Pastoral Letter 2000

Mary of the Magnificat, Mother of the Poor

"Woman of the magnificat, servant-singer, lowly and lovely Lady, coming in haste with the compassion of God

surging beneath your flesh, gather us under your cloak. Remind us that there is room for all of us and there

is welcome abundance of Mercy."

Megan McKenna

image©Wm. McNichols, S.J.

http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/

"Welcoming The Stranger Among Us"

A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops

Issued by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, November 15, 2000

A Tradition of Welcome and Pastoral Concern

This call is based on the rich heritage of Scripture and the Church's teaching. The patriarchs themselves were nomads. Settled by the hand of God in the time of Abraham, they soon migrated to Egypt, where they suffered oppression and were delivered once again by God's hand. From this experience comes a deep appreciation for the plight of the migrant, underlined in the words of Scripture:

"You shall not oppress an alien; you well know how it feels to be an alien,

since you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt"

Exodus 23:9

" You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you,

have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once

strangers in the land of Egypt "

Lv 19:33-34

" Woe to the legislators of infamous laws,
to those who issue tyrannical decrees,
who refuse justice to the unfortunate
and cheat the poor among my

people of their rights."

Isaiah 10:1

The Migration for Survival

We must never forget that many immigrants come to this country in desperate circumstances. Some have fled political persecution, war, and economic devastation, particularly from Southeast Asia in the 1970s, Central America and the Caribbean in the 1980s, and the former Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union, and Africa in the 1990s. Others have wagered on finding a better life in this country in the face of economic desperation at home. As Pope John Paul II has noted, "In many regions of the world today people live in tragic situations of instability and uncertainty. It does not come as a surprise that in such contexts the poor and the destitute make plans to escape, to seek a new land that can offer them bread, dignity and peace. This is the migration of the desperate. . . . Unfortunately, the reality they find in host nations is frequently a source of further disappointment".

(Message on World Migration Day 2000, no. 4).

Undocumented Immigrants

One reality remains constant in the American experience of immigration: the demand of the U.S. economy for unskilled labor—and the corresponding entrance of immigrants seeking work—in labor-intensive industries such as agriculture, construction, food processing, and services. Undocumented immigrants face special hardships in such areas. The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that three to four million undocumented workers hold jobs in this country, many of which are poorly paid, insecure, and dangerous. They face discrimination in the workplace and on the streets, the constant threat of arrest and deportation, and the fear that they or their children will be denied medical care, education, or job opportunities. Many have lived in the United States for years, establishing roots in their communities, building their families, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy. If arrested and deported, they leave behind children and sometimes spouses who are American citizens. While the changes in the law over the last several years have enabled many in this situation to adjust their status to that of permanent resident, the 1996 immigration legislation made this option more difficult for the vast majority. Without condoning undocumented migration, the Church supports the human rights of all people and offers them pastoral care, education, and social services, no matter what the circumstances of entry into this country, and it works for the respect of the human dignity of all—especially those who find themselves in desperate circumstances. We recognize that nations have the right to control their borders. We also recognize and strongly assert that all human persons, created as they are in the image of God, possess a fundamental dignity that gives rise to a more compelling claim to the conditions worthy of human life. Accordingly, the Church also advocates legalization opportunities for the maximum number of undocumented persons, particularly those who have built equities and otherwise contributed to their communities.

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