Bishop Wester joins interfaith prayer for immigrants
SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of various Salt Lake Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities gathered in prayer for immigrants May 11.
"This evening, in the midst of a national debate, we gather not to debate, but we gather to pray," said the Rev. Steven Klemz of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, where the interfaith service was held. He called for prayers that the immigration debate would be reframed so that the United States, as a nation, would move from fear to faith, to a nation of people living in justice and peace.
Among those who participated in the service were the Rev. Curtis L. Price of the First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City; the Rev. Canon Dr. Pablo Ramos, Canon for Latino Ministries and Vicar of Iglesia, Episcopal de San Esteban; the Rev. Father Elias Koucos of the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church; Betty Yanowitz, representing Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman of Congregation Kol Ami; Immam Muhammed Mehtar of the Khadeeja Islamic Center and the Islamic Society of Great Salt Lake; the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City; and Norma Klemz of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Bishop Wester gave the address at the service. "Having an interfaith event is in itself a tribute to immigration; it shows different people coming together and working together and being hospitable and praying, so it’s a kind of modeling of what we are praying for," he said.
In his address, he stressed that people of faith can’t just advocate for change, they have to live it. "It’s important for us to engage personally in these matters," Bishop Wester said, adding that he has been confused by the vitriol some American citizens feel against immigrants.
However, he then asked himself whether he is really so unlike those who rail against immigrants. "Do I have areas of my life where I am just as harsh toward others, just as negative or not accepting?" he asked.
The U.S. has as much as 700 miles of fencing on the southwest border, and hundreds die in the desert trying to cross. "I’ve been asking myself, what are the walls I put up between others and me?" Bishop Wester said.
Many immigration policies separate parents and children, and unfair labor practices lead to a permanent underclass, he said, and followed with the question, "Who are the people I ignore, putting them in a shadow existence?"
Churches are uniquely positioned to journey with the immigrant "because we are the immigrant. We are a pilgrim people," Bishop Wester said. "We, you and I, need to be part of the solution by our own lives. We need to keep advocating for comprehensive immigration reform and pray hard for its success this time."
Fr. Koucos spoke of his father, an immigrant who came to the U.S. "with nothing but determination and faith in God" and built a life for himself and his family. Members of all faith traditions need to tell their families’ stories and those of people affected by the current immigration system, Fr. Koucos said. "These in themselves are great motivations for immigration reform."
Immigration is being discussed not only in the political arena but also in neighborhoods, schools, homes and churches, and "the majority of these discussions are characterized by a lack of a profound knowledge about the immigration issue," said the Rev. Canon Ramos. "Our faith calls us to get involved beyond the debate.... Christ’s message is clear and powerful: We are not being asked to love and accept strangers because it is socially or politically correct. Jesus is asking us to do this because they are his people, and he loves them."
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