You are absolutely right about this and, in fact, I think those who you will least surprise with this article are the Catholic FReepers (who have said this about the USCCB for years).
I, for one, am incredibly pissed by the behavior of our bishops who are teaching something that does not come close to lining up with the actual teachings of the Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
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 condition, 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.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraph 298, says:
Regulating immigration according to criteria of equity and balance is one of the indispensable conditions for ensuring that immigrants are integrated into society with the guarantees required by recognition of their human dignity.
Pope John Paul II, in his message for World Migration Day, 1996, acknowledged the problems of illegal immigration. In this message he said:
Today the phenomenon of illegal migrants has assumed considerable proportions, both because the supply of foreign labour is becoming excessive in comparison to the needs of the economy, which already has difficulty in absorbing its domestic workers, and because of the spread of forced migration.
He also discussed the topic in his Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, saying: Public authorities have the responsibility of controlling waves of migration with a view to the requirements of the common good.
Our current Holy Father said, in Caritas in Veritate, No country can be expected to address today's problems of migration by itself.
Despite this clear teaching of the Universal Magesterium, the bishops in the US seem unable to comprehend the concept that there is a difference between legal immigrants and illegal aliens. While their attitude, if it were restricted to legal migrants, guest workers, and legitimate refugees, would be perfectly defensible, that is NOT their attitude and I am offended...both as an American and as a Catholic.
We have the tail wag the dog syndrome here in the US. The liberal bishops in the large dioceses somehow garner more “clout” in framing national Church policy to social issues.
The U.S. Bishops who are sponsor and enable the massive illegal network which is bringing people into this country unlawfully, are clearly in the wrong.
This is clericalism at its most obnoxious, because these Bishops are wrongly clothing themselves in episcopal authority while usurping the role and responsibility of the laity, which is action for righteousness in the political sphere.
If anybody here, Catholic or not, stands with the Catechism and against the USCCB clerical bureaucracy, they will find an ally in me.
In fact, I suspect that one thing that will calm these public demonstrations is a few well-placed admonitions to the leaders: You will be arrested and tried in a court of law. And Obammy can be impeached.