Denver Catholic

4 MARCH 25-APRIL 7, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Cover Story dealing with human beings who possess inviolable and unalienable rights, we need to act respecting their dignity allowing everyone to have access to what they need especially helping the poor in a spirit of solidarity," Bishop Rodriguez said. He continued, quoting the Cate- chism of the Catholic Church (CCC), "The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood… [and] immigrants are obliged…to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens" (2241). The tension between the immi- grant's right to migrate and the coun- try's right to control borders is held together by the common good. The CCC defines the common good as "the total sum of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (1906). With the common good in mind, comprehensive policies can be created — it can be a "both-and" of respecting the human person and the law, instead of an "either-or." However, these laws need to be at the service of the human person, said Bishop Rodriguez. "These laws do not deal with com- mercial exchange of material products, but rather with human beings," he said. "The law is only an instrument in the service of human dignity, not her inflex- ible patron." THE DIGNITY OF THE PERSON "I think the key in Catholic social teaching is that we remember the dig- nity of the human person — each person is a child of God…that's a principle we can lose," said Luis Soto, former direc- tor of Hispanic ministry of the Arch- diocese of D e n v e r . "Our inter- action with p e o p l e should be first and f o r e m o s t r e m e m - bering they're a child of God and that legal status doesn't a©ect that." Because it deals with persons, immi- gration is a pro-life issue too, said Soto. "It is [a pro-life] issue, because we believe in the dignity of life," Soto said. "We're not defending people who have committed crimes, however, the dignity of the person has to be guarded in the process. We believe in the dignity of [conception of ] life to natural death, and everything in-between." While Catholic social teaching empha- sizes the dignity of the human person, it does not dismiss laws. In his article titled, "Immigration and the Law," the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that as a nation, our cultural identity is wrapped up in the order of the law, as we were founded on a Constitution. "The U.S. bishops have made it clear that they are not in favor of illegal immi- gration. No one has a 'right' to come into someone else's country illegally," Car- dinal George wrote (emphasis added). However, both he and other bishops have urged for a comprehensive reform on immigration policy, one that deals with the issue humanely. "The reform should start with con- cern for the basic respect that is owed all human beings, no matter their status before the law. It should provide a path to citizenship for the great majority who are law-abiding citizens now, and it should separate for deportation any who are criminals," Cardinal George said. "WE CANNOT WAIT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM" Many bishops have spoken on the issue of immigration reform, but of all of them, perhaps none are as passionate and persuasive as Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Ange- les. In his article "We cannot wait for immigration reform," he points out that with every wave of immigration in America, we have met them with "suspicion, resentment and backlash." "Think about the Irish, the Italians, the Japanese. It is no di©erent with today's immigrants. We need to keep that perspective," Archbishop Gomez said. He said that despite the media hype about the issue, deportations didn't begin with Trump's administration — in fact, the previous president deported more than anyone in American history. That said, the problem of illegal immi- gration isn't just a one-sided blame game. "These 11 million undocumented people did not just arrive overnight. It happened over the last 20 years. And it happened because our government — at every level — failed to enforce our immigration laws," Archbishop Gomez said. "And law enforcement o€cials looked the other way because American businesses demand 'cheap' labor — and lots of it." "Why aren't we punishing the busi- nesses who hired them, or the govern- ment o€cials who didn't enforce our laws?" he continued. "There is plenty of blame to go around. And that means there is a lot of opportunity to show mercy. Mercy is not the denial of justice. Mercy is the quality by which we carry out our justice." He also called for us to depict Amer- ica as it truly is — not just a country founded by Western Europeans, but of one rich in its history of Hispanic culture and influence. "We can no longer a©ord to tell a story of America that excludes the rich inheritance of Latinos and Asians…we need to tell the story of St. Junípero Serra and Thomas Je©erson." OTHER BISHOPS SPEAK OUT Among the many bishops that have spoken out on the issue, including Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila and Arch- bishop Charles J. Chaput, the general consensus is the same: the U.S. needs a comprehensive policy that respects the dignity of the immigrant, while enforc- ing a reform that places valid laws on border entry. "Even though illegal immigrants have failed to observe our immigration laws," said Archbishop Aquila in a 2014 interview with Denver Catholic, "they do not lose their God-given dignity as children of the Father. Our laws should reflect this reality, while also allowing for our country to enforce legitimate border controls." Archbishop Gomez recently pub- lished a book called, "Immigration and the Next America," which expands on a recent talk he gave to U.S. bishops. "I am not proposing that we 'forgive and forget.' Those who are here without authorization have broken our laws. And the rule of law must be respected," Arch- bishop Gomez said. "So there needs to be consequences when our laws are broken. But I don't think [the current policy] is fair, either. Why don't we require the undocumented to a pay a fine, to do com- munity service? We should ask them to prove that they are holding a job and paying taxes and are learning English." Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Neb., said that the Trump administra- tion's current policies won't solve the problem. "Mass deportation is a panacea: the appearance of an answer without really resolving anything," Bishop Conley said. Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Com- mittee on Migration, said that the new policies endanger the vulnerable and cause many problems. "Taken together, these memoranda constitute the establishment of a large- scale enforcement system that targets virtually all undocumented migrants as 'priorities' for deportation, thus prior- itizing no one," Bishop Vasquez said. '…We need to tell the story of St. Junípero Serra and Thomas Jeƒerson' « For more resources on Catholic social teaching and the Church's statements on immigration, visit the USCCB at usccb.org/issues-and-action/human- life-and-dignity/immigration/index.cfm. You can also visit the Center for Migration Studies (CMS), a Catholic educational institute devoted to inte- grating immigrants, at cmsny.org for other information and resources. The United States Con- ference of Catholic Bish- ops, which Bishop Rodri- guez also referred to, has several resources and documents on the issue, including an outline of five basic principles. Persons have a right to find opportunities in their homeland. Persons have the right to migrate to support them- selves and their families. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. Refugees and asylum seekers should be a¤orded protection. The dignity and rights of the undocumented should be respected. 1 2 3 4 5 It is [a pro- life] issue, because we believe in the dignity of life." LUIS SOTO "

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