Cardinal launches immigration campaign

Called the Justice for Immigrants Campaign -- A Journey for Hope, Cardinal Mahony said in a homily at a Migration Day Mass that the campaign would "remind Catholics of the wonderful history of migrants coming to this country from the earliest days and the church's constant outreach to them."

He said the voices of the people of the Los Angeles Archdiocese will now be joined with "thousands of our fellow brothers and sisters" in what is a nationwide campaign.

The cardinal also announced the creation of a steering committee of local clergy and lay leaders involved in immigration reform and the protection of immigrant rights to carry out the goals of the national Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, launched last May by the U.S. bishops and other Catholic organizations.

Its goals are: educating Catholics and others about the benefits of immigration to both the immigrants themselves and to the United States; strengthening public opinion about immigration's positive contributions; advocating just immigration laws that promote legal status and legal pathways for migrant worker and their families; and organizing Catholic legal service networks to help immigrants gain access to the benefits of reforms.

Migration Day is "a day in our church that serves as a reminder of our migrant roots and the struggles of others in their difficult journey to establish a new life in this country," Cardinal Mahony said in his homily. "Sadly, many are still suffering in their journey."

Each year the U.S. church observes National Migration Week, which took place this year Jan. 8-14.

Sister Darlene Kawulok, a member of the new steering committee announced by the cardinal, said in a statement: "Our task is to design different events over a three-year period for the archdiocese to educate Catholics about the benefits of immigration and the negative effects of divisive and unjust efforts."

"The Catholic Church in the United States was founded by immigrant peoples," said the nun, a Sister of St. Joseph, who chairs the religious studies department at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. "We cannot deny the importance of our voice in this present discussion because of our fundamental roots of who we are as church and the people of God."

In a Dec. 30 letter to President George W. Bush, Cardinal Mahony voiced his opposition to the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, which passed the House Dec. 16. The Senate is to take up an immigration measure in the next few weeks.

"In effect, priests, ministers, rabbis and other involved in various church-related activities will be forced to become 'quasi-immigration enforcement officials'" under the House measure, Cardinal Mahony wrote.

In the Catholic Church, he said, "our golden rule has always been to serve people in need -- to not to verify beforehand their immigration status. But the bill imposes incredible penalties upon any person assisting others through a church or social service organization." Those penalties include forfeiture of assets and jail terms of up to five years.

"One could interpret this bill to suggest that any spiritual and pastoral service given to any person requires proof of legal residence," Cardinal Mahony added "Are we to stop every person coming to holy Communion and first ask them to produce proof of legal residence before we can offer them the body and blood of Christ?"

The cardinal also told Bush, "It is staggering for the federal government to stifle our spiritual and pastoral outreach to the poor, and to impose penalties for doing what our faith demands of us. ... Throughout your presidency you have encouraged faith-based organizations to be strong partners in meeting the needs of those in our communities. Yet, this bill will produce the opposite effect."

| U.S. News