July 8, 2018 - "Three Basic Principles of Catholic Social Teaching continued"

I want to continue a reflection on the three basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching on immigration.  This is largely adapted on material found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website:  www.usccb.org.  Today I want to discuss the third basic principle:  a country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy.
 
The second principle of Catholic social teaching on immigration (A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration) may seem to negate the first principle of Catholic social teaching on immigration (People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families).  However, principles one and two must be understood in the context of principle three.  All Catholic social teaching, moreover, must be understood in light of the absolute equality of all people and the commitment to the common good.
 
A country’s regulation of borders and control of immigration must be governed by concern for all people and by mercy and justice.  A nation may not simply decide that it wants to provide for its own people and no others.  A sincere commitment to the needs of all must prevail.
 
In our modern world where communication and travel are much easier, the burden of emergencies cannot be placed solely on nations immediately adjacent to each other.  Justice dictates that the world community contribute resources toward shelter, food, medical services, and basic welfare.
 
Even in the case of less urgent migrations, a developed nation’s right to limit immigration must be based on justice, mercy, and the common good, not on self-interest.  Moreover, immigration policy ought to take into account other important values such as the right of families to live together.  A merciful immigration policy will not force married couples or children to live separated from their families for long periods.
 
Undocumented immigrants present a special concern. Often their presence is considered criminal since they arrive without legal permission.  Under the harshest view, undocumented people may be regarded as undeserving of rights or services.  This is not the view of Catholic social teaching.  The Catholic Church teaches that every person has basic human rights and is entitled to have basic human needs met—food, shelter, clothing, education, and health care.  Undocumented persons are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by employers, and they are not able to complain because of the fear of discovery and deportation.  Current immigration policy that criminalizes the mere attempt to immigrate and imprisons immigrants who have committed no crime or who have already served a just sentence for a crime is immoral.  In the Bible, God promises that our judgment will be based on our treatment of the most vulnerable.  Before God we cannot excuse inhumane treatment of certain persons by claiming that their lack of legal status deprives them of rights given by the Creator.
 
Finally, immigration policy that allows people to live here and contribute to society for years but refuses to offer them the opportunity to achieve legal status does not serve the common good.  The presence of millions of people living without easy access to basic human rights and necessities is a great inhuman injustice.
 
 It is the position of the Catholic Church that pastoral, educational, medical, and social services provided by the Church are never conditioned on legal status.  All persons are invited to participate in our parishes, attend our schools, and receive other services offered by our institutions and programs.
 
Finally, on January 22, 2003, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued “Strangers No More Together on the Journey of Hope:  A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States,” which made reference to Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), the last encyclical issued by Saint John XXIII in 1963.  Good Pope John has some valuable things to say on immigration there, as reported by the Bishops of Mexico and the United States:
 
In his landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris, Blessed [now Saint] Pope John XXIII expands the right to migrate as well as the right to not have to migrate: "Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confines of his own country; and, when there are just reasons for it, the right to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there." Pope John XXIII placed limits on immigration, however, when there are "just reasons for it." Nevertheless, he stressed the obligation of sovereign states to promote the universal good where possible, including an obligation to accommodate migration flows. For more powerful nations, a stronger obligation exists.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John