By Sr. Sandra Delgado, OP, director of Hispanic Minstry for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. Apologies for the formatting, the text is taken from the PDF linked above.
The human person is deserving of
respect and dignity from the mo-
ment of conception. The Church
teaches us that each person, from
the tiniest embryo to the most eld-
erly and frail of human beings, is
deserving of the dignity that is due
all persons. This is a truth of the
Church. The alien must not be an
exception to this truth. The alien
among us is a human person who
is also deserving of this dignity.
The great debate in our country
these recent months has dealt with the treatment of the
immigrant, especially the non-legal immigrant.
Who is the alien among us? The Holy Scriptures teach
us that there should be no alien among us; that all
should be welcomed into our communities.
“When an alien resides with you in your land, do not
molest him. You shall treat the alien who resides with
you no differently than the natives born among you;
have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too
were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the Lord, am you
God.” (Lev. 19:33-34)
This passage clearly refers to the Israelites living in
Egypt under a forced situation. Today’s immigrants to
the U.S. are not forcibly kept in this new land. Or are
they? The condition of the Israelites was one of slavery.
In Leviticus they are reminded of their condition in Egypt
and of their deep desire to return to their homeland. Is
that the case today? Are people who are immigrating to
this country forced to live in this foreign land? I would
argue that they are indeed. What human person would
willingly make a trip across the U.S. desert, and in some
cases through other countries, merely for the adventure?
How much are they giving up when they make that peril-
ous trip and end up in a strange country with a different
language and different customs? What conditions in
their own countries force people to travel to a strange
land? Desperation and hopelessness.
People in many rural parts of Latin America are un-
able to provide the very basics of food and shelter for
their families because of the lack of jobs that pay
enough to buy the necessities. People are unable to
make enough money to provide their children with an
education much more than the required primary school
thus limiting their future to one not much better than
that of their parents. And the cycle continues until one
can find a way to break it. Many people have found that
way – to emigrate to the U.S. – the land of opportunity
for all. That is what our welcome mat has always said.
People from all parts of the world have found their way
here legally and illegally, been able to make this home,
and find those opportunities, if not for themselves, cer-
tainly for their children.
Why do the people who have crossed our borders ille-
gally, disobeying and disregarding our laws, deserve to
be treated with dignity? For the simple reason that they
are people and we proclaim ourselves to be Christians.
The Church in its many documents throughout history
has stood with the immigrant and the most vulnerable.
Pope Pius XII in Exsul Familia (On the Spiritual Care of
the Migrant) reaffirms that migrants have a right to a life
with dignity, and therefore a right to migrate toward that
end. Pope John Paul II addresses America (referring to
South, Central and North America as one) about its re-
sponsibilities in Ecclesia en America. He states, “The
Church is well aware of the problems created by this
situation and is committed to spare no effort in develop-
ing her own pastoral strategy among these immigrant
people, in order to help them settle in their new land and
to foster a welcoming attitude among the local popula-
tion, in the belief that a mutual openness will bring en-
richment to all.” (65) The Holy Father also reminds us
that the “Church in America must be a vigilant advocate,
defending against the unjust restriction the natural right
of individual persons to move freely within their own na-
tion and from one nation to another. Attention must be
called to the rights of migrants and their families and to
respect for their human dignity, even in the cases of
non-legal immigration.”(236)
Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas
Est (God Is Love), speaks of God’s love for all humanity.
In his opening statement he says, “Jesus united into a
single precept this commandment of love for God and
the commandment of love for neighbor found in the
Book of Leviticus: ‘You shall love your neighbor as your-
self.’ (Mk 12:29-31) Since God has first loved us, love is
now no longer a mere ‘command’; it is the response to
the gift of love with which God draws near to us.”
The response to this love that God has given us can
only be a true and unconditional love of our neighbor.
We all know that this is not an easy road to follow, but
as Christians it is a necessity.
The millions of immigrants in our country who are
here without documents are hearing terrible things said
about them. The millions of children brought here by
their parents or born of undocumented immigrants hear
the discussions and arguments and they begin to ques-
tion their self-worth, their security and their future. The
adolescent group at the Hispanic center in Lexington
asks questions and wonders about their families. Some
are living with one parent in Mexico and the other here.
Some have made the treacherous trip having seen terri-
ble things. Their families are like any typical family in the
U.S., struggling to make ends meet and wanting a good
life for their children. Their parents are able to work at
jobs that pay far better than in their home countries.
They all want to experience the welcome mat that immi-
grants from past generations experienced.
The U.S. bishops’ document, Welcoming the Stranger
Among Us: Unity in Diversity, challenges us to experience conversion, a change of heart and a change of attitudes so that we can indeed live the commandment that
Jesus taught us – to love our neighbor as ourselves. We
are reminded that there are many tensions; there is divi-
sion, and alienation among the faithful in our parishes
across the country that deny the unity of the human fam-
ily. “Such patterns, in the words of Pope John Paul II,
‘show the urgent need for a transformation of structures
and a change of mentality, which is what the Great Jubi-
lee of the Year 2000 asks of Christians and every per-
son of good will. (Message for World Migration Day
2000, no. 1)”
The dignity of the human person will always be of im-
portance if we keep in our hearts and minds the teach-
ing of Jesus, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:31)
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