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  1. #1
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
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    Immigration Could Get Push From Pope Francis

    By Emily Wilkins
    Roll Call Staff
    Aug. 20, 2015, 1:30 p.m.

    Many advocates for revamping immigration laws have tried to coax Congress into action over the years, but a particularly powerful one will be arriving next month: Pope Francis.

    Lawmakers and immigration activists expect the pontiff’s message will resonate beyond Capitol Hill and inspire members of Congress and their constituents. The pope's U.S. schedule includes an address to Congress on Sept. 24 and a meeting two days later with immigrants and Hispanic families at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall.

    “He’s been clear on our failure to respond appropriately to immigrants and refugees,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told CQ. “I don’t think anyone will have any doubt on where the church stands on immigration after the pope visits the United States.”

    Pope Francis has been vocal about the treatment of immigrants since he became the head of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013. Last year, he called the surge of Central American children crossing the border into the United States a “humanitarian emergency.” In a June encyclical letter on climate change, Francis noted the “tragic rise” of immigrants fleeing poverty.

    The Holy Father would enter the United States by crossing the Mexican border if he had the time, according to Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the head of a papal advisory group of cardinals, during remarks in March before a Georgetown University audience.

    McGovern, one of 169 Catholics in Congress, noted many Catholics might not be familiar with the church's catechism that “more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood, which he cannot find in his country of origin.”

    He said he hopes the pope’s words will affect his colleagues who are opposed to a comprehensive immigration overhaul and encourage them to reflect on their actions.

    “It may move some, it may not move others,” McGovern told CQ. “But I hope it makes those who have been obstructionist feel uncomfortable.”

    Efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration bill stalled in the 113th Congress. Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said there would be no all-encompassing immigration legislation this year or next because of President Barack Obama’s executive actions.

    But advocates are hoping Francis will lend some momentum to a body where nearly a third of its members are Catholic. Several members in leadership are Catholic, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-L.A., and Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill.

    Also on that list is House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, a devout Catholic who has invited the last three popes to address Congress.

    Boehner told reporters last month that he is not planning on picking any fights with the pontiff. He is looking forward to meeting the pope and hearing his speech, said spokeswoman Emily Schillinger.

    “It will be the first time a pope has visited our Capitol building and also the first time a Pope has addressed a joint session of Congress,” she said in a statement. “While we cannot predict his remarks, we expect he’ll discuss issues that are important to Americans from all walks of life and on both sides of the aisle.”

    Immigration advocates would like the pope’s words to translate into action by Congress, whether it’s a sweeping immigration bill or by working to end family detention centers. Jeanne Atkinson, executive director for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said the biggest impact of the pope’s speech could come from outside Washington, D.C.

    “It will have some impact, and that impact will motivate people to reach out to their member of Congress,” she said. “What I would like to see come out of it is people becoming aware of this issue and aware that the church cares about it and from there trying to educate themselves further.”

    http://cdn.rollcall.com/news/immigra...nopagination=1
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    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    McGovern, one of 169 Catholics in Congress, noted many Catholics might not be familiar with the church's catechism that “more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood, which he cannot find in his country of origin.”
    That is the most ridiculous "catechism" I've ever heard from a Pope who and a church that has never taken in a refugee into their own highly prosperous "nation".

    The Catholic Church needs to first tend to its own flock and care for its own where they are citizens before it tells other nations what to do with people in countries where the Catholic philosophy has failed.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

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    Democrats Try to Recruit Pope Francis for Immigration Cause

    by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.
    23 Aug 2015

    In preparation for Pope Francis’ U.S. visit next month, many Democrats are attempting to enlist the Pope as an advocate for their vision of immigration reform.

    “He’s been clear on our failure to respond appropriately to immigrants and refugees,” said Rep. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). “I don’t think anyone will have any doubt on where the church stands on immigration after the pope visits the United States.”

    Advocates are reportedly hoping Francis will lend momentum to congressional immigration reform, where nearly a third of its members are Catholic. Several key members in leadership are Catholic, including House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-IL). Though they oppose Church teaching on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and provisions for religious liberty, they would like to see the Pope aid them in pushing for revised immigration laws.

    “Whether it’s climate change or hunger or taking care of the poor, the Pope’s message is really the embodiment of what Catholic social teaching has been about, historically,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who traveled to Rome to witness the pope’s installation two years ago.

    McGovern, one of 169 Catholics in Congress, who has consistently voted to expand abortion rights in opposition to the Church’s teaching, said that many Catholics might not be familiar with the church’s catechism that “more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood, which he cannot find in his country of origin.”

    Oddly, McGovern failed to cite the very next line from the Catholic Catechism, which in no way endorses an open borders approach to immigration:

    Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.

    The Church’s insistence on the obligation of immigrants to respect the laws of the countries into which they wish to migrate, provides an important counterweight to a platform that merely emphasizes the rights of immigrants.

    Illegal immigration has never been a part of Catholic teaching, and is not supported by Pope Francis, despite his encouragement of nations to be welcoming to those seeking political asylum or simply a better life.

    Last year, the Pope called the surge of Central American children crossing the border into the United States a “humanitarian emergency” and in June spoke of the “tragic rise” of immigrants fleeing poverty in his encyclical letter on responsible stewardship for creation.

    Kevin Appleby, the policy director on migration for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., said: “What we do know from his record is that it’s an issue close to his heart” and “one of the issues central to his papacy.”

    In a message issued in August 2013 for last year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis wrote: “Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity and should be accorded ‘their human dignity’ in the countries where they reside.”

    House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH) is also a practicing Catholic and is the one responsible for inviting Pope Francis to address Congress.

    Boehner has told reporters that he is looking forward to meeting the pope and hearing his speech, according to spokeswoman Emily Schillinger.

    “It will be the first time a pope has visited our Capitol building and also the first time a Pope has addressed a joint session of Congress,” she said in a statement. “While we cannot predict his remarks, we expect he’ll discuss issues that are important to Americans from all walks of life and on both sides of the aisle.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...gration-cause/
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