Third grade. Sister Mary Lurana. Catechism time.
“William, why did God make you?”
To be tortured by nuns! That’s what I wanted to say. But that would not have been well received. So, I rattled it off.
“God made me to show his goodness and to make me happy with him in heaven.”
After all these years, I still remember the catechism and I continue to be a believer.
A few years ago, I briefly met Pope Francis in Rome. I think he’s a good man who carries compassion with him everywhere he goes. Jesus is well represented by the Pontiff.
But now there is a fissure between Francis and other good people over migration. And the controversy extends to the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Writing this month from the Office of the Holy See, the Jesuit Francis acknowledges the right of countries to establish law but excoriates the United States over President Trump’s deportation policy. This is part of the Pope’s “Liberation Theology” philosophy, a long-held belief system.
“The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own lands for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men, women and families.”
The Pope points out that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were refugees who fled to Egypt so Herod couldn’t kill them.
This is a compelling theological argument for Christians. Jesus the Nazarene clearly commanded his followers to help the poor and disenfranchised, not turn them away.
Enter the men who forged the Constitution in order to establish a “more perfect union”. In the preamble of America’s founding document it clearly states that the law should establish justice, ensure tranquility, and promote the general welfare (of American citizens whom the Constitution protects).
In that pursuit, Congress passed immigration regulations.
However, in a stunningly irresponsible move, President Biden chose to ignore the law, allowing the chaotic entry of more than 10 million foreign nationals in less than four years. Most of them unsupervised.
The result of this gross dereliction of presidential duty is fiscal hardship for the government, both federal and state, and a deterioration of public order. The open border has led to suffering not only for Americans, but also for the migrants themselves as brutal Mexican cartels rule the illegal immigration procession.
Furthermore, the United States is drowning in debt and if the economy sinks, millions of Americans will be directly harmed. Also, while most migrants are good people, a significant minority are criminals, who endanger the public.
The Founders were adamantly opposed to this kind of disorder. They understood that a collective “pursuit of happiness” ideal can only happen in a stable environment.
Yes, deportations are harsh and there should be humane exceptions. But what is the overall alternative? Francis opines that all suffering people have a human right to seek sanctuary in a better place.
But with billions on this planet in bad shape, prosperous nations will soon be overwhelmed if lawful immigration regulation is ignored.
In other words, suffering the world over would dramatically increase as nations devolved into anarchy. The cliche “more harm than good” is the headline.
To me, who wants to be happy in heaven, Pope Francis and supporters of unfettered migration have not thought out the severe unintended consequences of their cries for compassion.
It is certainly noble and absolutely Christian to help as many disadvantaged people as possible. But as the Founding Fathers understood, that must be done in a responsible, disciplined way.
You don’t combat suffering by creating more suffering.
You just don’t.
