The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a federal lawsuit on October 5, challenging visitation restrictions at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center that it says prevent Catholic detainees from receiving sacraments.

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski and Father Christopher Schroeder are named as plaintiffs in the suit. The facility, which has housed approximately 3,000 detainees since mid-2025 under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, currently holds about 150 individuals. One detainee died while in custody at the center.

The archdiocese alleges that the detention center’s no-contact policy blocks clergy from administering Communion and hearing confessions. While the facility permits lawyers and consular officials to visit detainees under more permissive conditions, it has barred priests from accessing the site during the traditional four-hour Sunday visitation window. Clergy are restricted to a separate four-hour window on Mondays.

Facility officials have cited safety and security concerns as justification for the restrictions, expressing fears that priests might smuggle contraband into the facility. The lawsuit questions how consecrated hosts could be classified as contraband material.

Maj. Jason Schott, who oversees jail operations at the center, reportedly suggested that clergy place Communion hosts in a plastic bag for delivery by prison guards. The archdiocese argues this proposal fails to accommodate Catholic practice, which requires that only ministers specifically appointed by the diocese or parish administer the Eucharist.

“That refusal is troubling, given that other individuals—including lawyers and consular officials—are permitted to visit detained individuals under much more permissive circumstances,” the archdiocese said in a statement accompanying the filing.

The legal action seeks to secure religious access for Catholic detainees consistent with their faith obligations. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit or the facility’s policies.

“The Catholic Church does not seek special treatment,” the archdiocese said in the release, emphasizing that the request is for equal accommodation of religious practice rather than preferential status.