Bishop Solis addresses immigration with young adults
Salt Lake City — Describing the refugee crisis as “the pressing issue we face today as a global community,” the Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, said the solution is found in the religious tradition of the Catholic Church.
“The good thing about it is that the Church has been consistent from the beginning,” Bishop Solis told a group of young people Feb. 20 at the Christ in the City on Tap event at Wasatch Brew Pub. “We have a religious culture of welcoming strangers.”
The bishop referred to the Book of Leviticus, which exhorts, “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you. ...” Quoting statistics that indicate there 12 million immigrants in the United States today, Bishop Solis acknowledged that attitudes toward them are often negative.
“People … don’t know how to react to newcomers; they don’t know how to react to people who have been regarded as breakers of the law; they don’t know how to react to strangers in their midst,” he said.
Bishop Solis said there has been a “demonization of refugees and immigrants” that is against the culture that Pope Francis would like to promote, which is “an inclusive Church, a welcoming Church, a Church that embraces strangers as brothers and sisters.”
The foundation for how the Church faces the issue of refugees and immigrants is Matthew 25:40, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren you do to me,” the bishop said.
“Everybody that we meet reflects the image and likeness of our loving God,” he said. “So every person, whether they are rich or poor, whether yellow or brown, whether refugee, immigrant, undocumented, documented (or ‘legal’ as they call them), they are in the image of God, worthy of respect, worthy of love and that is why always remember the gospel teaching of Christ.”
“We are challenged to become the ambassadors of goodwill, the ambassadors of Christ’s, of God’s love, especially to the poor,” Bishop Solis went on to say. “… It is critical these days in order that we have new and modern prophets of our time who will speak the language of love, that demands a radical conversion of our heart, a change of our heart and attitude, to be able to develop that kind of respect for every individual.”
After he spoke, Bishop Solis responded to questions on the opportunities for lay people to help refugees, finding community, sharing the Gospel with others and how advocacy for refugees should be balanced against advocacy for the unborn.
“In regards to the sanctity of life, the Church has qualified that to mean from conception to natural death. There is a problem in our society where the sanctity of life is only about babies, but the dignity of all must be protected,” he said.
A guest at the event, Jake Livingstone, who said he is leaving Protestantism and considering becoming an Orthodox Christian, was touched by Bishop Solis’ words.
“I totally agree there is a lack of compassion in the world,” he said. “I really liked what he said about the sanctity of life from womb to natural death.”
His friend, Miray Weeks, said she really liked the bishop’s “emphasis on sacrifice and giving of one’s self, of sanctification through sacrifice.”
By contrast, another guest, Kathcha Noble who grew up in Uganda, said she was frustrated by the bishop’s words. “He didn’t deal with any difficult issues,” she said. “He spoke about love but not what is your policy. Is it realistic to think you have the capacity to take in everyone who would like to live here?”
Christ in the City On Tap is sponsored by the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s Young Adult Ministry. The group of young adults ages 21 to 35 meets weekly on Wednesday evenings for fellowship and activities. On Tap is a monthly series of speakers who address different theological subjects.
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