In offering a critique on the 1983 U.S. Bishop’s pastoral “The Challenge of Peace” former Passionist moral theologian Paul Wadell tells us that “A Christianity that no longer seems strange to us is a Christianity that has lost its nerve.[i]” Professor Wadell was very much impressed with the Bishop’s depiction of the non-violent Christ in Scripture and their acknowledgement of our call to follow the radical example set by Jesus. But then he is perplexed by what he considers the weak invitation by the Church to subscribe pacifism as merely an individual option of choice. Informed by his own Passionist spirituality where he meditates on the amazing non-violent response of the crucified Christ Professor Wadell suggest that discipleship does not simply invites us to consider the non-violent option but rather it obliges us to adopt this countercultural social stance:

Pacifism is a Christian’s obligation because discipleship is a Christian’s vocation. To refuse to be a pacifist is a sign that in a world torn apart by the violence of war we no longer believe God’s story can be told.[ii]

While I respect and agree with Professor Wadell’s critique I still admire the overall Catholic position on pursuing peace and limiting violence through the just war criteria. Vatican II set the tone for this development with the Pastoral Constitution “Gaudium Et Spes” when after assessing modern warfare, especially within the nuclear age, it declared that “all these considerations compel us to undertake an evaluation of war with an entirely new attitude.”[iii] It was with this document that while offering some general principles for avoiding war that it praised the non-violent response of others.

Motivated by this same spirit, we cannot fail to praise those who renounce the use of violence in the vindication of their rights and who resort to methods of defense which are otherwise available to weaker parties too. (#78)[iv]

When the U.S. Bishops developed this peace tradition with the 1983 Peace Pastoral they described the theological principle at the heart of the Christian debate between active non-violence and the just war tradition. It boils down to an issue of discipleship based on Christian eschatology. Christ preached the coming of the Kingdom of God and in preaching its emergence Jesus himself would go back and forth in describing it as already present in what he is doing but awaiting its full emergence at some point in the imminent future. So while we are invited to be disciples of the Christ that we know through the history of our faith we are also awaiting the final revelation of Christ and his Kingdom in what we call the “Second Coming.” This is called the “already, not yet” dilemma of the Kingdom of God where we are invited to live like Christ as citizens of the Kingdom while acknowledging the ongoing presence of sin in our world and being forced to address the social realities of injustice and violence in a world that has not yet reached this state of perfection. This theological dilemma is at the heart of the Bishop’s Peace Pastoral whereby they praise the individual pursuit of radical discipleship while on the social level offer a just war approach that curtail the devastation of war especially on its effect on the civilian population. Nevertheless, in light of this tension, it is worthy to note the praise that the Pastoral offers non-violent activist in calling their witness that which “best reflects the call of Jesus both to love and to justice.”[v]

In the midst of this theological tension the Church appears to be offering a more prophetic stand that further critiques the possibility of a just war within our modern era while supporting non-violent actions and throwing its support on humanitarian intervention rather than war. In his treatment on the Catholic peace movement Marvin Krier Mich suggests that the Church is indeed moving further in this direction.

As the Catholic tradition continues to follow the advice of Vatican II – to have its moral reflection more clearly rooted in the Bible and be Christ-centered – I believe we will see a shift in the church’s understanding of pacifism. The official teaching is finding it harder and harder to justify war in the modern era. This means that the tradition of nonviolence will be recovered and receive greater emphasis in the future. The Catholic tradition is still working on this question.[vi]  

Krier Mich’s assessment on the Catholic peace position seems to be quite justified when taken into consideration with the emphasis on peace from our current pontiff. I for one was impressed with the reason that Pope Benedict XVI gave for choosing his Papal name in his very first World Day of Peace message.

The very name Benedict, which I chose on the day of my election to the Chair of Peter, is a sign of my personal commitment to peace. In taking this name, I wanted to evoke both the Patron Saint of Europe, who inspired a civilization of peace on the whole continent, and Pope Benedict XV, who condemned the First World War as a ”useless slaughter” and worked for a universal acknowledgment of the lofty demands of peace.[vii]

Pope Benedict XVI has struggle hard to emphasize one’s personal commitment to follow what he calls the “Gospel of Peace.” This invitation is again primarily offered at the individual level while offering broad social critiques on violent conflicts and supporting disarmament and development strategies. While it is of course imperative for us to push the pacifist and non-violent tradition as a point of personal conversion we still do not have a social mechanism for the international community to employ a broad based non-violent strategy for real local conflicts such as we have currently in Libya. Recently I offered a post that reflected on the “Spiral of Violence” theory by Archbishop Helder Camara of Brazil where he suggests that non-violence is not only an excellent moral position but that it is also a rational position for bringing to an effective halt the tendency of retaliating and counter-retaliating. I would think that the Christian community would do well to invest in a social mechanism that could offer a strategic non-violent option as part of an overall humanitarian intervention that is more consistent with Christian discipleship.     

The Christian Peacemaker Teams  is an organization that coordinates non-violent accompaniment to civilians who are either persecuted, marginalized or in the midst of conflict. This organization and this strategy of accompaniment would appear to me to offer a valuable non-violent option to humanitarian intervention in a place like Libya. At the very least it would be a good place to start contemplating this social response.

A vast field for the apostolate has opened up on the national and international levels where the laity especially assist with their Christian wisdom. In loyalty to their country and in faithful fulfillment of their civic obligations, Catholics should feel themselves obliged to promote the true common good. Thus they should make the weight of their opinion felt in order that the civil authority may act with justice and that legislation may conform to moral precepts and the common good. #10

In this Blog post I wanted to highlight a point that is usually missed from the various election resources that you will see from either official or non-official Catholic. The call to be faithful citizens is by no means restricted to Election Day. Voting is an important civic responsibility and our Church calls us to participate in this duty. However, since no party or candidate can ever fully represent Catholic moral interest we are called to be ongoing active participants in the political process. We are encouraged to vote on election day and to be Catholic advocates every other day. Time and time again the Church reminds us that no party ever fully encapsulates the totality of the Catholic public morality and social teaching. We are encouraged to vote for a political agenda that best promotes the dignity of life and the common good but then we are also encouraged to push our representatives and political leadership (whether we voted for them or not) on issues and policies that are of concern to the Church’s teaching. As an example, if we vote for a politician who is against abortion but also in favor of the death penalty then we are urged on by our church to press that politician on the issue of the death penalty or any other position he or she may take that clearly contradict the Church’s teachings.

Many of will probably receive election resources and information from a variety of Catholic groups and organizations. If you trust these groups and organizations by all means you are encouraged to heed their information. However the Church cautions us with regards to “Catholic” organizations that offer resources that contradict the Church’s teachings. It is worth noting and promoting the Church’s caution here since some organizations and individuals have uttered errors on both sides of the American political spectrum:

There have been cases within some organizations founded on Catholic principles, in which support has been given to political forces or movements with positions contrary to the moral and social teaching of the Church on fundamental ethical questions. Such activities, in contradiction to basic principles of Christian conscience, are not compatible with membership in organizations or associations which define themselves as Catholic. Similarly, some Catholic periodicals in certain countries have expressed perspectives on political choices that have been ambiguous or incorrect, by misinterpreting the idea of the political autonomy enjoyed by Catholics and by not taking into consideration the principles mentioned above. – Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, DOCTRINAL NOTE on some questions regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, #7

Officially the Church does not nor will it endorse any individual or party. The Church rightfully feels that this is outside of its jurisdiction as pronounced in the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration of Religious Freedom”. It encourages the well formed Catholic to vote his or her conscience based on the moral principles and social teachings that it offers. It is the role of the Church to pronounce on these principles and teachings for the formation of the Christian conscience. Two official documents are worth consulting for this purpose:

• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: By the United States Catholic Conferences of Bishops
• DOCTRINAL NOTE on some questions regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life: By the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops has a great political website, Faithful Citizenship, that gives the best and official Catholic resources regarding the elections and our political responsibility. I would like to encourage people and parishes to visit and promote this site. Parishes and Retreat Centers may want to consult the USCCB’s do’s and don’ts page with regards to what political activity they are and are not allowed to do. Also, by clicking on to this link you will find the seven key themes of Catholic Social Teaching.

With regards to the issues of Catholic concern I will offer a link to a previous blog post that we shared over the Church’s definition of “Intrinsically Evil” acts which define the more serious elements of concerns for the Church in protecting the dignity of the human person. But I will also leave you with this excerpt from the USCCB when they defined the Church’s moral position under the framework of the Consistent Ethic of Life.

Adopting a consistent ethic of life, the Catholic Church promotes a broad spectrum of issues “seeking to protect human life and promote human dignity from the inception of life to its final moment.” Opposition to abortion and euthanasia does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty, violence and injustice. Any politics of human life must work to resist the violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing, and health care. Therefore, Catholics should eagerly involve themselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized in all these areas. – USCCB, Living the Gospel of Life, #23

Subsidiarity states that the smaller segments of society, such as the family, must be duly recognized and allowed to function separately and independently at the level of their own competence. Whenever a task can be done at a lower level of organization, let it be done there, without interference from above. The principle of solidarity represents those benefits and necessities that are only attainable collaboratively, and that pertain to every segment of society in order to live well. This is the common good for which society as a whole is responsible, on whose behalf everyone must work in solidarity. In this scenario, the family unit illustrates subsidiarity at work providing many of its needs. But the common goods, to which every family aspires as well, exceed the reach of the individual family, and so families must join in solidarity with others to gain them. While the family achieves many of its personal or private goods by dint of its own resources, access to the goods common to all requires it to reach out in solidarity with others, both by helping to provide them, and then to enjoy them.

Our question is what value and relationship do these two principles have in light of the globalization and the new cosmology. During the Medieval era, Prior to Newtonian cosmology, the individual was subsumed (although not completely) by the collective identity. In Medieval European society your own value was measured by how it served the body politic or Christendom. Since the Newtonian cosmology the tables were turned and the collective identity was replaced by individual freedom and achievement. From what we can gauge the new cosmology is moving us towards a holistic relationship between these two social forces.

The current laws governing the universe exist in two distinct frameworks. General relativity explains the apparent universal interrelationships that exist in large inter-planetary bodies. Under this framework the Universe is an ordered collective system out there and we all fit neatly into it. But if we look at the law governing the subatomic particles general relativity no longer makes sense. Instead we move towards the field of quantum mechanics and under this system each individual particle exists almost independently and very chaotic with its surroundings. Under this framework the universe seems very random and pointless. But theories such as string theory are emerging as the unifying principle that will bring the individual and the collective together through infinitesimal filaments of energy that have distinct vibrations for every particle but which keeps them all in harmony as a collective whole.

For our theology, subsidiarity is the principle governing the very basic family/social unit (quantum mechanics) while solidarity is the principle that governs the collective interrelationship (general relativity). We are looking for a holistic theological unifying theory that can bring these two principles together.  

Early Christianity may offer us a model for how to integrate these two principles, especially within the religious and family dynamic. As the young Christian faith grew, it found its membership coming from both Judaism and the gentile world. Under the initial influence of St. James, Jewish practices such as circumcision, near and dear to a significant portion of the early converts to Christianity, were also proposed for the gentile converts to the faith, because they meant so much, at least to the Jewish portion of the new Christians, who wanted to preserve a significant presence of their mother religion (Judaism) in their new surroundings. However, it would require the gentile converts to Christianity to reach out to something new and different for them, and St. Paul was less than enthusiastic about this prospect. This expresses the issue of staying with familiar surroundings, or reaching out to the strange and different. A compromise was worked out allowing the Jewish converts to retain certain features of their familiar heritage, such as their Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), while the gentile element among the new converts was dispensed from circumcision, though they were challenged to accept the Hebrew scriptures (the (Old Testament) as their spiritual sustenance, while being allowed to celebrate the Christian Mysteries (the Eucharist) in the familiar setting of their own homes, since at this early stage the Christian church building was neither conceptualized, or constructed. The best interests of both groups were met by allowing them to continue enjoying the benefits of their origins while stretching them to reach out to new social experiences. The growing Christian family both honored the familiar background of each group, and urged a new social setting on them. 

Later on, St. Paul was to touch on something similar from another angle, that of the growing internal development of Christianity as it flourished and developed. St. Paul noted that, in any organization, some positions are more prominent, enjoying status and outreach, attracting attention, and enjoying new relationships. Such enterprise benefits the entire operation. At the same time, any well-functioning program also depends on smaller and less socially oriented units within itself. St. Paul was anxious to avoid any conflict between the larger and smaller segments of the Christian churches he founded, so he broached the human body as an example of how parts and wholes work together, to their mutual benefit. (1 Cor 12) He contrived a fictitious conversation in which the foot should say: “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body”. Paul remarks: “it does not for this reason belong any less to the body”. And he goes on: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you’”, and again comments “…indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary…” And he concludes: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it…” St. Paul presents parts and whole as mutually benefitting each other, both by remaining what they are and performing within their own area of competence, and also enriching another part, which would otherwise suffer without help from other parts of the body. This too helps to reflect about fostering the welfare of the family, both by caring for itself, as well as by contributing to society at large. So the family is at one and the same time to look to itself by pursuing its own interests, even while reaching out to engage others: the neighbor, the parishioner, the fellow-worker, the professional and business world, the political scene. Pursuing its own interests need not harm the public sphere but can even benefit it, and showing concern about public affairs need not be so demanding that the family’s private affairs suffer. Indeed, they may be enriched.

A further illustration of this dual concern is assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle comprises pieces designed to fit together into a whole. The whole is the final product, and it directs the placement and alignment of the various pieces. Each placement is so unique that only one special piece can fit into a given space. There is no way to substitute one piece for another. Each piece is suitable for only one space. The part and the whole go together, since, without the large space, there won’t be any place for the piece to fit, just as no final picture will emerge until each piece finds the space where it belongs.  The family is like one of these puzzle pieces, appreciated for its own qualities, as well as for the part it plays in the whole (society at large) that provides it the big picture, where it finds a fit.

Catholic social teaching has and continues to advance both principles. In the recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI he specifically describes the importance of integrating both principles into a cohesive relationship. In focusing on the issue of International aid the Holy Father describes the danger of an absolute approach to either principles under paragraph 58.

The principle of subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa, since the former without the latter gives way to social privatism, while the latter without the former gives way to paternalist social assistance that is demeaning to those in need.

The night weather was cold and the crowd of two hundred dispersed throughout the night while a group of enthusiastic youth stayed behind chanting, singing and telling their story. They shared what it means to be undocumented and, in some cases, what it means to have your parents or other loved ones live with the challenges of not having a Social Security Number. In the midst of songs and poetry the buses transporting deportees began to arrive around 3:00 A.M. Unmarked vans and shuttle buses lined-up in front of the center as they awaited their turn to drop-off our migrant brothers and sisters. Inside the cars the men and women sat shackled by their ankles and wrists , having only the clothes in which they were apprehended.  The mood grew really heavy. A few of us spoke directly to the men and women inside the vans, both officers and migrants. Some spoke messages of hope and solidarity to those who where going to be processed in the center and others attempted to deliver a message of compassion and conscience to the officers.

As I sat and prayed by myself during the cold night, I kept asking God and myself who would benefit from separating families, terrorizing children with the immanent threat of having one of their parents taken away, and from destabilizing entire communities. According to the Detention Watch Network (DWN), the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group Inc. make an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue with a net income of $133 million a year. In many ways, undocumented immigrants have become a commodity for our society. CCA operates 65 facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia with more than 75,000 beds and nearly 17,000 employees. 12 of CCA’s facilities are used to hold immigration detainees. GEO operates 50 facilities in 16 states and one in Guantanamo Bay. In the long run, however, no one will benefit. Fearful children will make fearful adults. This will only create cycles of social alienation and violence. My cold feet and nose brought me to the realization that while the rule of law and sovereignty of a nation is important and valuable, the price that we will pay for it will be very costly.

As the Sun was coming out, our religious leaders, youth and other organizers reconvened for another moment of prayer.  We all felt very exhausted and nervous as the consequences that the arrest could have on their lives were explained to our friends. Miguel Gutierrez, a young twenty-three year-old, who was going to risk arrest told us that given his background as the son of undocumented immigrants he had to use his inherited privilege.  Compared to what many immigrants endure, as a U.S. citizen, he felt it was the least that he could do. After a few chants and songs, the huge electric gates of Broadview’s Detention Center opened and a white, unmarked van pulled out. Twenty-two men and women stand in front of them. Rapidly, the traffic, commercial trucks and workers living leaving the factories around the areas began to pile up in what was an empty street. While the men and women, now sitting on the ground chanted and called on the officers to let go of the deportees, the cameras of the media were gathered around the “protestors”. As I watched and heard the chants, such a scene was a marvel to me. We were exercising our right to come together and we knew that although our friends will be arrested they will live to see another day. The same police that took them away will make sure that their safety, for the most part, was guaranteed. If this is what democracy looks like, why would we not let others, 12 Million plus people, who live under the shadows of our society, partake of it fully?

*Written by Hugo Esparza, CP

* All Photos taken from www.icirr.org (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)

Immigrants come to this country primarily because they feel that this country offers better financial opportunities then their own. Immigrants come from all over but the focus tends to be on Mexico and Central America. This of course is because we share a border with Mexico and the issues of economic disparity between that Central America and our own is significant. The recent surge of violence in that area has destabilized the situation further.

The Catholic Church in America shares this social concern. We are further impacted by the very fact that a majority of immigrants into this country tend to be members of our faith. For the church however this concern is identified with our governing social principle of promoting the God given dignity of all humanity. This principle calls us to be attentive to the suffering and destruction of all life because by faith we believe that God is the author of life. This Catholic principle informs us on the position we as Catholics take on abortion, torture and the death penalty. The recent encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI reinforces this point, “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.”

In the case of immigration the Church is being attentive to a particular human community that is unfortunately forced to emigrate for basic economic opportunities. There is a very real suffering that is happening in our nation primarily with the plight of the immigrants themeselves but also by others who are affected by their presence. As the Church develops its position it will evaluate the related issues including the legitimate concerns of national security and the domestic economic impact resulting from immigration flows. The founding principle of faith that directs this position however will be the dignity of the human person.  The Catholic Church will address the immigrant community who suffers in a very real way from violations to their dignity and sometimes life.  As the social document Strangers No Longer puts it: “We the bishops of Mexico and the United States seek to awaken our people to the mysterious presence of the crucified and risen Lord in the person of the migrant and to renew in them the values of the Kingdom of God that he proclaimed.”

The issue of immigration is an issue about a real population whose circumstances brought them into this country. Many of us are aware of the presence of immigrants in our midst. We witness them working in factories or in any number of low income jobs such as restaurant kitchen staff, construction day laborers or house cleaning services. When we become more observant we may even see them in areas where house cleaners or day laborers wait for odd jobs. We may also become aware of their presence with us when we take public transportation and then we may even see them or their families attending the same schools and church that our families attends. We then also read about their tragic stories in the newspapers when we read of migrants who are beaten, killed or rounded up and deported. We follow their migrating patterns into the desert of the southwest and find out about the atrocious smuggling conditions that many of them go through. Passionist spirituality sees the face of the suffering Christ in those who suffer insults, marginalization and physical abuse. In a Long Island newspaper a man and his children were shown grieving the violent loss of their wife and mother. We Passionist are trained to witness the pain of Jesus’ passion in contemporary experiences such as these.

As a Catholic religious community we are called to be in solidarity with all who suffer. Solidarity in turn calls us to be really present to a population that is marginalized in our society. In the coming week I hope to share at least two ministry experiences that our Passionist communities have in the United States with the immigrant community.

The Catholic Church also recognizes the value of the family as the primary unit of society and the Church defends the integrity of the family time and time again. With the immigrant community we sympathies with the difficulty they face in having their families split up as they immigrate into our nation or in being deported from the families that they have made here in the U.S. We are called to alleviate the situation so that the ever important family unit can stay intact whenever possible.  

As American Catholics we recognize the legitimate issues with regards to national security and the domestic economy. We certainly also walk with those who also suffer from unemployment and current economic distress. The suffering of one does not compete for attention against the suffering of another. Our legislative path will not be to opt for one suffering group over another. Instead we must approach this issue with an aim of promoting true reconciliation. In advocating for policies that address the real affects of suffering we are challenged to pursue a social analysis that examines the authentic root causes of the suffering we are ministering to. Adopting policies based on erroneous perceptions does not offer any redemptive quality to the suffering that either the immigrant or unemployed community faces. Nor does it offer a real solution.

Based on this one could legitimately ask, “What can the Passionist contribute to the social issues of our time separate from what the universal Church already proclaims?”

The Passionist, like so many other religious communities of the Church, contributes to the social teachings of our Church in two ways. On the one hand we have a specific spiritual perspective that is based on the charism that we have from our founder. This lens can often offer us a deeper perspective on any social issue in that it places the issue within the specific Christian spirituality that is the hallmark of our community. In the case of the Passionist community we reflect on issues from the perspective of Christ’s suffering and Passion. The Passionist Constitutions explain this spiritual perspective in this way:

We are aware that the Passion of Christ continues in this world until He comes in glory; therefore we share in the joys and sorrows of our contemporaries as we journey through life toward our Father. We wish to share in the distress of all, especially those who are poor and neglected; we seek to offer them comfort and to relieve the burden of their sorrow. The power of the Cross, which is the wisdom of God, gives us strength to discern and remove the causes of human suffering.   

Our spirituality looks at social issues from the perspective of redemptive suffering. Our devotion to the Passion constantly reminds us that the social Passion that Jesus suffered was not in vain. Coupled with the Resurrection we know that through the power of God the suffering of humanity can be redeemed if we journey with God and place all our suffering within the framework of establishing the Kingdom of God. Through the mystery of incarnation Jesus took on our suffering. Obviously we know that does not mean that suffering has been eliminated. Instead it means that God continues to walk with us in our suffering. This has been recently expressed by Pope Benedict XVI 2007 encyclical titled Spe Salvi:

Man is worth so much to God that he himself became man in order to suffer with man in an utterly real way—in flesh and blood—as is revealed to us in the account of Jesus’s Passion. Hence in all human suffering we are joined by one who experiences and carries that suffering with us; hence con-solatio is present in all suffering, the consolation of God’s compassionate love—and so the star of hope rises.      

Our spiritual focus then is to examine all social issues from the vantage point of redemptive suffering. We identify with the very real suffering that is happening. We then reflect on how we can find meaning in the midst of this real experience of suffering. This search for meaning will call us to reevaluate the national and global policies that are affecting the suffering community that we are walking with. We then advocate redeeming society from these negative social or economic policies in a way that can heal the social wounds that they are directly or indirectly causing.   

The second way that the Passionist contributes to the Catholic social position is through our direct ministries of service. We are called to be in solidarity with the human community that is suffering. That call to solidarity means that we are expected to have a real ministry of presence and service to the community that is suffering. Since suffering can be experienced in so many different ways, our lay and vowed community can serve this mission through any variety of programs. When we advocate and promote social positions of our Church it is important for us that we do not raise these principles and positions from a theoretical framework. So we raise the real ministry experience of our international community who serves the population whose suffering we are addressing at the moment.

In the next few weeks we will be sharing our spirituality and ministerial experiences over the issue of immigration. Afterwards we will continue addressing other Catholic social issues but always from these two ways. We will share from the spiritual reflection of our charism and from the ministry experience of our communities.

Catholic teaching has a long and rich tradition in defending the right to migrate. Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, the Church’s teaching has provided the basis for the development of basic principles regarding the right to migrate for those attempting to exercise their God-given human rights. Catholic teaching also states that the root causes of migration–poverty, injustice, religious intolerance, armed conflicts–must be addressed so that migrants can remain in their homeland and support their families.

In modern times, this teaching has developed extensively in response to the worldwide phenomenon of migration. Pope Pius XII reaffirms the Church’s commitment to caring for pilgrims, aliens, exiles, and migrants of every kind in his apostolic constitution Exsul Familia, affirming that all peoples have the right to conditions worthy of human life and, if these conditions are not present, the right to migrate. “Then–according to the teachings of [the encyclical] Rerum Novarum–the right of the family to a [life worthy of human dignity] is recognized. When this happens, migration attains its natural scope as experience often shows.”

While recognizing the right of the sovereign state to control its borders, Exsul Familia also establishes that this right is not absolute, stating that the needs of immigrants must be measured against the needs of the receiving countries:

Since land everywhere offers the possibility of supporting a large number of people, the sovereignty of the State, although it must be respected, cannot be exaggerated to the point that access to this land is, for inadequate or unjustified reasons, denied to needy and decent people from other nations, provided of course, that the public wealth, considered very carefully, does not forbid this.

In his landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris, Blessed Pope John XXIII expands the right to migrate as well as the right to not have to migrate: “Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confines of his own country; and, when there are just reasons for it, the right to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there.” Pope John XXIII placed limits on immigration, however, when there are “just reasons for it.” Nevertheless, he stressed the obligation of sovereign states to promote the universal good where possible, including an obligation to accommodate migration flows. For more powerful nations, a stronger obligation exists.

The Church also has recognized the plight of refugees and asylum seekers who flee persecution. In his encyclical letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Pope John Paul II refers to the world’s refugee crisis as “the festering of a wound.” In his 1990 Lenten message, Pope John Paul II lists the rights of refugees, including the right to be reunited with their families and the right to a dignified occupation and just wage. The right to asylum must never be denied when people’s lives are truly threatened in their homeland.

Pope John Paul II also addresses the more controversial topic of undocumented migration and the undocumented migrant. In his 1995 message for World Migration Day, he notes that such migrants are used by developed nations as a source of labor. Ultimately, the pope says, elimination of global underdevelopment is the antidote to illegal immigration. Ecclesia in America, which focuses on the Church in North and South America, reiterates the rights of migrants and their families and the respect for human dignity “even in cases of non-legal immigration.”

Both of our episcopal conferences have echoed the rich tradition of church teachings with regard to migration. Five principles emerge from such teachings, which guide the Church’s view on migration issues.

I. Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland.
All persons have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political, and social opportunities to live in dignity and achieve a full life through the use of their God-given gifts. In this context, work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need.

II. Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families.
The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right.

III. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders.
The Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their territories but rejects such control when it is exerted merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth. More powerful economic nations, which have the ability to protect and feed their residents, have a stronger obligation to accommodate migration flows.

IV. Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection.
Those who flee wars and persecution should be protected by the global community. This requires, at a minimum, that migrants have a right to claim refugee status without incarceration and to have their claims fully considered by a competent authority.

V. The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected.
Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity that should be respected. Often they are subject to punitive laws and harsh treatment from enforcement officers from both receiving and transit countries. Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary.

The Church recognizes the right of a sovereign state to control its borders in furtherance of the common good. It also recognizes the right of human persons to migrate so that they can realize their God-given rights. These teachings complement each other. While the sovereign state may impose reasonable limits on immigration, the common good is not served when the basic human rights of the individual are violated. In the current condition of the world, in which global poverty and persecution are rampant, the presumption is that persons must migrate in order to support and protect themselves and that nations who are able to receive them should do so whenever possible. It is through this lens that we assess the current migration reality between the United States and Mexico.

by Hugo Esparza-Perez, CP

You have to question whether or not the U.S.A benefits by having  Twelve Million (plus) people from flourishing in society. I would say that it does not. Yet, this is the reality of millions of undocumented people in this country. While everyday tasks become harder for these people, the human and social detriment of  these communities continues to dwarf the entire country.  Hence, our democratic process and the pursuit of happiness are hindered for all. How is this so, some may ask. One of the main arguments that people on the different sides of the issue like to use is the economic impact of this group. Unfortunately, none of these sides ever talk openly of the human impact of undocumented people in the Country. Undocumented people are either portrayed as criminals or as lazy, by the opposition, and while by their sympathizers, they are pigeon-holed into the old racist narrative of merit. –here thus the talents and achievements of undocumented young men and women become the only reason for their much needed legalization. We all know, however, that equality and justice should come for both the over-achiever and for the non-over-achiever. This confronts us with a harsh reality, for when citizenship or human worth is based on the generation of income, we all lose.

For these reasons, undocumented youth throughout the country are coming together. Just as in the early sixties college students from Greensboro, N.C. decided to counter the racist backlash of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling to desegregate schools, undocumented youth, with the motto of “unashamed, unafraid and undocumented”, are rising up in Chicago and throughout the country. Inspired by U.S. American ideals, these young men and women, together with their allies, seek to become agents of change in the discussion and legislation of undocumented migration and to work for a more perfect Union, where democracy is a reality outside the voting booth, where justice is for all and where we can be measured by the way we treat the least amongst us.

My work with a local Chicago Group, Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL), came through my volunteering with a workers’ center here in Chicago (Arise Chicago). IYJL in collaboration with other likeminded local national organizations is currently organizing high school and college students from the Chicago area and will be taking its demands to Washington on March 21. IYJL  and its allies will join the  Members of the Ecumenical Days of Advocacy, which include us Passionists in their rally and actions. If you would like to read more about IYJL’s work please follow the links above.

[Picture by Shepard Fairey  http://obeygiant.com/]

#1 - Respect for creation is of immense consequence, not least because “creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works”, and its preservation has now become essential for the pacific coexistence of mankind. Man’s inhumanity to man has given rise to numerous threats to peace and to authentic and integral human development – wars, international and regional conflicts, acts of terrorism, and violations of human rights. Yet no less troubling are the threats arising from the neglect – if not downright misuse – of the earth and the natural goods that God has given us.

#6 - The world “is not the product of any necessity whatsoever, nor of blind fate or chance… The world proceeds from the free will of God; he wanted to make his creatures share in his being, in his intelligence, and in his goodness”… Once man, instead of acting as God’s co-worker, sets himself up in place of God, he ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature, “which is more tyrannized than governed by him”. Man thus has a duty to exercise responsible stewardship over creation, to care for it and to cultivate it.

#7 - The goods of creation belong to humanity as a whole. Yet the current pace of environmental exploitation is seriously endangering the supply of certain natural resources not only for the present generation, but above all for generations yet to come. It is not hard to see that environmental degradation is often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit of myopic economic interests, which then, tragically, become a serious threat to creation. To combat this phenomenon, economic activity needs to consider the fact that “every economic decision has a moral consequence” and thus show increased respect for the environment. When making use of natural resources, we should be concerned for their protection and consider the cost entailed – environmentally and socially – as an essential part of the overall expenses incurred.

#8 - A greater sense of intergenerational solidarity is urgently needed. Future generations cannot be saddled with the cost of our use of common environmental resources… The ecological crisis shows the urgency of a solidarity which embraces time and space.

#9 - I would advocate the adoption of a model of development based on the centrality of the human person, on the promotion and sharing of the common good, on responsibility, on a realization of our need for a changed life-style, and on prudence, the virtue which tells us what needs to be done today in view of what might happen tomorrow.

#10 - At present there are a number of scientific developments and innovative approaches which promise to provide satisfactory and balanced solutions to the problem of our relationship to the environment. Encouragement needs to be given, for example, to research into effective ways of exploiting the immense potential of solar energy. Similar attention also needs to be paid to the world-wide problem of water and to the global water cycle system, which is of prime importance for life on earth and whose stability could be seriously jeopardized by climate change. Suitable strategies for rural development centered on small farmers and their families should be explored, as well as the implementation of appropriate policies for the management of forests, for waste disposal and for strengthening the linkage between combating climate change and overcoming poverty.

#11 - It is becoming more and more evident that the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to examine our life-style and the prevailing models of consumption and production, which are often unsustainable from a social, environmental and even economic point of view. We can no longer do without a real change of outlook which will result in new life-styles, “in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and investments”.

#12 - The Church has a responsibility towards creation, and she considers it her duty to exercise that responsibility in public life, in order to protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction.

#14 - Christ, crucified and risen, has bestowed his Spirit of holiness upon mankind, to guide the course of history in anticipation of that day when, with the glorious return of the Savior, there will be “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet 3:13), in which justice and peace will dwell for ever. Protecting the natural environment in order to build a world of peace is thus a duty incumbent upon each and all. … For this reason, I invite all believers to raise a fervent prayer to God, the all-powerful Creator and the Father of mercies, so that all men and women may take to heart the urgent appeal: If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.

On December 11, 2009 the news was released that a U.N. draft agreement is now circulating with mixed reviews. So far the goals of the agreement are rather weak and they offer a standard for nations to apply voluntary (should) commitments in cutting emissions. It requests the following:

• Industrialized nations cut CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020.
• Developed countries provide “adequate, predictable, and sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-building” to support the poorer nations in their struggle with climate change impact.
• Developing nations “may undertake autonomous mitigation actions,” rather then a specific binding commitment.

While the language in the draft is very weak it should also not come to the surprise of anyone who is aware of the international agreements. Whether the issue is climate change, human rights or global trade nations are almost always reluctant to cede their autonomy to international agreements and institutions.

The issue of climate change and its impact on the poor is of great concerns for the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI expressed this concern in his most recent encyclical:

“This responsibility is a global one, for it is concerned not just with energy but with the whole of creation, which must not be bequeathed to future generations depleted of its resources. … This means being committed to making joint decisions “after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying” Let us hope that the international community and individual governments will succeed in countering harmful ways of treating the environment.”

The Vatican is currently involved with the Copenhagen conference. Its position is to promote a strong standard for cutting carbon emissions and for financially supporting poorer nations that will suffer the most from climate change.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8LID2v7P2c

For faith-based communities like ourselves our concern with climate change is not based on science. Our concern is based on our experience of mission and ministry. Like Caritas the Passionists have missions throughout the world. Recently I was visiting the Asian communities in India. The conversation in that part of the world is not based on science, it is based on reality. Our communities in Indonesia, Philippians, Papua New Guinea and India are very much aware of the impact of climate change on the poor. Tsunamis, severe weather patterns, etc. are not debatable considerations. They are real phenomenons that are making a very real impact.

For those of us who are caught up with the scientific debate keep in mind the “Precautionary Principle.” During the scientific battle regarding the effects of tobacco this principle was used to suggest that in the face of a very real harm (lung cancer) even thought the scientific argument at the time was debatable, social policy should err on the side of addressing the social harm while the scientific debate continued. As a member of a Catholic Religious Community with missions throughout the world I can say that the harm is very much real.

The Catholic Church has three social principles that are relevant to our position with regards to climate change:

• Stewardship of Creation
• Promoting Solidarity and the Common Good
• Option for the Poor

Based on these principles and the real impact of suffering to the poorer members of the human community the Passionist JPIC office considers it a responsible moral position to act and support initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to promote social responsibility on issues related to climate change. The Passionist JPIC office prays that the Copenhagen conference produces an agreement that will have the international community working together on mitigating the effects of climate change and its effect on poor nations. However, no matter how strong or weak the agreement is, we also realize that the Catholic social principles are primarily applicable to all of us as individuals. Social policies are only as strong as the political will that comes from its citizenry. If we all adopt principles and practices on issues of social concerns then we will see our democratic institutions follow suit. The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change is a partnership of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. This coalition has some great resources on the spirituality and actions for promoting the Stewardship of Creation. One action that we can all take is the Catholic Climate Covenant.

Please also visit our Passionist Earth and Spirit Center which offers courses and further resources on the ecology based on the spirituality of Thomas Berry, CP Also click here for a pdf resource from the Earth and Spirit Center on Living in Harmony with Creation

The Passionist JPIC office would like to hear from our readers on the issues of social concerns that we share. Please feel free to offer your comments, thoughts or further resources regarding this issue.