Thread: Illegal Immigration and the Mexican Archbishop

www.chronwatch.com


Written by Robert Klein Engler
Sunday, May 29, 2005



Lost amid all the reams of paper, stacks of videos and bites in e-space about President Fox’s view of African-American workers is a more troublesome comment coming from an overlooked source.

CNN.com reports that “Even Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, the archbishop of Mexico City, criticized U. S. immigration policy as ridiculous and defended Fox’s comments, saying: “The declaration had nothing to do with racism. It is a reality in the United States that anyone can prove.�

That’s not the whole of Cardinal Carrera’s comments about immigration. He also has criticized the United States for “xenophobic attitudes� toward Mexican immigrants, calling it inconsistent to promote international free trade but refuse to let people cross the border for the basic human right to work. “Just as the borders are open to merchandise, that is all the more reason that the borders should be open to the human being,� said the Cardinal.

Why is the archbishop of Mexico City getting involved in the illegal immigration dispute between Mexico and the United States and defending President Fox and his remarks?



Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City is the spiritual leader of the world’s largest Roman Catholic diocese. Cardinal Rivera has more than 7 million Catholics in his care. The Catholic News Service maintains that the archdiocese of Mexico City averages about 150,000 baptisms a year--more than the entire Catholic population in many dioceses around the world. You’d think with all these baptisms the Cardinal would be too busy and stay out of the illegal immigration debate. There must be a reason why he sides with illegal immigrants and wants an invasion of Mexicans into the U. S.

Catholic News Service says that since he became archbishop of Mexico City in 1995 he has been in the news often, speaking on a wide range of social issues. To his credit, he has criticized Mexico’s drug cartel and government corruption and its complicity in the drug trade on numerous occasions.

But when the U. S. ambassador took Mexico to task for ineffective enforcement of drug laws, he issued a rebuke. “I don’t think the United States has the moral authority to criticize us,� he said. “They, too, suffer from this problem and haven’t been able to solve it.�



Placing the blame elsewhere does not solve the Mexican drug problem. Nor does disrespect for our national sovereignty solve the immigration problem. Certainly Cardinal Carrera must know that all Catholics are encouraged to follow the laws of the country where they live. Also, he must understand that the suffering of the poor in Mexico cannot be solved by encouraging them to flee to another culture and work for slave wages. Mexico’s social problems must be solved in Mexico, not in the U. S. by illegal immigrants.

In January 2003, as U. S. and British forces were preparing to invade Iraq, Cardinal Carrera joined Pope John Paul II in criticizing the invasion plans. “There does not have to be a war. It would be a disgrace to humanity if we go down this path,� the Cardinal said. What better way to make this point than to send millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico across the U. S. border to say it over again in Spanish?

Cardinal Carrera should be reminded that it is a principle of Thomistic theology that both the family and the state are natural and necessary for our earthly happiness. Respect for the family means respect for marriage and respect for the state means respect for its laws and borders. Furthermore, respect for the culture of indigenous peoples is no different from respect for the unique culture of those living in the United States. It is hard to imagine how following Thomistic theology we can justify illegal immigration or in the Cardinal’s words, “that the borders should be open...�



Although Cardinal Carrera is in favor of national unity when it comes to things Mexican, he seems not to be in favor of national unity when it comes to the U. S. protecting its borders. During the 1995 rebellion in Chiapas he made a plea for national unity and worried that Mexico might run the risk of coming apart. But when the U. S. decides on the national unity that comes with the enforcement of its immigration laws, he opposes such an effort.



The tone of the illegal immigration debate in the U. S. will change if Vatican politics meddles in it. None of this meddling will help the poor of Mexico find jobs or gain a living wage in their own country. Nor will it force Mexico to come to grips with its growing population problem, perhaps the most important underlying cause for poverty and unemployment there. The violation of U. S. immigration laws is not the way to Cardinal Carrera’s goal of social justice.

About the Writer: Robert Klein Engler is an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a versatile writer of op-ed articles, poetry, and philosophy. His recent book, "A Winter of Words," is available from amazon.com.

The Kardinal is a Kook....he doesn't know what the term "racist" means. He's Caucasian, Mexicans are Caucasians, who have built a country in Mexico with LESS THAN 1% BLACK POPULATION.

This simple little fact....tells it all about Mexico's view of blacks in their country as well as ours.

Mexico used to have a much larger black population, but they have SHUT BLACKS OUT, and reduced the population through attrition and inter-marriage.

The Kardinal is a Kook, who needs to put his hands in his pocket, keep his mouth shut, and stay the heck out of our Politics.

The Catholic Church as we know is part of the Open Borders Lobby. The Catholic Church is now headed by a new Pope who was a member of the Nazi Party in Germany!!

The Catholic Church in the United States is a 501 C 3 Religious Organization that also meddles and peddles politics trying to impact public policy and influence legislation in favor of Caucasians who happen to speak Spanish, EVEN THOUGH, such lobbying activities are completely ILLEGAL for 501 C 3 Religious Tax Exempt Organizations in the United States under IRS Tax Code.

And, if pushing agendas to benefit Caucasians to the detriment of minority groups in the United States is not blatant racism by word and deed, then I have no idea what the word "racism" means anymore.

GREAT POST, SIXX!!

These Catholic Bishops and Cardinals....clearly do not have enough Church Work to keep them Occupied. Maybe, they should get a Second Job flippin' burgers and see how the REAL WORLD REALLY LIVES!!

Eh????

These Catholic Bishops and Cardinals....clearly do not have enough Church Work to keep them Occupied. Maybe, they should get a Second Job flippin' burgers and see how the REAL WORLD REALLY LIVES!!

The Catholic Church as we know is part of the Open Borders Lobby. The Catholic Church is now headed by a new Pope who was a member of the Nazi Party in Germany!!

That’s not the whole of Cardinal Carrera’s comments about immigration. He also has criticized the United States for “xenophobic attitudes� toward Mexican immigrants, calling it inconsistent to promote international free trade but refuse to let people cross the border for the basic human right to work. “Just as the borders are open to merchandise, that is all the more reason that the borders should be open to the human being,� said the Cardinal

I vote to send CARDINAL CARRERA to DARFUR{sp}............maybe he can lend his wisdom to their problems

it looks like the "blame America" for Mexico's woes campaign is doing well; even the priests are repeating the refrain.....

I ONLY WISH we were more XENOPHOBIC.... letting 10 may be 20 million people illegally into the US, beyond normal immigration, hardly qualifies as xenopphobic, actually "suicidal' comes to mind...

...blacks were never a significant part of Mexico.... here the last two paragraphs from ENCARTA ref Mexican racial composition:
.................................................. .........
Mexico and the United States share a border that is 3,100 km (1,900 mi) long, much of which is formed by the Rio Grande, a major river known as the RÃÂ*o Bravo in Mexico. This international border is the longest in the world between an economically developing country and one with a highly developed, industrialized economy. This proximity has influenced Mexico’s internal and external migration patterns, prompting several million Mexicans to move north to the border region or to the United States itself. It has also affected the culture of both Mexico and the United States, fostering the development of a number of communities along the border that mix the cultures of both nations. Mexico covers an area of 1,964,382 sq km (758,452 sq mi).

The people of Mexico reflect the country’s rich history. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century soon led to widespread intermarriage and racial mixing between Spaniards and Native Americans. As late as the early 19th century, Native Americans accounted for nearly two-thirds of the population in the region. During that century, however, the racial composition of the country began to change from one that featured distinct European (Spanish) and indigenous populations, to one made up largely of mestizosâ€â€