RENEWING HOPE SEEKING JUSTICE

 Cardinal Roger Mahoney highlighted the following points:

We have an immigration system that has failed and unable to establish a reform that has justice for all.

The failures of immigration have been the separation of families, racial profiling and the worse getting to the point to try to criminalize those who help immigrants. The United States have created an atmosphere that is unwelcoming to the new immigrants. It has created a fear and a negative atmosphere for immigrants. The punitive efforts that have been tried have not been able to solve all the problems. It underestimates the spirit of hope of the immigrants. The people that seek justice, refuge are placed under custody….under detention. Human trafficking has also caused many problems. However, not all hope has been lost. We have the skills to reform the policies.

How can the Church reframe these policies? How can immigrants be protected?

Migration is an act, an act which is hopeful. Immigrants give themselves to others and they can teach us how to be Christians. Most immigrants are self-sacrifice themselves for others. They can help evangelize us. Hope is central to the life of the Church. It is Christ who gives us the strength. Christ himself was an iterant. Jesus teaches us that we should be welcoming to the strangers in Matthew. The gospel of John teaches us about the encountered of the Woman in the well. Jesus performed a transformation act.

By being welcoming we spread love. But Jesus also called into authority to be transformed. He called tax collectors to follow him. We to must reach out to government officials; we have to express hope, a hope which gives courage even in the most hopeless situations. But hope involves action. We need to protect immigrants with a system that is just. What must we do?

First we need to speak clearly to immigrants that they can count on The Roman Catholic Church to legalize their status in the United States. 2. We must hold accountable those who need our vote. They need to use rhetoric that does not harm immigrants; the candidates need to engage in a civil discussion about immigrants. 3. We must change the attitude toward an ongoing education and address the misunderstandings. We need to educate Catholics. 4. We must continue to provide pastoral care to immigrants, including legal assistance. 5. We need to work for a reform; we must use the pass failures to come to success. We need to correct the unjust laws so that they can respect basic human dignity.

We need to repair the law in two areas. Family unity, the root causes of migration. We need an economic development in the neighboring countries. The government should pursue economic policies so that they can assist these countries stabilize the economic situation. We need to protect family unity; families should be able to remain together. We cannot lose hope. Hope is in God’s hands. Hope is what I can hope for, 2. It will be difficult, 3. What I hope for can come to be a reality. The Church must remain a source of hope and we must have faith in God.