I came across this address given by Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles at the National Knights of Columbus Convention in Denver, Colorado in 2011.
Here are a few quotes from his address, click on the link at the bottom to read it all. He expresses well why the Church speaks on the topic of immigration and provides some perspective.
“The Church’s perspective on these issues is rooted in Jesus Christ’s teaching that every human person is created in God’s image and has God-given dignity and rights.”
“If you and your family are unable to secure life’s necessities in your home country – due to political instability, economic distress, religious persecution, or other conditions that offend basic human dignity – you must be free to seek these things in another country.”
“America has always been a nation of justice and law. But as Americans we have also always been a people of generosity, mercy and forgiveness. Unfortunately, our nation’s current response to illegal immigration is not worthy of our national character.”
“Very few people ‘choose’ to leave their homelands. Emigration is almost always forced upon people by the dire conditions they face in their lives.”
“In the evening of our lives, [Jesus] told us, our love for God will be judged by our love for him in the person of the least among us. This includes, he said, the immigrant or the stranger.”
“The immigrants I meet every day in my ministry are people of energy and aspiration. They are people who are not afraid of hard work or sacrifice. They are people who have courage and the other virtues – and who value God, family and community.”
Picture not mine, used with permission.
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