Catholic Church Calls Members to Look Upon Immigrants with Compassion
By Kathryn Elliott | Nov 25, 2014 12:49 PM EST
From the pope straight down to the U.S. bishops, the institutional Roman Catholic position on immigration is clear-cut: "Welcome the stranger."
But people in the pews tend to ignore the church's message on the issue, turning their focus from the issue of personal dignity to questions surrounding the law and the economy. There is a particular misunderstanding within the American Catholic Church regarding faith's demands on the question of immigration reform.
At the Seventh World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants last week, Pope Francis conceded that migration can cause problems, both for the country of origin and for the receiving country - but he was clear that Christians should put the care of migrants and their right to development first.
"When encountering migrants," Francis said, "it is important to adopt an integrated perspective, capable of valuing their potential, rather than seeing them only as a problem to be confronted and resolved."
http://www.hngn.com/articles/50727/20141125/catholic-church-calls-members-to-look-upon-immigrants-with-compassion-reports-hngn-vatican-correspondent-kathryn-elliott.htm