There has been a nerved touched on both sides of the immigration debate, related to Pope Benedict’s statements on ensuring immigrants are treated humanely and respectfully, and that the well-being of families of immigrants be protected. To be sure, there are many who think the Pope was saying we should just throw open our borders and let people do what they will. Their take is the Holy Father was saying we should not have immigration laws, let alone enforce them. You’ll be hearing a lot on those things.

Don’t get caught up in the rhetoric generated by a very simple statement made by the Holy Father.

I hear that Tom Tancredo took offense to the Pope’s words. He should not have. The Holy Father is not telling America to stop prosecuting illegal immigrants. Neither is the pontiff suggesting amnesty for those who have families in the US - maybe members of which are considered citizens under the eyes of the law. Do not assume we can’t ensforce our laws in such a way as to maintain the dignity of those who are impacted by the enforcement.

There are things we can do much better in the way we handle immigration enforcement. Welfare checks at a person’s home if they are detained. Let’s make sure we don’t have children getting home from school without someone there to protect them. Let us also ensure we make every effort to contact someone in the detainee’s family so they know what is going on - give these folks their phone call, like anyone else gets who is detained for an alleged crime.

The issue is not really about immigration - it is about how we handle enforcement.

Non-Catholics will get confused (actually, so will many Catholics) by the weight of the Holy Father’s words. He is infallible with respect to Catholic doctrine - and that applies to the dignity of human life. It is part of the gospel - in this sense, his words about protecting the dignity of others and stopping violence is directly related to our doctrine. However, you cannot spin this theme as a call upon Catholics to support illegal immigration. It is not violent to enforce immigration law, any more than it is violent to enforce drug laws. The manner in which people are treated during the enforcement of laws is the issue at hand.

I am overjoyed by the visit of Pope Benedict to the US this week. My feeling is he should visit America more often. In no other country is the Catholic ship so off course than in the US.

American Catholicism is becoming an oxymoron. There is a great dichotomy between the teachings of the Church and what people feel is their duty as Catholics - especially in the realm of policy.

Before anyone starts telling me about the separation of Church and State in the US, I will mention that I am not talking about a state religion. I am talking about the manifestation - through persoanl actions - of one’s values. If you are motivated to believe there is something intrinsicly wrong with slavery, for example; that motivation comes from somewhere. It is not merely an abstract, but a conviction based in your concept of right and wrong, and it has an origin. This is apparent because slavery is likely the oldest institution of humanity, aside from war. Your understanding of the abhorrent nature of slavery is grounded by a belief or faith in an ideal. It may not be completely tangible, but it is absolute in its impact on your understanding of right and wrong. This absolute is no different for people who share God and the teachings of Jesus Christ as the foundation for their values.

This brings us to the crux of the issue. It is really simple - and is completely embraced by the Nicene Creed, with which every Catholic is very familiar.

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Note that the Creed says throughout “We believe” - We being “the adherents of the Church”. Those called by the divine message to serve our Lord. The Nicene Creed came about to provide the average 4th Century Catholic with a simple means to digest the foundational beliefs of the Church vs. the many heretical interpretations of Catholic doctrine throughout the world by people teaching in the name of the Catholic Church. The most important point is it is a statement of belief, from the heart.

By extension, the teachings of the Catholic Church are as absolute as humanly possible. It is clear that Catholicism is not a democracy. Either you are a believer in one, apostolic Church - and everything that conveys - or you are not.

So, to have an attitude which propels your thinking on policy - and identifying yourself as a Catholic - which is in direct contravention to the teachings of the Church implies either a misconception of the Catechism or a falling away from it. For example, a Catholic university which welcomes speakers who are pro-abortion, but bans speakers who are anti-abortion is in direct contravention to the very definition of Catholic. Another example is avowed Catholics who support abortion and work to widen the scope of abortions in this country. You hear these people saying their religion does not impact their policy stances. As if the basis for your values has nothing to do with how you feel the world should be. If your beliefs in the absolute of The Trinity do not shape your ideals of society, what does? Ideology comes to mind.

Many Catholics in America have allowed a leftist ideology to supplant their spiritual convictions. Mind over soul - they have fallen away from God. It is often explained away as something which takes thought, instead of “feeling”, as if your commitment to God is equivalent to your enjoyment of roses. This attitude shows a qualitative lack in intellectual reason.

The broad scope of dichotomy between avowed personal beliefs and policy positions of so many American Catholics shows how far American Catholicism has drifted from the Church. The Visit of the Holy Father is opportune, and I hope effective, in that American Catholics need to be reminded of their commitments - rather than simply thinking about their wishes. We need to be reminded that we are supposed to be using our intellects to serve God, instead of using our intellects to explain why we don’t serve Him.