The Catholic Church in the United States stands with undocumented immigrants, declares a letter written by 33 of the nation’s Hispanic bishops.
The letter, released on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, says the Church sees the suffering face of Jesus in the tribulations of immigrants.
Addressing themselves to those “who lack proper authorization to live and work in our country,” the bishops declare their solidarity with immigrants, promising them that they are not alone or forgotten.
“Many of you perform the most difficult jobs and receive miserable salaries and no health insurance or Social Security. Despite your contributions to the well-being of our country, instead of receiving our thanks, you are often treated as criminals because you have violated current immigration laws,” the bishops said.
“We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity. We open our arms and hearts to you and we receive you as members of our Catholic family.”
The letter’s signatories include Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Sacramento, Calif., Bishop Jaime Soto and St. Augustine, Fla., Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estevez.
Immigrant advocates and those who call for comprehensive immigration reform that would include a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States praised the bishops’ letter as a prophetic document that fights against the dehumanization of migrants in the often contentious national debate over immigration policy.
“With honesty and humility, in its expression of solidarity with the migrant, this letter, I believe, is a summons to a deeper conversation about migration than what we’ve had in the public forum,” said Holy Cross Father Daniel Groody, a University of Notre Dame professor who has written extensively about and produced documentaries on immigration.
“It is a statement to the Church community, and to our leaders in political office, to see immigration not just in terms of economic and political issues, but also the human issues,” Father Groody said in a telephone interview.
“I’m blown away by this letter. It’s a powerful statement of faith and a powerful statement of solidarity,” said Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of America’s Voice, a lobbying organization that favors immigration policies allowing a path to citizenship.
“It’s the kind of letter that suggests that many leaders in the Church are going to get more militant in their defense of illegal immigrants,” Sharry said.
Left, Right and Center
If so, that would be problematic, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonprofit organization that opposes illegal immigration and seeks to improve border security.
“If we allow everyone around the world who really, really wanted to come here to the United States, it would negatively impact everyone’s life here. What the bishops are advocating is something unjust to the American people,” Mehlman said.
Mehlman said the bishops view the immigration issue solely from the perspective of the migrant, while not taking into consideration that all nations have immigration laws and quotas to preserve their national interests. He said the bishops’ letter ignores the reality that many people break laws when they cross borders illegally and that their presence strains public services funded by taxpayers.
“What the bishops are saying is that someone has to give up their job to someone who will work for less money,” Mehlman said. “They’re asking people to make sacrifices, to pay for these people’s medical needs and education expenses; sacrifices that they haven’t agreed to. That’s not charity.”
Catholics of a conservative political bent often criticize the bishops for their immigration stance. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Catholic Republican presidential candidate, told The Des Moines Register on Dec. 12 that the bishops were wrong to call for comprehensive immigration reform that would include an earned path to legalization. He said the United States must enforce its own laws.
“If we develop the program like the Catholic bishops suggested, we would be creating a huge magnet for people to come in and break the law some more; we’d be inviting people to cross this border, come into this country and with the expectation that they will be able to stay here permanently,” Santorum said.
But the letter is pastoral, said Maria Muñoz-Visoso, assistant director of media relations for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“The bishops as pastors are concerned as well for all immigrants, documented or not, Hispanic or not,” she said.
Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House and Catholic convert who is also seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has drawn criticism from conservative corners for his attempts at navigating a middle path on immigration.
Gingrich called for a more “humane” approach, saying that the American people would not tolerate deportations of people who have often lived in their community for 20 years or more, raised children and belong to the local church. Gingrich has proposed creating citizen review boards to determine whether undocumented immigrants should be eligible for residency permits.
Still, under his plan, Gingrich told the CBS Sunday morning program Face the Nation on Dec. 18 that only about 1 million undocumented immigrants would be allowed to stay in the United States. The remaining 10 million or so people would have to return to their countries of origin and obtain a guest or worker permit to return.
’We are All Migrants’
The bishops’ letter said that any new immigration laws should include a program for worker visas that respect the migrants’ human rights, provides for their basic needs and ensures that they enter the United States and work in a safe and orderly manner. The bishops vowed to also advocate on behalf of global economic justice, so that migrants can find employment in their own countries that offer a living wage to allow them to live with dignity.
The bishops also advised immigrants to seriously reconsider their plans to migrate to the United States in the absence of just immigration laws. The letter added that the bishops are aware of the pain felt by families who have experienced deportation of their loved ones. The bishops said they sympathize with the anxiety of those who live under the daily threat of deportation and the lack of opportunities and legal protection for undocumented youth and young adults who have grown up here.
“This situation cries out to God for a worthy and humane solution,” the bishops said.
“The bishops have taken the initiative to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable. They are providing a light in what is right now a dark period in this nation’s history,” Father Groody said.
“The new normal is how you can dehumanize undocumented immigrants by painting them all with a broad brush of criminality,” said Sharry, who added: “This letter has the feel of being one of those documents that we’ll be reading in 30 or 40 years and recognize it as a departure from the norm, and a recognition of what solidarity means when considering oppressive policies toward migrants.”
“I think the bishops’ courage will be vindicated,” Sharry said.
Mehlman said he sympathizes with migrants who cross borders without documents to seek better lives, but added that nations have an interest in enforcing their laws. He noted that law enforcement routinely separates families when police arrest people for committing crimes.
“In all other areas of law enforcement, we hold the person responsible for breaking the law, not the law itself,” said Mehlman.
Nevertheless, the bishops vowed to continue their advocacy for migrants, whom the bishops wrote mirror Jesus the pilgrim, who emigrated with Mary and Joseph to Egypt as a refugee, migrated from Galilee to Jerusalem for the sacrifice of the cross, and finally emigrated from death to life in the Resurrection and Ascension to heaven.
Jesus, the bishops wrote, “continues to journey and accompany all migrants on pilgrimage throughout the world in search of food, work, dignity, security and opportunities for the welfare of their families.”
“You reveal to us the supreme reality of life,” the bishops said. “We are all migrants.”
Register correspondent Brian Fraga writes from New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Edward Pentin: Pope's Farewell Address to Mexico - Full Text
Comments
Post a Comment
“Nevertheless, the bishops vowed to continue their advocacy for migrants, whom the bishops wrote mirror Jesus the pilgrim, who emigrated with Mary and Joseph to Egypt as a refugee, migrated from Galilee to Jerusalem for the sacrifice of the cross, and finally emigrated from death to life in the Resurrection and Ascension to heaven.’
This seems somewhat equivalent to Jesse Jackson comparing the Virgin Mary to an unwed mother a few years back.
One thing I will not, cannot forgive. Making Our Lady of Guadeloupe a cheap partisan ‘symbol’ of Mexican ‘power’ and worldly ‘social justice activism’. Loudly and clearly you are ‘bishops’ of illegal Mexican Spanish speaking non-Americans. I am an American Catholic and our ‘hispanic’ bishops are not ‘my’ shepherds at all but social justice ‘useful idiots’ eager to fill the pews they have emptied in the last 50 years with their debased liturgies and Socialist homilies.
As Christians we have obligations to our neighbors that go far beyond our duties as citizens.
If I have have food and you are starving then I have an obligation to feed you.
If I have clothes and you are naked then I have an obligation to clothe you.
However, it seems to me…
If I have meat and you have beans then I have no obligation to feed you.
If I have new clothes and you have old clothes then I have no obligation to clothe you.
As Christians we are obligated to save the lives of our brothers but we are not obligated to give them a free lifestyle upgrade. We may choose to but we are not obligated. And we certainly have no right to impose this obligation on our non-Christian fellow citizens.
There are many places in the world where people are forced to emigrate because they are starving or persecuted. Mexico is NOT one of those places!
Mexico has no natural disaster, no drought, no famine, no plague, no war and no genocide.
Actually, Mexico is something of a paradise compared to much of the third world.
Most of the illegal immigrants from Mexico already had food and homes and jobs.
Their food and homes and jobs may not have been as nice as ours but that’s just life.
I live very modestly. I bet your home and your food and your job are much nicer than mine. If I show up at your doorstep are you obligated to upgrade my lifestyle? I don’t think so but that is EXACTLY what illegal immigrants from Mexico think.
Illegal immigration from Mexico is a lifestyle choice. We do not owe them a free upgrade.
We should not allow anyone, Catholic leaders or otherwise, to make us feel guilty about enforcing our country’s laws.
I am a practicing catholic with a deep loving relation with my church. However, it appears unreasonable to suggest that a nations law must be bended to the demands of a group of people. We have some very strict cannon laws within our church that all Catholics must observe and are pretty unbendable. The Vatican is a state with immigration laws also, why are his members asking other states to beds theirs?
Immigration is a policy issues and discussion to be held in the floors on congress and resolve by the federal government, the intrusion of foreign states is counterproductive to our sovereignty.
We have a serious problem with our immigration system in America proven by the fact that in the last 25 years our undocummented/ illegal immigrats have grown in numbers of 11 million plus. Solving this is the job of our state not my church. This administration has failed to provide a solution to this problem.
The bishops letter is a cry for a solution but should not be a suggestion for resolution or a forgiveness of those who broke the law.
Yours in Christ,
I friend of mine sent to me a while ago and I want to share it in order to provide a better scriptural response on this topic.
“By being “Pro-immigration” we mean that the Federal government is responsible to formulate sound immigration laws, and to enforce them in a dignified way. Our desire is to see this issue resolved soon, therefore, we appeal to the federal government to resolve this matter quickly.
The Old Testament commands the people of Israel to treat the “sojourner” (other versions say “alien”) fairly; with kindness and love. For example, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Exod. 22:21). Is the “sojourner” in verses like this the same as a foreign immigrant in a nation today? In his very perceptive book The Immigration Crisis, Old Testament scholar James Hoffmeier says that the word translated “alien” (NIV) or “sojourner” or “stranger” (ESV; sometimes NASB, KJV) was “a person who entered Israel and followed legal procedures to obtain recognized standing as a resident alien.” Hoffmeier points out that there was a specific Hebrew word (g?r) used to refer to such an “alien” or “sojourner.” In other words, Hoffmeier explains these verses concerning the “sojourner” (Hebrew: g?r) refer to “legal immigrants” into a country. But other people who did not have this recognized standing were simply termed “foreigners”—using other Hebrew terms—and they did not have the same benefits or privileges sojourners did (Exodus 23:9; Lev. 19:33; Deut. 10:19).
Hoffmeier concludes that while “the legal alien ought to have most of the rights of citizenship,” or as in the case of the USA, the rights of legal resident aliens, according to current laws. On the other hand, illegal immigrants should not expect these same privileges from the state whose laws they disregard by virtue of their undocumented status. The Bible clearly distinguishes between the status of a legal alien (ger), and a foreigner (nekhar and zar), and in one consequence is there is a difference between the legal standing of a present-day documented alien and an illegal immigrant. Therefore it is legally and morally acceptable for government to deal with those in the country illegally according to the nation’s legal provisions, as long as it is done in a humane manner.
Hoffmeier also emphasizes that nations in the world of the Old Testament clearly placed a high priority on protecting their borders and having the right to decide who would enter their nation and who would not: “Were ancient territorial borders taken seriously and was national sovereignty recognized? The answer is emphatically yes.” Hoffmeier also adds, after a survey of the biblical data that nowhere in the Old Testament is there any sense that a nation had to accept immigrants, nor was being received as an alien a right.” Carlos Maffat
I’m sorry, but there is already a path to citizenship. Unfortunately, this path is not taken by undocumented immigrants. In the meantime, they utilize other people’s social security numbers and documented immigrant’s identification numbers to obtain employment, credit cards, cell phones and housing. They also lie about their names and date of births in order to obtain employment. In my experience undocumented workers are not treated any differently than documented workers. They are given fair wages, state welfare, free health insurance and education for their children. This article is full of misinformation. All this “requests” that the bishops are asking for has already been provided in our current laws. There are no deportations of “families” only criminals. This country also allows certain countries to come here because of the poverty in their own nations. Sorry but Mexico is not one of them. Everyone millions of people are either naturalized or given permanent resident cards the legal way. There needs to be more research done.
I disagree with some of the Bishop’s stance. I think if they feel this strongly about illegal immigration, then they themselves and the Church (not the government) should take care of their needs. The Bishops should also form a program teaching these people English. Their children have problems learning in school because the parent’s can’t help them with homework because of the English barrior, and they have no incentive then for learning our language.
Many of these immigrant’s children are getting free education, food and sometimes housing. I sympathize with them being poor (in Mexico) but why don’t the Bishops criticize Mexico and its non efforts to help the poor.
It would help too if these people tried to assimilate a little. I too resent the fact that “Our Lady of Guadalupe” is being brought into this. Yes, she is the patroness of North America and I respect their customs, but how about some of ours, like “Our Lady of Fatima”.
I also feel that some of the problems encountered in the Churches could be helped by stressing the Tridentine Mass(everyone would be in the same boat with the Latin) and encouraging the English Masses instead of Spanish. Yes our ancestors were from other countries, but Polish Masses, Czech Masses, etc. were not said to accomadate them either, nor in the Catholic schools here.
Perhaps our shepherds will also declare that they stand with those who sell drugs “without proper authorization,” who take autos from other people or enter their homes “without proper authorization”—who drive “without proper authorization” or who have sex with people “without proper authorization,” i.e., without the victim’s legal consent (forcible or statutory rape or child abuse, in other words.) Whether or not our immigration laws could be better or wiser than they are now, the fact is—and CCC says this explictly—immigration laws per se are not unjust. A nation has a right to control ingress.
If, as it is true, that these people “perform the most difficult jobs and receive miserable salaries and no health insurance or Social Security” then why would anyone support this? Illegal immigration is little more than modern slavery and human trafficking. It should be stopped, just as the slave trade was stopped. To truly care for immigrants, we should support upholding our laws, protecting our borders, and reforming the immigration system. Many thousands of people wish to come to the United States, and many of them cannot come because they follow the law. Let’s be authentically fair. We also need to treat illegal immigrants who are already here in a most loving and compassionate way, without also encouraging more illegal immigration. What’s done is done… illegal immigrants here now should be given some sort of legal work status, short of being allowed to become citizens.
There was a 2 part artice on this subject at CatholicExchange.com yesterday: http://catholicexchange.com/2011/12/21/139847/
The Bishops are just plain wrong on this!
There is a spiritual and political side to this that I haven’t seen mentioned. Spiritually, the Catholic Church is losing a lot of the Hispanic population to Evangelical Protestant denominations. So this could be a hand reaching out saying “choose us” - a sympathetic ear that, if it were truly honest with itself, would have to say a law has been broken and people have given in to temptation. But the people are here and many really are hard-working people trying to find a better life for their families and the Bishops may want them in the Catholic Church, not somewhere else. Politically, the democrats are in hot water. How can a Catholic vote for them when they are pushing the demise of definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, when they are forcing acceptance of homosexual relations, when they are a force behind abortion and Planned Parenthood? To justify a Catholic voting democrat the Bishops have to find SOMETHING. This looks like what they’ve chosen. Also, politically, the most poor have tended to align themselves as democrats so the democratic voter base would expand if 11 million new democrats were given the vote. The system is obviously broken. Who sat by for twenty years while someone was working here illegally? With so many Americans out of work is it really still even true that no one else would do the jobs illegal immigrants are doing? We have used more than our share of the worlds resources, too and we have played a part in the poverty of other nations and their lower standard of living. The answer is true Christian love - choosing to live simply that others may simply live, choosing to be kind, choosing to redirect illegal immigration into the building up of Mexico -God has given someone the gift and the answer. But God does not do evil that good would come of it and it seems like ignoring the crime of illegal immigration to keep people in the US is just that.
Mary & Joseph never broke the law and neither did Jesus. In fact, as Catholics, aren’t we taught to uphold the law and traditions? Why would our Shepherds be encouraging anyone to break the law? This is a group of Bishops who, themselves, come from families with members of similar backgrounds. It seems so biased to me. As a native American and a Catholic, I feel completely disregarded by this group of Bishops.
Are the Hispanic American Bishops trying to drive the last remnant of non Hispanics from their flocks? How many generations does it take before the ‘Hispanic’ gets dropped from Hispanic American?
As a Caucasion American Parishioner, active in my Parish and faithfully using the envelope system, if i could ask our LA ArchBishop Gomez a question: Undocumented or unauthorized ‘migrant’ is similar to calling it ‘gay’ rather than homosexual and ‘family planning’ or ‘pro-choice’ rather than contraception or abortion. If our ‘Shepherds’ won’t tell it like it is, who will? Or maybe we’re more clearly seeing they are not ‘our’ Shepherds, they’re ‘Hispanic’ shepherds in Roman Catholic garb?? What are the real Hispanic Bishops telling these folks before they leave Mexico to enter the US illegally? Do they attend Mass in Mexico or is there something about the U.S.A. that makes them become devout, Church going Catholics all of a sudden? Does the Church really think they can keep them by pandering to them at the expense of those of us who’ve been here all along? Is the Church ‘killing the fatted calf’ or giving away the farm? or is there a deeper political agenda here? why do we have an ‘Hispanic’ Community within our Parishes? I thought we were one Catholic and Apostolic Church??
When Roe vs. Wade was foisted upon this country the US Bishops issued a meek statement that said it was wrong but that the law was the law and Catholics must abide by it.
There are now 50 millions of dead babies but after all the law is the law.
This country is still taking 1 million legal immigrants every year. Moreover there used to be a fully functioning way for workers to come from Mexico to work seasonally and legally. It preserved the dignity and legal rights of the workers and their families and promoted stability and prosperity south of the border. Instead we now have 1/2 a million illegals coming every year and they mainline drugs into the country.
Why was the Braceros program eliminated? To help the Democrat Party in California. Who helped destroy it? The Bishops. Just one more proof that the fix is in and that the Democrat Party “owns” the American Catholic Church. I would challenge any of these Bishops to read their predecessors original statement on Roe vs. Wade and substitute illegal immigration for child in the womb.
Obviously they are clearing the way for voting for the baby killers yet another time because after all Pelosi and Obama and Boxer and Cuomo ad nauseum are on the “right” side of immigration and offer “free” health care.
And what will the result of yet another compromise with evil be? These good Catholic Mexicans will be handed over to the tender mercy of our secularized government schools and become just like the Irish who also got regular doses of the secular kool-aid from the Kennedy & Clinton Klan.
The fix is in. The fix is in. May God help this Country.
How and why did these people become Bishops ? They sre so wrong on this topic —it makes me question anything else they have to say.
N.B. Note well EXACTLY what Quinn said he said to the Bishops: “A lot of the discussion was how we could work together to fight poverty, help the people who are less fortunate and need a helping hand,” Quinn told the Sun-Times as he left a Christmas toy give-away on the Far South Side. “Getting people jobs, helping people who don’t have enough food to eat — that’s what the church’s social mission is all about.”
Translated for us slower types in the suburbs this means ... Come on now guys stick with our Democrat playbook ... ignore the collateral damage of 50 million aborted American babies ... double down on these deaths by helping Hillary to export abortion to the Philippines and South America by ignoring the dead Mexico City Policy; after all have we Democrats not substituted LGBT civil rights for this bigoted Reaganesque notion??? Ignore and institutionalize abortion and parricide panels in Obamacare; after all it is Holy Writ straight from the book of ACORN that ONLY us Democrats know how to deliver more and better “health” care.
Get with the program! Sell your outdated Christian heritage for a mess of pluralistic “go along to get along” pottage. Never mind these minor multiple intrinsic evils just stick with the “Social Justice” issues.
After all are we not all for working together to implement the least efficient “top down” ways of fighting poverty ... the least efficient ways to help the less fortunate (except those in the womb) ... the least efficient ways of getting people jobs ... the least efficient ways of putting food on the tables of the poor???
It would be a grave sin, an intrinsic evil if any but the Democrat way was advanced to minimize these Social evils. Forget any notions of subsidiarity after all the real mission of the church is to rubber stamp only Democrat solutions ... above all use all your time covering for the above because God forbid you might even remember that the Church’s original mission statement is to Evangelize ... but what did “He” know.
It is interesting to me that there are no ‘comments’ in support of the bishops statement. We who agree with the bishops often remain silent. And that is a pity. I was pleased that at least one writer touched on the possibility of working with the Latin American countries to improve their economies so that their people would not be compelled to seek a living elsewhere. This would mean that America would have to stop subsidizing its farmers which allows them to sell their corn etc. below real cost to other countries in our hemisphere. If we did this, then those working in agriculture in those countries south of our border would at least have a chance to compete with a fairly priced produce that pours in from the US. This would allow farmers to continue working their land and making a living in their own countries. As it is now, whether we care to believe it or not, maintaining a small farm has become economically unfeasible for many farmers south of our border. On a totally different point, I would ask people to consider stating that they are Catholic and not American Catholic. The word catholic means universal. There is no such thing as an American Catholic, just as there is no such thing as a Polish Catholic. You are either Catholic or you aren’t. The beauty of the Church is that She doesn’t see borders even though her members do. And one of the questions posed above also serves us well. “Why are there ‘Hispanic’ communities in our parishes?” There aren’t. There are members of OUR communities who speak Spanish, and, where I am from, who speak Vietnamese as well. And God blesses us all.
Joe-
You comments are very ‘nice’ and they make some debatable good points BUT they are manifestly NOT Catholic in that the ‘Catholicism’ of the church does not impinge on the ‘things of Caesar’. The universalization of worldly spheres in the name of the transcendent and immutable Catholicism of our church is a rank heresy. It is sentimental, ‘nice’ and will lead to something worse than the Nazis OR Communists. It debases what is holy by ‘Catholicizing’ the social justice delusion of ‘heaven on earth’ - the pet idea of those who do not believe in the real heaven. God save us from ‘nice’.
Joe - why is there so much more Mexican produce on American market shelves these days if it is so ‘unfeasable’ to be a Mexican farmer?
Digdigby, If you read my comment again, I didn’t say that the Church needs to impinge on the economic policies of the State. I just suggested that what might help the situation, and prevent more people from entering into this country looking for work would be to take a look at our national economic policies and see how they truly impact other countries. Maybe we are supposed to remove all moral dimensions from government functions?
I don’t believe that social justice is delusional. Our church teaches about social justice. I am not making this up. Furthermore, I do believe in heaven, but I also often pray that his kingdom come and his will be done ON EARTH and not just in heaven. I don’t believe we are supposed to sit around waiting to die so we may live in a better world.
Is, I am asking myself when so much more Mexico produce started appearing on American market shelves. Is this a recent phenomenon? Do you have some sort of statistics to confirm this?
Joe - no but, i invite you to visit any Vons, Albertson, Stater Brothers etc or other LA area market that sells produce and see for yourself. I would, however, not bother with any of the Vallarta markets since i doubt that their management allows carrying anything but Mexican and South American produce.
It seems to me that immigration should be done legally. Yes, welcome the immigrant, but let it be done legally. A nation has a right, even an obligation to secure it’s borders—to protect it’s citizens. We are exposed to grave danger with our (de facto) “open” borders these days. Hopefully, if we get to securing our borders…, that will resolve illegal immigration. On another vein, it used to be that immigrants wanted to become American, that seems not to be the case with Mexicans these days. If this immigration business continues as it is going, it will divide our country and, as the saying goes: “United we stand, divided we fall.” We have become “divided” even in Church. Mexicans don’t want to celebrate Mass with the rest of us who are, in fact, from many nations. It seems to me the Bishops and local pastors should be promoting “unity” in the churches, not separation into two groups. Another “horrible(?)” thought: If we would all go back to the Latin Mass (with Latin/English Missalettes), we would all be on the same page!
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.