The Diocese of Gaylordrecently published an article by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, former Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord and now the Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul, in which he called for “comprehensive immigration reform”, a code word for the allowance of massive immigration, most of it illegal, to be allowed and codified by law. Archbishop Hebda’s article is full of cliches, word salad, and vague nods to law enforcement and “mercy” for those who are here illegally. But in keeping with the appropriate norms of political correctness, he refrains from using the term illegal alien or illegal immigrant. Instead, he uses the term “undocumented”, as if this is somehow an acceptable category of what is blatantly illegal.
Catholic teaching is clear on the topic of legal vs. illegal: following the law, as long as it does not contradict Church teaching and natural law, is an obligation. Failure to follow legitimate and non-immoral laws established by governments, whether secular or not, is considered sinful.
Archbishop Hebda recognizes the duty of governments to set up appropriate immigration laws:
“The nation was poorly served by those who threw the border open. The flood of migrants overwhelmed local communities, eroded public trust and weakened the rule of law. Compassion divorced from order isn’t compassion at all; it’s negligence.”
However, he then turns to the topic of illegal immigration by not acknowledging the immorality of illegal immigration. He infuses a false notion of “solidarity” and puts illegal and legal immigrants on equal footing when he says we need to stand together with them:
“At the same time, it’s wrong to blame undocumented immigrants themselves, many of whom came here seeking safety, work or family reunification. Solidarity can’t be selective. We must stand with citizens and undocumented immigrants together as human beings created in God’s image.”
Archbishop Hebda then engages in contradictory statements. He reiterates that nations have a right to a border but that illegal immigrants need to be given “mercy” and “hospitality”, ie, we need to turn a blind eye on the illegality and sinfulness of their actions.
“Nations have the right and duty to secure their borders and enforce their laws. Immigrants are human beings with natural rights that must be respected. Authentic justice requires both the rule of law and mercy, both accountability and hospitality.”
Enter Strangers No Longer
In the context of the above article comes a new layer in the saga of illegal immigration. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops, through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), is giving yet another pile of money to an organization called Strangers No Longer (SNL – not to be confused with the raunchy, has been comedy show Saturday Night Live) to develop “what it calls “Circles of Support” to accompany immigrant communities and provide advocacy and education in Catholic parishes and schools.” According to an article in the Detroit Catholic, SNL “aims to utilize the grant to establish Circles of Support in Saginaw, Grand Rapids, and Gaylord, thereby supporting immigrant communities throughout the state.” The article then states the following: “We received permission from the bishops in these dioceses to expand our work in their dioceses,” Bill O’Brien, executive director of Strangers No Longer, told Detroit Catholic.“
The article quotes Fr. David Buersmeyer, state chaplain for SNL, with an absurd proclamation regarding illegal immigration: “The Church approaches people as human beings; we don’t divide them legally here and not legally here.” Really? Has Fr. Buersmeyer tried to enter the Vatican City state recently? According to the Vatican, those entering the grounds of the Vatican (with the exception of certain museums and St. Peter’s basilica) are required to have a valid passport and possibly a visa, just for starters.
So is Strangers No Longer going to work with illegal immigrants to maintain their illegality? What is the involvement of the Diocese of Gaylord with this organization? Will SNL be teaching (indoctrinating) Catholic school students on illegal immigration? How much is the Diocese of Gaylord contributing in monetary support, if any, for this organization?
Being welcome to immigrants is a basic moral obligation of every serious Catholic; turning a blind eye to illegal immigration is not. When our clergy blur the lines and sow confusion with vague terms such as “undocumented immigrants”, the faithful lose trust in them. When Archbishop Hebda calls illegal immigrants “law abiding”, he makes himself sound ridiculous. Instead of “comprehensive immigration reform”, perhaps we need “comprehensive clergy reform”?