One bishop, you mean.
Individual members of USCCB do not necesarily reflect the view of “the bishops” generally. It would be a good thing if eventually the USCCB was reformed so media people cannot use the statement of one or two USCCB members to be falsely represented as the view of “the bishops of the U.S.” The tactic is used to deceive Catholics, and those members of the USCCB (both lay and clerical) ought to be more careful about seeming to represent their own political views as, somehow, doctrine that’s binding on Catholics.
But it isn’t so at present, and so the manipulation of Catholics by this political tactic goes on. It’s no wonder many Catholics are confused about what the Church actually teaches.
The truth lies somewhere in between. Now, the post you quoted links to the National catholic Fishwrap, which for all intents and purposes is an unreliable source when it comes to learning the official standing of the Church, or the national episcopal conference USCCB, or even an individual bishop. Fortunately, it was just them parroting a press release.
The press release comes from the USCCB itself. This can be counted as one mark in its favor.
Another good sign is that the quotes are not from just a random bishop of Anytown, USA, but
Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration. So we can see that he is a respected member and ostensibly the point-man and spokesperson for issues of immigration when it comes to the USCCB.
Now, we already know that the regional episcopal conferences do not have much authority except that which is explicitly delegated to them by the law. They do not have immediate teaching authority and they are not equipped to proclaim definitive doctrine on faith and morals.
However, the teaching of the Church needs interpretation and cultural adaptation. We, the laity, cannot merely pick up a Catechism, or a papal encyclical, and arbitrarily apply it to our own place and time without pastoral guidance. Nor can we take out of context the statements of priests and bishops meant to be caring for their own flock. Archbishop Gomez’s words do not apply to an influx of Asian immigrants to the United Kingdom. But I think we can safely say that they apply generally to the citizens of the United States. He is duly delegated to speak for those bishops concerned by local and federal immigration policies. He is not contradicting Church teaching or commanding anyone to sin. He is interpreting the universal and eternal Truth and dispensing advice for our own place and time. He is offering not doctrine, but commentary on doctrine.
Political views are tricky, and politicians do best in the arts of deception and hypocrisy. We have seen how murmurs of assent to passage of the Obamacare law turned into a clamor of regret for the HHS mandate and abortion funding. Sometimes, the bishops, like all the voters in the US, must choose the lesser of two or three evils when choosing a position. We can’t make the nation perfect. We can only hope to improve its current state, and prevent us from slipping down a slope of immorality and atheism. Two-party, partisan politics are not ideally suited to working out compromise arrangements; democratic decision-making is sometimes foreign to Catholics in a world of religious congregations and papal monarchy. But the bishops are struggling to make it work here, and I must say they are doing a better job day by day, as the Holy Father makes many judicious appointments and reassignments in the American Church.
If anyone wishes to know the positions of the USCCB on immigration,
here is a FAQ document, and from there you may link to a vast library of press releases and other information regarding the current political situation across the US.
Listen to your own bishop. Listen to your priest. Form your conscience. Don’t let them command you to sin, but don’t place yourself or your politics as an authority over the Holy Spirit working through the Church. And in the end, remember that this life is fleeting and we can only hope to achieve personal holiness and the eternal Reward of Heaven.
Are you a Browns fan? Or Bengals?
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