral thesis on the notion of consolation in theology and contemporary literature.
This session will convene via Zoom. Please contact AGI Program Associate Mr. Jack Fornasiero at jfornasiero@aicgs.org with any questions.
This event is supported by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Foreign Office.
