Pope's message encouraging, Bishop Wester says

Intermountain Catholic

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(Editor’s note: The link to Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees can be found on our home page.)

At this pivotal moment in history, when our country and our Church are continuing to grow in diversity, I’m very pleased that the Holy Father has stressed in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees the fact that each individual human person has certain fundamental inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone under every circumstance.

The humanness of migrants and refugees often gets lost in the current political climate. Immigrants tend to be demonized, presented as a problem or a political issue. This view of immigrants ignores the fact that they are living, breathing people who have the same dreams, hopes and fears as each of us.

Migration is a human, moral and spiritual issue as well as political one, and we must never lose sight of the humanity of those involved. I’m delighted that the Holy Father has hit this point hard, because we can never forget that we are dealing with human beings. It’s fine to have contentious debates about the politics of the issue, but those discussions must take a back seat to the priority of the human person. We must always keep in mind that most immigrants are fleeing persecution, whether it be economic, spiritual or political. They are seeking a better life for themselves and for their children, as we would do under similar circumstances.

As the Holy Father points out in his message, the Church has long taught that people have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I would add that we who receive the immigrant have a Gospel mandate to afford them hospitality. The Pope makes a good point on this: God travels with the immigrant, and we, as people of faith, are called to be instruments of the Lord’s will in welcoming them.

This moral obligation is absolute. We may disagree among ourselves about the politics of immigration, but that does not free any one of us from the moral obligation of offering hospitality to the stranger. We, as the host country, will benefit from the immigrants’ labor, and we can’t say ‘help wanted’ on the one hand and ‘no trespassing’ on the other.

Another good point that Pope Benedict makes is that the welcome we give must extend beyond just saying, ‘Nice to see you, keep warm and well fed.’ We must care for one another in such a way that we help them become established as productive members of our society. Catholic Community Service’s Welcoming the Stranger program, with its Parish Refugee Resettlement Ministry, is a wonderful resource for this, helping our parishes here in Utah to welcome not only immigrants but all who come to their doors.

I also like very much that the Holy Father says that people have the right to remain in their homeland. I’ve always mentioned in my talks that not only does a person have the right to immigrate, but he or she also has the right not to, and we need to address the issues that force people to leave their own country. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in helping those countries find just ways that will allow people to live at home. We must call on our own government leaders to help establish protocols where people can dwell in peace and harmony no matter where they call home; for example, if necessary, well-developed countries could find ways to reduce or forgive developing countries’ debt to allow development of a sustainable economy.

Pope Benedict also touches on the tragedy of human trafficking. This is a terrible blight in our country and our world, and humane immigration laws can help prevent immigrants from falling prey to those who would victimize them in this way.

While those of us who have been working for so long in this arena may get discouraged at times by our legislators’ inaction, and the toll it takes on the immigrants who are separated from their families, toil in unfair working conditions or struggle to find food and shelter, it is encouraging to read the Holy Father’s hope and optimism. He rightly says that immigrants have two prized possessions, faith and hope: hope in a better life and faith that God is accompanying them. I’ve found that our immigrants are deeply faithful; they have a beautiful relationship with God. They also have a compelling sense of hope that they will find a better life and they will make our country better by being productive, God-fearing neighbors.

With Pope Benedict’s message as our foundation, we bishops need to work to ensure that our parishes become even more welcoming places for everyone, including the immigrant. We also must encourage our elected officials to work quickly to develop effective immigration legislation. Sensible, humane immigration reform is long overdue. We can no longer wait for another election cycle, or for more fences to be built or additional detention centers to be constructed. We must act now to bring people out of the dehumanizing conditions they have been forced into simply because they are immigrants.