National Catholic Reporter: Catholics have special obligation to safeguard vulnerable immigrants

[pnwmom]

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/times-require-loud-bold-defense-migrants

On Jan. 8, addressing diplomats assigned to the Vatican, Pope Francis explained again in no uncertain terms our moral obligation to welcome and protect migrants and refugees. He challenged these national representatives about political rhetoric used against migrants "only for the sake of stirring up primal fears." Francis told them to "abandon the familiar rhetoric and start from the essential consideration that we are dealing, above all, with persons."

That same day, in Washington, the Trump administration announced that it would not renew the temporary protected status of some 200,000 migrants from El Salvador, which they've had since 2001 when their country was devastated by an earthquake. The Salvadorans are the latest national group to lose the status. Haitians, Nicaraguans and Sudanese have lost their status in recent weeks. A half dozen other nationalities including Hondurans and Yemenis are under threat of losing their status and face deportation.

Ending TPS is only one attack on migrants the administration is pursuing. President Donald Trump is threatening to allow the protections afforded by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, to lapse. The program, which protects from deportation up to 800,000 young people who were brought to the United States as children, has become a political bargaining chip.

The prospect of mass deportations — the stuff of totalitarian regimes — is very real. Think about that. Let those images linger in your mind.

SNIP

[vi5]

1. Whenever I see those "I'm Catholic and I vote!" stickers

I want to ask the person if that means they vote against politicians who are in favor of the death penalty, against war, and in favor of open immigration and helping the poor as the Pope has declared. Since almost 99% of the time I'd venture it simply means they vote Republican because they are anti-choice.

[Ohiogal]

2. 'Fraid you're right about that.

They're telling everyone they're anti choice.

[awesomerwb1]

3. A lot of Catholics

are one issue voters: anti-abortion.

A lot of them listen to Catholic radio stations and EWTN (close to Fox news lite and I'm not kidding).

Have a friend who is super Catholic. She once told me she hated no one in this world but "maybe Hillary Clinton". I didn't want to pursue it any further.

[pnwmom]

4. Catholics are more likely to vote Democratic than Protestants. So there's that.

I disagree that the one-issue Catholics are "super Catholic." They're as much "cafeteria Catholics" as the liberals they criticize.

[Mc Mike]

5. Thanks, ncr and pnw. rec, nt