their own country to venture into the unknown." Frequently, however, "the reality they find in host nations is ... a source of further disappointment." And is this disappointment the inevitable result of the host nation's depletion of resources? Sometimes, yes, but too often it is simply the manifestation of "a public opinion disturbed by inconveniences that accompany ... immigration under what terms, the USCCB has this to say: "The native does not have superior rights over the immigrant. Before God all are equal; the earth was given by God to all. When a person cannot achieve a meaningful life in his or her own land, that person has the right to move." He has the right to seek domicile in a place that can provide him with the means to build a life worthy of his human dignity. Natives of more comfortable societies, however, do not have the right to force him to live in fear and want simply because we prefer to keep our lands to ourselves. Rather, even in cases when immigration must be restricted, "a sincere commitment to the needs of all must prevail." The American bishops continue, "While people have the right to move, no country has the duty to receive so many immigrants that its social and economic life are jeopardized." And it must be added that no country has the duty to receive immigrants who would jeopardize its safety. If a country has reliable information that an individual wishes to enter the country with evil intentions, of course that country's government is obligated to turn that person away in order to protect the innocent. This disturbing exception aside, a nation's refusal to well-intentioned would-be immigrants cannot be its final word. Every nation at all times should do what it can "to make it unnecessary for people to leave their own land": to prevent that desperation that Pope St. John Paul II described. In other words, if the bridge we extend to migrating people cannot be a bridge of welcome, it must always be a bridge of genuine concern that proves itself in our constant efforts to help make other lands suitable places to live in plenty and peace. Now, as in the earliest days of humanity, the answer to the ancient question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) is yes. And when we do encounter the immigrants among us, whatever their status, God's standards for our treatment of them are clear. "While we do not neglect whatever material assistance is permitted," Pope Pius XII wrote in the apostolic constitution Exsul Familia Nazarethana, "we seek primarily to aid them with spiritual consolation" - seeing in these wandering ones the Holy Family, weary and exiled; remembering that they, too, are beloved of the Lord, who notices the fall of every sparrow, and who promised His friends, "Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me" (Mt 10:40). Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration From article Part 3: Immigration by Marian Friedrichs: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/part-3-immigration The Catholic Church in the United States is an immigrant Church with a long history of embracing diverse newcomers and providing assistance and pastoral care to immigrants, migrants, refugees, and people on the move. Our Church has responded to Christ’s call for us to “welcome the stranger among us,” for in this encounter with the immigrant, the migrant, and the refugee in our midst, we encounter Christ. Excerpt from Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration from USCCB: https:// www.usccb.org/committees/migration/immigration To learn more, please check out the following resources: Migration and the Social Doctrine of the Church by Fr. Michael A. Blume, S.V.D., Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/migrants/pom2002_88_90/rc_pc_migrants_pom88-89_blume.htm Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope 2003 pastoral statement written by the U.S. Bishops together with the Bishops of Mexico https://www.usccb.org/committees/pastoral-care-migrants-refugees-travelers/welcoming-stranger-among-us-unity-diversity Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity 2001 pastoral statement written by the U.S. Bishops https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/strangers-no-longer-together-on-the-journey-of-hope
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==