Posted on 02/22/2007 9:05:12 AM PST by Alex Murphy
The solemn day that marked the beginning of the Lenten season took on political overtones as Orange County's bishops encouraged parishioners to fast on behalf of immigrants and lobby their political leaders for comprehensive change in immigration policy.
At a special prayer service at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim, Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto urged parishioners to consider the plight of immigrants, particularly during the season of Lent, a time of repentance and reflection.
"Our fast of solidarity, a hunger for justice, can bring renewed hope for a stronger and more tranquil society," Soto told about 300 parishioners. "Even in the face of a society that may not understand these gestures of fasting and abstinence, we still choose to be in solidarity with Christ by sharing in the hunger of the poor and the immigrant. We do this because Jesus chose to be in solidarity with us, to hunger with us so that we would hunger for him."
At the church's doors were "Hunger for Justice" cards that parishioners were urged to send to their elected officials. The card called for support for undocumented immigrants, including providing a temporary immigrant worker program that includes a path to citizenship. Soto encouraged parishioners to fast at least one day during the week of March 26-30.
A congressional and presidential plan for a comprehensive immigration package died last year. With a Democratic-controlled Congress and the support of the president, it is now on the legislative radar again, but it is a low priority.
The Diocese of Orange wants to change that, but some disagreed with the church's actions Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Caesar_Caesar...God_God.
Well, so much for Lent being a time for reflecting on your sins. Let's think about the illegals who need help instead.
you beat me to it. Immigration policy would seem to be clearly within the government's purview. I don't think a Biblical view on immigration (if such a thing could be discerned) would be more lax than what we now have.
Maybe Rome could abstain from interfering in the affairs of the United States for 40 days - heck why not go the fully monte and give us 40 years?
Some Christians try to be more christian than Christ.
Gag me with an aspergillium.
On a somewhat related note, see the Catholic World News article Lent for conversion not self-fulfilment, Benedict says, which includes these directives for the current Lent observance:
Lent also time of solidarity with poorIn another Lenten message addressed to the Brazilian bishops, Pope Benedict said that in focusing the 2007=7 Lenten campaign on the poor in Brazil's Amazon region, the country's Catholics are called to provide material assistance, spiritual aid and support for efforts to protect the environment, Catholic News Service reports.
The Pope's message to Brazilian Catholics, encouraging their participation in the church's annual Lenten solidarity campaign, was released on 21 February.
The Brazilian bishops chose to focus the 2007 campaign on the needs of the poor in the Amazon region.
Pope Benedict said defending the life and livelihood of the region's people includes "the defence of the environment, because this vast territory constitutes a common patrimony that - because of its human, sociopolitical, economic and ecological reality - requires special attention on the part of the church and Brazilian society."
While material assistance to the poor is a special focus of the Lenten campaign, the Pope also called for new efforts and energies aimed at proclaiming the Gospel in the Amazon region and helping Catholics there grow in their faith.
Meanwhile, dioceses across Australia are also launching their Lenten appeals which focus on the 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) and the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
"With the theme for Project Compassion 2007 being 'Fair Play Today', all Australians are being invited to work together, be active and promote peace and justice around the world," Maitland-Newcastle Deacon Taylor said.
"Money raised from Project Compassion will assist Caritas Australia to work in partnership with communities who are improving their own lives through projects which focus on education, health, water and agriculture."
Sydney's Parramatta diocese also launched their appeal yesterday at Loyola College, Mt Druitt, attended by Bishop Kevin Manning, Parramatta Caritas director Sr Libby Rogerson and state and local government representatives.
Why does one automatically think that just because I want strict but fair immigration laws I have no concern for the immigrants? I would argue that it's exactly the opposite.
Echoes of 1960...
interesting. Thanks for the link.
Are you saying, "Times Up!"?
I was thinking more along the lines of the presidential election that year.
I'd vote for a Catholic for President, but I don't think Coulter will get the nomination :)
It seems "comprehensive change" or "reform" are the buzzwords for amnesty.
How about if we focus on a comprehensive reform of the tyrannical oligarchy which rules our neighboring country? That would improve potential emigrants' lives.
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