Why is the Roman Catholic Church supporting immigration reform?

The Economist ^ | September 10, 2013 | M.S.L.J.

[NotYourAverageDhimmi]

IN AMERICA Roman Catholic ears are ringing from sermons supporting immigration reform. On September 8th, just before politicians returned to Congress after their summer break, several Catholic bishops spoke in favour of a bill passed by the Senate in June. The legislation would provide a bridge to citizenship for the 11m people currently residing in America without legal authorisation to do so (and also proposes $46 billion for border security measures). It followed on from vigils in August in support of reform of immigration policies (pictured). Prospects for the passage of any sort of immigration reform in the current legislative session are fading quickly, while the chances of the Senate bill passing the House of Representatives are currently low. But the Roman Catholic church is increasing pressure from the pulpit. Why is the church interested in changing immigration policies?

This is not the first time that Catholics in America have tried to help those there illegally. Seven years ago the church launched the “Justice for Immigrants” campaign after legislation was passed in December 2005 to impose sanctions upon anyone assisting undocumented immigrants. But as they explain on their website, Catholic bishops support neither illegal immigration nor an "amnesty" to pardon those who reside without proper authorisation. Instead the church prefers a softer approach based on prayers and catechisms, alongside more direct methods of reaching politicians through letters and template e-postcards. It seems to want to ensure that foreign nationals of “good character” can earn a legitimate status, families can be together and needy workers are given a chance to gain employment legally.

[BudgieRamone]

Central Americans and Mexicans give $$$$ in cash during the collection. I was surprised when I took up the collection in our “cry room”. every (latino) family dropped a wad of cash in the plate. I can only guess that its like that in every Catholic church with a high Hispanic population.

[MacNaughton]

17 Most Hispanics are Catholic. But not all religions pushing the illegal invasion of America are Catholic. Quakers, Episcopalians, Methodists, ELCA, etc, are all pushing this crap. Its like western civilization is committing mass suicide before our very eyes. At least they aren’t Muslims - SO FAR.

UMC >>> ELCA >> TEC > Quakers ... and the Southern Baptist Convention is larger than all save for the RCC. Yet the SBC is on board for amnesty/immigration reform. Insane time in which we live.

[elkfersupper]

I must confess, I never understood Catholicism.

I was once roped into attending a Christmas midnight mass by a girl I was dating in high school.

Found the whole thing highly bizarre. The robes, the wine, the incense, the altar boys, the grisly statues, the saints, the ancient language employed, the kneeling, the gesticulations, the scripted responses to whatever the priest was saying, ad infinitum.

Could not wait to get out of there and broke up with the girl as well because I then thought she was some kind of brain-dead weirdo.

[BlatherNaut]

Cardinal O'Malley's statement in support of immigration reform was read to Mass attendees in the Archdiocese of Boston this past weekend.

..."The Catholic bishops are focusing on comprehensive immigration reform which guarantees a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented men, women and children already in the United States. The status of those people -- whose lives, dignity and human rights are at stake -- is the central moral issue at this moment in the policy debates."'...

http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/articleprint.asp?id=16380

[moonshinner_09]

Roman Catholic ears are ringing from sermons supporting immigration reform.What happens if say immigration reform is passed. Is the Roman Catholic church ,under the impression that illegal immigration will come to a standstill ?The Roman Catholic church ,making demands to given illegals a path to citizenship. In the meantime, what is the church doing about countries like,Mexico,Guatemala ,Honduras ? What is Roman Catholic church, doing as far as telling each country how they must do their part if American grants a path to citizenship,what is the church telling these other countries ? We give 11 million plus path to citizenship.What is the the Roman Catholic church ,going to say when more folks from Latin America start showing here illegally again ? Are they going to want to be granted a path to citizenship ? How does the Church decide what’s more important people in Honduras,Guatemala or Mexico ? Does the church believe all the illegals coming from those countires who intend to come here later should be given a path to citizenship? What if a few millions more illegals show up will the Roman Catholic church ,tell us we must welcome these strangers who have came to America better life? Is the Church going to say after immigration reform,that as time passes and more families start showing up and the church is right back where it started.When more parents come cross the border with their kids illegally and it begins all over again with our immigration system is broken, we cannot deport the children of illegals who brought them here, from no fault of their own and therefore the church will need yet another immigration reform.And the church makes no effort to start applying pressure to Latin America. Just send the problems here.

[Trailerpark Badass]

So Catholics are brain-dead weirdos?

Thanks for your candor.

Rest assured the feeling, from this Catholic at least, is mutual.

[BlatherNaut]

You make good points.

The voices leading the amnesty charge are socialist bishops who are presumptuously conflating their personal opinions with actual Church teaching.

"Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the Catholic church's position on immigration, saying that nations have the right to regulate the flow of migrants and secure their borders. His comment is consistent with what the church has said in the past, but contradicts the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In his statement, Pope Benedict XVI said individuals have the right to leave their country, but that doesn't mean that nations have to take them in.

”At the same time, states have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

In recent years, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have supported mass amnesty plans and have opposed the construction of a border fence and other tools that would help secure the border."

https://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/october-26-2010/pope-benedict-says-nations-have-right-secure-their-borders.html

The pro-amnesty bishops claim that amnesty must be bestowed for the sake of "human dignity" (despite the fact that the majority of illegals have broken our laws in pursuit of personal financial gain). A bizarre notion, and one that is nowhere to be found in the catechism.

[moonshinner_09]

Would the church not be incline enough to go as for as saying (despite the fact that the majority of illegals have broken our laws in pursuit of personal financial gain). This pursuit of personal financial gain, in fact would this not be considred ill gotten gains, obtained dishonestly or illegally. Doesn’t the church have a moral responsibility to advise illegals it is not biblically acceptable by the word of God to obtain ill gotten gains,dishonestly or illegally. Coming here for a better life does not exempt illegals from having to follow the same biblically commands that the church would tell us as citizens, we cannot do that , this is illegal and against the law. Shouldn’t the church be giving sermons on how the word of God applies to all equally and this means illegals too.
Isn’t this what churches are suppose to do preach the gospel to everyone on the same level ?

[haffast]

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES (REGIONS XIV-XV AND THE EASTERN RITE) ON THEIR AD LIMINA VISIT
Friday, 18 May 2012

excerpt

"I would begin by praising your unremitting efforts, in the best traditions of the Church in America, to respond to the ongoing phenomenon of immigration in your country. The Catholic community in the United States continues, with great generosity, to welcome waves of new immigrants, to provide them with pastoral care and charitable assistance, and to support ways of regularizing their situation, especially with regard to the unification of families. A particular sign of this is the long-standing commitment of the American Bishops to immigration reform."
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2012/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120518_bishops-us-fourteen_en.html

Pope Benedict XVI Backs U.S. Bishops' Commitment To Immigration Reform
By VICTOR L. SIMPSON 05/18/12 10:55 AM ET - AP
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/pope-benedict-immigration-reform_n_1526954.html

Pope Benedict on immigration reform
By Father Tom Joyce, CMF
http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2012/06/pope-benedict-immigration-reform#sthash.UXCkZJKn.dpuf

[stockpirate]

I knew you or someone like you would show up.......just look at what they are doing, and yes, they supported the healthcare bill

[stanne]

Who is ‘they’?

[stanne]

In the Catholic Church, we follow some ‘Vatican Paper’ the way Conservatives follow The New York Times, and for the same reason.

Yet read the words pope or Catholic Church on this site and watch the swarming of ‘knowledgable’ and ‘well read’ critics of the church swoop in with all kinds of illogical criticism of something they know very little about, but think they do from a lifetime of foation in anticatholicism.

It’s a lesson in how liberals become so ignorant and loud

[BlatherNaut]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

--------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------------

Illegal immigrants clearly do not "obey our laws" and rather than "assist in carrying civic burdens", they contribute to them by leaching off our welfare system at the expense of legal resident taxpayers, thereby enlarging the civic burden for all.

[moonshinner_09]

Could the arguement also be made , how many fake documents would Jesus of had ,had he left Latin America coming north to the U.S.A.in terms of getting a better life ? Would Jesus of saved up a few thousand dollars for payment to the Mexican drug cartels to be smuggled across the border ? If the church wants to insist on welcome the stranger ? They leave out a lot of key details.And make it sound like from paying drug cartels ,to paying for fraudulent documents,to use fraudulent documents for gaining employment and tell us the above is just the way it is and it’s the fault of America for having laws,that the church disagrees with.Like entering the country illegally.This is why they say we need reform. At the same time the church does not fully provide the world of God to the extent of how it applies to illegals and the crimes they commit to exist here.
It only points out sob stories and leaves out other key details.

[BlatherNaut]

Yes, you’re right. There’s a great deal of whitewashing going on in order to justify the liberal/socialist positions of certain clerics.

There is a distinction to be made between official Church teachings and the ill informed opinions of individual clerics such as Archbishop Gomez, Cardinal O’Malley, and even popes.

[stockpirate]

You are too funny by half a measure....