Death and the hope of resurrection dominate this Sunday’s second reading. The death of a Catholic nun August 1 at the hands of a drunk driver who was in the country illegally has become the latest flashpoint in the polarized national debate over immigration.

Benedictine Sister of Virginia Denise Mosier, 66, was killed and two members of her community were seriously injured in northern Virginia when their car was struck by one driven by Carlos Marinelly Montano, 23, of Bolivia, who was later charged with driving while intoxicated.

Montano had two previous convictions for drunken driving before the crash. Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered an immediate review to determine why Montano was released after his second DWI conviction in 2008.

Groups that want stricter controls on immigration cited Montano as an example of a failed policy. However, Mosier’s community said in a statement that they were “dismayed and saddened that this tragedy has been politicized and become an apparent forum for the illegal-immigration agenda.”

Just a day after the accident, the Benedictine community extended forgiveness to Montano and his family. They urged the rest of the nation not to exploit the tragedy for political purposes.

Source: Articles by Alan Gomez for USA TODAY and Michelle Boorstein, Kevin Sieff,
and Paul Duggan for the Washington Post