OPINION:
On Feb. 10, Pope Francis addressed a letter to all American Catholic bishops on immigration. His communique was titled “Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops of the United States of America.” Here is an excerpt of what the pope said.
“Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, the book of Exodus, invites us to look at the reality of our time, so clearly marked by the phenomenon of migration, as a decisive moment in history to reaffirm … the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person.
“Even a cursory examination of the church’s social doctrine emphatically shows that Jesus Christ … did not live apart from the difficult experience of being expelled from his own land … having to take refuge in a society and a culture foreign to his own. …
“The family of Nazareth … were in exile,” said the pope. “[They were] emigrants in Egypt and refugees … [and] are the model, the example and the consolation of emigrants and pilgrims of every age and country, of all refugees who … are forced to leave their homeland … for foreign lands.”
Francis then emphasized “the dignity of every human being, without exception” and stated that “all the Christian faithful … are called upon to consider the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person.”
He added that “this is not a minor issue,” saying, “the authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve.”
The pope concluded by saying, “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering” of any specific categories or groups of people.
How should Christians and all other “men and women of goodwill” respond to the pope’s challenge?
First, we should agree with him that the “dignity of every human being” is paramount and that the “personhood and worth” of the hundreds of thousands of children who have been trafficked into the heartland of the United States each year because of President Biden and congressional Democrats’ open border policy that the pope supports is certainly not in keeping with the “dignified treatment” that these little boys and girls “deserve.”
Second, we should agree with him that all “narratives that discriminate against any categories of people” are wrong and that “categories,” such as the legal residents and citizens of Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio, should not be subjected to the “unnecessary suffering” being foisted on them by enabling elitists from the Vatican or elsewhere who seem to care more about virtue signaling than the violence these Americans suffer as a result of ignoring the “authentic rule of law.”
Third, we should agree with him that human beings deserve “dignified treatment” and that American women, such as Laken Riley, deserve better than the indignity of being left to the mercy of Venezuelan thugs, rapists and murderers when they simply want to go for a jog in the local park.
Finally, we should agree with the pope that none of this is “a minor issue” and that those who live behind iron gates and stone walls might want to engage in a little self-reflection before presuming to scold good, hardworking blue-collar Americans for just wanting clean neighborhoods, secure homes and safe public parks. In other words, as it is a bit presumptuous for those who live in glass houses to cast stones, so it is for those who live behind a stone fortress to tell everyone else to tear down their walls.
Oh, and one last thing: We might want to tell the pope to read his Bible, specifically the book of Exodus, a bit more carefully. His claim that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were akin to today’s illegal immigrants is not true. First, the holy family was not forced to flee Israel as the pope’s letter claims. They chose to leave because God sent Joseph a dream telling him to do so. Second, there is zero evidence that the holy family broke any immigration laws during their journeys. After all, Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire, as was Israel at that time, so moving from Nazareth to Cairo then was somewhat akin to traveling from Ohio to Oklahoma today.
Claiming that Jesus was an illegal immigrant and refugee is just wrong, and so is telling Americans to ignore their safety and security unless you’re willing to do it yourself.
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery). He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.
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