Catholic Bishops against Arizona legislation

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Did you hear of the Health care bill? The Bishops were pushing for it! They did not due their homework! Abortion funding is in the Bill! The majority of the Nation was against the Health care bill. Do the Bishops speak out against the Pro Choice Catholics who are U.S. Congresman and U.S. Senators? Do the Bishops enforce Cannon 915 against them? NO THEY DON"T!!!

A State Funeral to one of the most Pro Abortion Senators. Did the U.S. Bishops speak out against it???

Comparing Abortion to Illegal Immigration is Appels and Oranges.
Ahhhh…but the common thread, as you have so eloquently pointed out, is that those who failed so miserably in their understanding and pronouncements in the health care debate, again offer the laser-like clarity of their wisdom concerning the proper response to illegal immigration.

I suppose if the Bishops led properly in the former, we should follow their lead in the latter!
 
But the same Church that you say has the sole authority to interpret Scripture also tells us that this legislation is immoral. So which is it? Does the Church have the moral authority to speak on this issue or not?
TMC you took the words right out of my mouth.

Ender, if I were forced to choose between hardness of heart or hardness of head, I’d always rather suffer from the latter than from the former. Seeing as God choose the foolish out of this world and not the wise in order to shame the wise. Though, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I do not feel I’m hard of either (though only God truly knows that).

I do not really expect to change anyone’s mind here. Some of you (this is a general “you” not aimed at anyone specifically) may go on hating and persecuting others but I and many others will go on trying in our own small ways to do the opposite. I just wanted to make sure that anyone viewing this thread didn’t think that everyone who is Catholic is so callous towards illegal immigrants.

I thank God that overall the Church has continued to seek social justice for all people and has maintained its preference for the poor and lowly of society.

With that said I’m finished posting on this thread. I do not want to argue back and forth with people about this because that would be childish considering the overall negative tone this thread has. This topic is causing emotions to run high and has already caused me to stoop to the same low level as some people on this thread have stooped to.
How dare you judge us to be followers of Christ.
(I will say canadianguy that you probably could’ve worded that a little better since it almost seems as if you’re outraged to be considered a follower of Christ versus being outraged at having your loyalty to Christ questioned…I certainly hope the former is not the case.)

I made the statement “For people who profess to be followers of Christ the hardness of heart thoughout this thread is quite disturbing.” while shocked and angered by the cruel statements I read on this thread (statements that I still feel are scandalous). That’s not an excuse, but I do apologize for making that statement against some people on this thread. I cannot know with 100% certainty who are truly faithful servants of Chirst and who are followers of the devil (especially on an online discussion board where all I have to base such judgements on are people’s various statments). Such judgements should be left to God alone.
 
I’m not expert in this law, I’ve only seen “sound bites” online about it… But the sound bites I’ve seen seem to lend them selves to the idea of setting up immagrant “check points”, where you have to have your US Citizen paperwork ready at hand, if not…? Then what? They lock you up until you can prove you’re not illegal?

For all the talk of socialism floating around in some circles, quite honestly this would scare me more than legislation which yeah I disagree with, but at least it doesn’t set up check points where I better have my documents ready…
 
Thanks, but no thanks.
Maybe you should study Theology and the History of the Church.
Afraid of the truth?

I do study on theology and History of the Church. The Crusades? Also as pointed out the Chuch does talk about migrants by having them obey the laws and uphold Civic Duties!

Does following the rules and filling out the paperwork come to mind?

The Church does not say that the Illegals should break the Laws?

Welcoming and be taken advantage of is two different things!
 
I’m not expert in this law, I’ve only seen “sound bites” online about it… But the sound bites I’ve seen seem to lend them selves to the idea of setting up immagrant “check points”, where you have to have your US Citizen paperwork ready at hand, if not…? Then what? They lock you up until you can prove you’re not illegal?

For all the talk of socialism floating around in some circles, quite honestly this would scare me more than legislation which yeah I disagree with, but at least it doesn’t set up check points where I better have my documents ready…
When traveling in foreign Countries you need to have a passport. If you don’t you could be in trouble.

Before entering any foreign country, do your homework, get the basics of the laws. Make sure you have proper ID.

Can you drive without a License or Car insurence?

When comming her make sure you have a pasport or ID card.

What is wrong with that?
 
Did you hear of the healthcare bill?
The Bishops CONDEMNED it.

Are you living in some bubble?
Code:
As for the canon:
Canon 915 of the Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law states: 

"Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion."

Feel free to advise the Bishops re this.

The Church is slow to act with grave consequences.
It's called an act of patience and mercy.
Even excommunication itself exists as a call to REPENTANCE.

For example, 
how long the leash, how long the time before Lefebvre chose his own excommunication?
He was clergy, not random laity.  A bishop, in fact.
SSPX is something different.

Comparing SSPX and Leaders who support Abortion is Apples and Oranges!
 
Ender, if I were forced to choose between hardness of heart or hardness of head, I’d always rather suffer from the latter than from the former. Seeing as God choose the foolish out of this world and not the wise in order to shame the wise. Though, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I do not feel I’m hard of either (though only God truly knows that).
You should revisit Pope Benedict’s Caritas in Veritate. You’re talking about putting Sentiment ahead of Charity. You’re given the faculty of Reason for a purpose. Knee-jerk acts of “compassion” that neglect rational concerns about things like long-term consequences and addressing the real resources of suffering don’t qualify Charity and are found lacking virtue.

Giving an addict his drugs to avoid the pain of detox is an act of Sentiment that many people fall into when led astray by unreasoning notions of Compassion and Charity. Empathy and Sympathy do not alone form True Charity.
I do not really expect to change anyone’s mind here. Some of you (this is a general “you” not aimed at anyone specifically) may go on hating and persecuting others but I and many others will go on trying in our own small ways to do the opposite. I just wanted to make sure that anyone viewing this thread didn’t think that everyone who is Catholic is so callous towards illegal immigrants.
Likewise I’d like to make sure that people viewing this thread don’t think that everyone who is Catholic lacks a sense of Reasoning and Responsibility and simply ascribes to a “if it fees good, do it,” model of Charity.

I also hope they don’t get the impression that all Catholics lash out at others for their supposed “cruelty” every time someone challenges their Sentiment with a position of Reason.
  • Marty Lund
 
Afraid of the truth?

I do study on theology and History of the Church. The Crusades? Also as pointed out the Chuch does talk about migrants by having them obey the laws and uphold Civic Duties!

Does following the rules and filling out the paperwork come to mind?

The Church does not say that the Illegals should break the Laws?

Welcoming and be taken advantage of is two different things!
Yet you seem to continue to be non-responsive to posts wherein you’re cornered.
cf Post 140:
Best example and still no reponse from you:

"Did you hear of the healthcare bill?
The Bishops CONDEMNED it.

Are you living in some bubble?
Code:
As for the canon:
Canon 915 of the Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law states: 

"Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion."

Feel free to advise the Bishops re this.

The Church is slow to act with grave consequences.
It's called an act of patience and mercy.
Even excommunication itself exists as a call to REPENTANCE.

For example, 
how long the leash, how long the time before Lefebvre chose his own excommunication?
He was clergy, not random laity. A bishop, in fact. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by catharina; Today at 11:46 am. Reason: addition"
 
SSPX is something different.

Comparing SSPX and Leaders who support Abortion is Apples and Oranges!
Ah, you did respond belatedly.

Apples and oranges?
A Bishop who defied the Church?
Laity who defy the Church?

Apples and Oranges?
NOPE.
 
When traveling in foreign Countries you need to have a passport. If you don’t you could be in trouble.

Before entering any foreign country, do your homework, get the basics of the laws. Make sure you have proper ID.

Can you drive without a License or Car insurence?

When comming her make sure you have a pasport or ID card.

What is wrong with that?
OK, very few forgin countries (certainly that I would visit) have very many checkpoints set up. Certainly not random ones just to check your papers, this is something one would expect of communist russia, not a theoretically free nation.
 
OK, very few forgin countries (certainly that I would visit) have very many checkpoints set up. Certainly not random ones just to check your papers, this is something one would expect of communist russia, not a theoretically free nation.
Yep. You got it.
 
The animosity here underscores the passion on both sides - the desire to respect the law and the recognition of limited altruism on one hand, and the desire to oppose what is seen as unjust law while helping those in need of help on the other hand.

To understand someone’s statement you must understand their reason for the statement. The Catholic Church’s desire here is to uphold the dignity of the individual and admonish us (Catholic or otherwise) towards charity in that regard. In that light, it makes sense that bishops would oppose a law that may condone discriminatory treatment based upon racial appearance. If undocumented persons are parishoners in the diocese, the bishops are rightly concerned with their treatment and well-being as well. There’s also the concern over reasons prompting these folks to come to the U.S. illegally anyway - whether Mexico is really doing anything to help the poor in Jalisco or D.F., or just allowing them to become the U.S.'s problem.

I also understand the support of the law - having grown up in Chicago I lived and worked where undocumented persons really do have a negative impact. The special school district where my stepmother worked, for example, is in a heavily Latino area, with most coming from Northern parts of Mexico. These aren’t wealthy folks - they come to the U.S. seeking jobs and stay with relatives, so they tend to cluster in tight-knit communities. Understandable, my Austrian ancestors did the same a century ago. The difficulty arises in that the school gets funding from the State based on the number of taxpayers in the community - and undocumented persons do not pay taxes. This is less of an issue when it is a handful, but at this school it was close to 40%. You ended up with an underfunded, overcrowded school where resources were woefully inadequate but the school had to take in every child (by State law) whether it had room or not. The school district did not have the resources to hire an officer to verify residency status - and when it tried the district was blocked by actions of the city council, members of which counted upon the undocumented persons for financial and other support, including through rampant voter fraud.

The charity issue is most difficult because altruistic ability is always limited while the potential human need is very great here. I’d like to see ours be a more selfless society, but even if it were there is only so much to go around and choices have to be made.

I can only imagine the passions in Arizona, Texas and southern California where populations of undocumented persons are likely much higher - where their needs are more apparant and so is the distress of those who oppose their living in the U.S. in defiance of Federal law.
 
Yup, which is why nobody can produce any evidence of new “papers checkpoints” being developed at this time. It is all speculation by people who are largely ignorant of the law to incite hatred while accusing the “other side” of being “haters.” In that respect it reminds me of the Prop 8 protest fiasco in California not too long ago.

There are certainly already Federal checkpoints at ports of entry and the Hoover Dam. We also have state DPS smuggling check-points and drunk-driving check-points to enforce existing laws.

Nice feature of this law as well: making soliciting work on sidewalks and roads illegal. I suppose you could try to spin that as “checkpoints” for day-laborers. We do, however, already have legitimate day labor centers in Arizona that do not block traffic.

The true design of this law’s enforcement provisions is to make it illegal for Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon to fire police officers who violate his politically motivate policies and actually check the status of suspected illegal aliens who are stopped for traffic infractions, trespassing, domestic violence, drug possession, public intoxication, etc. If you manage to get yourself a traffic ticket or a night in the drunk tank and can’t produce valid ID, a SSN, or find any other way to validate your identity and legal residence status then the cops should detain you and run your status - no matter what color you are.
  • Marty Lund
 
Yup, which is why nobody can produce any evidence of new “papers checkpoints” being developed at this time. It is all speculation by people who are largely ignorant of the law to incite hatred while accusing the “other side” of being “haters.” In that respect it reminds me of the Prop 8 protest fiasco in California not too long ago.

There are certainly already Federal checkpoints at ports of entry and the Hoover Dam. We also have state DPS smuggling check-points and drunk-driving check-points to enforce existing laws.

Nice feature of this law as well: making soliciting work on sidewalks and roads illegal. I suppose you could try to spin that as “checkpoints” for day-laborers. We do, however, already have legitimate day labor centers in Arizona that do not block traffic.
  • Marty Lund
That doesn’t just affect illegals, particularly in this economy so I can see the Church disagreeing on this point as well… As for the rest of it, you’re right I’m not an expert on the law I said as much in my first post. My point is, the verbage of the law seems to lend it’s self exactly to this. Why not just remove whatever leaniancy that might have existed in existing laws? States certainly already had the right to deport people illegally in nation, why create verbage that allows for random checkpoints to be set up?

I can understand a desire to be tough on immagration (personally I would love to see it easier for people to come legally, but that’s an aside). But we should do so with out taking extreme draconian steps.
 
I am stunned that you do not know that Illegal Immigration is “FEDERAL CRIME” in the U.S. and is punshable.


Also did you answer my question about “Sould Illegals go throughthe process and fill out the paperwork, Learn English and Assimulate?”
Not everything that is a crime in the federal law is immoral.

As for your question: I do think that there should be a process for illigal immigrants to be able to get temporary residence/work permits or even permanent residence. However, I do not think that they should be forced to learn English and Assimilate. 1) what do you mean by assimilate? do you mean they should adopt American culture? but then should we not force the Amish to assimilate? 2) Spanish has been in use longer in parts of the US than English (i.e California). So Spanish is an adequate language to get around in.
 
You probaly forgot to mention that people who are anti Illegal Immigration are xenophobic!

What is wrong with obeying the law?

America has a faberic that comes unwound when Illegal Immigration gets ignored**. Open borders cause 9-11.** Soverignty is at stake. It is unfair that Illegals get Student loans, Health Care, Jobs, and Housing. While Hard working Americans who followed the Law, went to school, had jobs and then the jobs went over the border and overseas. How do think they feel when they have to support their family while the Illegals are taking the jobs, Housekeeping, Construction or food service and they are on the unemployment line? How do you think they feel when the Bishops say to give to support the poor migrant workers while there own family is starving?
Actually, all the 911 hijackers were in the US legally.
 
That doesn’t just affect illegals, particularly in this economy so I can see the Church disagreeing on this point as well…
Yes, it doesn’t just affect illegals. It is a good law all around. Our parkways and thoroughfares are not for haggling with, loading, and unloading of workers.
As for the rest of it, you’re right I’m not an expert on the law I said as much in my first post. My point is, the verbage of the law seems to lend it’s self exactly to this. Why not just remove whatever leaniancy that might have existed in existing laws? States certainly already had the right to deport people illegally in nation, why create verbage that allows for random checkpoints to be set up?
Please, cite some verbiage that provides for setting up check-points that weren’t already permitted under Arizona state law?
I can understand a desire to be tough on immagration (personally I would love to see it easier for people to come legally, but that’s an aside). But we should do so with out taking extreme draconian steps.
Beyond “draconian” being a subjective term, all the “draconian” tactics I’ve seen suggested so far have been the fevered dreams of partisans rather than anything substantiated with evidence.
  • Marty Lund
 
Actually, all the 911 hijackers were in the US legally.
Wrong.

All the 911 hijackers entered legally. They did not remain in the U.S. legally. They violated the terms of their VISAs and several had them expire.

Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the whole group caught a ticket for driving without a license while his VISA was expired. If local law enforcement had run his immigration status like SB1070 requires now he’d have been detained, arrested, and investigated.
  • Marty Lund
 
Yes, it doesn’t just affect illegals. It is a good law all around. Our parkways and thoroughfares are not for haggling with, loading, and unloading of workers.
It saddens me that you feel this way, the people in this position are in their greatest moments of needing Charity. Sure you have people who we might classify as “bumbs”, but you know what? It’s not our job to evaluate the condition and status of someone’s heart. I would suggest mediating on (perhaps alectio divina) on Matthew 31 on through the end of the chapter. It’s quite applicable here.
Please, cite some verbiage that provides for setting up check-points that weren’t already permitted under Arizona state law?
Like I said, I haven’t read the laws but there are all sorts of allutions in reports I’ve read such as

foxnews.com/world/2010/04/26/arizona-immigration-conflict-heats/
The new law makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. Immigrants unable to produce documents showing they are allowed to be in the U.S. could be arrested, jailed for up to six months and fined $2,500.
Arizona officers would arrest people found to be undocumented and turn them over to federal immigration officers. Opponents said the federal government can block the law by refusing to accept them.
There have been more than just this, but I really can’t do an exhastive search right now.
Beyond “draconian” being a subjective term, all the “draconian” tactics I’ve seen suggested so far have been the fevered dreams of partisans rather than anything substantiated with evidence.
  • Marty Lund
If we start demanding peoples paper work on the streets, then yes that is quite draconian… And it’s not unreasoble to see this as the logical ends, as otherwise this law makes no changes to existing statutes in this regard and there for would be wasted ink in the law.
 
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