Thread: Roger Mahony and Catholics Call for Open Borders

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9371973/detail.html

Mahony Calls For Humane Border Enforcement

POSTED: 3:39 pm PDT June 14, 2006
UPDATED: 3:45 pm PDT June 14, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony called on federal lawmakers Wednesday to pass immigration legislation that includes humane border enforcement and does not criminalize people who sneak across the borders.

"We are for regulating access to our country from all four borders in ways that respect the dignity of people," Mahony said at a news conference before the start of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Millennium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles.

Enforcement cannot criminalize undocumented workers because "it will just force people more underground and into the shadows," he said.

Mahony joined bishops from Orange, San Bernardino, New York and Tucson to discuss the church's continued support for illegal immigrants and federal legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship and guest worker program.

"The only solution to this problem, to this challenge is international cooperation," said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

Recognizing that many undocumented workers come from Mexico, the group said they would continee to work with church leaders in that country to address the economic problems that cause people to some to the United States illegally.

"It is a sad reality of immigration -- a people who love their land so much feel the need to abandon it for the survival of their own families," said Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto.

Enforcing laws against employers who hire undocumented people will not stop illegal immigration, the bishops said.

"The question is not to go after employers and sanction them -- it's giving them a system so they can check the facts they're given," DiMarzio said. "Make a system that works to have a labor market that operates properly."

Immigration is a humanitarian and moral issue -- not political, Mahony said.

"Laws and policies which infringe upon dignity and harm human life are wrong," he said.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be at the Biltmore through Saturday.

Bishops are expected to discuss adaptations of the Order of Mass, liturgical translations, and reports on a hurricane task force and Catholic Relief Services.

A report will also be presented by the Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Politicians. The bishops are expected to spend half a day on study and reflection on the theme of New Evangelization.

The We Are America Coalition, which Mahony has supported, also plans to host Citizenship Day July 1. As part of a nationwide effort, the coalition will assistant immigrants interested in becoming U.S. citizens.

http://www.pe.com

Bishops urge Congress to soften illegal immigration measures

By PETER PRENGAMAN

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

Representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Congress Wednesday to soften legislation cracking down on the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, and instead create a far-reaching legalization program giving them a path to citizenship.

The bishops said fortifying the U.S.-Mexico border wouldn't stop the flow of illegal immigrants, which they argued could only happen by expanding programs to allow more foreigners to enter the country legally and work.

"The problem is not at the border, it's in the labor market," said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y.

The bishops were in Los Angeles in preparation for a general meeting, Thursday through Saturday, that was expected to discuss immigration and other issues.

Catholic leaders, who helped organize protests that have brought hundreds of thousands to the streets in recent months in favor of immigrants' rights, have long criticized an immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives in December.

That bill would build more fences along the U.S.-Mexico border, criminalize people who help the undocumented, and make being in the country illegally a felony, up from a misdemeanor.

On Wednesday, the bishops criticized pieces of an immigration bill passed by the Senate in May that included a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants, but also fortifies the border by adding patrol agents and building more fences.

"While the Senate bill continues to have harmful provisions, it also has the key elements of a comprehensive reform," said Bishop Gerard Barnes of San Bernardino, who is chairmen of the bishops' committee on migration.

The bishops said the Senate's legalization plan, which has a three-tier system depending on how long an immigrant has been in country, was "unrealistic" and could open up the door to fraud and other abuses. They advocated a more inclusive program that wouldn't make distinctions.

They also criticized provisions in the Senate bill to streamline the removal process when illegal immigrants are apprehended, arguing they would infringe on due process.

The bishops took issue with the border-strengthening provisions in both bills, saying patrols and fences were not stopping the flow, and only put immigrants in danger.

On the border "we see persons who are being exploited by smugglers, and women and children who are dying in the desert," said Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The two reform bills were expected to be reconciled in a conference committee later this year.

Published: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 16:56 PDT

Wouldn't it be nice if the Catholic church, more specifically the priest, thought to treat our children as humanly as they are trying to treat the illegal immigrants?

Guess what Church Guys, you don't have a say! We the People Do! Better get ready to become a missionaries to Mexico!

By the way, we didn't make the illegal aliens commit the crimes, they did that all on their own. Believe me, I would prefer that they not commit the crime of illegally entering this country. If anything, it’s an act of self-criminalizing.

Also, the difference between crime and sin is that crime should not be forgiven. Even God Almighty condones punishment, otherwise, there would be no hell or a reason to practice Christianity. "The wager of sin is death". Many times God "punished" the children of Isreal...and even Adam and Eve. You don't get to pick and choose parts of the Bible.

Dixie

Who the hell does Mahony think he is? Oh yea, he's the great protector of child molesting priests. This man is the devil in disguise. He has no right, like the illegals, to be asking for anything. You love illegals, then pack a bag Mahony, and off you go to Mexico. They may want to listen to your crap, but we don't.

Somebody should tell Mahony that its NOT HIS JOB to monitor the borders. I guess the church's coffers are getting empty. Oops, I forgot, that was because of all the sexual molestation that went on. And now they are breaking another law. Oh my.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... 0979.story

Mahony urges U.S. to OK immigrant citizenship bill
By Anna Gorman
Times Staff Writer

June 15, 2006

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and several U.S. Catholic bishops called Wednesday for Congress to pass immigration legislation by the end of the year that would include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and create a temporary worker program that protects laborers' rights.

Mahony said legislators should do something now or the country will face the same issues in five years — with even more illegal immigrants.

"Our nation has an opportunity to make history at this moment by reforming the system comprehensively," Mahony said at a news conference at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where the U.S. bishops are holding their semiannual meeting. "We should not let this moment pass."

The Senate passed a bill last month that would set up a guest worker program and establish a tiered legalization program for illegal immigrants based on the time they have been in the country. The House passed a bill in December that focuses solely on enforcement. Both bills include provisions that would increase border security and crack down on employers who hire undocumented laborers.

Mahony, who has taken an active role in the immigration debate, said Wednesday that "political winds shift every single day" but that he hoped Congress would pass a bill that the Catholic Church could support.

The bishops said the tiered approach in the Senate bill is not realistic. A legalization program should give priority to illegal immigrants who have been here longer but should give everyone the same chance at green cards, they said.

I can just see Mahoney smiling face as he watches the offering plates working there way through the congregation.