On the evening America celebrated its 250th birthday, Dublin’s archbishop named anti-immigrant hatred for what it is — while Pope Leo prayed with migrants on Lampedusa.
While I know that online commenters do not necessarily represent the true feelings and beliefs of most people, the sad fact is they do provide an outlet for our ugliest impulses. Worse than that, they normalize those impulses---after a time, through dint of repetition, they make them seem commonplace and even acceptable.
I am beyond saddened when I see online commenters or politicians blandly declaring--in the aftermath of some heartbreaking incident or atrocity in which an immigrant is injured or even killed--that this is the price of illegality, that they "brought it on themselves" by "being illegal."
Pope Leo doesn't let the human conscience off the hook that easily.
Whatever our abstract feelings about immigration law, however fiercely we may believe in the importance of strong national borders, he reminds us again and again that we cannot allow ourselves to stray from smug political abstractions into an embrace of official cruelty and savagery.
Regardless of the "legal" status of an individual, we are still commanded to treat that person with humanity: with love.
Vance is off base with his comments. He hopes the Pope would learn from him and Marco?? Dream on. All humans should be treated with dignity. ICE has murdered 2 men in the past few days and they admitted they killed wrong guys. OMG.
How can it be blasphemous? The United States government isn't beholden to any religion.
Did the Bishop intentionally mislead his congregation? From what war are the millions who entered under Biden fleeing? Is there a difference between that and illegally entering the country for economic opportunity?
Thank you, Christopher! I had not seen this reporting anywhere else!
While I know that online commenters do not necessarily represent the true feelings and beliefs of most people, the sad fact is they do provide an outlet for our ugliest impulses. Worse than that, they normalize those impulses---after a time, through dint of repetition, they make them seem commonplace and even acceptable.
I am beyond saddened when I see online commenters or politicians blandly declaring--in the aftermath of some heartbreaking incident or atrocity in which an immigrant is injured or even killed--that this is the price of illegality, that they "brought it on themselves" by "being illegal."
Pope Leo doesn't let the human conscience off the hook that easily.
Whatever our abstract feelings about immigration law, however fiercely we may believe in the importance of strong national borders, he reminds us again and again that we cannot allow ourselves to stray from smug political abstractions into an embrace of official cruelty and savagery.
Regardless of the "legal" status of an individual, we are still commanded to treat that person with humanity: with love.
This is correct. You can enforce the law in a manner that respects the dignity of the human being.
Dermot Farrell has stood with Heschel’s prophets since the day of his ordination.
Vance is off base with his comments. He hopes the Pope would learn from him and Marco?? Dream on. All humans should be treated with dignity. ICE has murdered 2 men in the past few days and they admitted they killed wrong guys. OMG.
I'm so grateful you're doing this reporting here, Christopher.
How can it be blasphemous? The United States government isn't beholden to any religion.
Did the Bishop intentionally mislead his congregation? From what war are the millions who entered under Biden fleeing? Is there a difference between that and illegally entering the country for economic opportunity?
Yes, the open borders movement is in some part responsible for this mess.
Blasphemy is a theological precept, not a legal one.
Agreed