Arizona Central
By Dan Nowicki
September 24, 2015
Pope
Francis delivered lawmakers a message of compassion and understanding
for immigrants Thursday as part of his historic, nearly hour-long speech
to joint session of
Congress, a bitterly divided body that has grappled with
border-security and immigration-reform issues for a decade.
In doing so, the pope appealed to the United States' time-honored reputation as a nation of immigrants.
"We,
the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because
most of us were at once foreigners," said Pope Francis, the first-ever
leader of the Roman Catholic
Church to address U.S. senators and representatives. "I say this to you
as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also
descendants of immigrants."
Citing
the global refugee crisis as well as immigration to the United States
from Mexico and Central America, the pope, who was often interrupted by
applause, reminded
lawmakers of the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you."
He
also told the joint session on Capitol Hill that immigrants are looking
for a better life for themselves and their loved ones, which is the
same that anyone would want
for their children.
"We
must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as
persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to
respond as best we can to their
situation," the pope said. "To respond in a way which is always humane,
just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays, to
discard whatever proves troublesome."
The Golden Rule guides in "a clear direction," he said.
"Let
us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want
to be treated," Pope Francis said. "Let us seek for others the same
possibilities which we
seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be
helped ourselves.
"In
a word, if we want security, let us give security," he continued. "If
we want life, let us give life. If we want opportunities, let us provide
opportunities."
Immigration-reform advocates immediately praised Pope Francis' remarks.
“We
hope his words help change the hearts and minds of members of Congress
and move them to deliver an urgent solution to our broken immigration
system through comprehensive
immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship," said Ben Monterroso,
executive director of the organization Mi Familia Vota.
“At
this moment, with many political candidates and elected officials
fanning the flames of intolerance and divisiveness, let us hope that our
leaders take the Holy Father’s
powerful message to heart," said Frank Sharry, executive director of
America's Voice, a group that champions passage of comprehensive
immigration reform.
Petra
Falcon, executive director of Promise Arizona, an advocacy group
pushing for immigration reform, was invited by President Obama to be
among 14,000 guests who greeted
Pope Francis Wednesday on the White House lawn. She said she hoped his
message will inspire members of Congress to act on immigration reform.
"He
is lifting up what is our role as human beings, what is our role as
elected officials, what is our role of how can we face anyone's face if
we are not providing the
pathways for these individuals to live to their potential and be
treated as human beings," she said.
On
the other side of the immigration debate, Roy Beck, president of
NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for less immigration, said he was
pleased that Pope Francis "stuck
mainly to broad principles of humane treatment of migrants as persons
and avoided proposing any specific immigration policy solutions which he
humbly indicated have to be worked out by a nation's elected
representatives."
Beck
said, however, that Pope Francis sounded "naive" when he said economic
migrants should be viewed as humans seeking a better life, not by their
numbers.
"But
the numbers are the essential factor that determine how nations must
respond to migrations," Beck said in a statement. "The Pope specifically
mentioned economic migrants
coming from Central America. If there were only a hundred at our
border and no more who might be enticed to make perilous journeys, the
U.S. could react differently than if there are tens of thousands at the
border and hundreds of thousands of more who can
be enticed. Numbers matter."
Arizona
Gov. Doug Ducey, who is Catholic, was among the dignitaries present for
the pope's speech. Ducey was a guest of Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.
"As
a lifelong Catholic, I have great admiration for Pope Francis," Ducey
said in a written statement. "His message of hope and compassion is one
the world should hear
and take to heart.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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