The Catholic Church and Illegal Immigration

The Catholic Church has suffered a lot this past decade. Membership is down and their public image has been tarnished by allegations of covering up sexual abuse within the church.

So where do they stand on this illegal immigration brouhaha?

I'll give you a clue: The fastest-growing (probably the only growing) and most loyal segment of the Catholic Church is made up of Hispanic illegal immigrants.

Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles has told his Archdiocese to ignore a proposed federal law that would require churches to check residency documents before administering help to immigrants.

He's catching a lot of flak. Most articles that criticize him don't mention the part about "checking residency documents before administering help."

Mahoney's taking a position any Christian should take. You should help those in need, regardless of their immigration status. I agree with what he says, "As disciples of Christ, 'we are called to attend the last, littlest, lowest and least in society and in the Church.'"

However, I also agree with Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who says, "Mahony's support for illegal immigration is a slap in the face to our county's legal immigrants who follow the law and contribute to our communities and our nation."

It's not just Mahony's support, but any U.S. citizen's support for illegal immigration, that is a slap in the face to our country's legal immigrants.

It's interesting to see how this whole immigration thing is developing.

For the record, according to this article, the official position of the U.S. Catholic Bishops is advocating "a guest-worker program and amnesty for illegal immigrants."

Also for the record, my position is that we should "save the sinking ship" by sealing the leak first, then dealing with the water later.