The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on immigration met recently to discuss how the church can help push forward so-called ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ (i.e. amnesty for illegal aliens).
Bishop John C. Wester, chair of the committee, characterized the USCCB’s lobbying efforts as “a full-court press” on immigration reform.
Wester told reporters: "We certainly honor the laws of the land and we're grateful for them, but we do believe the system is no longer able to deal with the immigration realities we face today. We have great need for labor and invite immigrants to work, but then call it trespassing. We need temporary workers, but don't have sufficient visas."
Though Wester claims the Catholic Church has respect for our laws, he is quick to justify the actions of those who enter this nation illegally. The bishop said: “’What part of illegal don't you understand?' is a quick sound bite. But if someone is breaking the law, you need to look at why the person's breaking the law.”
The USCCB wants Congress to begin debate on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act next month.
Of course, this is only the latest effort by the Catholic Church to influence our legislators on behalf of illegal aliens.
In October 2006, Bishop William Skylstad, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote an open letter to President Bush asking him to veto the Secure Fence Act which authorized construction of 700 miles of fences and barriers along the U.S./Mexican border.
A portion of that letter follows:
“To be clear, the U.S. Catholic bishops are supportive of efforts to enforce immigration law and secure our borders, so long as the mechanisms and strategies applied toward this end protect human dignity and protect human life.
However, we are opposed to this legislation because we believe it could lead to the deaths of migrants attempting to enter the United States and increased smuggling-related violence along our border. We also believe it would send the wrong signal to our peaceful neighbor to the south, Mexico, as well as the international community. Finally, we do not believe it will solve the problem of illegal immigration faced by our nation.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that migrant deaths have doubled since 1995, about the time that the government initiated a series of border enforcement initiatives designed to stem illegal entries at ports-of-entry and other traditional crossing routes. Since that time, close to 3,000 migrants have died in remote portions of the southwest region of the country.
In our estimation, the erection of a border fence would force immigrants, desperate to find employment to support their families, to seek alternative and more dangerous ways to enter the country, contributing to an increase in deaths, including among women and children. It also would drive migrants to depend upon unscrupulous smugglers, who would exploit them and, in some cases, place them in dangerous situations which may cause them harm.”
The Catholic Church has also helped to organize the massive illegal alien rallies seen in recent years around the nation. The March 2006 rally held in Washington, D.C. was sponsored by among others, the Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Justice and Service, Catholic Charities of the Arlington Diocese, and the Catholic Social Justice Lobby Network. Baltimore churches St. Michael and St. Patrick even sent a four bus convoy filled with illegal aliens to the Washington rally.
A high-ranking official with the Diocese of Arlington, Va. named Father Jose Hoyos played to the crowd when he said: “I want to pray for all the representatives and the senators and the president of the United States, because if they were Christians they would not pass this kind of law.”
Churches in this country are considered to be non-profit, charitable organizations and as such are exempt from taxes. However, as a condition of that status, they are prohibited from engaging in political activities (endorsing candidates, lobbying, etc.).
If the Catholic Church is going to use the pulpit to lobby for political change, they must be treated as any other lobbyist group attempting to influence our elected representatives.
While they claim that the motives behind their quest for amnesty for millions of mostly Hispanic illegal aliens are strictly humanitarian, the church also has very practical reasons for seeking amnesty…Their own survival.
What the leadership of the Catholic Church always fail to acknowledge in their sanctimonious speeches is the fact that the U.S. dioceses are dying, and droves of devout Mexican and Central American Catholics is just what the church needs right now to save it.
The time has come to force the church to decide whether it is either a church or a political organization. If it chooses the latter, the taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize their lobbying activities.
Comments
all churches should lose their tax-exempt status whenever they stick their head into politics (including pro-choice politics)...the church's job is the word of God, not the will of God.
Dumb article - This guy probably hates Pope Pius XII for not speaking out more forcefully against the Nazis, who were also "political". THE Church has to live in American society as well as this guy, and has every right to speak out. If they lose their tax exemption, then there goes all of the free medical care to AIDS patients, earthquake/tsunami/hurricane relief, etc. The Catholic Church is not dying in America. It is 67 million people strong, and will be here long after this nimrod is gone. The Church that Jesus Christ founded is a force for good in the world, whether or not it has fallible priests or not.
www.catholicbible101.com
wow..this days uneducated people think they can throw words full of hate withouth the slightliest of shame.
i thought the kkk days were gone
you the guy who wrote this article are an idiot. You attack the catholic church just because they stand for human rights. Let's acknowledge the 600 pound gorilla. The only problem people have with immigration right now is that is to brown for them. Check all the anti immigration groups their leaders all have racist ties or develop racist writing. I'm all for immigration laws that control the influx of immigrants but when the main voices are racist who live out of welfare like the minutemen in Arizona then will never get anywhere.
What this amounts to is an anti-Catholic, anti-Christian diatribe opposing any humaneness or caring towards out fellow man. This guy should be ashamed of himeself for having such mallace towards people and his apparent lack of candour when attacking a church for living within it's biblical teachings.
The Catholic Church has not been nearly so enthusiastic about Muslim immigration in Europe. It turns out that they are not nearly so interested in human rights as advancing policies that enrich and are otherwise good for the Catholic Church.
Great article and absolutely correct. If religous groups want to engage in the political process they have to pay to play. In other words, they have to give up their tax exempt status.
Besides, a recent poll of Catholics, Protestants and Jews found that their members are against amnesty and the phony "comprehensive immigration reform". Sorry, it is just a scam to put American workers out of work or depress American wages. The churches are siding with dishonest business who wants to reap huge profits from cheap illegal labor.
How unfortunate that the church leadership aligns itself with racist groups like La Raza(The Tan Klan), MALDEF and ACLU. They all, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, encourage and abet criminal behavior by a hoard of lawbreaking illegal aliens. They seem to completely dismiss the massive economic damage this invading plague has caused to American workers and legal immigrants. Very misplaced values here.
Hey, Catholic Church, how about all the Americans searching for work who would also like to feed their famalies. The same Americans who's jobs are being ripped off by Mexicans, and who's taxes are being ripped off by their anchor babies.
How about all those famalies Catholic Church! You a hypocrit organization in regard to this, and you should be ashamed of yourself for espousing the benefit of one way of life at the expense of another. If ALL Americans were catholic, like mexicans, and mexicans various of your competition, like Americans, yours would be another tune entirley. You should be ashamed of your blatant hypocracy.
Another enlightening and informative article from the Examiner. If only the left/right wing media could come close to informing the nation of dangers such as illegal immigration and those who provide aid, support, and comfort to illegal aliens. Job well done Examiner.
Where are the Catholic Church's and other religious group's compassion to those Americans who have been murdered by illegal aliens? Or to those who have died in auto accidents do to illegal aliens? How about the environmental impact of over 1 million illegal aliens, not to mention legal, coming to this country every year causing our already large population to explode further? The organizations and people who advocate for illegal immigration are never the ones who have to pay the true cost of these people! Health care, schooling for anchor babies, welfare, etc. The United States is not a bottomless pit of money. We are bankrupt and cannot afford to continue with insane policies like allowing illegal aliens to run rampant throughout this country!
Where are the Catholic Church's and other religious group's compassion to those Americans who have been murdered by illegal aliens? Or to those who have died in auto accidents do to illegal aliens? How about the environmental impact of over 1 million illegal aliens, not to mention legal, coming to this country every year causing our already large population to explode further? The organizations and people who advocate for illegal immigration are never the ones who have to pay the true cost of these people! Health care, schooling for anchor babies, welfare, etc. The United States is not a bottomless pit of money. We are bankrupt and cannot afford to continue with insane policies like allowing illegal aliens to run rampant throughout this country!
As a proud and devoted member of the Southern Alabama Chapter of the Klu Klux Klan I agree with you 100%. We should take them out of tax exempt status.
Dave Gibson could easily change his title from Immigration Reform Examiner to Anti-Catholic Bigot, and Proud of It Examiner. He clearly doesn't let not knowing the law about legitimate participation by tax exempt groups in the civic process stop him from commenting at length. It should be pointed out that the laws clearly permit commentary and advocacy by tax exempt groups. It does not permit them to campaign for or individuals. And as for filling the pews with poor Hispanics, what was Gibson's point? Those Hispanic Catholics that go to church are in church in Mexico or here. For the Church, the point is mute. The snide innuendo is just ugly bigotry.
Where are the Catholic Church's and other religious group's compassion to those Americans who have been murdered by illegal aliens? Or to those who have died in auto accidents do to illegal aliens? How about the environmental impact of over 1 million illegal aliens, not to mention legal, coming to this country every year causing our already large population to explode further? The organizations and people who advocate for illegal immigration are never the ones who have to pay the true cost of these people! Health care, schooling for anchor babies, welfare, etc. The United States is not a bottomless pit of money. We are bankrupt and cannot afford to continue with insane policies like allowing illegal aliens to run rampant throughout this country!
I respect the Church.And the Church needs to respect the law.These are great institutions of a civilized society. Illegal immigration is really illegal, no joke. And for very good reasons I might add. If the Church wants to change the law, then that's fine. But they are subverting and denigrating the law. And I think that if they continue this practice that the individuals who are doing it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for it. I think their tax exempt status should be ended if they continue to aide and abet, harbor and transport illegal aliens. It's a diabolical thing to do!
I adamently agree. The parishioners don't agree with the Church on this issue, and when they failed in the Pulpit, they actually summoned the leadership of Congress to listen to their demands. And Kennedy and his co workers... complied. Boooo. They have no business sticking their nose into politics. Write your congress person.. www.congress.org and tell them... get the Catholic Church out of politics, or remove their exempt status.
As walrus said.. .the church's job is the word of God, not the will of God.
What a story, and how true. The Catholic Church just don't understand that the American people DO NOT want amnesty for these illegal alien invaders! If the Catholic Curch wants to do something for these illegal aliens, let them pray they have a safe trip back home to the Country to which they belong. Maybe the Catholic Church can even buy then a one way ticket.
What is the argument here? every single alien "BROKE THE LAW!" Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Some people really need to read and grow a brain. THIS country decides the number of people allowed in--not outsiders. Its a thing called sovereignty and the church should not even be in this!
THIS SHOULD HELP MANY OF YOU! " Romans 13:1-7 makes it abundantly clear that God expects us to obey the laws of the government. The ONLY exception to this is when a law of the government forces you to disobey a command of God (Acts 5:29). Illegal immigration is the breaking of a governmental law. There is nothing in Scripture that would prohibit obeying immigration laws. Therefore, it is a sin, rebellion against God, to illegally enter into another country. Romans 13:1-7 also gives the government the authority to punish lawbreakers, whether by deportation or imprisonment (in the cases of illegal immigration), or more severe penalties for greater crimes."
Jude- Maybe you have not heard? Even WITH the illegal immigrants the Catholic Church is going down. Maybe the church should stop advacating for those that are invaders in this country. Maybe they should stop defending child rapists. Maybe just maybe then they could hold on to people.
As it stands right now the Catholic Church is set to be one of the smallest churches in the future.
For some reason if you put a illegal with a couple of kids in front of a camera it draws the same response as a neglected puppy. I agree, where is all the church's compassion for Americans who are sleeping on the street, have no health care, can't feed their children properly or provide shelter and security for their family? Do they not look the part that the church responds to? Are they not pathetic enough? Are they already giving to the church so they do not represent new money?
Whatever the reason as a US citizen, I resent the church even voicing their opinion. Take their tax exempt status away if they want to play politics. Plan and simple, like our immigration laws, it's illegal to have it both ways.
ahhh the racist card. It was missing. Thank you. What would be do if we were forced to have an intelligent conversation without the almighty racist card. Kevin, I really don't think people respond to that empty threat anylonger, it's about the first word learned in any poitical discussion and it overused to the point of having no meaning. Sounds more like a whine.
When are the Catholic Bishops going to push for amnesty for Mexicans to their own country of Vatican City? There's a link here explaining how to become a citizen of Vatican City. www.ImmigrationCounters.com
If there is anything that needs to be taken away if your witting privileges.
Both Jewish and Catholic faith are backing immigration reform They appreciate human rights a lot more than those who harbor hate and ignorance such as yourself.
I don't see Jews backing free immigration of Palestinians back to their lands. Hope you will love the new minority white america
I have read a lot of non sense articles but this one is the most ridiculous than i ever read in my life. Pal you need vacations,your brain is not working.
Too many people who claim to be patriotic Americans and want immigration stopped or strictly controlled, are really closet anti-Catholics.
SOOOOOOOO- Illegal immigration hurts this country in so many ways, education, healthcare, overpopulation (look at many places running out of water, gas and energy prices, etc) the list goes on and on and on of the impact of illegal immigrants on this country.
So the minute you are against illegal aliens and the Catholic Church on the destruction of the country you are anti-Catholic and anti-"immigrants".
So at this same thinking the catholic church is bigots and homophobics for not supporting gay marriage...we can all play this game!
I'm a catholic and agree the catholic church should be stripped of the tax-exempt status. They have been corrupted by their blindness to the almighty dollar. Pews need to be filled for the donation plate to be full. Perhaps the good Bishop should read the bible and not be blinded by greed for money; one of the 7 deadly sins.
The Vatican has been Owned and run by the MoneyPower for ages. They are attempting to mongrelize every 1st-world country,divide and conquer, easier ruling. The Catholic Church is just doing what they're told. Perhaps we should ask the mafia and brown berets and crips what they "support".
I too am a catholic and agree the Catholic church should be stripped of the tax-exempt status. The US is a country of laws and must remain independent of the Vatican.
Illegal aliens are an equal opportunity group committing crimes representing all races, creeds, religions and ethnicities from all around the world. Embrace diversity by securing the borders, mandating e-verify and deporting criminal illegal aliens -- No Amnesty!
“To be clear, the U.S. Catholic bishops are supportive of efforts to enforce immigration law and secure our borders, so long as the mechanisms and strategies applied toward this end protect human dignity and protect human life. "
So I'd like to hear the Catholic Church's recommendations for securing the borders, enforcing immigration laws and deporting illegal aliens. I am all ears...
The CATHOLIC CHURCH SUPPORTS NO COUNTRIES ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAWS AND POLICIES.They ENCOURAGE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION anyway they can.A POPE just donated 20000 DOLLARS for REST AREAS right before you enter U.S.A. on MEXICO side??They are not a RELIGION they are a CASH REGISTER and WHATEVER makes it ring is ALRIGHT then CONFESS?? AN AMERICAN BAPTIST NOT A CATHOLIC THANK YOU>>>>
"We have great need for labor and invite immigrants to work, but then call it trespassing."
Translation: "We need to keep the massive flow of money rolling in from the millions of devout, non tax paying Mexicans in the USA."
This is the same disgusting organization that encourages overpopulation (as in Mexico), Man-boy Love, and a host of other non religious positions.
They have lost their tax exemption years ago in my opinion. And I am a Catholic. The priests are always playing politics in church and stepping over the line.
The Catholic church is now an enemy of white Americans. Let the poor downtrodden illegals they love fill the collection plate
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