• Catholic Social Ministry Gathering
• Ecumenical Advocacy Days
• Churches for a Middle East Peace

We continue to collaborate with other organizations to promote in an ongoing way these social issues of Catholic concern. We encourage the members of the Passionist family to keep engaged on these issues and links through these organizations. The summer offers us many opportunities to engage with our congressional representatives locally due to the summer recess which will begin on August 9 and go through September 12. During this time your congressional representatives will be in their districts so you can call their local district scheduler to see when you can make an appointment to see them locally.  Below is a highlight of updates and links related to the campaigns and issues the JPIC office has addressed.    

Economic Justice:

The USCCB has promoted a great advocacy site through its Justice, Peace and Human Development Office. Many of the issues that they address are related to the issues of the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that we attended in February of this year. Another Catholic organization that addresses the issues of Economic Justice is Network, A Catholic social justice lobby group. They have a new website designed for easier access to their action alerts. Some of the issues that they are raising this summer are:

• Support a Responsible Estates Tax
• Support Local Jobs for America  

Immigration:

The Justice for Immigrant Campaign is a coalition of Catholic organizations including the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. They, along with Network and other immigrant justice organizations, are advocating for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will address the immigrant issue following the social teachings of the Catholic Church.

• Justice for Immigrant postcard campaign 
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Ecology/Energy:

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change is a newly organized coalition of Catholic organizations that is looking into policies and issues related to climate change. By clicking on this link you will be visiting the action page of the Catholic Coalition which will give individuals some personal practices that will help address our own individual carbon footprint. Unfortunately the Senate has chosen not to create a comprehensive climate bill this summer. Instead we would like push Congress to bring this issue as we advocate against S. 3072 which will undermine the Clean Air Act and block the EPA’s global warming pollution cuts. But we also support any legislation like H.R. 4690 that will push the US to adopt more sustainable living practices especially in developing alternative modes of public transportation. 

• H.R. 4690 Livable Communities Act
• No to S. 3072

Peace and Disarmament:

In the area of international peace there are a great number of concerns. However in this year the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops have placed their emphasis on two priorities. With regards to the conflicts in the Middle East the issue of Israel and Palestine continue to be of primary concern in this area. The other priority continues to be the concern regarding the reduction of nuclear weapons and a call for a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

• Urge President Obama and Congress to take a strong leadership in promoting the two state solution between Israel/Palestine
• Urge the Senate to pass the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty  

Global Poverty:

The Catholic Church is part of a global family. The growing community now includes our Asian and African brothers and sisters. The social call for developing solidarity is nothing less then a call to be part of the universal church. Our own national policies has economic repercussions throughout the world. Again the issues related to this concern are many but we have tried to focus on current issues related to global poverty. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the fastest growing Catholic communities in Africa and the human right violations that they face is directly related to the interest that our own extractive industry has in the mining operations of this nation.  

• Urge Congress to support Humanitarean Funding FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill
• Urge Congress to support s. 891/h.r. 4128 to help improve the lives of our Congolese sisters and brothers.

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)

Fr. Ronan Newbold, CP:

This year Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) were, again, an occasion for serious thinking and conversion. What are we doing to the people who live in the USA? The first evening Bishop Minerva Carcano, of the United Methodist Church, spoke to us about how families are being separated with devastating results for children and our society. Sister Mary McCauley, BVM, spoke of the May 12th 2008, raid on 400 undocumented workers at an Agro-processor factory in Postville, Iowa. They were shackled, put on school buses and taken to detainment facilities by local police, state police and members of the National Guard. What are we doing to the people who live in the USA.

There are arguments against letting these undocumented people become documented; such as using our education system and health care system without paying a cent into them. They are accused of criminal activity along the Southern border. During this EAD, there could have been a better explanation of how these people really do pay into the education and health systems of our country by paying sales taxes every time they purchase something. But there was more than adequate explanation of how they are keeping our economy going. Moreover, without them, our economy would really begin to stagger. If all were documented, and signed into our income tax system, then education, health and retirement would not only be helped but would be able to expand to take care of the growing number of our elderly. The one figure I remember was this: if all of the undocumented were documented, $1.3 trillion would be added to our gross national product over the next ten years. Moreover, all of these people in the shadows would now come to light and policing of them would cease to be an expense.

Here is another thought. Some worry that if we do set up a system of documenting these people, a “billion” people from all over the world would want to come to the United States. Wrong. The United States is probably number 4 or 5 among nations that people would like to move to. Australia, New Zea land, Canada, and Switzerland are more likely to draw people from foreign lands due to their policies of peace and awareness of health in their governments.

The speech of Sister Helen Prejean (author of Dead Man Walking) was truly an occasion for conversion. Can we hear the cry of the poor? That is the question. Does their cry rank highest is our hearts? The people of Jesus’ time brought him to death. There is nothing that we can do about that. There is something we can do about the people who are dying trying to cross into our land, who are incarcerated, who are kept on the fringes of our society and who are the presence of God among us. Sister’s question remains: “Can we hear the cry of the poor?”

Br. Ed Hall, CP

Awareness of our millions of immigrants who are living in the shadows of our communities and our neighbors was brought home to my attention at the Ecumenical Advocacy meeting in Washington DC the weekend of the 20^th of March. The realization that many who come to worship in our churches are living without protections and guarantees, because they do not yet possess legal status. I was encouraged that weekend with the passage of the health care reform bill for these living millions living in the shadows without health care coverage.

I was among 200,000 people along with Ronan Newbold, Chris Gibson and John Gonzalez on the mall in Washington DC for a Rally in favor of immigration reform legislation. People where there to spur Congress and the White House to overhaul the nation’s immigration system and offer its 10.8 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship this year against increasingly long odds.

We were warmed by bursts of sunshine; the crowd was peaceful and festive. The sounds of drums and American flags and posters filled the air. One could read placards that said, “Change takes Courage” and “Obama Don’t Forget Your Promise!” Rep. Luis Gutierrez(D-Ill) said “It’s time to let immigrants come of the shadows into the light and for America to embrace them and protect them.”

I felt hopeful and encouraged by this weekend. The fraternity and support of Chris, Ronan and John to continue to be committed and involved in this important issue of overhauling of immigration laws for the many who are in our neighborhoods and churches is hopeful to me.

As our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion regardless of their place of birth-we call on the new Administration and III th Congress to enact humane and equitable immigration reform in 2009.

We call for immigration reform because each day in our congregations, service programs, health-care facilities, and schools we witness the human consequences of a broken and outdated system. We see the exploitation of undocumented workers and the plight of separated families, as well as the escalation of community fear due to indiscriminate raids and local police acting as federal immigration agents. Humane immigration reform would help put an end to this suffering, which offends the dignity of all human beings.

The Hebrew Bible tells us: “The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34). In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger, for “what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40). The Qur’an tells us that we should “do good to … those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer that you meet” (4:36). The Hindu Taitiriya Upanishad tells us: “The guest is a representative of God” (1.11.2).

Therefore, we call on the new Administration and the 111^th Congress to commit to:

Uphold family unity as a priority of all immigration policies: Recognizing the importance of families to the creation of healthy individuals and strong communities, we call on the new Administration and Congress to 1) expeditiously reunite immigrant families separated due to lengthy visa backlogs; 2) revise family preference categories and per-country caps to prioritize family unity; and 3) remove bars to reentry and adjustment of status for individuals seeking to reunite with their family members. Attempts to devalue the family, such as denying birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants or placing family-based and employment-based visa applicants in competition with each other on a point-based or other system, must be rejected in order to maintain and promote family unity.

Create a process for undocumented immigrants to earn their legal status and eventual citizenship: We urge the Administration and Congress to enact immigration reform that allows undocumented immigrants and their families to earn lawful permanent residency upon the satisfaction of reasonable criteria, with a pathway to citizenship. The workability of such a program should not be hindered by overly punitive criteria, such as mandating that immigrants leave the country or pay exorbitant fees, or by making the process conditional upon the implementation of enforcement measures. Communities and congregations around the country are prepared to provide legal services to those eligible, as people of faith are committed to an effective and humane system that keeps families together and values the dignity of our friends and neighbors.

Protect workers and provide efficient channels of entry for new migrant workers: We call for an expansion of legal avenues for workers who seek to migrate to the United States to work in a safe, legal, and orderly manner. Their rights must be fully protected, including the ability to bring their families with them, travel as needed, change their place of employment, and apply for lawful permanent residency and eventually citizenship. As currently structured, electronic employment verification programs have proven detrimental to both employers and employees due to increased discrimination and unfair hiring and firing practices. All workers benefit, however, from the enforcement of health, safety, wage, and hour laws, as well as the right to peacefully organize.

Facilitate immigrant integration: Many immigrants desire to naturalize but lack the necessary tools. The U.S. immigration system should empower them to this end by providing financial support to state and local governments and community organizations that offer language and civics education, outreach, and naturalization application assistance. Citizenship should be made more affordable by reducing naturalization fees and making fee waivers more easily accessible. Moreover, the processing of application backlogs and security checks should be streamlined to reduce waiting times. Counterproductive laws prohibiting immigrants from accessing social services and mandating that local police act as immigration officials should be revoked. These barriers to integration decrease community safety and discourage immigrants from pursuing education and community involvement. Faith based organizations and congregations around the country will continue to assist in integration efforts by providing social services and helping immigrants learn English, find jobs, and thrive in the United States.

Restore due process protections and reform detention policies: Immigration policies should respect human rights and ensure due process for all persons. We have witnessed how indiscriminate immigration raids have caused trauma and hardship for thousands of individuals. Such raids separate families, destroy communities, and threaten the basic rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. The suffering caused by the increase and severity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in homes and workplaces underscores the problems with current U.S. immigration policies and the urgent need for reform. Many faith organizations administer services to those impacted by raids, as well as to immigrants in detention facilities. Witnessing the toll of incarceration on detainees, their families and our communities, we urge the new Administration and Congress to reduce the use of detention for immigrants and improve detention conditions by enacting clear, enforceable reforms that include rigorous medical treatment standards and increased access to pastoral care, legal counsel and legal orientation programs. Furthermore, the government should expedite the release of individuals who pose no risk to the community and expand the use of community-based alternatives to detention, which are more humane and cost effective.

Align the enforcement of immigration laws with humanitarian values: For the past twenty years, the federal government has dramatically increased fence construction, border patrol presence, and the deportation of immigrants, which have proven ineffective at decreasing undocumented immigration. During this time, we have witnessed the desecration of sacred sites and the violation of environmental and religious freedom laws, as well as the unnecessary suffering of community members whose loved ones have suffered or died seeking entry into the United States. Currently, vast resources are being used for fence construction and the mass arrests, detention, and deportation of immigrants who contribute to the U.S. economy and culture. To truly decrease undocumented immigration, the United States should improve access to the legal immigration system by increasing the number of ports of entry, expanding visa availability, and eliminating application backlogs to increase processing efficiency. Border policies must be consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect, while allowing the United States to implement its immigration laws and identify and prevent the entry of persons who commit dangerous crimes. All immigration laws must respect the dignity of all persons, prioritize the cohesiveness of families and communities, recognize the economic contributions of immigrants, and uphold our moral obligations to provide refuge and welcome the stranger.

Immigration: A matter of human rights: As people of faith, we call attention to the moral dimensions of public policy and recommend reforms that uphold the God-given dignity and rights of every person, each of whom are made in the image of God. We are dedicated to immigration reform because we value family unity, justice, equity, compassion, love, and the humane treatment of all persons. It is our collective prayer that the new Administration and the 111^th Congress enact just immigration reform based on these tenets.

• Luke 19:28-40 (Gospel for the Procession). Luke’s account of Jesus’ messianic entry into Jerusalem heightens the struggle which Jesus will face in the city and temple.
• Isaiah 50:4-7 In the prophecy of Isaiah the third Song of the Suffering Servant combines listening and abject humiliation with dignified strength.
• Philippians 2:6-11. Jesus emptied himself of his divine dignity, to be incarnated in our midst and suffer the humiliation of the cross.
• Luke 22:14-23:56. The Passion according to Luke portrays Jesus more frequently than the other gospels in prayer, in forgiveness, and in concern for others.

Thoughts for your own consideration: By John Gonzalez

I am on a train leaving Washington DC as I reflect on the lectionary readings for Palm Sunday. This past weekend a multitude gathered in the Capitol, marching and advocating for the rights of immigrants, refugees and displaced peoples. I cannot help but consider the similarity between the immigrant march and the historical moment when Jesus was triumphantly entering Jerusalem. The march brought a hundred thousand people to be in solidarity over an issue that concerns all of us. We all felt great. The success that some of us had with our representatives afterwards only fueled these powerful feelings. Likewise we read that Jesus entered Jerusalem with great fanfare. Even as the Pharisees request that the disciples tone down their message Jesus suggested to them that this excitement would continue with the stones themselves. In other words the energy was palpable, just as it was for us this past Saturday.

But even as we began to pack and head back to our respective regions many of us began to reflect on the challenging political atmosphere that is awaiting us. Our congressional representatives applauded this exciting event but they too reminded us of the pragmatic political reality that would compromise this initiative. I feel a deep sense of solidarity with Jesus who immediately after his triumphant entry wept over the city saying,   “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

During the workshops over the weekend we were reminded of a value that is at the heart of the first reading and the Gospel. The suffering servant is distinguished by his ability to listen, pray and forgive. Issues such as healthcare, abortion and immigration touch people at their core because in some real way they are affected by these issues. This past weekend we in the United States have been affected by all three issues. People react to issues in any number of ways: they can be defensive, reactionary and possibly provocative (for or against the issue) or they may be thoughtful and reasonable and yet here again they may take any number of positions with the issues. The workshops taught us to listen to the legitimate feelings and frustrations of people who will share with us their perspective on these issues with us and to reconcile their feelings and concerns with the broader principles of faith. The Church, like Jesus, is called to be prophetic and to not compromise the values of the Kingdom of God. But in fulfilling our prophetic role we must raise these values while pastorally attending to the feelings and concerns of all the people who will be either in support or against the principles of our Catholic social teachings.

Jesus laments how the greater value of peace eludes the people of Jerusalem. The peace of God flows from the principles of the common good and the preferential option for the poor, principles that we learn from Jesus’ parables and teachings. But when people are challenged by issues that affect them directly, it may be too difficult for them to envision broader community principles that seem to go against their own self-interest. Our challenge is to listen attentively to their stories and to pray with them in hopes that we can walk together in reconciling their issues with the concern of all God’s people.

However there will be times that we will hit an impasse. We may have to endure insult and betrayal. This is perhaps the most challenging role of the suffering servant, but in following the ways of Christ we will be asked to forgive. Jesus forgives Peter, the executioners and the thief. He consoles the women in the midst of his own suffering. Being completely imperfect my own reaction is to vent my own frustrations when I encounter severe and sometimes irrational disagreements on social issues. But this is the challenge we are given in following the Lamb of God. The example of Jesus is to pray and to offer up to God these social challenges. It will be from God that we will get the courage to continue being both prophetic and pastoral.

Given the choice, most people would prefer to stay close to their homes and families: yet every day, thousands of people worldwide are faced with the heart-wrenching decision to leave their loved ones and migrate. Lack of economic opportunity to provide for their families, due in part to U.S.-promoted global economic policies, drives much of the migration to the United States and other countries where jobs may be found. Meanwhile, conflict, violence, persecution and environmental degradation have resulted in the forced migration of millions who become refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). To ensure “a place to call home” for all our sisters and brothers, we must work to address the root causes of displacement around the globe, as well as treat economic and forced migrants in the U.S. and abroad with humanity and dignity. Because we are commanded in scripture to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger, we call on Congress to act on the following legislative initiatives:

Immigration Reform

As people of faith who witness the human consequences of our broken immigration system, we understand that the United States needs immigration reform now more than ever. We urge Congress to enact humane, equitable immigration reform this year that:

• Allows undocumented immigrants and their families to earn lawful permanent residency upon the satisfaction of reasonable criteria and eventually pursue citizenship
• Expands legal avenues of entry for families who are separated and for those who seek work
• Aligns border policies and internal enforcement policies with humanitarian values and due process protections

Separated families, exploited workers, and broken communities cannot wait any longer for Congress to fix our broken immigration system. We urge all members to make immigration reform a priority.

Root Causes of Migration – Jubilee Act

We urge Congress to enact the Jubilee Act, which would expand debt cancellation and provide a framework for responsible lending to poor countries. In order to fight global poverty and address the push factors behind economic migration, people of faith from around the world achieved Jubilee debt cancellation for many of the world’s poorest countries in 1999 and 2005. The Jubilee Act (HR 4405) will broaden and deepen debt cancellation. This would allow countries to invest more in education, health care, and public infrastructure, thus reducing the number of people forced to seek economic opportunities away from home.

Assist Forcibly Displaced Persons [For Appropriator Visits]

We urge Congress to provide adequate funds for life-saving assistance to refugees and other forcibly displaced persons in fiscal year 2011, such as:

• Helping Refugees in the United States: Provide $987.9 million for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Department of Health and Human Services. ORR helps refugees, asylees, and victims of torture and human trafficking find employment, learn English, and begin new lives in the U.S.
• Assisting Refugees Overseas: Provide $2.31 billion for Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) through the U.S. State Department. These funds help refugees in camps and urban situations across the world find safety, nourishment, and protection.
• Assisting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Provide $1.6 billion for International Disaster Assistance (IDA), administered by USAID. These funds provide urgently-needed assistance and protection to forcibly displaced people in over 62 countries – including Sudan, Haiti, and Sri Lanka.
• Supporting displaced Haitians:  Provide funding for the displaced population of Haiti as part of a $3 billion assistance package for use over the next two years, to meet the immediate and long-term needs in Haiti for relief, reconstruction and development following the devastating earthquake.

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.

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.

• A Universal and life protecting Health Care Bill 
• A Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill  
• U.S. aid for poverty reduction programs specifically for:
  • Haiti
  • Afghanistan

The details of the legislative asks were put forth in a letter that was called the Catholic message to Congress and you can find a copy of that letter on the Passion for Justice Blog post that preceded this one.

This year the weather was less then helpful as we approached the lobby day with an amazing snow storm system having shut down DC and another great snow storm on the way. Many representative and fellow advocates either never came or chose to leave early because of the impending storm. In fact I prepared to leave early as well by taking the last train out on Tuesday night rather then Wednesday afternoon. However a couple of us from NY did manage to meet with both NY Senators.

The meetings were very interesting. From our end we presented the letter and the points from two perspectives. The first perspective was based on the principles of Catholic social teaching which affirms the preferential option for the poor, the promotion of global solidarity, and the dignity and rights of all humans to have basic social needs including the immigrant community. The other perspective that we shared was based on religious experience as missionaries or Catholic agencies to share the stories and concerns of these issues from the vantage point of being a witness to those whom we serve. When we discussed our concern for Haiti I shared the mission experience of Fr. Rick Frechette, CP and his ministry of providing basic health and medical care to a very poor Haitian community. When we discussed immigration again I shared the work that the Mexican Passionist sisters (the “Hijas de la Pasion”) do in providing basic services to a migrant community that is fractured and marginalized in this country. The impact of our testimony was that we were not just some theoretical think tank that offered positions from academic posturing but instead we offered a living witness to the national and global issues that are affecting real people who we come across in our ministries.

The results of our own state advocacy was impressive but not a complete success. In the case of NY we were received well with social issues on the national and global level but we had to remind both Senators that the Healthcare Bill had to be free from providing any funding for abortion or else it will not be supported by the Bishops and a majority of the Catholic Community. This is a point that we will continue pressing as this issue moves further. With immigration we were well received but of course we were made aware of the broader political climate and the existing opposition to this issue which meant that compromises had to be made. We were also well received on the international issues by both Senators.

Passionist are known for their retreat and preaching ministries. My experience on the Hill reminds me that a preacher is not confined to a Church venue. We are a community that preaches the Word of God in society. I find it curious that the Church building we call Basilicas were originally designed by the Romans as a political building for the people to hear and discuss legislative decrees. In preaching on spiritual matters you cannot omit the social implications that our Christian faith calls us to by virtue of the moral message. Events like the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering and the upcoming Ecumenical Advocacy Days are opportunities for communities like us to Preach the Passion in the Basilica of Capitol Hill.

Catholic leaders from across the country come to Capitol Hill to offer hope at a time of fear and uncertainty, to safeguard human life and dignity at a time of economic crisis and continuing war, and to bring “charity in truth” to those in power. Our message reflects old values in new times.

• Put the needs of the poor and jobless first in our public priorities and economic recovery efforts.
• Pass health care reform that protects the life, dignity, consciences and health of all.
• Fix a broken immigration system by adopting compassionate and comprehensive reform.
• Invest in long-term recovery and development of Haiti.
• Work toward a responsible transition in Afghanistan.
• Reform and strengthen development assistance to promote a better, safer world.

At a time of economic crisis brought about by irresponsible action, we call for new responsibility and solidarity. We support budget, tax and economic policies that assist and protect “the least among us,” offer decent jobs at decent wages for the unemployed, and increase investment in development and assistance for the poorest people on earth. The everyday experience of Catholic parishes, Catholic Charities, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Relief Services makes clear the moral and human costs of the economic crisis, the lack of health care, shortsighted international policies, environmental neglect, and global poverty, hunger, and disease.

We have a number of other important concerns beginning with the consistent defense of unborn human life and assistance to pregnant women and their children, and including other priorities: providing welfare, nutrition and housing assistance for Americans that respects their dignity and gives them hope; U.S. leadership for an effective two-state solution that brings a just and lasting peace in the Middle East; peaceful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan; climate change legislation that protects and assists the poor in our own country and around the world who contribute least to the problem but will suffer the most; and a host of other issues touching human life and dignity.

In a spirit of “faithful citizenship,” we come to Capitol Hill to urge action in three specific areas:

 Human Dignity in Economic Recovery: Creating Jobs and Providing Health Care for All

There are 27 million workers unemployed or underemployed. The number of uninsured continues to increase. There are now nearly 50 million people without health care coverage. New jobs need to be created so that workers can provide for themselves and their families through the dignity of work. At the same time, our nation still needs to reform health care and provide an adequate safety net as the economy recovers.

Catholic teaching insists health care is a fundamental human right, an essential protection for human life and dignity. All people should have access to comprehensive, quality and affordable health care. Health care should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they work, how much they earn, where they live, or where they were born. Despite the new political context, health care reform remains a national priority and moral imperative. Whatever the legislative process, the Catholic bishops continue to urge

Congress and the Administration to adopt legislation that:

1. ensures access to quality, affordable, life-giving health care for all;
2. retains longstanding requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them, and effectively protects conscience rights;
3. protects the access to health care that immigrants currently have, removes current barriers to access; and
4. restrains costs and applies them equitably across the spectrum of payers.

Human Dignity of Immigrants: Effective, Compassionate and Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The nation’s immigration system is broken and needs fundamental reform and repair. Almost 12 million undocumented persons live “in the shadows” in our country, working in an underground economy, fearful that their loved ones will be taken from them by federal enforcement officials. They work in important industries, such as agriculture, construction, and service. Immigrants contribute much to our economy and society, but they do not enjoy the protection of the law.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) calls for humane reform of our immigration system, including:

1. a legalization program for the undocumented, which includes a path to citizenship;
2. the creation of legal avenues for migration, so that migrant workers can enter and work in the U.S. safely and legally;
3. family-based immigration reform, so that families can reunite in a more timely manner;
4. restoration of due process protections for immigrants; and
5. policies to address the root causes of migration, such as international assistance and economic development.

International Assistance and Development: The Big Picture, Haiti, and Afghanistan

U.S. international assistance is an essential tool to promote human life and dignity, reduce poverty, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and enhance national and global security. U.S. foreign aid has improved the lives of many, but it needs to be better integrated into a comprehensive strategy with trade, agriculture, climate change and other policies to advance human development, reduce poverty, and improve national and global security.

1. improve these poverty-focused programs and increase their funding toward the Administration’s goal of doubling international assistance by 2015: the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); development and humanitarian assistance and emergency programs, including Title II Food Aid; the Millennium Challenge Account; debt relief; peacekeeping; and migration and refugee programs.
2. We thank members of Congress for supporting immediate relief efforts for Haiti and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months to eligible Haitians in the U.S.; and urge substantial and sustained longer-term recovery and development, including: sustaining international assistance; broadening trade preferences (e.g. HOPE I and II); ensuring total debt relief; and extending TPS for additional periods as necessary.
3. Support a “responsible transition” in Afghanistan and early withdrawal of U.S. forces consistent with this goal. Strive to reduce further loss of life; address humanitarian and refugee needs; help rebuild the country; protect human rights; support good governance; and promote sustainable development. Restrain the use of military force and ensure that civilians are not targeted, and address the root causes of terrorism rather than relying solely on military force. Whenever possible, direct development assistance through civilian channels and local projects to promote sustainability.