Catholics play vital role in helping migrants to U.S.

Reuters - Yahoo News ^ | January 11, 2008 | By Robin Emmott

[backtothestreets]

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (Reuters) - At a Catholic-run shelter just across the border from Laredo, Texas, dozens of Latin American migrants say grace and tuck into a hearty meal of sausages, beans and rice, before trying to swim across the Rio Grande into the United States.

Weary migrants on their journey north often recharge their batteries at a network of similar shelters run by the Roman Catholic Church -- a lifeline sanctioned by the Vatican, despite increased U.S. efforts to keep out illegal immigrants.

"Migration is a human right and migrants are some of the world's most vulnerable people. It is the church's obligation to help them," said the Rev. Francisco Pellizzari, an Italian-Argentine missionary who runs the Nazareth migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo.

~ Excerpt ~

[Mariner]

"If Catholics wanted illegals to get amnesty there wouldn't be a thing you or anyone else could do about it".

You're NUTS if you believe that 20% of the population...many illegal and unable to vote...the remaing split about 40% Don't vote, 20% GOP and 40% Dem...have any more influence over politics and law in this country than the national association of dishwashers.

Catholics in this country don't have any power any more AS CATHOLICS...only in accordance with their individual vote.

The only place the CHURCH has any power is in th home and lives of those who choose to submit to it.

[Clemenza]

I have no problem with Christianity as a faith. Its the ORGANIZED collectivistic bureaucracies known as “religion” that I can’t stand.

[Pyro7480]

Try and find one priest or bishop that does anything but bend over backward for illegal Mexicans/Central Americans, and your search will be for naught...

I bet I can find at least a handful.

[Pyro7480]

LOL! What are you, an objectivist?

[Barney Gumble]

I am so disappointed in how my fellow freepers quickly fell into a liberal trap to split the religious Protestants and Catholics.

The liberal press say the Catholic Church helps illegal and it gets Protestants to get mad at the Church. Then Catholics get defensive and fight with the Protestants.

Let’s see a few things:
a. They are in Mexico, only providing food, not false papers
b. The Vatican certificate is nothing special. A women’s auxiliary at a Church could get one.
c. There are a few liberal Catholics, even ones that are priests or the occasional bishop. But there are liberal Protestants... Episcopals with openly gay bishop, Methodists with a lesbian minister, various non denominational Protestants who have bilked money from their followers. Many supporters of the amnesty were Protestants.

Let’s not be pots and kettles, trying to pretend who is holier than thou.

Remember that religious Protestants and Catholics want the same thing. Don’t let liberal socialist agnostics break that up.

[Salvation]

All can remember that once when Catholics were legal immigrants to the United States that people put signs in their windows:

“Catholics Need Not Apply”

Talk about bigotry and twisted ideas. But it happened in the USA!

[Salvation]

The Pope is not communist. You know better than to post something like that.

[khnyny]

I personally know several priests who are against illegal immigration. I respectfully submit that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

[Salvation]

Matthew
Chapter 5

1

¹ When he saw the crowds, ² he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

2

He began to teach them, saying:

3

³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, ⁴ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4

⁵ Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5

⁶ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

6

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, ⁷ for they will be satisfied.

7

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8

⁸ Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

9

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, ⁹ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

12

¹⁰ Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13

^{11 12} "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

15

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.

16

Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

17

¹³ "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

18

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

19

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁴

20

I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21

^{15 16} "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'

22

¹⁷ But I say to you, whoever is angry ¹⁸ with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

23

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,

24

leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

26

Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

27

¹⁹ "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

28

But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29

²⁰ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.

30

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

31

²¹ "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.'

32

But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33

²² "Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.'

34

But I say to you, do not swear at all; ²³ not by heaven, for it is God's throne;

35

nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36

Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37

²⁴ Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.

38

²⁵ "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'

39

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

40

If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.

41

Should anyone press you into service for one mile, ²⁶ go with him for two miles.

42

Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

43

²⁷ "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

44

But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

45

that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

46

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors ²⁸ do the same?

47

And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? ²⁹

48

So be perfect, ³⁰ just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

[Mariner]

I agree with your equal enforcement argument.

Go after all of them. Make it hurt.

Same for any/all religious institutions that advocate for any person or subject that ends up on a ballot...when that advocacy is subsidized in any way by their tax-exempt status.

If it's done on tax-exempt property...or ANY electronic equipment used is tax-exempt...any travel off the property is tax-exempt...or if any institutional logo or endorsement is used in any way.

It's all a clear, but un-enforced violation of Federal tax law. It should be persued universally...but probably never will.

[Salvation]

One of my best friends is an Indian (Native American) who is Catholic. In fact, I can give you the names of four Native American Catholics at my church!

[Barney Gumble]

Distribution of wealth is not necessarily a bad thing. Jesus spoke of giving many times. However, this giving must come from the person’s heart not by forced coercion by the state, who then line their own pockets with cash.

Don’t equate the Pope’s message with communism.

[Politicalmom]

The ones here when the Pilgrims arrived weren’t Catholic.

[Salvation]

So have you ever helped someone who needed groceries or gas?

Once someone showed up with seven bags of groceries and put them on my front porch. To this day, I have no idea who did it. Suspicions, yes. But no real idea.

All I can say is “Thank you, Lord, becuase I needed that help at that time.”

[rpgdfmx]

And, the Catholics described in the article were in Mexico, not the United States. There’s nothing you ... or U.S. Catholics can do about it.

[Mariner]

When that help is institutionalized and designed to thwart the law of the land...then the institution should prepare to endure the wrath of the state.

It's quite clear from announced policy that the RCC intends to thwart the laws of the USA...are in fact ACTING TO DO SO IN SUPPORT OF THAT POLICY...and should lose their tax-exempt status and possibly be prosecuted un the RICO laws.

This is not as simple as offering charity to the hungry where you find them. This is about specific invitation, support and sanctuary in a criminal conspiracy.

[Salvation]

Are you familiar with some of the American saints who died teaching the American Natives?

Kateri Sainthood Could Take a Miracle

Isaac Jogues, S.J.: North American Martyr [Read only]

Saints Lived Here:The Story Of the Martyr's Shrine[Isaac Jogues,John de Brebeuf & Companions]

Feast of St. Isaac Jogues and Companion Martyrs (Traditional Calendar)September 26th

The adventures of Saint Isaac Jogues [and his companions]

[investigateworld]

"When I lived in an Opus Dei house....

A real pity you didn't recruit Hillary back then. She could've used a little discipline. (wink - wink)

[Oshkalaboomboom]

You're NUTS if you believe that 20% of the population...many illegal and unable to vote...the remaing split about 40% Don't vote, 20% GOP and 40% Dem...have any more influence over politics and law in this country than the national association of dishwashers.

Not any more NUTS than the people posting here who believe that because some Catholics in Mexico help illegals then all American Catholics agree with their actions and we now have to respond to it. If we did all think the same then we would go and vote as ordered by our clergy and a group of issue voters that big would have a profound effect. Get it now?

[Candor7]

26And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron,

27"How long shall this wicked congregation murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28Say to them, As I live, says the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

29your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and of all your number, numbered from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me,

30not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

31But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

32But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

33And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.'

35I, the LORD, have spoken; surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die."

(Num. 14:26-35)