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Pope Francis: nations that block illegal immigration should seek God’s forgiveness June 17, 2015

The hits, they just keep on coming.  In his Wednesday audience today, Pope Francis called for “respect for migrants” and stated that those who seek to curb illegal immigration should seek God’s forgiveness. You can try to lambaste the secular site quoted below as being biased, but, just to quell that temptation, I also provide Rome Reports’ video of his audience that includes the same message.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called for respect for migrants and suggested that “people and institutions” who close doors to them should seek forgiveness from God.

The pope’s appeal, made at the end of his weekly general audience, came amid growing debate in Europe on how to deal with an immigrant crisis that has included clashes at the French-Italian borer between police and migrants.

“I invite you all to ask forgiveness for the persons and the institutions who close the door to these people who are seeking a family, who are seeking to be protected,” he said in unscripted remarks delivered in a somber voice.

France and Austria have stepped up border controls on migrants coming from Italy, turning back hundreds and leaving growing numbers camped out in train stations in Rome and Milan…….

……The pope said “these brothers and sisters of ours are

seeking refuge far from their lands, they are seeking a home where they can live without fear.”

He asked for prayers that their “human dignity always be respected” and urged the international community to “work together and efficiently to prevent the causes of forced migration”.

The video (quote begins at 1:54):

So, he actually asks for prayers of forgiveness for those who “close doors” to mass illegal immigration, such as both the US and Western Europe have been experiencing for some years.

Look, irrespective of what this Pope says, we have a Magisterium that provides the moral guidelines for dealing with such mass movements. The Catholic Faith does not require that nations, whether wealthier or not, simply open their borders to anyone and everyone who seeks entry.  Determining just limits on such migration, or attempting to block it entirely, are prudential decisions that are based on numerous factors, including the readiness and ability of immigrants to assimilate into the existing culture of a nation, potential threats to the livelihoods and safety of already existing citizens (which must be prioritized over all immigrants, and especially those who immigrate illegally), potential for disease vectors/mass outbreaks of illness, being members of a highly violent religion whose beliefs are antithetical to the good of souls and the right Christian ordering of Western culture…..there are literally dozens more.  Yes countries, especially those which are more well-off, should certainly strive to be as welcoming to the stranger as possible, but that welcoming is as always governed by prudence. Strongly implying that nations or groups who see a problem with a huge influx of new immigrants – especially those who have a proven track-record of a propensity towards violence, refusal to assimilate, and who tend to live off the welfare state disproportionately – are somehow morally derelict (and need to implore God’s forgiveness) is really beyond the pale.  That’s not a Catholic belief.

It is progressive belief, however, at least for now.  That’ll change, of course, once mass immigration stops serving progressive ends.  And then such statements now so welcomed by progressives will be reviled, which is why previous more prudent Popes ventured into such highly charged prudential judgments with much more trepidation and carefulness of thought.  And, there is the flip side, while the Pope may give progressives tingles with statements like these, he is likely causing angst in a nearly equal number of people who don’t share his progressive outlook.

I should note in closing that the statements regarding migrants were yet another in the endless series of off-the-cuff remarks this Pope makes.  Which propensity forces me to conclude that either this Pope is wildly imprudent in speech, or he knows exactly what he is doing.  I’ll let  you be the judge of that.

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