Posted on 05/03/2010 3:31:46 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
A brief walk through one country’s history reveals why people migrate.
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.
Mr. Simoneau directs the Knoxville Diocesan Justice and Peace Office.
Please be sure to read Mrs. Don-o's comments at #1.
I care deeply about the plight of those hoping/wishing/attempting to come here.
They just need to come legally.
Three points:
1. Allow for easier (less formality and delay)LEGAL migration from the south
2. Remove the "born here" and you're an American clause for illegals
3.Secure the border from the illegals and criminals.
Do #3 first.
Amen to that.
excellent perspective—surely The Church doesn’t want to see families broken up!!!
You may be certain that the *Mexican* "leadership" du jour is well aware of this. They don't want either stability, nor their people prey coalescing behind a leadership which could challenge *them*... Think about it...
the infowarrior
Two words: you ROCK.
Cheers!
Thank you. Sometimes I rock, sometimes I roll...
But I do like to hear you purr :o)
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