Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/183423
Regardless of the legal status of the immigrants in our communities, Jesus gives us the standard of welcoming them in his name. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Mt. 25:40)." The gravity of the question of the impact of immigration, both legal and illegal, on the welfare of our nation, or any nation, is of unprecedented importance. For this reason we offer these seven principles, which are grounded in the master principle of Catholic moral teaching, namely, the truth that the human person is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore has dignity from the moment of conception until natural death.4 We hope that these principles, which move from the most basic to the more specific, will assist you in developing an ethically balanced view of the many goods that are at stake in this difficult issue. While responding to the many questions raised by immigration will not be easy, you and I cannot fail in our duty as Catholic citizens to do our best to make decisions that improve and maintain the social, moral and spiritual health of our great nation and those who seek membership within it. THE PRINCIPLES 1. The principle of the common good The Second Vatican Council defines the common good as "the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment."5 2 4 John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, nos. 219-20, Pacem in Terris, no. 26, quoting Pius XII; John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991), no. 22, Veritatis Splendor (1993), no. 10, Evangelium Vitae (1995), nos. 7, 52, 84; Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (2009), no. 45; cf. Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei (2013), no. 54. 5 Vatican Council II Apostolic Constitution Gaudium et Spes, n. 26, 1965. 4