U.S. Catholic Bishops Celebrate National Migration
Week: ‘Welcome the Stranger Among Us’
by Dr. Susan Berry 3 Jan 2016
The United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is celebrating National Migration
Week from January 3-9, urging Catholics throughout the country to support
policies that “welcome the stranger among us.”
The USCCB is using the theme of Matthew’s gospel – “I was
a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35) – as the foundation of the
week’s celebration.
Catholic parishes are urged
to distribute bilingual
prayer cards, to insert intentions
into the Prayers of the Faithful during Mass which focus on human
trafficking and the support and
protection of migrants, and to use special
prayers that focus on the struggles of migrants.
Regarding the case of the Syrian refugees, the bishops
say:
The political and humanitarian crisis in Syria is a
serious concern for the Catholic Church and the bishops of the United
States…Pope Francis and the Catholic bishops have called on the U.S. government
and the international community to provide support to both Syrian refugees
fleeing violence and to countries that have been at the forefront of this
humanitarian effort.
The bishops are urging “providing 100,000 annual resettlement
slots for the most vulnerable refugees fleeing the Syria conflict,” and
“designating an additional 100,000 refugees to be resettled in the U.S. from
other countries.”
“Write…a letter to President Obama, urging him expand
U.S. resettlement efforts of Syrian refugees who are fleeing unspeakable
atrocities and violence,” the bishops urge as they also ask for donations to
the Migrant
Refugee Services’ (MRS) “Parishes Organized to Welcome Rufugees”
program which works to provide sponsorships of “newly-arriving Syrian and other
refugees.”
In a recent statement, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of
Louisville, Kentucky, president of the USCCB, said:
I urge all Catholics in the United States and others of
good will to express openness and welcome to these refugees, who are escaping
desperate situations in order to survive. Regardless of their religious
affiliation or national origin, these refugees are all human persons—made in
the image of God, bearing inherent dignity, and deserving our respect and care
and protection by law from persecution.
In a joint
report of MRS, the USCCB, and the Center for Migration Studies,
Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, objects
to the U.S. immigrant detention system as “a far cry from solidarity or
communion.”
“It contributes to the misconception that immigrants are
criminals and a threat to our unity, security and well-being,” he asserts. “It
engenders despair, divides families, causes asylum-seekers to relive trauma,
leads many to forfeit their legal claims, and fails to treat immigrants with
dignity and respect.”
In their report, the leaders urge that “detention” not be
used as a “central immigration ‘management’ tool,” but be replaced by
“individualized custody hearings by immigration judges or judicial officers” at
government expense.
“Any restrictions or conditions placed on released
noncitizens should be the least restrictive, non-punitive means necessary to
promote court appearances,” they write.
The report tells the story of “Esmeralda, a mother of
three U.S.-citizen children” who was “placed in an ankle bracelet by ICE.”
It continues:
The bracelet humiliated her and impeded her life, as it
went off in public as she was shopping for groceries and caused a rash on her
leg and increased her angst and sleeplessness. The ankle bracelet also reminded
her that she could be separated from her children and family. In addition, she
experienced harassment from an ICE officer, who asked her when she would go
home and told her that staying in the U.S. would only hurt, not help, her
family. Esmerelda asked for help from her local priest, who advocated on her
behalf with lawmakers. Finally, one lawmaker from Congress showed concern and
intervened to have her ankle bracelet removed. Esmerelda was given a new ICE
officer. Since the ankle bracelet’s removal, Esmerelda has been much more
active in her community and she cooks at her parish for special events. She is
an active member of her parish and assists the priest with projects in the community.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Catholic
Charities, Lutheran Social Services, and several other Christian “non-profits”
have been found to be profiting from contracts with the federal government to
resettle refugees in the United States.
According to Ann Corcoran, editor at Refugee
Resettlement Watch, the USCCB is one of the nine primary refugee
resettlement organizations – or VOLAGS, from “voluntary agency” – with about
450 affiliated organizations that are often run themselves by former refugees.
“The program has gradually shifted towards the
resettlement of refugees from Muslim countries,” she notes. “Some individuals
from Muslim countries are Christians or other minorities, but most are Muslims…The
Muslim component decreased after 911, but today is back up to about 40% and is
set to rise from here.”
In mid-December, State Department official Anne Richard testified before
the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, “Four percent of all the
Syrians we have brought have been Christian or other minorities.”
As CNSNews.com reports,
only 53 of the 2,184 Syrian refugees admitted to the United States since civil
war broke in Syria in 2011 are Christians, while 2,098 are Muslims.
Corcoran also adds:
Assimilation is no longer a goal for any agency involved
in refugee resettlement – government or private contractor. The private
contractors’ engagement with the refugee is so short – less than 4 months in most
cases, that nothing approaching assimilation could even be considered. The term
“assimilation” is no longer a part of government lexicon and does not even
occur in dozens of recent reports and papers generated about refugee
resettlement. The operative term in vogue now is “integration” with its clear
intent of maintenance of ethnic identity.
“Refugee resettlement is profitable to the organizations
involved in it,” Corcoran maintains. “They receive money from the federal
government for each refugee they bring over. They have almost no real
responsibilities for these refugees. After 4 months the ‘sponsoring’
organization is not even required to know where the refugee lives.”
Muslim
Muslim
Leaders of Tomorrow is a sponsor for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.
Note: Daisy Khan is an
executive director for the American
Society for Muslim Advancement, and was a director at the White House Project.
Gara LaMarche was
a director at the White House Project,
a VP & director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations, and an associate director for the Human Rights Watch.
Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, and the Catholic
Relief Services.
George
Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, a director emeritus at Refugees International, was the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote
Open Society, and a benefactor for the Human
Rights Watch.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was
a funder for the Human Rights Watch, and Refugees International.
Syrian
Electronic Army reportedly hacked the Human
Rights Watch.
Bashar al-Assad
is supporting the Syrian Electronic Army
hacker group, and the president of Syria.
Syria
is identified as major offender for human
trafficking.
Polaris Project
is works against human trafficking.
U.S.
Department of State was a funder for the Polaris Project.
Suzanne Nossel
was a deputy assistant secretary for the U.S.
Department of State, and is the COO for the Human Rights Watch.
John J.
Studzinski is a director at the Human
Rights Watch, and a
papal knighthood
knight.
papal knighthood
is an honor conferred by pope for the Roman
Catholic Church.
Francis E. George
was a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, the president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, an archbishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, a trustee at the Catholic University of America, and a
member of the a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Joseph Kurtz is
the president of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, an archbishop
for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Louisville, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Carolyn Y. Woo is
a trustee at the Catholic University of
America, a trustee at the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, and the president & CEO for the Catholic Relief Services.
Commercial Club of
Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Francis E. George
was a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, the president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, an archbishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, a trustee at the Catholic University of America, and a
cardinal for the Roman Catholic Church.
Newton N. Minow
is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin is
the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago,
and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama
was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP, the candidate for the 2008
Barack Obama presidential campaign, and a parishioner at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
African
American Religious Leadership Committee was an advisory group for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Jeremiah A.
Wright Jr. was a member of the African
American Religious Leadership Committee, and is a senior pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Trumpeter
Newsmagazine is a publication for the Trinity
United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Louis Farrakhan
was awarded the 2007 Jeremiah Wright Jr.
Trumpeter award from the Trumpeter
Newsmagazine, and is the acting head for the Nation of Islam (Muslims).
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