Posted on 05/20/2008 11:07:11 AM PDT by mmp813
Catholic Church Chooses Wrong Side Again
With the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) raid in Postville, Iowa, and the resulting protests coming from the all too sanctimonious “religious”, maybe it is time to step back and take a look at what is behind these “do gooders” and “saviors” of the criminals crossing our boarders.
First of all let's get this straight. An “illegal alien” is a criminal. This person is not misunderstood and needs to be cared for. They are not a pet. They are criminals that made a decision to break our laws when they came across the boarder without the proper documentation from our country. That is why they are afraid of our law enforcement people. They know they are wrong.
Once again the Catholic Church has taken a stand on a modern issue and been found lacking in logic and substance. Recently, during the Pope's visit, he took exception to the United States border policy expressing that it lacked sensitivity for the needs of the less fortunate. The Pope chose to totally ignore the billions of dollars the American taxpayers spend annually on aid to less fortunate countries, as well as the continual problem we are facing with the daily uncontrollable assault on our boarder of untrained labor and often drug carrying illegal aliens.
Following the raid at the Postville Meatpacking Plant, the families of the detainees ran to the local Catholic Church for sanctuary. Instead of the Church working with the officials to assist the families, they allowed them to stay. They brought in food, gave them shelter and the illusion of protecting them from the government officials. The Church actually encouraged the hysteria by not working towards a resolution. The Catholic Church is way out of line. In addition, the Church encouraged people to protest the deportation of illegal aliens. This is the only country in the world where people who have broken the law go to the streets to protest being prosecuted for their crimes – and in Spanish no less!!! While the Church kept a rule on sanctuary in the churches in the Code of Cannon Law until 1983, they have continued putting others at risk for arrest for harboring fugitives, obstructing justice or disturbing the peace.
The Church has it wrong. It is not a matter of choosing between the illegals and the government. It is not an “all or nothing” issue. It is a right or wrong issue. You don't have to make aliens the enemy. The Church says to repent of your sins so, once again, the Catholic Church is showing conflicts within it's own standards of decision making. Why is the Church giving them “sanctuary” or defending wrong doing by pretending it is acceptable? That is hypocritical on the part of the Church leaders. Jesus recognized the authority of the government when he said in the Bible ( Matt 22:21), “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's...” . This did not only apply to taxes. If the Catholic Church is having a hard time accepting it's place of authority along side that of the government officials, maybe the Church Leaders should go back and read their Bible again. As Saint Paul wrote, (Titus 3:1) “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good...”
So what should the Catholic Church be doing? Maybe the Church could show some real compassion instead of turning these detainees and their families into a cause. Illegal aliens have broken the law but their children are not criminals. The children belong with their parents no matter where they happened to be born. Take care of their needs while they are in transition. Help them emotionally. Cry with them. Pray for them. Let them get on with their lives. Pretending like these criminals did nothing wrong, or the law is wrong, doesn't help them. People who do Prison Ministry learn that very quickly. This is no different.
Power acquisition.
Is this a vanity post?
If this is an article, you need to post a reference & a link.
Hey if business did not give them jobs or Bush enforced the border, illegals wouldn’t be here. You’re focused on the wrong cause.
I’m Catholic and I agree with you 100%
Now join me as I don my Nomex undergarments. The “Church Can Do No Wrong” crew will be here shortly.
Is this a Blog?
Correct on all counts.
Two divergent causes, a Govt that is “Supposed” to enforce it’s laws, and a Church that is serving God’s laws.
The two will naturally come into conflict, the Church is not above the law, and the Govt has it’s own job to do.
I’m in a Slovak Catholic church, we have Tons of immigrants, all of them did the paperwork, paid the $$$ and waited to be allowed to stay here. Many have relatives waiting and praying to be accepted here. They submit paperwork at 120.00 a pop, non-refundable only to be turned down and start again. A good wage in Slovakia is 6000.00 a year.
I get ticked when ANY one stands for Illegals.
Let those people get in the grocery store line and have someone “cut” then see the fit they have!!!!!!
The Church is a world-wode body that has outlasted all other governments, so its opinion should not be taken lightly.
The Church rightly urges all wealthy nations to welcome the poor of other nations to share in the abundance. That is what Christians do.
The Church is not responsible for the lack of enforcement of our laws. Our culture has invited these immigrants in, despite the pretense of our laws that they are unwelcome.
The Official Catholic Church position on this is not the only Christian Chruch which is wrong. We also have the Quakers, Methodists, and others who support this and are part of the “sanctuary” movement.
Nor is this the ONLY issue where Christian Churches have nce again, broken with their antecedents and worked to undermine western civilization. Most of these groups are also doctrinally obligate pacifists or have become so infuenced by the anti-war movement that they are ostensibly so. They are often also opposed to the Second Amendment and to things like Initiative and Referendum.
It is no accident that Islam is making inroads in the west as the western Christian Churches become increasingly politicized leftwards and consequently loose the support of their bases.
>>The Church is not responsible for the lack of enforcement of our laws. Our culture has invited these immigrants in, despite the pretense of our laws that they are unwelcome.<<
What about the Slovak Catholics waiting that are being denied because the illegals are waltzing in?
Why isn’t our church standing for them? Or the Poles?
My Mom came here legally as well. Three years of paperwork, waiting, and guarantees by a sponsor that she wouldn’t be a burden to the taxpayers. That was in 1959. She became a citizen in 1965.
God Love your Mom!!!!
Took longer than I thought for the first “Church Trumps US Citizens Wishes And Rights” post.
The Church is WRONG on this one. Period.
It is the french style of governance.
When the mob can protest enough it is treated as a referendum in parlamentary forms of government.
Natural Law states Freedom of Movement of Goods, Capital and People. Everything else are fantasies that only a huge amount of money can build for some time.
The Catholic Church is right.
There, fixed it for you.
“Recently, during the Pope’s visit, he took exception to the United States border policy expressing that it lacked sensitivity for the needs of the less fortunate”
Then he should have no problem funding them immigrating to Rome.
>>“Recently, during the Pope’s visit, he took exception to the United States border policy expressing that it lacked sensitivity for the needs of the less fortunate”<<
Actually, no one has been able to find a direct quote on this. The story came from an NPR article and there was a big whoopla connected with it when the Pope was here.
The Catholics asked for a direct quote. No one could find anything but a paraphrase by NPR. I’m not sure I trust them.
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