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Our political debate about immigration in America frustrates me. Often, I think we are just talking around the edges of the real issues.
Both sides of this argument are inspired by a beautiful, patriotic idea of America’s history and values. But, lately, I’ve been starting to wonder: What America are we really talking about?
America is changing, and it has been changing for a long time. The forces of globalization are changing our economy and forcing us to rethink the scope and purpose of our government. Threats from outside enemies are changing our sense of national sovereignty.
America is changing on the inside, too.
Our culture is changing. We have a legal structure that allows, and even pays for, the killing of babies in the womb. Our courts and legislatures are redefining the natural institutions of marriage and the family. We have an elite culture — in government, the media and academia — that is openly hostile to religious faith.
America is becoming a fundamentally different country. It is time for all of us to recognize this — no matter what our position is on the political issue of immigration.
We need to recognize that immigration is part of a larger set of questions about our national identity and destiny. What is America? What does it mean to be an American? Who are we as a people, and where are we heading as a country? What will the “next America” look like?
As Catholics who are faithful citizens in America, we have to answer these questions within a larger frame of reference. As Catholics, we have to always remember that there is more to the life of any nation than the demands of the moment in politics, economics and culture. We have to consider all of those demands and the debates about them in light of God’s plan for the nations.
This is a big challenge for us in this culture. Our culture pushes us to “privatize” our faith, to separate our faith from our life in society. We always have to resist that temptation. We are called to live our faith in our businesses, homes and communities, and in our participation in public life.
That means we have to bring a Catholic faith perspective to this debate about immigration. We cannot just think about this issue as Democrats or Republicans or as liberals or conservatives.
I think we all know the teachings of our Church on immigration. What we need to understand better is how to see immigration in light of America’s history and purpose, as seen through the perspective of our Catholic faith. When we understand immigration from this perspective, we can see that immigration is not a problem for America. It’s an opportunity. Immigration is a key to our American renewal.
One of the problems we have today is that we have lost the sense of America’s national “story.” If our people know our history at all, what they know is incomplete. And when we don’t know the whole story, we end up with the wrong assumptions about American identity and culture.
Our National ‘Story’
The American story that most of us know is set in New England. It’s the story of the pilgrims and the Mayflower, the first Thanksgiving and John Winthrop’s sermon about a “city upon a hill.”
It’s the story of great men like Washington, Jefferson and Madison. It’s the story of great documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
It’s a beautiful story. It’s also true. Every American should know these characters and the ideals and principles they fought for. From this story we learn that our American identity and culture are rooted in essentially Christian beliefs about the dignity of the human person.
But the story of the Founding Fathers and the truths they held to be self-evident is not the whole story about America.
The rest of the story starts more than a century before the pilgrims. It starts in the 1520s in Florida and in the 1540s here in California.
It is the story not of colonial settlement and political and economic opportunity. It’s the story of exploration and evangelization. This story is not Anglo-Protestant, but Hispanic-Catholic. It is centered, not in New England, but in Nueva España — New Spain — at opposite corners of the continent.
From this story we learn that before this land had a name its inhabitants were being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The people of this land were called Christians before they were called Americans. And they were called this name in the Spanish, French and English tongues.
From this history, we learn that long before the Boston Tea Party, Catholic missionaries were celebrating the holy Mass on the soil of this continent.
Catholics founded America’s oldest settlement in St. Augustine, Fla., in 1565.
Immigrant missionaries were naming this continent’s rivers and mountains and territories for saints, sacraments and articles of the faith.
We take these names for granted now. But our American geography testifies that our nation was born from an encounter with Jesus Christ. Sacramento (“Holy Sacrament”). Las Cruces (“the Cross”). Corpus Christi (“Body of Christ”). Even the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which were named for the precious blood of Christ.
The 19th-century historian John Gilmary Shea said it beautifully. Before there were houses in this land, there were altars: “Mass was said to hallow the land and draw down the blessing of heaven before the first step was taken to rear a human habitation. The altar was older than the hearth.”
The Missing Piece of American History
This is the missing piece of American history. And today, more than ever, we need to know this heritage of holiness and service — especially as American Catholics.
Along with Washington and Jefferson, we need to know the stories of these great apostles of America.
We need to know the French missionaries like Mother Joseph and the Jesuits’ St. Isaac Jogues and Father Jacques Marquette, who came down from Canada to bring the faith to the northern half of our country. We need to know the Hispanic missionaries like the Franciscan Magin Catalá and the Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino, who came up from Mexico to evangelize the Southwest and the Northwest territories.
We should know the stories of people like Venerable Antonio Margil. He was a Franciscan priest and is one of my favorite figures from the first evangelization of America.
Venerable Antonio left his homeland in Spain to come to the New World in 1683. He told his mother he was coming here because “millions of souls [were] lost for want of priests to dispel the darkness of unbelief.”
People used to call him “the Flying Padre.” He traveled 40 or 50 miles every day, walking barefoot. Fray Antonio had a truly continental sense of mission. He established churches in Texas and Louisiana, and also in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico.
He was a priest of great courage and love. He escaped death many times at the hands of the native peoples he came to evangelize. Once he faced a firing squad of a dozen Indians armed with bows and arrows. Another time he was almost burned alive at the stake.
I came to know about Fray Antonio when I was the archbishop of San Antonio. He preached there in 1719-1720 and founded the San José Mission there.
He used to talk about San Antonio as the center of the evangelization of America. He said: “San Antonio … will be the headquarters of all the missions which God our Lord will establish … that in his good time all of this New World may be converted to his holy Catholic faith.”
This is the real reason for America, when we consider our history in light of God’s plan for the nations. America is intended to be a place of encounter with the living Jesus Christ.
This was the motivation of the missionaries who came here first. America’s national character and spirit are deeply marked by the Gospel values they brought to this land. These values are what make the founding documents of our government so special.
Although founded by Christians, America has become home to an amazing diversity of cultures, religions and ways of life. This diversity flourishes precisely because our nation’s founders had a Christian vision of the human person, freedom and truth.
The American ‘Creed’
G.K. Chesterton said famously that “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.” And that “creed,” as he recognized, is fundamentally Christian. It is the basic American belief that all men and women are created equal — with God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Every other nation in history has been established on the basis of common territory and ethnicity — the ties of land and kinship. America, instead, is based on this Christian ideal, on this creed that reflects the amazing universalism of the Gospel. As a result, we have always been a nation of nationalities. E pluribus unum. One people made from peoples of many nations, races and creeds.
Throughout our history, problems have always arisen when we have taken this American creed for granted. Or when we have tried to limit it in some way. That’s why it is essential that today we remember the missionary history of America — and rededicate ourselves to the vision of America’s founding “creed.”
When we forget our country’s roots in the Hispanic-Catholic mission to the New World, we end up with distorted ideas about our national identity. We end up with an idea that Americans are descended from only white Europeans and that our culture is based only on the individualism, work ethic and rule of law that we inherited from our Anglo-Protestant forebears.
When that has happened in the past, it has led to those episodes in our history that we are least proud of — the mistreatment of Native Americans; slavery; the recurring outbreaks of nativism and anti-Catholicism; the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the misadventures of “manifest destiny.”
There are, of course, far more complicated causes behind these moments in our history. But, at the root, I think we can see a common factor — a wrongheaded notion that “real Americans” are of some particular race, class, religion or ethnic background.
A New Period of Nativism?
I worry that in today’s political debates over immigration we are entering into a new period of nativism.
The intellectual justification for this new nativism was set out a few years ago in an influential book by the late Samuel Huntington of Harvard called Who Are We? He made a lot of sophisticated-sounding arguments, but his basic argument was that American identity and culture are threatened by Mexican immigration.
Authentic American identity “was the product of the distinct Anglo-Protestant culture of the founding settlers of America in the 17th and 18th centuries,” according to Huntington.
By contrast, Mexicans’ values are rooted in a fundamentally incompatible “culture of Catholicism” which, Huntington argued, does not value self-initiative or the work ethic, and instead encourages passivity and an acceptance of poverty.
These are old and familiar nativist claims, and they are easy to discredit. One could point to the glorious legacy of Hispanic literature and art or to Mexican-Americans’ and Hispanic-Americans’ accomplishments in business, government, medicine and other areas.
Unfortunately, today we hear ideas like Huntington’s being repeated on cable TV and talk radio — and sometimes even by some of our political leaders.
There is no denying significant differences between Hispanic-Catholic and Anglo-Protestant cultural assumptions.
But my point is that this kind of bigoted thinking stems from an incomplete understanding of American history. Historically, both cultures have a rightful claim to a place in our national “story” — and in the formation of an authentic American identity and national character.
Toward a New American Patriotism
I believe American Catholics have a special duty today to be the guardians of the truth about the American spirit and our national identity. I believe it falls to us to be witnesses to a new kind of American patriotism.
We are called to bring out all that is noble in the American spirit. We are also called to challenge those who would diminish or “downsize” America’s true identity.
Since I came to California, I have been thinking a lot about Blessed Junípero Serra, the Franciscan immigrant who came from Spain via Mexico to evangelize this great state.
Blessed Junípero loved the native peoples of this continent. He learned their local languages, customs and beliefs. He translated the Gospel and the prayers and teachings of the faith so that everyone could hear the mighty works of God in their own native tongue!
He used to trace the sign of the cross on people’s foreheads and say to them, Amar a Dios! Love God!
This is a good way to understand our duty as Catholics in our culture today. We need to find a way to “translate” the Gospel of love for the people of our times.
We need to remind our brothers and sisters of the truths taught by Blessed Junípero and his brother missionaries. That we are all children of the same Father in heaven. That our Father in heaven does not make some nationalities or racial groups to be “inferior” or less worthy of his blessings.
Catholics need to lead our country to a new spirit of empathy. We need to help our brothers and sisters to start seeing the strangers among us for who they truly are — and not according to political or ideological categories or definitions rooted in our own fears.
This is difficult, I know. I know it is a particular challenge to see the humanity of those immigrants who are here illegally.
But the truth is that very few people “choose” to leave their homelands.
Emigration is almost always forced upon people by the dire conditions they face in their lives.
Most of the men and women who are living in America without proper documentation have traveled hundreds, even thousands, of miles. They have left everything behind, risked their safety and their lives. They have done this, not for their own comfort or selfish interests. They have done this to feed their loved ones. To be good mothers and fathers. To be loving sons and daughters.
These immigrants — no matter how they came here — are people of energy and aspiration. They are people who are not afraid of hard work or sacrifice. They are nothing like the people professor Huntington and others are describing!
These men and women have courage and the other virtues. The vast majority of them believe in Jesus Christ and love our Catholic Church. They share traditional American values of faith, family and community.
Immigration and American Renewal
This is why I believe our immigrant brothers and sisters are the key to American renewal.
And we all know that America is in need of renewal — economic and political, but also spiritual, moral and cultural renewal.
I believe these men and women who are coming to this country will bring a new, youthful entrepreneurial spirit of hard work to our economy. I also believe they will help renew the soul of America.
In his last book, Memory and Identity, written the year he died, Blessed John Paul II said: “The history of all nations is called to take its place in the history of salvation.”
We must look at immigration in the context of America’s need for renewal. And we need to consider both immigration and American renewal in light of God’s plan for salvation and the history of the nations.
The promise of America is that we can be one nation where men and women from every race, creed and national background may live as brothers and sisters.
Each one of us is a child of that promise. If we trace the genealogies of almost everyone in America, the lines of descent will lead us out beyond our borders to some foreign land where each of our ancestors originally came from.
This inheritance comes to American Catholics now as a gift and as a duty. We are called to make our own contributions to this nation — through the way we live our faith in Jesus Christ as citizens.
Our history shows us that America was born from the Church’s mission to the nations.
The “next America” will be determined by the choices we make as Christian disciples and as American citizens. By our attitudes and actions, by the decisions we make, we are writing the next chapters of our American story.
May Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Mother of the Americas, obtain for us the courage we need to do what our good Lord requires.
Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles delivered this address at the Napa Institute on July 28, 2011.
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Let’s get off the Mexican schtick already. One-third of all living Mexicans live in this country, so if the immigration process is any way “broken,” it’s broken with the spigit stuck on “OPEN”. Mexico, on the other hand, has a very restrictive immigration policy designed to keep out poor people from Central America, and rich Yankee gringos. As a Mexcican national, Archbishop Gomez ought to be addressing the awful Mexican policies, rather than the very liberal Amercian policies.
This is an excellent article and the first time that I have heard such a position articulated. I hope that we American Catholics give this a good hearing, though I fear that many of us have favored the secular prophets of talk radio more that our on Church’s (and nation’s) history.
I love immigration, but I am against open borders. We need a bracero program where workers can come across the border for a year, and then go back home. If they wish it become Americans, then there is a process already in place for that. I’m not sure what Archbishop Gomez wants to change in regards to immigration policy, but we ought to start with a new law that babies born in America are Americans if and only if one of their parents already is. This way, we will stop the splitting up of families, where the baby is American, but the parents are Mexican.
I would recommend that all Mexican immigrants get in touch with Archbishop Gomez and find out how he became an American citizen, and then to emulate him….
Pax Christi- Ray
Take a look at Mexico that will be your “next America”. Is this guy kidding? What absolute rank hypocrisy! He lectures us about bringing in and financially supporting tens of millions of Mexicans who will all immediately qualify for government assistance and affirmative action yet he dosen’t have one thing to say to the absolutly corrupt cauldillos who run Mexico City who should be taking care of their own people. Hey Gomez you’re not solving anything you’re perpetuating the problem! But hey we all know the dollar goes farther in the collection basket than the peso and the Church coffers have been drained recently by the conduct of some of his colleagues. I highly doubt if it was 300 million Chineese or Indian immigrants that he would have much to say.
I am the grandson of immigrants from Italy. There is no comparison to that era of immigration to that of today. There was no welfare, foodstamps, free medical, and publicly funded translators in every classroom when they came here. They didn’t go back and forth to Italy once they got here. They came here to become Americans and they refused to teach their children Italian. English was the only language spoken in the home. No, either Gomez is on the payroll of Mexico City or he’s just another Marxist trying to bring it all down by advocating flooding the system with hordes all inclined to vote for Socialism.
I do not think Archbishop Gomez intended this address to be the final word on the subject, but to offer a broader perspective so that further dialogue on immigration issues would be more fruitful and pull in different voices. In light of our various ancestries, combating a new “nativism” and xenophobia should be everyone’s concern. This address should do much to further inform opinions on this subject from the U.S. point of view. Thank you for addressing the fears associated with the complexities of socio-cultural and economic change.
I have no doubts that beauty will conquer every human heart;this article is an example of that, it is so beautifully explained so neatly putting of all the pieces together; for me is a tremendously effective way of clarifying points of view ; if we naturally tend to seek the truth, I totally agree with the ideas exposed by Archbishop Gomez ; having a broader perspective really help us make wise decisions in life. I love America exactly because of that: Oh Beautiful for spacious skies!!!
With all due respect to Archbishop Gomez, I must disagree with much that he has to say.
I too, grew up in what was originally New Spain and have three generations behind me on both sides of my family. Some of these people came to what is now Mexico and immigrated into the United States. Legally I might add. Now there are four more generations of my bilingual family populating the same area, now the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.
I know the history and the reality of this phenomenon in ways the good Archbishop cannot as one born in Mexico and immigrating to the United States.
Yes, it was the laws of Spain which informed this area first. They gave us the concept of community property among others which has been a great blessing for women. However, it was the Anglos who gave us the American Constitution and the concepts therein such as innocent until proven guilty and the rule of law as applicable to all. It was this people whose minds were rooted in Burke, Hooker and the Magna Carta and the natural law which produced the greatest country in modern times. It was this philosophy which, in comparison to the governments of Mexico which persecuted the Church, allowed the Church in America to grow in unprecedented ways. ( See Maynards’ History of the Catholic Church in America).
Yes, we have deteriorated in many ways and we Catholics should be working hard to remedy the scourges of greed, abortion, contraception, divorce, homosexual marriage and on and on.
It will not help to bring huge numbers of immigrants into our country which is in such a huge economic crisis.
It is a bigger mistake to legalize illegal immigrants, thereby diluting in their consciousness the importance of the rule of law.
It is just as big a mistake to empty Mexico of its talents to bring their citizens to the United States to satisfy politician’s need for their votes, corporations their cheap labor and the unthinking, but mistaken religious their need to feel like they are doing something charitable.
I could go on and on, I will end by saying that advocacy on the particulars of a social issue about which faithful Catholics can disagree, as opposed to the non, negotiables such as abortion, homosexual marriage It is just wrong of the Archbishop. He is using Catholic money to promote his opinion over his official signature and I for one, am offended by the same.
The real issue is an out-of-control border. The Bishop is turning a blind eye to the gross evil that is enabled by the Marxist Democrat Party. Millions of Tons of drugs are porring across the border every day. One of the biggest targets for the drug dealers ARE MEXICAN KIDS. Following the drugs, is the sex slave trafficing that involves the sale of young school girls to prostitution. Then we have foreign terrorists coming across the border to set up shop to carry out car bombings and various acts of terrorism. So far we have been lucky with the exception of Fort Hood. Perhaps the Bishop will focus on the real issues instead pandering to his Home Country and the budget braking government hand-outs that he promotes.
While I respect His Excellency’s intentions, he simply substitutes vague charitable hopes for hard thought. No intelligent man could deny the richness of Latin culture, but it is irresponsible to deny how different, nay incompatible, with white Anglo-American culture. Like it or not, the work-profit ethic, begotten in the heyday of Calvinism, is in our blood, while the appreciation of leisure (which I hold to be good) is much stronger in Latin countries. And it might be the acceptable thing to deny the reality of race, but is it honest? Whites and mestizos, like members of other races, prefer to stick together under even the current stream of integrationist propaganda. Any real nation must have one dominant culture and race; attempts to pretend there are no such things inevitably lead to the more assertive race (the mestizo) displacing the other (whites), and I do not appreciate the good Archbishop’s insinuation that we must surrender our heritage to good Catholics or patriots. Further, the disparity between the crime rates of the races is real and demonstrable.
I also do not think immigration from Latin America would be a significant help in the conversion of America. If “America” became Catholic, it would be because the majority of the population was not of the stock that founded our national institutions. Further, shallow Pentecostalism is spreading like wildfire among mestizos both here and abroad; the Faith will not just automatically take root if they move to the United States.
Also, though not nearly as grand or boastworthy, Anglo-American Catholicism has it’s own tradition which His Excellency unfairly ignored. From St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on, there has been a small-yet-proud tradition of English-descended Americans who have embraced the Faith as converts. Not to mention the Catholic traditions of the Italian, Polish, Irish (I think of Fr. Leonard Feeney) and other European peoples more readily assimilable with our original stock. These ought to be renewed, instead of being steamrolled over by a half-Catholic Latin culture.
Alexis de Tocqueville thought Americans would eventually be split between whole hog Catholicism and watered-down, post-Christian spiritualities such as Unitarianism, and did NOT predict the immigration invasion. I want our nation to be Catholic too, but like him I do not find the concomitant destruction of our white, European heritage necessary or desirable.
I believe that Catholics are confronted with bishops who are either very aggressive when it comes to social (justice) issues or are barely heard from. In both cases, Catholics seem to feel that since they aren’t taking care of the fundamental issues of what we believe (especially, lately, gays, marriage, etc) and the ignored concerns of past decades (e.g., the different “kinds” of Mass, the music of the Mass, the architecture of our churches, affordable Catholic schools, etc, etc) why should one listen to them?
When was the last time a politician was refused a sacrament, though they voted for gay marriage or abortions? When was a bishop made to resign who has ignored the nonsense occuring around him, thereby ignoring his teaching authority as a bishop?
These are actions that Catholics expect - until the bishops start fullfilling their individual responsibilities, how can they seriously expect their flock to follow them on other issues?
I agree with Fred, above. The debate should be on how Mexico can better help his own citizens and avert becoming a failed state. Who could argue that illegal immigration into the U.S. of such recent magnitude is not a symptom of Mexico’s state pathology?
In large part, this is a very good article, and an inspiring read.
I only wish to take issue with one statement of his. He writes: ‘The promise of America is that we can be one nation where men and women from every race, creed and national background may live as brothers and sisters.’
I only hope that the Archbishop and others consider that some ‘Creeds’ are not at all compatible with American ideals which he clearly spells out are fundamentally Christian ideals:
‘It is the basic American belief that all men and women are created equal — with God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
While all people are equal (according to this ideal and Christianity) not all creeds believe or teach this. Not all creeds are of equal value or worth.
I urge your readers to study the teachings and history of Islam and its founder Mohammed in order to understand one creed which is a danger to the American way of life and ideals.
I’m amazed at some of these comments… implying that Mexican/Hispanics have a poor work ethic, that white America is superior to Hispanic anything. I’ve known very lazy white people and the vast majority of the Hispanic folks I know have a better work ethic than anyone else in my social circles.
Additionally, the idea that the U.S. economy is driving undocumented/illegal immigration has been missed. I don’t mean that we’re good, they’re bad so they come here. No, we need the labor and don’t want to pay for it. Our importing/ag aid/etc promote ravishing Central America’s economies for our benefit.
There are problems in those countries, without a doubt, but we are part of a global family and we have interfered in Central America for far too long for us to think that the door only swings one way. “We can influence you, oust your leaders, plant our own, push for trade policy that is most helpful for us, but when it all falls apart and our economy is begging for your labor, you better not come here you poor, lazy !@#$%!”
I don’t find the Archbishop’s comments particularly inspiring on the subject, but this idea that we’re superior in this country and anyone from south of the border is the same as a diseased needed to be removed from “our” land is sick and anti-Catholic, which, I suppose, could be a by-product of the country’s initial ever-so-proud anti-Catholic, Anglo-Protestant roots…
I think most of the comments prove the Archbishop’s point. Many people here have historical amnesia, most immigrants groups in the past did not cut their ties to the Motherland (or Fatherland) they all spoke German, Italian, Polish, etc. They brought priests to celebrate mass in their own tongue. It took a few generations before these immigrant groups became “American”. Blame James Polk if you do not like the Hispanic presence here in the US, or just quit complaining and just follow the gospel. It is evident that we really need do need an encounter with the living Jesus Christ here in America as our Holy Father said. We should look to our bishops for guidance, not the media.
I would like to make a further comment.
Archbishop Gomez glamorizes the illegal immigrants with fantasy. A strong statement I know, but I have dealt with hundreds of illegal immigrants most of which are from Mexico or South America over the years in the legal system. I know the most about Mexico, so I will restrict my remark to that phenomenon.
Based on that experience I can attest to the fact that there are few if any who come unwillingly or out of love for this country. They come as economic opportunists for the jobs, the social services and the “perks”.
They are propagandized by the Mexican talk shows, they are misled about the dangers by the coyotes and the “recruiters” in Mexico. They all, I cannot say almost all, want to go home as soon as they can. They love their culture and with very good reasons I will not elaborate on here.
The Church teaches much about immigrants. Most of that teaching is about the duty of the Church toward the legal immigrant, the refugee and the asylum seeker. Very little is concerned with illegal immigrants.
What there is is quite sensible compared to some of the rhetoric which flows in the Catholic community, but just don’t hear about that part of the teaching..
For instance, The Church teaches that the would be immigrant has a duty to respect the laws of the host country. That means come legally, don’t steal identities and services for which you are not qualified. Countries have a right to control their borders.. We can close the borders. If illegal immigrants cannot easily find legal admission, send them to another country or back home. Who said that? JPII.
The best and most long lasting solution to illegal immigration is to fix the sending countries. Who said that?
both JPII and B16. And we need not be afraid to promote development in the sending countries. We should actively encourage it so that they can be equal trading partners in the global economy.
Mexico is a rich country. Its unemployment rate is less than 5%. I see Mexicans daily moving back and who can blame them.They almost always have a house/home to go back to unlike the American workers who have been displaced by illegal immigrants. Their family life is a jewel on the North American continent. Many of my family are saying it is time to move to Mexico.
To object to illegal immigration by Mexicans is not racist. They are not a race anyway. To object to Mexican immigration is to object to an illegal invasion. Mexico does not tolerate illegal immigrants coming to their country.
I ask the Bishop why should we glamorize it along with him? Or should we seek justice for all involved?
Great Article! I had no idea our faith and history was intertwined with the Hispanic Culture and History of this country.
A document such as the one cited by Bp. Gomez infuriates me, as it completely avoids reference to the CCC 2241:
2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
This is not carte blanche, and the burden on those accepted is one we do not see in the protest marches. Charity is a wonderful thing; theft, not so much.
Immigration is a legal process; by definition, those who violate our borders are illegal aliens, not immigrants. It is time to stop the word games. CCC 2241 is abundantly clear, balanced, and entirely equitable. Would you invite criminals into your home? And make no mistake, while it may be a misdemeanor to enter illegally, the use of falsified documents in pursuit of employment is a felony.
Archbishop Gomez makes excellent comments in regards to the origins of Christianity on this continent in what became the United States. The vast majority of my learning about the Hispanic roots of evangelization and settlement took place long after high school. Indeed, Catholic or public, social historical education focused on an anglophile approach to all history. I am not disdaining the development of the Constitution and basic freedoms that this country offers. Would it not not be wonderful if our high school graduates would know some history and the Constitution.
It has been my opinion after many years of school, time in the Army, involvement in politics and now as a priest that the man or woman who makes a good citizen is a God-fearing one. Not all creeds will work in this country, and we will witness this in Islam. The strength of Catholic identity will only serve the Hispanic immigrants. They do offer hope for the future.
Yet, there must be an organized and just manner, albeit expedient without amnesty, to stabilize American society. I must preach the Gospel to all persons regardless of ethnicity. And, we are not helping these immigrants with SRS checks every month and free education. We have radical instability, and that destabilizes the family, which empowers the ever-growing and freedom-stripping federal government to create out of the Hispanics an enslaved sub culture that exists outside of law.
I see the mixture of our excellent Constitution with our Catholic faith as showing the most promise. Gomez is not about lawlessness. That is San Francisco, named for one of the greatest and most popular saints that is now the hallmark city of a twisted lawlessness and destructive litigious world that attacks humanity. San Francisco and New York and other cities will self-destruct for lack of humanity and humans. That is what Hispanics bring, humans. We just don’t make them anymore because America is a land at war with itself, and Hispanics work all day and watch the death of a people who legislate against human nature.
Thank you, Archbishop Gomez, for a great article. This topic demonstrates why it is so hard to put Catholics into either a “Republican” or “Democrat” box. Our faith’s values straddle both “left” and “right” as defined in our current political system. Unfortunately many Catholics, in their single-pointed focus on “right to life,” end up swallowing a lot of materialistic and inhuman values that are in direct conflict with the teachings of the Church on matters like immigration, justice, the environment, etc.
Archbishop Gomez is correct about the teaching of American history. It has been anglophile for most of our history. This is not to disdain the Constitution, the best law that ever formed a country on the earth. Sadly, the liberal education establishment denounces the Constitution and this trickles down ignorance to our schools.
We must hold true to the rule of law flowing from our Constitution and upheld by God-fearing persons. Free money from SRS and free education for illegal immigrants will only destroy this country and cripple a people in a spirit of entitlement that already destroys the youth of this country. The over-bearing and freedom-stripping federal government has created a sub class of people who exist outside of the law and are thrown bread to pacify.
The future may very well be a mixture of upholding the Constitution and the Catholic faith. Hispanics go to work every day and watch the death of a country that is at war with itself. San Francisco, named after a great saint, and other cities like it will die but they will take many down with it as they have a twisted conflagration of lawlessness and overbearing litigiousness that attacks humanity. That is what Hispanics bring, humans. The strength of this country is only as true as the persons who live here upholding the laws of nature and nature’s God. The Hispanic immigrants are essentially economic and war refugees (especially those from the northern regions). True Mexico has shown a terrible pathology in its governance and revolutions, where the medicine was worse than the original illness. Nevertheless, they are here and we must have just and proper measures to bring stability or there will be radical instability that destroys a society.
Excellent article. Thank you, Archbishop Gomez.
Your Excellency, Thank you for writing to us! I hope that the seeds that you have sown through this article will fall on rich soil and bear fruit! Thank God for our Hispanic brothers and sisters, without them there would be far fewer of us!
Regarding, “Would you invite criminals into your home?”
Christ invited a thief into Heaven on the day of his Crucifixion. So yes, as a disciple of Christ you are called to do likewise! They are at your gate, like Lazarus. From Sermon 52, New Advent, “look at that poor man; not with the eyes, for so you will err; let faith look at him, let the heart see him.”~Augustine These brothers and sisters of ours are escaping dire poverty for hope. Just like our grandparents, they desire work and a better life.
Regarding “Or should we seek justice for all involved?”
We should be careful how loud we scream for Justice, almighty God might hear us and mete it out to us! Someone once said to me that our Hispanic brothers and sisters will be our judges in Heaven.
From sermon 52 New Advent, “Proud in the world, in hell a beggar!” ~Augustine
Let’s not forget our family history. Our predecessors the immigrants: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Joseph’s brothers, Moses, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, The Samaritan, all the disciples, most of the Saints, ....
That lay Catholics will show the utmost respect and reverence for our Holy Priests. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
Having met and listened to Archbishop Gomez while he was in Denver and watched his climb in the Church, I appreciate his comments and lessons. I must however ask of him why we must start every conversation with comments about abortion. Here Archbishop Gomez wishes to speak of immigration but we are not but about 125 words into a 2800 word essay that he mentions abortion. Then in another couple of dozen words attacks the “elite culture” taking over America. All the buzz words to invoke passions and nothing else of relevance in his very good speech on immigration.
Let us not forget that abortion, immigration, marriage, sex and politics were large issues at the time of Christ as they are today. I find it interesting however that you have to “interpret” and glean messages about these things in Christ’s words, but His thoughts on the poor and dangers of being the “elite” are right there. No interpretation needed. No necessity to look into his message and expand on their meanings. Pretty up front no hidden messages.
What is the hidden message in Archbishop Gomez’s talk? If I may I will say he wants to support our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Great message! Perhaps the question would be, WHY? Is it because the Church is bleeding members each day and is only growing because of the growth in the Hispanic membership? Perhaps we should turn back to the original Church. One that focused on the needs of the people not the needs of the chosen “elite”
Is it not that very elite culture (Opus Dei) that helps fuels his rise in the elite culture of the Church.
“San Francisco and New York and other cities will self-destruct for lack of humanity and humans. That is what Hispanics bring, humans.”
And yet gay marriage is legal in Mexico City, and Coahuila (one of the states that borders the U.S.) recognizes same-sex civil unions. Most Hispanic countries recognize at least some degree of legal abortion. Most Hispanics who come to the U.S. vote for pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage candidates.
should have known not to try and post a remark that was somewhat critical. Once again proving my premise that ‘the elite can’t be wrong they are the elite’.
Great article, Archbishop Gomez. Your words of reason, compassion and faith stand in stark contrast to the vitriolic hate spewed by those who profess to love the Gospel of Jesus. Each one of them must ask himself or herself—What would Jesus think? What would Jesus want? And they also need to be reminded that they are all descended from immigrants—except of the Native Americans of both North and South America. And those immigrants came for the same reasons that immigrants come to America today. It should be noted that the countries of Europe are also dealing with their own immigration issues.
I love His Eminence, but historically, this column seems to me to be nonsense. His Eminence writes:
“The American story that most of us know is set in New England. It’s the story of the pilgrims and the Mayflower, the first Thanksgiving and John Winthrop’s sermon about a “city upon a hill.”
It’s the story of great men like Washington, Jefferson and Madison. It’s the story of great documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
It’s a beautiful story. It’s also true. Every American should know these characters and the ideals and principles they fought for. From this story we learn that our American identity and culture are rooted in essentially Christian beliefs about the dignity of the human person.
But the story of the Founding Fathers and the truths they held to be self-evident is not the whole story about America.”
Actually, it pretty much is. Everything we think of as “America” grew right out of that—out of the Mayflower and other pilgrims. Certainly, there were others on the continent, but they had no part in the forming of what is properly called “America.”
His Eminence seems to me to be arguing the idea of America as a propositional nation—a nation united by a moral vision rather than ethnic unity. I actually agree with that, but, to use his own words “It’s a beautiful story. It’s also true….but it is not the whole story about America.” The propositions that make up the “propositional nation” were offered by specific people at a specific place and time who were prepared to understand them. A mathematician can present me with a complicated mathematical formula. It will be perfectly true, but that does not mean I will understand it. I don’t have the background that would prepare me to understand it. Just because the American propositions and self-evident truths are true does not mean everyone on earth is prepared to understand them, let alone accept or live them. For people from other cultures they take a lot of getting used to—and in everyday life those ideals make a lot less practical sense than something so manifestly real as ethnic identity.
The historical solution to this has been a restrictive immigration policy that allows time for the assimilation of immigrants into American culture, which is the culture of the City on the Hill, of Christianity, of Thanksgiving, of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. That assimilation and inculturation is necessary for the propositions of the “Propositional Nation” to make sense. I personally don’t see how that can be done with open borders.
This is a terrific article and I thank you, Archbishop Gomez! The importance of the Catholic missionary dimension in the beginning of the US has been downplayed again and again, if not obliterated, but I happen to know and love Saint Isaac Jogues (whom Arbishop Gomez mentions) and here is a French Jesuit who came to the East Coast because he wanted to spread the Good News to the natives, whom he loved, and he lived among them, learned their languages, instructed and healed them and he did this even after being tortured and maimed, he came back knowing fully well he was going to be killed. Some of the stories are so beautiful, for instance one time, one Chief asked to be baptized because he said that as soon as he heard about Christ, he recognized him as the one who had always protected him and was the source of his strength… Saint Isaac Jogues was killed but within 10 years, God raised another Saint from within the natives… Saint Katerina Tekawitha!
My response to the Archbishop would be: And who pays? He seems to be asking great questions and not providing guidance or suggestion at a time when all are asking the same questions. Maybe that’s the problem: we are great at asking questions but we are not so great at providing solutions that are practical and make sense. Close the border. Lock it tight. Stop the drug flow. Mexico is a nation of individuals, who, believe it or not, are asking the same question. How can the church affectively institute change that will get the job done? I am not seeing the affectiveness of the church in addressing the issues that the Archbishop sites. Maybe we are in a time when the church’s faith and practices are being put to the test. Is God saying the world will only change when each individual makes the change. Instead of preaching, live the Word. Be a witness to it in the way that you live your life. That’s what I try to do every day that I live. I’ll never be a hero but I know that the way I live my life affects many. How affective can the Church be in stopping the drug war in both countries? How affective is the Church in providing the means to live in such bad times? And most importantly - in order for the Church or both nations to provide a better life for it’s people, money is needed. What is the Church doing to better the economic coditions in both countries? Who Pays the Bill?
I may have missed the part where Archbishop Gomez chastises Mexico for its immoral treatment of its own people to the point where they are forced to leave their loved ones, their parishes, and everything else that is dear to them. I doubt that one Mexican (or Ecuadoran, etc.) would leave their countries if they did not have to. Does the Archbishop have regular discourse with Mexican bishops on how to move THAT society to social justice, instead of constantly chastising OUR society? I doubt it.
Also, not one American is against immigration. But many are against ILLEGAL immigration. There is quite a difference even if some people would like to lump it all together. Is the Archbishop implying that Caesar’s law should be undermined? That it is acceptable to break a law? What else might the archbishop advocate? He knows very well that we are not talking about immigrants in general being a problem. They are welcomed here with open arms. The problem is with illegal immigrants, and all bishops should make a distinction on that.
ANN…...you rocketh….if I may use the King James version. You should be allowed to speak to the assembled USCCB.
Archbishop Gomez sounds like millions of disguised Trappists and Trappistine nuns are going under our fences and moving toward us with the complete St. John of the Cross in hand. It’s render to Caesar….not rend Caesar’s fences and laws and budget….render…render…not rend.
Archbishop needs to stop being a Mexican and start being an American Catholic.
these are straight facts that a mayor from georgia has gathered for fighting for immigration reform he has his own page started for the fight for it!
Did you know that….
There are many economic benefits to immigration reform.
Legalization brings economic benefits.
“Comprehensive immigration reform which includes a legalization program for unauthorized immigrants and enables a future flow of legal workers would result in a large economic benefit—a cumulative $1.5 trillion in added U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over 10 years. In stark contrast a deportation-only policy would result in a loss of $2.6 trillion in GDP over 10 years.”
Immigrants help drive the economy.
“A 2007 report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers concluded that immigration increases GDP by roughly $37 billion each year because immigrants increase the size of the total labor force, complement the native-born workforce in terms of skills and education, and stimulate capital investment by adding workers to the labor pool.”
“The purchasing power of immigrant communities is enormous—and growing: According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, the purchasing power of Latinos totaled $978.4 billion in 2009 and is projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2014.”
The entrepreneurship of immigrant communities employs millions of people.
“The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2002, 1.6 million Hispanic?owned firms provided jobs to 1.5 million employees, had receipts of $222 billion, and generated payroll of $36.7 billion.”
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for public benefits.
“This includes income supplements—e.g., Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), health care (Medicaid and Medicare), and food stamps.”
Immigrants use less healthcare on average than U.S. citizens.
“According to a study in the American Journal of Public Health, immigrants do not impose a disproportionate financial burden on the U.S. health care system. The per capita total health care expenditures of immigrants are less than half those of U.S.-born persons, and immigrants are significantly less likely to use the emergency room than are citizens. Further restricting immigrants’ access to benefits is not a solution to our immigration problems. In fact, the more people paying into a healthcare system, especially healthier working-age people, the more the costs are spread out.”
Like the rest of us, undocumented immigrants pay taxes.
Even the majority of unauthorized immigrants pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes. And all immigrants pay sales taxes and property taxes. Many studies have found that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits. The National Research Council estimated in 1997 that “the average immigrant pays nearly $1,800 more in taxes than he or she costs in benefits.” Many state?level studies have also found that immigrants contribute more to the economy than they take out.
“Between one?half to three?quarters of unauthorized immigrants pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes. All unauthorized immigrants pay sales taxes (when they buy anything at a store, for instance) and property taxes (even if they rent housing).”
Undocumented immigrants pay Social Security taxes but don’t collect.
“The Social Security Administration (SSA) has concluded that unauthorized immigrants “account for a major portion” of the billions of dollars paid into the Social Security system under names or Social Security numbers that don’t match SSA records; payments from which immigrants cannot benefit while unauthorized. As of October 2005, the reported earnings on which these payments are based—which are tracked through the SSA’s Earnings Suspense File (ESF)—totaled $520 billion.”
~All of the above information has been taken from the Immigration Policy Center.
To learn more facts about undocumented immigration, please read Immigration Policy Center’s Report on “Giving Facts a Fighting Change: Answers to the Toughest Immigration Questions
http://www.change.org/petitions/please-support-me-in-reuniting-american-families-act-i-need-my-husband-and-our-boys-need-their-dad
Mydogoreo has said it best. Thank you. Archbishop Gomez belongs, supports and is greatly supported by an organization called Opus Dei. If you will investigate thoroughly you will find they drove out the Holy Cross priests from a couple of countries in South America because they had the audacity to open schools for the poor peasants. They had many private schools for the elite but on the side had opened schools for the poor. Why would any one want the poor peasants to go to school? They need to stay in their place or move to the USA, but please don’t stay in their own county and expect a good job and education.
By the way Holy Cross was let back in only when they agreed only to teach in the private schools for the rich.
What has John Paul II said about Illegal immigration? http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP950725.HTM
Quite different from what ANN said.
Bishop, what other laws can I disregard? Like, can I start smoking pot again? I’m really stressed out and I have chronic knee pain, so that’s a good enough reason to disregard the law, right? And next time I’m having trouble paying my bills, that’s a good enough reason to steal, right? I mean, I wouldn’t really be “choosing” to smoke pot or steal because of my circumstances.
Kay don’t believe all the myths your hear in the news media. http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/Documents/CommonMyths-Immigrants-FINAL.pdf or http://www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=27924
Excellent article, Archbishop Gomez. Thank you.
Why is it that Mexico is allowed to preserve their country, national identity, language and very strict immigration laws, but we are supposed roll over for these ILLEGALS and virtually give up our country and what defines us as a people. Why isn’t Mexico shamed before the world community to provide for their own people? The hypocrisy here is just beyond belief.
ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ says: ‘I know it is a particular challenge to see the humanity of those immigrants who are here illegally.
Quite correctly we need to see the humanity of all people at all times, including the homeless person, the prisoner, the poor, children, the unborn, the criminals, the drug pushers, our enemies, members of Al-Qaeda, etc.
And once we see and recognise their humanity and understand that they, like all people, are equally loved by God, then what? What then does the Archbishop advise? Are we then allowed to consider other factors, like their respect for our way of life and laws? Does he not lock his door at night and keep out people who also share in his own God-given humanity?
Kinana,
Of course, you didn’t answer my question.
Siobhan
I was not attempting to in the slightest! I was only picking up another comment from the Archbishop. As for your comment I think it is un-aswerable. A failed or failing or seriously deficient State like Mexico should be named and shamed. Interestingly, and I did not appreciate it before reading your comment, if the USA enforced immigration/invasion policies like Mexico we would not even be having this conversation.
Regards
Thank you, Archbishop, for your comment. They were very well written and informative and also helpful. I really think, though, that if immigrants tried going through the legal system and used an immigration lawyer, then their life in the US would be a lot better for them in the end.
If you want the world to come to your Church you should put wheels on yours! America/Americans are different from the worlds people read the Constitution it helps those that have strayed… Demanding America change for the worlds people that have broke into America? You sir shouldn’t be allowed to remain in your position? if you feel the only ones that have to follow the law is Americans? The only ones that get everything given to them if they can get here is a magnet not a bad luck situation and have the illegal aliens give the Church’s it’s money not Americans! Thank you sir this is me as a American that has been turned down for assistance and not being a illegal alien I couldn’t get help on my electric bill.. I was very offended to be treated this way when American tax payers money goes to those who are not American from your organizations here in America. You have taken it upon your self to stand with illegal aliens over Americans. God I pray for Americas/American leaders to do for Americans as they do for those who are not….Amen.. In Jesus name I pray…........
Hah, Italy demonstrators rally against Berlusconi
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