Bishops go forth to lobby on immigration
The Lord visited a “confusion of languages” and a scattering “all over the earth,” says the reading from the Book of Genesis for the Vigil of Pentecost. An appeal to overcome disunity caused by a fractious immigration policy led U.S. Roman Catholic bishops to Capitol Hill in a renewed push for immigration . . .
The Lord visited a “confusion of languages” and a scattering “all over the earth,” says the reading from the Book of Genesis for the Vigil of Pentecost. An appeal to overcome disunity caused by a fractious immigration policy led U.S. Roman Catholic bishops to Capitol Hill late last week in a renewed push for immigration reform.
Before fanning out to meet with lawmakers, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration held a Mass at a Wahington, D.C. church where Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski called the failure to address immigration reform “a stain on the soul of our nation.” “When laws fail to advance the common good,” said Wenski, the committee’s chairman, “they can and they should be changed.”
The bishops were scheduled to meet with U.S. House of Representatives members from their home districts, among others, and to conclude their day with House Speaker John Boehner. Advocates have been pushing the House to pass an immigration bill for months; the Senate passed the bill last June but it has faced steep opposition in the Republican-controlled House. Boehner has said he would not bring an immigration reform bill passed a year ago by the Senate onto the House floor unless it had the support of a majority of Republicans. Supporters believe there are enough Republican supporters of the bill for it to pass, along with the votes of nearly all House Democrats, although there is not the majority Boehner seeks within the Republican caucus on its own.
The bishops’ push was accompanied by a separate open letter to Boehner signed by 30 Catholic leaders. “Legislative obstruction in the face of preventable suffering and death is not only a failure of leadership. It is immoral and shameful,” the letter said.
"Outdated laws, ill adapted to the increasing interdependence of our world and the globalization of labor, are bad laws," said Wenski. He also criticized those who, “on radio and TV talk shows, fan flames of resentment against supposed law breakers, equating them with terrorists intent on hurting us.”
Homily hint: Ironically, according to the biblical story, the inability of people to understand one another came from their overreaching their original unity. While that arrogance may have produced discord, cultural differences need not separate people when it comes to the humanity we all share. Faith calls us to overcome negative differences so that everyone has equal access to opportunity and justice.
Before fanning out to meet with lawmakers, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration held a Mass at a Wahington, D.C. church where Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski called the failure to address immigration reform “a stain on the soul of our nation.” “When laws fail to advance the common good,” said Wenski, the committee’s chairman, “they can and they should be changed.”
The bishops were scheduled to meet with U.S. House of Representatives members from their home districts, among others, and to conclude their day with House Speaker John Boehner. Advocates have been pushing the House to pass an immigration bill for months; the Senate passed the bill last June but it has faced steep opposition in the Republican-controlled House. Boehner has said he would not bring an immigration reform bill passed a year ago by the Senate onto the House floor unless it had the support of a majority of Republicans. Supporters believe there are enough Republican supporters of the bill for it to pass, along with the votes of nearly all House Democrats, although there is not the majority Boehner seeks within the Republican caucus on its own.
The bishops’ push was accompanied by a separate open letter to Boehner signed by 30 Catholic leaders. “Legislative obstruction in the face of preventable suffering and death is not only a failure of leadership. It is immoral and shameful,” the letter said.
"Outdated laws, ill adapted to the increasing interdependence of our world and the globalization of labor, are bad laws," said Wenski. He also criticized those who, “on radio and TV talk shows, fan flames of resentment against supposed law breakers, equating them with terrorists intent on hurting us.”
Homily hint: Ironically, according to the biblical story, the inability of people to understand one another came from their overreaching their original unity. While that arrogance may have produced discord, cultural differences need not separate people when it comes to the humanity we all share. Faith calls us to overcome negative differences so that everyone has equal access to opportunity and justice.
Sources: Articles by Heather Adams for Religion News Service and Patricia Zapor for Catholic News Service