Because immigration touches on human dignity, labor, the family, and the common good, it resists partisan labels. Right-left language is too narrow to describe the richness of Catholic Social Doctrine. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB] recently finished its annual plenary session and came out with an immigration statement. Bishops are not called to make a political statement but rather to give witness to the Gospel in an ever-changing world.
Called to Prophetic Action
The bishops recognize their call to prophetic action. In the midst of a humanitarian crisis, we cannot stay silent and be mere observers. Bishops are called to offer moral clarity, advocacy for the marginalized, teaching, and public witness. The bishops have consistently spoken up in favor of immigrants. Now, as the issue has become more polarizing, it could be tempting to take a step back and say nothing about it. Instead, they recognize the call to action.
Frequently in the Old Testament, God raised up prophets to preach about the social evils of the day. The prophet Zechariah exhorts the people:
Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the resident alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts (Zech. 7:10).
There is always a risk of exploitation of the worker, and this is even more extreme when the worker does not enjoy the same legal protections as other citizens. Pope St. John Paul II reflected on this in his first social encyclical Laborem Exercens. He shows particular care for workers who have immigrated to a new country, as they face particular challenges.
The most important thing is that the person working away from his native land, whether as a permanent emigrant or as a seasonal worker, should not be placed at a disadvantage in comparison with the other workers in that society in the matter of working rights. Emigration in search of work must in no way become an opportunity for financial or social exploitation. As regards the work relationship, the same criteria should be applied to immigrant workers as to all other workers in the society concerned. The value of work should be measured by the same standard and not according to the difference in nationality, religion or race. For even greater reason the situation of constraint in which the emigrant may find himself should not be exploited (Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 23).
What Pope John Paul II described nearly forty years ago remains painfully relevant today. Migration is part of the human experience, and in recent decades, the problem of exploitation has become more acute. As government leaders seek solutions to difficult problems, they must ensure the protection of all immigrants from exploitation. The bishops make a particular reference to indiscriminate mass deportations.
The Problem with Indiscriminate Mass Deportations
Jack Figge and JD Flynn reported on the USCCB plenary session and shared that one bishop wanted an amendment to Cupich’s statement regarding “indiscriminate mass deportations.” The bishop wanted to include a reference to “due process.” As they point out, the use of the word “indiscriminate” implies the same thing. The Church recognizes the legitimacy of states regulating borders, at the same time that it calls out for respectful treatment of immigrants. The Church insists that policy must recognize immigrants as persons with stories, families, and God-given dignity – not as an undifferentiated mass.
They call for reform of US immigration policy. In the past few decades, immigration has become an increasingly difficult and polarizing topic. It is unfair for either political party to instrumentalize the topic to mobilize their own base. These men and women possess the fundamental dignity that belongs to all human beings and they should be treated respectfully.
Fundamental Dignity of all Human Persons
This is because all human beings have a fundamental dignity. This reality is at the core of all Catholic Social Doctrine.
The Church’s concern for immigrants flows from the same concern for justice in economic and social life that Pope Benedict XVI articulates in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate.
The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 32).
A change in the legal status of an individual does not negate that person’s inalienable rights, nor does it remove dignity.
Republicans and Democrats will continue to try to paint the topic in merely political terms. Neither side should feel comfortable that it has the Church in its corner. Catholic Social Doctrine is rich enough to give witness to the Gospel in a world that is torn apart by division, fear, and hatred. Right-left language is too narrow to describe the richness of Catholic moral thought. Narrow too is the road that leads to salvation (cf. Mt. 7:14). The Gospel will often challenge our political instincts; discipleship requires the humility to let the Church, not our party, form our conscience.
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