by John Cassara, Crisis Magazine
The Church hierarchy naively assumed that we could allow mass violation of our border and, at the same time, we could, as Sister Donna said, “protect our citizens.”
Naivety and emotionalism are pronounced all the more when they collide with real data and the perspective of time.
In 2017, shortly after the first inauguration of President Trump, Dominican Sister Donna Markham, then president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement, “Pope Francis has urged people not to close the door on migrants and refugees…In concert with the Holy Father, we believe we must move from attitudes of defensiveness and fear to acceptance, compassion and encounter.”
Sister Donna continued,
As the U.S. Catholic bishops have said, this is not an either/or situation for us. We can protect our citizens and, at the same time, we can welcome newcomers. Our commitment to care for those who are most vulnerable resides at the core of our faith.
As the CEO of Catholic charities (now retired) noted, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)—in both rhetoric and policy—has sided with illegal immigration and the “dignity” of all persons while simultaneously giving lip service to a country’s right to defend its borders.
With the perspective of time, what is the reality of the Church hierarchy’s self-described “compassion” for “migrants”?