Life and Dignity, Persecution and Hope (pro-"migrant" piece with HOT rejoinder by Mrs. Don-o)

East Tennessee Catholic ^ | April 25, 2010 | Paul Simoneau

[Mrs. Don-o]

A brief walk through one country’s history reveals why people migrate.

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In the turbulent early years of the 20th century the Catholic Church seemed to face persecution almost worldwide. In his book on the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, Triumph (Forum, 2001), H. W. Crocker III writes of one particular country that in 1917 became “the first explicitly socialist, anti-religious, and constitutional revolutionary republic in the world” (p. 395). In the two decades that would follow, the Catholic Church in this country would witness all its property confiscated and nationalized and more than 40,000 Catholics killed and martyred, including 90 priests (equivalent to two-thirds of the Catholic population of East Tennessee and all of its priests and deacons).

Three papal encyclicals would be written between 1926 and 1937 concerning the dire situation in a country where 4,500 priests once served—but by 1935, according to some reports, fewer than 340 would remain to minister to a much persecuted and suffering Catholic population. At the turn of the millennium Pope John Paul II canonized 25 of this nation’s saints and martyrs from this period.

You may be surprised to learn that the country in question is not the Soviet Union but Mexico, and included in the list of those martyred were 70 Knights of Columbus, eight of whom have since been declared saints. Pope Pius XI would include Mexico with the Soviet Union and Spain in describing the “terrible triangle” of terror afflicting the Church at this time in history. But the blood of martyrs is never shed in vain, and much was shed in Mexico.

As one would expect, as a result of persecutions and the resulting civil war (1926-1929), large numbers of Mexicans were uprooted and fled from the terror. Up to one-quarter million people were internally displaced in the 1920s, with an additional half million people emigrating to the United States, sharing in the tragic mystery of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt in order to escape Herod’s murderous rampage. Although by mid-century the persecution eventually gave way to a reluctant but nonetheless still harsh tolerance of religion, it was not until 1992 that many anti-Catholic restrictions were officially lifted.

With the advent of World War II, the United States turned to Mexico to help fill its vast labor shortages in industry and farming. In the decades that followed, the demand for foreign laborers only increased, especially for temporary and seasonal workers in the Southeast and Southwest. As a result of the economic crisis in Mexico of the 1980s the number of its people living in poverty increased dramatically.

As poverty and migration are so often intimately linked, many people are surprised to learn that one of the largest and most efficient programs for directly reducing global poverty levels is not a specific kind of aid program or global charitable effort but the result of remittances—money that foreign workers send back to their families. According to a 2007 World Bank study, remittances represented almost $170 billion in external financing for needy countries in 2005, a figure that today is likely well in excess of $200 billion.

The reasons for migration are complicated, as a snapshot of Mexico’s past century proves, but solutions are even more complex. Comprehensive immigration reform is as much about fixing a broken immigration system as it is about addressing the “push” factors behind migration—and none of these will be easy to address.

When it is difficult to be the face of Jesus to others, it is often because we first fail to see Jesus in the other person. Perhaps this is why God especially hears the cry of the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner (Exodus 20:20-22) and reminds us to be particularly mindful of their needs.

The widows and orphans of our time are the unborn and the despairing pregnant women whose boyfriends or husbands have abandoned their responsibilities to them. But let us not forget the third figure of this scriptural mandate, in whose history we share. For we too sojourn as foreigners in this life’s pilgrim journey and struggle to learn the one language that is most essential to learn: the language of faith.

Ending with my traditional play upon the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace,” care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.

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Mr. Simoneau directs the Knoxville Diocesan Justice and Peace Office.

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Please be sure to read Mrs. Don-o's comments at #1.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Really well written and factual. Thanks for the ping.

[Neoliberalnot]

You must look at this for what it is—a power play of the world’s tyrants—they are simply using the church to further their own evil quest for control of other peoples’ lives. The DC Empire is tearing down our borders and destroying the worth of US citizenship—the move to one-world-without-borders where every thriving sovereign nation becomes a 3rd world hole for those without political power. Those holding the reins of power will have anything they wish at the expense of the serfs. In the end, Christianity will be seen as the enemy of these same tyrants.

[SuperLuminal]

"...a country has the right to control its borders, but it also mustn’t exaggerate its sovereignty..."

"...but it also mustn’t exaggerate its sovereignty..."!!!???
What crap! This second segment essentially means the opposite of the first segment.

"The call to comprehensive immigration reform is above all a dignity issue. "
Dignity issue? How? On what basis? Only a an old-fashioned "Critical Theory" acolyte of marxist theory would hand-wave such a glorious sounding pile of gobbledygook.

IAC, one only has to read that this guy has the title of "Director of Peace and Justice" (A major job-descriptive title used in most totalitarian societies.) to be able to discount anything he says as marxist-driven propaganda.

Not believing in moral or political "shades-of-gray", I don't respect anything he says...Sorry...

[dangus]

“Tell him that the importation of workers for the purpose of providing a cheal labor market is a “crime which cries out to the Heavens for vengence.” (Rerum Novarum)

[Mrs. Don-o]

I can tell you from first-hand experience that Mr. Simoneau is a honest and intelligent man, a retired Marine Lt. Col. and far from a leftist, and I will defend his character to anybody, anywhere.

It is certainly rash judgment and an untruth to call him a Marxist --- a "false witness" unsupported by fact which you managed to commit 3 times in a couple inches of column space.

I value Free Republic as a forum for well-informed, reasonable advocates of different points of view. Please take this into consideration.

[ZULU]

Your response to him was excellent. I couldn’t have said it any better or even approach the logic of your arguments.

The Democrats WANT illegal aliens in here because they KNOW the longer they are here, the less likely they will be expelled and that nearly all of them will vote Democrat.

The GOP looks the other way because the “business community” (the same gang of thugs which exported American production to Red China and made us Sino-Serfs) wants cheap expoilitable labor they can use without paying those expensive benefits - people who are expendable.

Mexico - the MAIN culprit - wants illegal immigration as it is safety valve to dump the least prodcutive members of its society and at the same time, reap a reward of American dollars sent back there to their family members to boost the Mexican Economy.

I’m sick and tired of Washington, the Democrats, the GOP and their corporate buddies and Mexico, raping America. Its got to stop. And the first step is to FIRE nearly eveery Congresscritter up for election regardless of party. The SECOND step is to get rid of the Marxist Monster ensconced in the White House through election or impeachment. The THIRD step is to make sure that SERIAL POLITICAL CRIMINALS never are permitted to sit in an elected office long enough to start thinking of themselves as elitist class - like most Congressmen do today.

Americans had better stand up, and take notice very quickly and take their country back from the professional politicians - or they will soon find they have no country left to take back.

[x_plus_one]

Its not about dignity, its about redistribution of Americas wealth back to Central America

The social justice catholics must see this as a way to flood the US with catholics so as to become a more relevant and powerful voting and cultural juggernaut.

That's the only interpretation that stands to reason for all the bishops openly protesting Arizona's new immigration law.

[Publius6961]

Please remove me from your post list. I AM NOT CATHOLIC.

I am embarrased by this response. Not that I have a miligram of antipathy towards non-Catholics, but because it truly saddens me to see a suggestion that non-catholics live their lives unencumbered by philosophy, ethics and morals.

What a slam at the hundreds of millions of non-Catholics! Apparently they are all unable to be "good" men and women.

[SuperLuminal]

Ok. I'll make some modifications to my opinion statement!

"...a country has the right to control its borders, but it also mustn’t exaggerate its sovereignty..."

"...but it also mustn’t exaggerate its sovereignty..."!!!???
What crap! This second segment essentially means the opposite of the first segment.

"The call to comprehensive immigration reform is above all a dignity issue. "
Dignity issue? How? On what basis? Usually Only a an old-fashioned "Critical Theory" acolyte of marxist theory would hand-wave such a glorious sounding pile of gobbledygook.

Not believing in moral or political "shades-of-gray", I don't respect anything have reservations about what he says in this article...Sorry...

Also, I don't need you to play the "emblem" card...I'm a 76 year old Marine...Not that that matters...So was L.H.O...So was John Murtha..."Bad apples" are a fact of life...

Thanks for setting me straight on your friend's character. (Mea culpa)

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thank you. This makes decent argument possible.

Let me add to Mr. Simoneau's bonafides that he is seriously on the outs with the CCHD and the USCCB liberal apparat. He's also a leading force in a coalition to throw Planned Parenthood out of Knoxville.

He's a stand-up guy who has an outtanding grasp of many issues, and--- not possessing nor claiming infallibility--- he has to be brought up to speed on many more. As do we all.

And he listens. Listens well. And prays.

With Catholics, that's the kind of stuff that matters.

Blessings upon you.

[Paul Ross]

Director of Peace and Justice

??

Another non-christian Social Justice scammer?

[4Speed]

Mexico as a country has a problem or two. Would men be better served dealing with Mexico’s problems by their own people, on the Mexico side of the border, in the Churches of Mexico, than they would running from the problems to America ?

[Publius6961]

Bishop Taylor, who is fluent in Spanish and has worked in Hispanic ministry for 28 years, said he believes being able to immigrate to another country is an "intrinsic human right."
That is an opinion, making matters worse. It mirrors the umma which to me is extremely offensive.
One of the reasons which, a a Catholic, led me to believe that the church left me, and is now part of the problem. Tolerance for criminal behavior, like charity, ceases to exist when it is coerced. I reject that perversion of "Christian" virtue.

"They do have a right to immigrate when circumstances require," he said.
It is not within the authority of a Bishop, nor should it ever be, to determine what is a secular "right." It's that simple. That is an essential part what separation of church and state means.

They are here because there is no way to get documents, not because they don't want documents.
That is an outright lie, a strange moral imperfection for a Bishop.
It suggests, clearly, that legal immigration from Mexico is prohibited. If he doesn't know better, he has no business pursuing any sort of leadership authority of any kind.

Fortunately, there are clearly more sober and rational minds at work :

[Publius6961]

The greatest dishonesty is the constant claim by the "open borders" crowd that legal immigration is impossible.

In 2009, the latest year for which statistics are available, Mexico ranked #1 with 15% of all the legal permanent resident immigrants allowed into the U.S.

Anyone asserting the the remaining poor and distressed people of the entire world simply don't matter, needs a serious attitude or common sense readjustment.

The Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, published by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS).

Official Legal Immigration

[Mrs. Don-o]

No, not a scammer. See #130.

[AliVeritas]

Amen sister.

[wordsofearnest]

Zachary Taylor should have finished his job.

[cricket]

Bravo for 'clear, moral reasoning. A reasoning that by definition, requires 'discrimination' of thought; word and action. Liberalism has determinedly run much of Catholic thought amok, IMHO. . .and by intention, degraded the Catholic institution. Your clarity - not without appropriate measures of 'charity' - I hope, was greatly appreciated.

Will continue reading to find out. . .and yes, thanks for ping, Mrs. Don-o

[Paul Ross]

Then what is with the “Justice” crap? He may be sincere, but he is simply, unquestionably, wrong on faith if he is.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, I know where your skepticism is coming from, since most of the time nowadays "Social Justice" is a mere euphemism for "the Democratic Party agenda." It's been that way in churches (Protestant, Catholic and Jewish) for many decades now.

However, that is not the proper meaning of the word, which is used hundreds of times in the Old and New Testaments, where it never means "socialism"--- and these are typical examples:

Genesis 18:19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Deuteronomy 33:21
And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

1 Kings 10:9
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore the LORD made thee king, to do judgment and justice.

But in Biblical context, "justice" means something somewhat different from leftism!

My hope for Mr, Simoneau, and others similarly situated, is that we can wrest back the word "justice" from the Left, and define it, well, "rightly" as God intends.