Catholic Church responds to feds in ongoing legal battle over Mount Cristo Rey

Photo: A view of the back of the cross at the top of Mount Cristo Rey, Sunland Park, New Mexico with pilgrims heading up to the cross. The mountain is situated on the United States/Mexico border. – February 13, 2010. Photo credit: MJCdetroit via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Article by Robert Towne. KOB 4 – July 28, 2026. U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Smart Wall Map.

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. – The Catholic Church issued a new response Tuesday to the federal government’s request to seize more than 14 acres of land at Mount Cristo Rey for a border wall. While the government has repeatedly said access to the shrine at the top of the mountain will not be restricted from the American side, the Church raised several concerns on how it would still be affected. […]

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Photo: Soldiers assigned to the 1st Armored Division Artillery and members of the University of Texas at El Paso football team pose for a group photo at the summit of Mt. Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, N.M., Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The joint ascent served as a community‑partner team‑building event designed to foster esprit de corps. Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Felix Mena via DVIDs. Public Domain.

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