Archbishop Gomez Addresses Immigration with Prophetic Insight and Clarity

8/7/2011

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life.That means we have to bring a Catholic faith perspective to this debate about immigration. We cannot just think about this issue as Democrats or Republicans or as liberals or conservatives.

"That means we have to listen to the teachings of our Church on this issue. But that's not what I want to talk about today. I think we all know the teachings of our Church on this issue.What we need to understand better is how to see immigration in light of America's history and purposes, as seen through the perspective of our Catholic faith. When we understand immigration from this perspective we can see that immigration is not a problem for America. It's an opportunity. It is a key to our American renewal."

He continued his treatment of this vital issue in a stirring address at this weeks Knights of Columbus Convention in Denver, Colorado. Here is a snippet, courtesy of Rocc Palmo's "Whispers in the Loggia" : "I know this issue is hard for people - including many people who are trying to be good Catholics.I am not a politician. I am a pastor of souls - and an American citizen. That is my perspective on these issues. As pastor of the largest Catholic community in the United States, I am deeply affected by our nation's immigration policy crisis. Historically, the Catholic Church has always been a Church of immigrants - just as America has always been a nation of immigrants.

"American Catholics form one spiritual family drawn from some 60 ethnic and national groups from every continent. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, ministry and worship is conducted in 42 languages.About 70 percent of the flock I minister to is Hispanic. And Los Angeles is not exception - but a sign of the future.More than one-third of Catholics in America today are of Latino descent - and that number is growing.

"Hispanics accounted for almost 60 percent of our population growth in the last ten years. They now make up 16 percent of the U.S. population. Nearly one-quarter of all American children age 17 and under are Hispanic. So immigration policy, especially as it relates to Latino immigration, is of deep concern to us as Catholics and as citizens.

"The Church's perspective on these issues is rooted in Jesus Christ's teaching that every human person is created in God's image and has God-given dignity and rights. From a Catholic standpoint, America's founders got it exactly right. Human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are universal and inalienable. They come from God, not governments. And these rights are not contingent on where you are born or what racial or ethnic group you are born into.

"The human right to life, the foundation of every other right, implies the natural right to emigrate. Because in order for you and your family to live a life worthy of your God-given dignity, certain things are required. At minimum: food, shelter, clothing, and the means to make a decent living.If you and your family are unable to secure life's necessities in your home country - due to political instability, economic distress, religious persecution, or other conditions that offend basic human dignity - you must be free to seek these things in another country.

"In Catholic thinking, the right to immigration is a "natural right." That means it is universal and inalienable. But it is not absolute. Immigrants are obliged to respect and abide by the laws and traditions of the countries they come to reside in. Catholic teaching also recognizes the sovereignty of nations to secure their borders and make decisions about who and how many foreigners they allow into their countries.

"Our government has the duty to consider immigration's impact on the domestic economy and our national security. However, we must always make sure that we are not exaggerating these concerns in ways that deny the basic humanitarian needs of good people seeking refuge in our country.These Catholic principles are consistent with America's founding ideals. They are also consistent with America's proud legacy as one nation under God made up from many peoples of all races and creeds.

"Based on these principles the American bishops support comprehensive immigration policy reform that protects the integrity of our national borders and provides undocumented immigrants the opportunity to earn permanent residency and eventual citizenship.So the political issue is basically this: How can we find a way to accept these newcomers and balance that with the need for our nation to protect our borders, to control the flow of immigrants, and to keep track of who is living within our borders?

"But the important thing for us is to approach these political issues - not as Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives - but as Catholics. And as Catholics, we should be alarmed by the human toll of our failure to fix our broken immigration system.... America has always been a nation of justice and law. But as Americans we have also always been a people of generosity, mercy and forgiveness. Unfortunately, our nation's current response to illegal immigration is not worthy of our national character. My point is simple: We need to find a better way to make immigration policy and enforce it.

"And in this policy debate, Catholics have a special place. Because Catholics - especially - bear the truth about all Americans. Namely, that we are all children of immigrants. If we trace the genealogies of everyone in this room today, they will lead us out beyond our borders to some foreign land where each of our ancestors originally came from. In my personal case, the first members of my family came to what now is Texas in 1805. Our inheritance comes to us now as a gift and as a duty.

"At the least, it means we should have some empathy for this new generation of immigrants.For Christians, empathy means seeing Jesus Christ in every person and especially in the poor and the vulnerable. And we need to remember, my friends: Jesus was uncompromising on this point.In the evening of our lives, he told us, our love for God will be judged by our love for him in the person of the least among us. This includes, he said, the immigrant or the stranger.

"Very few people "choose" to leave their homelands. Emigration is almost always forced upon people by the dire conditions they face in their lives.Most of the men and women who are here illegally have traveled hundreds even thousands of miles. They have left everything behind, risked their safety and even their lives. They did this, not for their own comfort or selfish needs. They did this to feed their loved ones. To be good mothers and fathers. To be loving sons and daughters."

Not only is the new Archbishop of Los Angeles shaking up an important part of the Catholic Church in the United States,the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he is shaking up the entire U.S. Church. He calls us to approach one of the "hot button" issues of the hour with a Catholic mind and a Catholic heart - and to take our place in building a new and true Culture of Life and Civilization of love.

We need to heed the words of this messenger of the Lord. We are not first "liberal", "conservative" or any other permutation of these political labels. We are first Catholics and, as such, we need to approach this issue - and every 'social issue" - with the mind of the Lord as revealed through His Church. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez Addresses Immigration with Prophetic Insight and Compelling Clarity. We need to listen.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Immigration, social justice, preferential option, Los Angeles, Common Good, Deacon Keith Fournier

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1 - 10 of 52 Comments

Rob
1 year ago
I guess time will tell vance. They say a lot of things during the campaign that never seem to happen. Heck, building a wall of that magnitude would be a great jobs program.
Theresa
1 year ago
I read the article by Archbishop Gomez and his longer Address where he speaks of the Mexican Settlers in CA before the Pilgrims came to this land that is now the United States of America. It seems to me those people and their childrens' children should be recognized as Americans--if they are still here and want to be so identified (has this not already happened--like the American Indians?). But since the USA was recognized as an independent nation, does it not have the right and the obligation, like any other nation, to provide for the security of its citizens by monitoring entrance at its borders and tracking the coming and going of both citizens and non-citizens. Has not the USCCB recognized this?... (The CCC addresses all this in 2234ff.) Immigrants, like legal citizens, are supposed to enter and leave countries legally into any country.... If they are fleeing persecution, poverty, etc., the receiving country has, or should have a legal way to address such needs....Yes, "welcome the stranger," but it is appropriate to also require them to follow the Path to Citizenship (or be given a "Green Card....")....These days, we need to educate people better re. the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity-- or we will end up a socialist state in which both citizens and non-citizens all become wards of the state that takes care of all our needs. That is a scary prospect, to say the least!
vance
1 year ago
Rob, If Romney or Ron Paul wins, you might be right but if any of the other candidates win, you can take it to the bank. I heard strong commitment from them to shut down the border.
Rob
1 year ago
vance, I'm sorry, but I would be absolutely shocked if the GOP did anything about the border if they gained control. If 9/11 couldn't do it, what makes you think that it will happen now? Never mind the fact that it's our incessant demand for drugs that is creating this chaos. Sort of like our incessant demand for all the cheap crap coming out of China. The root of all these problems is us.
vance
1 year ago
The problem is not Mexicans. The problem is a lawless southern border with tons of drugs flowing across the border unchallenged. The problem is foreign nationals depleting our Nation's Medicaid Funds via Anchor Babies costs and the costs for Emergency Room visits. The problem is that foreign nationals are getting on Social Security via loop holes. A great example for all this is California which is broke. We need a new President and Senate Majority to correct this problem.
Jeffrey Caperton
1 year ago
On a final and more personal note, before I put this issue to bed, the immigration issue is personal for me as my wife is an immigrant from Mexico, so I tend to view an attack on immigrants, legal or otherwise, as an attack upon my wife, particularly when people like Dottie make their comments regarding the language issue, as if what language a person speaks is really any of their business. I have traveled in Mexico as far south as Mexico City. In those travels, I have gotten to know something of the conditions with which they live and have come to know more about the people. I have particularly come to appreciate how most (I say "most: as to say "all" would be to stereotype) have maintained a kind, gentle demeanor while demonstrating remarkable resilience under the conditions with which they live. Noting those conditions, I have come to believe that if I were in the same situation, I would probably find the potential rewards of crossing the border illegally worth the risk, particularly if I have a family to feed. Consequently, I cannot, with a Christian conscience, remain silent when people advocate treating them like criminals. They are simply people trying to survive in a world that has become increasingly hostile in the last thirty years in America and in Mexico. They deserve our compassion, not our fist being shaken in their face.
Jeffrey Caperton
1 year ago
Kim, For the first time in over thirty years, I see from a lay person a balanced, fair and comprehensive analysis of the immigration issue. For instance, for over thirty years I have seen only Spanish speakers targeted when, as you said, illegal immigrants are coming from all over the world. And you are quite right; before we "reform" the immigration laws, we do need to ask fundamental questions such as what does America represent today. But I do not think the alternatives are as simple as "are we still a nation that opens its arms to the poor and repressed and persecuted" or a nation of "I got mine. Go get yours, but don't bother me while you do it". I do believe it possible to navigate between the extremes. Under normal circumstances, I would favor opening the borders, but we are not living under normal circumstances. Given the current fiscal situation in the U.S., we simply cannot afford to be the "guardian of democracy" (That is such a sanctimonious statement, but I use if for lack of something better at the moment) for the world. For example, at a time when school budgets are being cut to the bone across the United States, we cannot have more children adding to the strain. On the other hand, I demand that America, and our government, reflect Christian principles such as charity and mercy. Therefore, I do favor that we extend a helping hand to those in need. Obviously, we cannot afford my approach, but, on the other hand, Christianity demands that we cannot go to the other extreme as advocated by those such as Vance. However, I do believe that if everybody were to take your approach, intelligent, calm, comprehensive, and fair, those who choose the visceral approach aimed at appealing to the darker side of our nature would have no place at the discussion table and, consequently, we would find that solutions do exist and we may actually effect a fair compromise. Well done!
vance
1 year ago
Kim, you have a point that the US-Mexican Border is an international Free-for-all. This is not 1876. It's 2011. There is no wide open wild frontier to be settled by pioneers in covered wagons. We do need a new immagration policy. We need to shut down the border and student visas. What needs to change is the "Anchor Baby" law. We need to change the marriage laws to foreigners to cut out the "Mail Order" brides. No foreign national should have any access to welfare services. Our Welfare system is maxed out.
vance
1 year ago
Jeff, Yeahh maybe I might be crrazy. I don't know.
Kim
1 year ago
Certainly a divisive issue, and I'm not really going to weigh in on right or wrong, one way or the other. I simply note that there are some erroneous assumptions in many of the comments.

First, not all of the illegal immigrants are Mexicans, yet that is always the impression one gets from reading comments such as these and from the media's use of photographs and video. I have a friend whose son married a young woman here from Russia on a student visa, whose mother is here illegally, living in a community of many illegal Russian "immigrants." Right here in Kansas City, we have immigrants from every continent of the world, and from my former profession (law), I can tell you not all of them arrived legally, but preference for citizenship will be given to those from the Middle East, Asia, and some countries of Africa.

Secondly, our current immigration laws are in desperate need of reform, because they favor people who speak the languages of the Middle East (yes, so we can get more people here who can translate for the government's quest for finding terrorists), and discourage immigration from Mexico and Central American countries.

I often here the refrain, "my ancestors came here legally, why can't these people." Well, it used to be much easier to immigrate to the USA. My great-grandparents arrived in 1876 and were given a homestead on the prairie, raised their right hands and, in German, 'cause they didn't yet speak English, swore allegiance to the USA. They didn't have to spend thousands of dollars and wait a decade for permission to become citizens.

Thirdly, much of the vitriol expressed towards illegal immigrants always overlooks and ignores the vital question about the people who were brought here as infants and toddlers by their parents, who never obtained citizenship for themselves and their children. Now those infants and toddlers are grown, this is the only country they've ever known, yet they remain illegal because of circumstances that were beyond their control.

The entire national argument always glosses over the fact that we have a population of people who legally belong no where. Where would you have them go?

This is a complex issue, with many facets never addressed, leaving the general population with the flawed belief that the solution is simply to stop the flow of illegal immigrants crossing into our country from Mexico. The solution is much more complex and will not be reached as long as our representatives and senators remain as bitterly divided by politics as they are today.

In my opinion, the entire immigration code should be repealed, and rewritten from scratch, starting with first figuring out what this country really stands for these days. Are we still a nation that opens its arms to the poor and repressed and persecuted? Or have we become a nation that says, "I got mine. Go get yours, but don't bother me while you do it." Once we figure out what we stand for, then the immigration code should be written in such a way that coming to America is fair, equitable, and just for all and not just for those that will benefit one political party or the other.

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