Catholics play vital role in helping migrants to U.S

[LiberalNation]

Somehow I suspect jesus would be for these shelters helping the people and spreading the word.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080111/...sOwP5kxAkDW7oF

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (Reuters) - At a Catholic-run shelter just across the border from Laredo, Texas, dozens of Latin American migrants say grace and tuck into a hearty meal of sausages, beans and rice, before trying to swim across the Rio Grande into the United States.

Weary migrants on their journey north often recharge their batteries at a network of similar shelters run by the Roman Catholic Church -- a lifeline sanctioned by the Vatican, despite increased U.S. efforts to keep out illegal immigrants.

"Migration is a human right and migrants are some of the world's most vulnerable people. It is the church's obligation to help them," said the Rev. Francisco Pellizzari, an Italian-Argentine missionary who runs the Nazareth migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo.

After long treks to the border, often from as far away as Central America, men, women and children at the shelter swap their torn clothes for fresh ones, heal their injuries and telephone family members for cash for their crossing.

The Nuevo Laredo shelter has been granted a papal blessing in a Vatican certificate that hangs proudly on the wall.

Many Catholic Churches in the United States have welcomed Hispanics, with some seeing their congregations double in size. They set up soup kitchens and offer support to families hit by workplace raids and deportations.

"It is time for some compassion in the immigration debate," said Sister Christine Feagan, who ministers to Hispanics at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa. "Welcome the stranger.."

But in a U.S. election year with illegal immigration one of the most passionate issues, some candidates have a tough message for undocumented immigrants.

ANGER AT CATHOLIC CHURCH

Among the Republican candidates who take a tough line on immigration, one of the most outspoken is Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher who has drawn strong support from evangelicals.

Many religious conservatives in the United States take a sharply contrasting view of immigration from that of the Catholic Church.

Some are angry that the Catholic Church helps people who break the law. Others accuse it of using support for immigration as a way to win back members as the church loses ground to evangelicals and secularism in Latin America.

"The Roman Catholic Church is aiding and abetting the criminal invasion of America from Mexico," wrote Ralph Ovadal, pastor of the Pilgrims Covenant Church in Wisconsin, in a booklet sold on the church's Web site.

Without the shelters in Mexico, most migrants would be forced to beg for food, sleep on streets, in the hot sun and freezing cold of the desert or on the muddy banks of the Rio Grande before attempting to cross.

[Dilloduck]

Somehow I suspect jesus would be for these shelters helping the people and spreading the word.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080111/...sOwP5kxAkDW7oF

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (Reuters) - At a Catholic-run shelter just across the border from Laredo, Texas, dozens of Latin American migrants say grace and tuck into a hearty meal of sausages, beans and rice, before trying to swim across the Rio Grande into the United States.

Weary migrants on their journey north often recharge their batteries at a network of similar shelters run by the Roman Catholic Church -- a lifeline sanctioned by the Vatican, despite increased U.S. efforts to keep out illegal immigrants.

"Migration is a human right and migrants are some of the world's most vulnerable people. It is the church's obligation to help them," said the Rev. Francisco Pellizzari, an Italian-Argentine missionary who runs the Nazareth migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo.

After long treks to the border, often from as far away as Central America, men, women and children at the shelter swap their torn clothes for fresh ones, heal their injuries and telephone family members for cash for their crossing.

The Nuevo Laredo shelter has been granted a papal blessing in a Vatican certificate that hangs proudly on the wall.

Many Catholic Churches in the United States have welcomed Hispanics, with some seeing their congregations double in size. They set up soup kitchens and offer support to families hit by workplace raids and deportations.

"It is time for some compassion in the immigration debate," said Sister Christine Feagan, who ministers to Hispanics at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa. "Welcome the stranger.."

But in a U.S. election year with illegal immigration one of the most passionate issues, some candidates have a tough message for undocumented immigrants.

ANGER AT CATHOLIC CHURCH

Among the Republican candidates who take a tough line on immigration, one of the most outspoken is Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher who has drawn strong support from evangelicals.

Many religious conservatives in the United States take a sharply contrasting view of immigration from that of the Catholic Church.

Some are angry that the Catholic Church helps people who break the law. Others accuse it of using support for immigration as a way to win back members as the church loses ground to evangelicals and secularism in Latin America.

"The Roman Catholic Church is aiding and abetting the criminal invasion of America from Mexico," wrote Ralph Ovadal, pastor of the Pilgrims Covenant Church in Wisconsin, in a booklet sold on the church's Web site.

Without the shelters in Mexico, most migrants would be forced to beg for food, sleep on streets, in the hot sun and freezing cold of the desert or on the muddy banks of the Rio Grande before attempting to cross.

really ? what makes you think that ?

[LiberalNation]

I do believe it was him that said a lot about feeding the hungry, shelter those who need it and all that. He never said only if they're not gona try to cross a man made boarder.

[Dilloduck]

I do believe it was him that said a lot about feeding the hungry, shelter those who need it and all that. He never said only if they're not gona try to cross a man made boarder.

I don't remember him making any rules about where to feed em. Would it be cool with him if we fed em in their own country ?

[LiberalNation]

They are being fed in "their" country(ies). On the route they are taking while migrating or whatever.

[stephanie]

You would think a lot of countries who are losing their native citizens daily trying to get into the United States, would be embarrassed about this fact...

But instead what we see....is us in the United States get dumped on for asking that the illegal invasion of our country be stopped..



What a wonderful world...

[Dilloduck]

"Migration is a human right and migrants are some of the world's most vulnerable people. It is the church's obligation to help them," said the Rev. Francisco Pellizzari, an Italian-Argentine missionary who runs the Nazareth migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo.

This Sister Theresa wannabe needs to practice his right to migrate right back to Argentina/Italy and tell the pope that they need to spend some quality time in poor countries so these people don't have to be migrants. Or are these people really some kind of Gypsy fortune hunters who think they can just waltz through any country they like ?

[JohnDoe]

In my opinion, the most HUMANE thing that should be done is rattle the cage of the Mexican government to help get a good economy going, THERE in Mexico, to develop a strong middle class THERE, so that all of these migrants do not HAVE to leave their own families and their own homeland in order to feed their families....

no one ever seems to address what is CAUSING the Mexicans to Migrate for food and money....and that is a crappy economy.

jd

[red states rule]

In my opinion, the most HUMANE thing that should be done is rattle the cage of the Mexican government to help get a good economy going, THERE in Mexico, to develop a strong middle class THERE, so that all of these migrants do not HAVE to leave their own families and their own homeland in order to feed their families....

no one ever seems to address what is CAUSING the Mexicans to Migrate for food and money....and that is a crappy economy.

jd

Mexico is one of the top oil and silver producers in the world - there is no reason for the people to be poor

The US needs to seal the border, enforce our laws, and deport the people who are here illegally. They are draining the taxpayers money and getting a free ride

[Dilloduck]

In my opinion, the most HUMANE thing that should be done is rattle the cage of the Mexican government to help get a good economy going, THERE in Mexico, to develop a strong middle class THERE, so that all of these migrants do not HAVE to leave their own families and their own homeland in order to feed their families....

no one ever seems to address what is CAUSING the Mexicans to Migrate for food and money....and that is a crappy economy.

jd

How?

[JohnDoe]

How?

Well, i am no economist, but surely their regulations and laws must be stiffling it....

They have capable and hard working people living there, willing to produce something, anything to make some money at while doing it.... they have a very important leg, to the stool of capitalism....the hard workers that will produce.

what is keeping this from happening IN MEXICO? I dunno? But i know that if they paid a decent wage to these workers there, and kept them employed with a vibrant economy, and built up their middle class instead of a Prince and a Pauper type situation that they have, they would not be coming here in heards.

I just don't know enough about Mexico to go in to any kind of depth on this, but I will do some more reading to see if i can figure it all out for ya.... and post more when i do! hahahaha!

jd

[Dilloduck]

Well, i am no economist, but surely their regulations and laws must be stiffling it....

They have capable and hard working people living there, willing to produce something, anything to make some money at while doing it.... they have a very important leg, to the stool of capitalism....the hard workers that will produce.

what is keeping this from happening IN MEXICO? I dunno? But i know that if they paid a decent wage to these workers there, and kept them employed with a vibrant economy, and built up their middle class instead of a Prince and a Pauper type situation that they have, they would not be coming here in heards.

I just don't know enough about Mexico to go in to any kind of depth on this, but I will do some more reading to see if i can figure it all out for ya.... and post more when i do! hahahaha!

jd

There is a great cry coming up from America and that is " Don't interfere in the affairs of other countries ". Any administration that tried to fix Mexico would be severely chastised for wasting money.

[PostmodernProphet]

Would it be cool with him if we fed em in their own country ?

he says "Yes"......

[JohnDoe]

There is a great cry coming up from America and that is " Don't interfere in the affairs of other countries ". Any administration that tried to fix Mexico would be severely chastised for wasting money.

They are already interfering and giving them boocoos of our tax dollars....

They are already building a super highway from mexico to canada, they are already giving foreign aid, they are already making behind the door deals to take in all these immigrants that we are paying for with our taxes their children's schooling and health care, they are already involved in trade agreements like NAFTA that ended up screwing the mexican worker instead of helping them....

Mexico is one of the richest oil countries in the Americas, what the heck is keeping their people in poverty? Mexico has great farming too, what the heck is keeping them in poverty? Mexico has a great coastline that they can exploit, what the heck is keeping them in poverty? Mexico is right next to the richest country in the world, what it produces would cost them NIL to ship here in fuel costs compared to something being made in China.....so it should compensate the higher salaries paid to their own workers compared to the Chinese...., what the heck is stopping them and keeping them in poverty?

Mexico is rich in resources, yet more than half the country is probably in abject poverty....

All I am saying is that we ARE involved and also have a vested interest in making sure that Mexico's economy takes an upswing, as their next door neighbor, and as the country that is taking the BRUNT of mexico's failed economy by ushering in illegals daily by the heards and having to fund the cost of them and their families through our taxes. It is like there is a wink and a nod, between our two gvts to allow this to go on....WE ARE INVOLVED, and in the wrong way..... I would like to see that involvement CHANGE, not end, but change somehow looking at the future instead of always just the here and now knee jerk type things.

We need to stop employing the illegals, this will send them home, then deport the remaining and with all of these people back at home, the Mexican gvt will be FORCED to address their own problems instead of facilitating the illegal immigration to our country imo.

jd

[Dilloduck]

They are already interfering and giving them boocoos of our tax dollars....

They are already building a super highway from mexico to canada, they are already giving foreign aid, they are already making behind the door deals to take in all these immigrants that we are paying for with our taxes their children's schooling and health care, they are already involved in trade agreements like NAFTA that ended up screwing the mexican worker instead of helping them....

Mexico is one of the richest oil countries in the Americas, what the heck is keeping their people in poverty? Mexico has great farming too, what the heck is keeping them in poverty? Mexico has a great coastline that they can exploit, what the heck is keeping them in poverty? Mexico is right next to the richest country in the world, what it produces would cost them NIL to ship here in fuel costs compared to something being made in China.....so it should compensate the higher salaries paid to their own workers compared to the Chinese...., what the heck is stopping them and keeping them in poverty?

Mexico is rich in resources, yet more than half the country is probably in abject poverty....

All I am saying is that we ARE involved and also have a vested interest in making sure that Mexico's economy takes an upswing, as their next door neighbor, and as the country that is taking the BRUNT of mexico's failed economy by ushering in illegals daily by the heards and having to fund the cost of them and their families through our taxes. It is like there is a wink and a nod, between our two gvts to allow this to go on....WE ARE INVOLVED, and in the wrong way..... I would like to see that involvement CHANGE, not end, but change somehow looking at the future instead of always just the here and now knee jerk type things.

We need to stop employing the illegals, this will send them home, then deport the remaining and with all of these people back at home, the Mexican gvt will be FORCED to address their own problems instead of facilitating the illegal immigration to our country imo.

jd

Which forces in America are invested in building a stronger economy in Mexico--one that in the future could very well be a competitor? I can't think of any.