Denver Catholic

11 DENVER CATHOLIC | NOVEMBER 10-23, 2018 Gala Beacon 2019 Hope of Gala Beacon 2019 Hope of 8th Annual Benefit Dinner MARISOL SERVICES 4:00 Mass at Bishop Machebeuf High School 5:30 Cocktails, Marketplace Opens 7:00 Dinner and Program Begins For tickets, sponsorships or donations to the Marketplace please contact: Shelly Saeman at 720-799-9289 or ssaeman@ccdenver.org Register online at ccdenver.org/Beacon Saturday, January 26, 2019 ROOFTOP LOUNGE Formerly the YPL, the Rooftop Lounge returns with some fun changes including a silent auction perfect for the 21-30 year old attendees. A great and affordable way to experience the same compelling evening from the Mezzanine in a cool, hip lounge while enjoying a tasty buffet. Furnished by Celebrate the Joy of Life AS LITTLE AS $1.73 COULD PROVIDE A WARM MEAL TO SOMEONE IN NEED This Thanksgiving help us foster a loving community for families facing hardship. Your generous gift today will help feed, shelter and assist people in need. Plus, donations to our shelters may qualify for an additional 25% Colorado state tax credit under the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit. Together we can provide hope for a better future to those experiencing homelessness. Give online today! ccdenver.org/givethanks "There are also people supporting these caravans, hoping that perhaps this will make the [Honduran] presi- dent fi nally do something. There are no jobs, and nothing is being done to reduce poverty," she said. Furthermore, Sister María Elda Aguilar, member of a Honduran reli- gious institution dedicated to works of charity, education and evangelization, shared that she feels shaken by the cur- rent situation. "[The mass migration] has left me shocked, not because we don't know the reality of the situation, but precisely because we do," she told the Denver Catholic. "Extreme poverty, economic inequality, corruption, lack of oppor- tunities and violence were the greatest factors that led to this event… "Poverty generates violence… Young people come from large families and are forced to help provide for them. And without education, many get involved in drug tra• cking and are either killed or turn into assassins. They're victims of violence. For that reason, many families fl ee and look for refuge in other places." Sister Aguilar believes the Honduran government should invest more in edu- cation so that more opportunities can be generated. This would also acknowl- edge the human dignity of every person and allow them to better elect political leaders that are good administrators and seek the good beyond their own interests, she said. Other than accompanying the migrants in her prayers, the religious sister sees that part of her mission is to guide people in the values of the Gospel, especially the youth, so that they refrain from getting involved in drug tra• cking, despite many times being threatened and forced to, and can fi nd a future without having to migrate. The Denver Catholic tried to con- tact various Honduran consulates in the United States and were referred to the Secretary of Foreign A¢ airs in Honduras, whom we could not reach. A LOOK AT CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING Bishop Rodriguez encouraged the faithful to consider the humanity of the immigrants and the reality of the situation when looking at the political implications of the event in light of the Church's social teaching. "The 'caravan' are our brothers and sisters in search for a future. And as the Gospel asks of us, we have the obligation to help them in as much as we can," he said, making reference to Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew: "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you… [for] I was a stranger and you welcomed me… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me,'" (Mt 25, 31-46). According to the Church's social teaching, both a nation and an immi- grant have rights and responsibilities that must be considered. On one side, "the Church teaches that men have the right — not by concession of a document — but by their human dignity, to immigrate… Migrating out of necessity is a right, not a concession, " Bishop Rodríguez said, referring to Pope Saint John XXIII's encyclical Pacem in Terris, which says: "Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confi nes of his own State. When there are just rea- sons in favor of it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there." On the other side, "the Church rec- ognizes the right of a sovereign state to control its borders in furtherance of the common good," the bishop continued, quoting the U.S. and Mexico Catholic Bishop's letter on immigration "Strang- ers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope." "These teachings complement each other," the document states. "While the sovereign state may impose rea- sonable limits on immigration, the common good is not served when the basic human rights of the individual are violated." "The United States has the right to control its borders with Mexico, esti- mating the number of people that the country can accept and help, and at the same time opening its heart to certain urgent situations, many times including matters of life and death, of men and women who ask to gain access to this country," Bishop Rodriguez said. "The problem with many laws is that the U.S. immigration system needs a complete reform that harmonizes the respect for human rights, the duty of the nation that welcomes [people] to protect the common good of its citi- zens, and the legitimate processes to legally obtain the document to migrate to another country and work honestly in it," he continued. "As the pope said, we must 'overcome indi¢ erence and put, before our fears, a generous attitude of welcoming towards those who come knocking at our door,'" Bishop Rodriguez concluded. "Let us keep fi ghting, with the means that the political and social life o¢ er us, for the comprehensive immigration reform the Episcopal Conference is asking for."

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