The bishops cannot condemn illegal immigration the way that the laity wants it done, because it would create a major conflict with the Vatican since Pope John Paul included the Church’s stand on immigrants and their rights in Evangelium Vitae. The Church does not acknowledge illegal immigration as we do. She defines it very differently.
For us, it means someone who does not have the right papers. For the Church it means someone who enters a country with the intent to do harm. Read Evangelium Vitae and you’ll find that the key issue on this and other social moral issues is human dignity. We must advocate for the protection of human dignity by all parties invovled, the country of origin and the counry of destination and anyone in between who deals with immigrants.
Deportation, is on the Church’s list of sins against human dignity. I don’t believe it made the list because the Church does not believe that people can or should be deported. I believe it made the list because of the manner of the deportations and the attitude of the people who are desiring it. The venom, the anger, the hatred for the immigrant that is often displayed in the process or even the desire for deportation is beneath human dignity.
The other issue is the deportation of a criminal. This raises a serioius moral concern. It is one thing to send a criminal from one prison to another. It is quite another thing to send a criminal over the fence where he will run free to do harm again. Those authorities who catch the criminal have a moral duty to society, not just their country, to protect the innocent by rendering the criminal harmless. Throwing him over the fence does not render him harmless and does not guarrantee that he will not climb over again.
This brings us back to the topic of this article. You folks want to talk immigration. But the topic of this article is not immigration. It’s a broken legal system. This young man was caught DUI twice. Why did he have a third chance? What were the consequences the other times? Why does he have a license? The article does not raise those questions. They drone on and on about illegal immigration.
Well, the fact is that the follly of youth, which is what this was, has caused a life. That folloy is common to nationals, resident immigrants and undocumented immigrants. But the folly of youth can only be corrected with proper discipline. Where was the law when this happened before?
It seems that they messed up big time. Now they have a body on their hands and they want to do the Pilate thing. Wash their hands of the nun’s blood by attracting attention to the fac that this kid is an illegal immigrant.
THIS KID WAS CAUGHT BY THE SAME PEOPLE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, TWICE, WHAT HAPPENED?
I don’t care if he’s illegal or the son of the President. It does not change the fact that they messed up and are not trying to distract their critics. That’s my hometown and I know how they operate. They mess up and the find a scapegoat. This time they can pin it all on immigration. But we have had a serious problem with DUI in our town for years. They’re all kids between 16 - 25. Everyone seems to believe that “kids will be kids”.
I too believe that kids do foolish things. But when I stuck things into the electric outlet, it was foolish and my mom spanked my hands. I learned not to be foolish. OK, not that way. I became an expert fool in orther areas. LOL
My message is, don’t let yourselves be sucked in by the purpose of this article, to distract people because the County getting sued by the nun’s family. They did not mention this in their reporting. They are not getting sued because the boy is illegal, but because he’s a repeat offender. The county knew about his drinking and dirving and he was always allowed to walk away.
We’ve been doing business this way in my home country for over 20 years.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
