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December 2008
J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.
Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice
January 4-10, 2009
Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice is the theme of 2009's National migration Week, held January 4-10. The observance began over 25 years ago by the bishops to be a moment for Catholics to take stock of the wide diversity of the Church and the ministries serving them. As the face of the local churches continue to change, these materials are becoming more and more necessary. The materials created for National Migration Week also provide an important educational resource that can be used by individuals, families, schools, and parishes to learn about the complex issues surrounding migration phenomena.
A wide variety of resources is available through USCCB publishing to assist you in this endeavor. Contact them at 800-235-8722 or visit their website at www.usccbpublishing.org to browse Migration and Refugee Services material.
[The following is an excerpt from a Pastoral
Letter on the Human Rights of Immigrants, by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor
of Little Rock, AK. The complete text in English can be found at www.dolr.org/bishop/pastoralimmigration_english.pdf;
in Spanish at www.dolr.org/bishop/pastoralinmigracion_espanol.pdf.]
Dear Friends in Christ,
The protection of human rights is a necessary component of our Catholic faith and you and I are obligated to bring the truths of our faith to bear on the issues of our day. The protection of human rights is also a necessary component of our faithful citizenship as Americans. One of the pressing issues of our day about which our faith has a great deal to offer is that of immigration and specifically the human rights of undocumented immigrants. … The God of the Bible is a God of immigrants and the history of salvation unfolds largely in the context of immigration:
- God called Abraham and Sarah to emigrate from their homeland and led them on a journey that ended with them settling as immigrants in Canaan.
- Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and later made arrangements for the immigration of his entire extended family in a time of famine.
- God called Moses to lead the exodus of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and made a covenant with them in the desert en route to a new land he had promised them.
- God later brought his people back to Israel from exile in Babylon, but in the subsequent centuries the Jewish people continued to migrate to cities throughout the ancient world in a diaspora scattered among the nations, sometimes due to poverty or persecution and sometimes in search of better opportunities.
- In the New Testament, Joseph and Mary
lived in Nazareth at the time Jesus was conceived, but were apparently
not citizens of Galilee ("Galilee
of the Gentiles") which would explain why they had to go to Bethlehem
in Judea for the census. They were refugees in Egypt, having crossed
the border without the permission of the government which they were fleeing
and they eventually settled in Galilee once it became apparent that the
new government of King Archelaus in Judea was no better than that of
his deceased father, King Herod. Throughout the Bible great emphasis
is placed on God's presence among his immigrant people and that
we will be judged on our treatment of the alien in our midst.
"Come … inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world … for I
was a stranger and you welcomed me" … "When did we welcome you away from
home?" … "As often as you did it for one of my least brothers and sisters, you did it for
me." … "Out of my sight, you condemned, into that everlasting fire prepared for the
devil and his angels! ... for I was away from home and you gave me no welcome" …
"When did we see you away from home … and not attend you in your needs?" … "As
often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do it to me."
These will go off to eternal punishment and the just to eternal life.
Today immigration is usually debated from an economic or political perspective, and each side presents statistical data that they believe supports their position regarding how to deal with the phenomenon of undocumented immigration. I believe that this approach is shortsighted. National borders have almost never prevented demographic shifts of population when there were strong economic reasons for such migration — the economic principle of supply and demand. Therefore, short of taking extreme measures, our only real choice from a historical perspective is how we will manage today's flow. Between 1986 and 2008 the Border Patrol's budget increased over 5,600 percent, the number of agents quintupled and border entry points were fortified. During these same years the undocumented immigrant population tripled to at least 12 million, despite the legalization of three million people following the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The reason? Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the United States, compared with the number of jobs in need of workers.
Will we take a positive approach that helps newcomers to become full participants in society? Or will we take a negative approach that creates a marginalized underclass and a breeding ground for resentment? Expelling millions of people and closing the door to further immigration are not realistic options, historically, economically or socially. Our only real choice is whether to facilitate this process for the common good or to create as much misery as possible — and reap the undesirable consequences. There is, unfortunately, a complete disconnect between the economic and social realities that underlie immigration and current U.S. immigration law, which seeks to impede immigration from certain countries rather than facilitate the process.
Most Americans do not realize the impossible barriers placed on people who want to enter our country legally. Do you know that it is virtually impossible for Mexicans to immigrate to the United States legally unless they already have close relatives who are American citizens? Do you know that there is presently up to a 16-year wait for these family reunification visas because no more than 26,000 family-sponsored visas are allotted to Mexican immigrants in any given year? Virtually all of these are adjustments of status for persons who are already in fact present inside the United States. There are, in fact, virtually no visas available for the more than 500,000 immigrants who enter the U.S. from Mexico each year.
The Church claims no special expertise regarding the political, economic and social complexities of the immigration issue, but Catholic social teaching does offer a solid and reliable basis from which to address questions related to our God-given human dignity, the protection of which must be the starting point of any just legal system. We saw this clearly in the civil rights struggle, which was, more properly speaking, a struggle for the protection of the "human" rights of African-American people, not just their "civil" rights.
The second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence declares:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…
The consent of the governed is more than just the consent of the citizenry — "the governed" includes all who live within the territory governed by that government, independent of their legal status. In the past African-Americans and Native Americans lacked legal status. They were governed without their consent and were deprived of the exercise of their intrinsic human rights. A slave was counted as just three-fifths of a person in the U.S. Constitution, and though emancipated after the Civil War, subsequent laws and Supreme Court decisions deprived the freed slaves of their God-given human rights for much of the next 100 years. Native Americans were not counted as persons in the U.S. Constitution and did not all become U.S. citizens until 1924. African-Americans and Native Americans formed part of the voiceless "governed" without whose consent (prior to the voting rights act of 1964) laws were imposed expressly intended to marginalize these sectors of the population.
Much progress has been made in race relations during the last 44 years, but we still have a long way to go — the wounds of oppression are deep, as is the consequent alienation. Today a comparable situation is being created by immigration laws expressly intended to prevent millions of people from exercising their intrinsic human rights. Will we learn the lessons of history?
Broad
Coalition of Christian Leaders Call on Obama to Make Israeli-Palestinian
Peace an Immediate Priority
(Washington, DC, December 2, 2008) A broad spectrum of American Christian leaders – from Catholic and Orthodox traditions to mainline Protestant, Evangelical and historic African American churches and institutions – have appealed to President-elect Obama to make Israeli-Palestinian peace an immediate priority during his first year in office.
In a December 1 letter, the leaders urged the Obama Administration to "provide sustained, high-level diplomatic leadership toward the clear goal of a final status agreement" that will establish a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
The letter notes that a durable peace agreement will help "strengthen U.S. security and improve stability and relationships through the Middle East." Without active U.S. engagement, the leaders warned that "political inertia and perpetuation of the unbearable status quo will make achievement of a two-state solution increasingly difficult." The leaders are also concerned about the "negative impact a further delay will have on the Christian community in the Holy Land, whose numbers continue to decline."
Sending the letter during Advent, a season of hope and expectation in the Christian calendar, the leaders expressed their belief that "Jerusalem – home to two peoples and three religions – has the potential to become a powerful symbol of hope and coexistence for people across the region and the world."
The leaders called on all Christians to support "vigorous U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure Middle East peace". The letter is being followed by a broad grassroots campaign aimed at mobilizing American Christian church members nationwide. The final letter signed by both Christian leaders and congregants will be delivered to President Obama during the time of inauguration.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said today, "This letter speaks to the need for the incoming Obama administration to help bring about a peace agreement quickly between Israelis and Palestinians. The opportunity for achieving a two- state solution is narrowing and must be seized now. Further delays will make reaching an agreement much harder and undermine long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians."
Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, "This conflict continues to undermine the social, economic and spiritual fabric of the lives of all persons in the region, including Christians who have lived in the Holy Land since the earliest days of our faith. With majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians supporting a durable peace, it is incumbent on their political leaders and our own to do everything possible to help bring about a just peace."
Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor of Northland Church said, "Our faith calls on us to work and pray for peace. It's not about taking one side over the other, it's about seeking justice for both parties. The President-elect can be assured that there are many American Christians who stand ready to support his efforts when it comes to seeking a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace."
[The letter was signed by CMSM's president, Very Rev. Thomas Picton, CSsR. The full text of the letter and list of signers is available at: http://www.cmep.org/ecumenical-letter.pdf}
Opportunity
to Demonstrate Response to Climate Change
By Tim Kautza, Science and Environmental Education Specialist, National Catholic Rural Life Conference
[The National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC) has developed a database of responses by Catholic institutions to the challenges of climate change. He is inviting religious communities to participate by providing information about their own activities around this issue. Such participation would be an excellent way for CMSM members to follow up on the Resolution on Climate Change passed at the Assembly in Denver last August. I urge you to contact Tim about the activities of your community.]
Irish Columban Sean McDonagh is quoted in the joint CMSM-LCWR Resolution on Climate Change as describing this time on Earth as "a kairos moment, because the decisions taken by this generation will have huge consequences for future generations." And earlier, in the July/August 2007 issue of this newsletter, he urged religious communities to "take a lead role in educating themselves about the reality of climate change,"… about the moral and religious issues involved in protecting God's creation" as part of an "education campaign at every level of the Catholic Church." There is growing movement within the Catholic Church and Catholic organizations to respond to this kairos moment through education and demonstration.
We know that religious communities have historically been leaders in constructing new forms of community within which the moral life could be sustained. Today, as in the past, many religious communities are developing new ways of living and forming new relationships with creation to establish increasingly sustainable communities. The National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC) has monitored and reported for decades on such innovations by religious communities for in its magazine Catholic Rural Life, books like Religious Congregations on the Land, and its web-based, searchable database Religious Communities on the Land. These are elements of what has become an effective way of fostering similar innovations among other religious communities and other Catholic institutions. NCRLC, in partnership with nearly 80 participating religious communities, hopes that these innovations will help lead the rest of society toward sustainable life styles and practices.
Because of the relative success of that model, NCRLC , with the cooperation and support of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, is expanding its database to include more religious communities, particularly those that are educating themselves and other Catholics about the impact of climate change on poor and vulnerable people and/or helping to mitigate climate change by practicing stewardship through the operation of their facilities. In addition, NCRLC is adding other Catholic institutions that are doing likewise, including parishes, colleges, diocesan pastoral centers, schools, and hospitals. We expect this expanded database will also be a valuable resource for religious communities and other Catholic institutions that wish to address global climate change educationally and operationally.
NCRLC would like to learn from all religious communities what they're doing to address climate change. Drawing upon its decades of experience working with religious communities and nearly eight years pushing concern for global climate change to the forefront of related Catholic discussions, NCRLC has developed a straight-forward, ten-item questionnaire to be completed by interested communities. You may be surprised to find out how much your community is already doing to minimize its impact on global climate change and how much more can be done. To find out more about how your community can cooperate with NCRLC in this expanding initiative, contact NCRLC Science and Environmental Education Specialist Tim Kautza at tim@ncrlc.com, 515.270.2634 ext. 12, or 4625 Beaver Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310.
It is apparent that the expected impacts of global warming will most adversely affect those who are least able to respond sufficiently, even though they have contributed least to climate change. We are called by Jesus to respond to present and future needs of all God's creation. Cooperate with NCRLC in this "kairos moment" and share with the world how your community is responding and learn new ways to address the reality of climate change.
Ensure
More Just and Equitable Trade Systems
VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, yesterday participated in an international conference on financing for development being held in Doha, Qatar.
"Social and economic development must be measured and implemented with the human person at the centre of all decisions", said Archbishop Migliore speaking English. While noting that aid has increased over recent years, he pointed out that "questions remain: how many people do not have access to even basic healthcare and how many lack decent employment to provide a living wage for themselves and their families?"
"National governments need the co-operation of the international community in order to accelerate economic and human development. ... The recent financial crisis demonstrates that when political will is combined with concern for the common good we are able to generate, within months, substantial funds for financial markets".
The archbishop went on: "Renewed attention must be given to ensuring more just and equitable trade systems. ... Trade-distorting subsides, financial speculation, increased energy prices and decreased investment in agriculture have recently given rise to lack of access to the very thing which is necessary for life, namely food. This economic volatility, which strikes at the heart of human existence, gives greater urgency to finding a common commitment to addressing global trade and development".
The Holy See permanent observer to the U.N. concluded his remarks by noting that "uncertainty and anxiety seem to prevail at this particular point in time. However, the virtues and principles which have led the global community out of so many crises remain; that of solidarity with our global community, just and equitable sharing in resources and opportunity, prudent use of the environment, restraint from seeking short-term financial and social gain at the expense of sustainable development, and finally, the political courage which is necessary to build a world in which human life is placed at the centre of all social and economic activities".
[The complete text of Archbishop Migliore's remarks is available at http://www.zenit.org/article-24435?l=english]
2009
Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, February 22-25, 2009
TOn behalf of the eighteen national Catholic co-sponsoring organizations, we invite you to join us in Washington, DC as we host what promises to be an exciting four-day conference. Our theme, Christ Our Hope: Healing a Broken World, echoes the message of Pope Benedict's pastoral visit to our nation. This annual gathering brings together over 700 leaders of Catholic social ministry from across the United States.
The meeting will take place Sunday, February 22, through Wednesday, February 25, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
The Catholic Social Ministry Gathering brings together diverse individuals to discuss common issues and concerns. We will discuss global and domestic issues of life, justice and peace that challenge our world, including the food crisis, healthcare and economic stability.
We are pleased to have His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the presider and homilist for the opening liturgy. Following the opening mass, His Excellency Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, will give the opening plenary address on the place of Catholic social teaching in the life and ministry of the Church.
There will be briefings, workshops, and strategy sessions on important domestic and international issues facing our various ministries.
A centerpiece of the gathering will be our afternoon on Capitol Hill where we'll hear from Congressional leaders and bring our concerns about policies affecting those who are poor and vulnerable to our legislators.
We will also get a post-election analysis from the NewsHour commentator Mark Shields and other national Catholic leaders. Most importantly, we'll have time to connect with others involved in the Catholic social ministry network from across the country.
The 2009 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering Registration web site is now up and operational. Visit the web site at www.catholicsocialministrygathering.org. To register online, click "Online Registration."
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How
can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?
T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org
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