Former Presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo today criticized the Pope’s comments regarding U.S. immigration policy.
Pope Benedict XVI of course said the United States must do “everything possible to fight … all forms of violence so that immigrants may lead dignified lives.”
Well this sets off Tancredo on what is one of the most ridiculous and misconstrued political attacks I’ve ever seen. To think this guy wanted to be President is a little scary.
I guess by issuing this release he wanted to make sure that he could never ever and I mean never again run for nationwide political office.
“I would like to know what part of our lax immigration policy is considered violent,” Tancredo said. “I fail to see how accepting more refugees than any other nation –and providing free health care, education, housing and social service benefits to millions of illegal aliens is in any way ‘violent’ or ‘degrading.’”
Pope Benedict XVI has made amnesty a key issue in his papacy. He met with President Bush, reportedly adding his voice to the open-border lobby by encouraging Bush to provide blanket amnesty to all illegal immigrants in the United States.
At the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope said, “I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home.”
“I am not taking issue with the Pope’s moral authority and respect his views on the threat of radical Islam,” Tancredo said. “However, it is not in his job description to engage in American politics.”
Tancredo also cited a recent report indicating that the “Catholic Church…has been losing members rapidly — as much as a third of the native-born Catholic population. Meanwhile, it has gained members among foreign-born (mostly Hispanic) residents.”
“I suspect the Pope’s immigration comments may have less to do with spreading the gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the church,” said Tancredo. “This isn’t preaching it is ‘faith-based’ marketing.”
So much of what he says is completely wrong. The Pope isn’t talking politics. He’s imploring us to be sensitive and caring to all, including illegal immigrants -which to me is something we would do well to remember.
But when Tancredo impugns the Pope’s motives then we swerve into crazyland. Here’s the thing -Tancredo thought he could ride the national consensus to secure the border into a referendum for his candidacy. And when it didn’t happen his rhetoric became increasingly offensive and anti-immigrant thus leading to his being ostracized from the mainstream.
This is hopefully the last scream to be heard from a candidacy lost in the woods.
April 22, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Neither do I. I think we can be loving and gracious. I was just saying that there are moral complexities to the issue.
But then, I’m Australian. I can tell you all about closing the borders…. Our policy for the last couple of decades has been to throw illegal arrivals into detention camps in the desert or on Nauru, until we can work out whether they are genuine refugees. If not, we send ’em home. If they are genuine they get a “Temporary Protection Visa” which is reviewed every few years. When the Taliban fell, a whole lot of folks went straight back to Kabul courtesy of the government. There was talk of doing the same with Iraq.
On the “loving and gracious” issue, a couple of years ago, we decided that minors would be detained “in the community”, rather than in camps.
Either way, it’s way tougher than the US is prepared to be.
But I think we’ve pretty much stopped illegal boat arrivals (we had hundreds up to 2001, then a leaky boat sank and the survivors were picked up by a Scandanavian ship and threatened to kill themselves if not taken to Australia). We refused the Norwegians permission to enter our waters, and sent out the Navy to intercept them and escort them elsewhere. Since then, I don’t think we’ve had more than one or two successful illegal boat arrivals.
I guess I’m just used to a tougher government line on the issue…. It’s a sign of how we become desensitized to these things.
April 22, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Just for the record, I’m not against immigration.
I feel we need to be smart about it and accept immigrants based on need.
For the needs of the immigrant applicants themselves (asylum as necessary and others at a controlled rate) as well as from the perspective of what serves the interest of our nation – professionals, Priests, and other skilled workers that can contribute to building up our nation.
Ex anima per Christi.
Mark
April 23, 2008 at 1:11 am
Bob:
Amen, amen dico vobis: ‘Et si’…‘ita ut montes transferam, caritatem autem non habuero, nihil sum.’ – Ad Corinthios Prima XIII:III
Even if it is so that I could move (shift) mountains, I have nothing without Charity… Indeed God has taught me and continues to teach me what true charity/love is… Before my reversion I had false sense of understanding around many things – especially charity/love. God has done the heavy lifting for me (mountains) – by giving me the gift of Faith. Something I have lacked my entire life.
The levers at the disposal of God the Father are myriad. For me, it was His removing the veil from my eyes that prevented me from seeing my grave sins in confluence with the study of Latin. These were His means in my particular case. And shortly thereafter he exposed me to 1 Corinthians 13 which struck me at my core and reminds me that my turning towards the Lord must be continual – not a static event in time.
It’s interesting you would mention the “mountains” we both have. That’s a connection I never made in the verse that now adds to its resonance in my life. He removed the Mountain from my path and used it to fill in the Chasm of Faith I lacked.
I will indeed pray for you my friend – thank you.
Domine momento liberi tuae praesertim Bob Hunt et intentiones et res introversionis sua qui maxime indiget misericordia tua et exaudi benigne preces nostras.
Pater Noster…
Ave Maria…
Gloria Patri…
In nomine Patri et Filii et Spiritus Sancti – per signum crucis de inimicis notris libera nos Deus noster.
Amen
Ex anima,
Mark
PS: Please indulge me my Latin – I have a hard time not promoting the “official language” of the Church.
April 23, 2008 at 1:28 am
Yes, Matthew, I was a former Ayn Randian – how could you tell?
Atlas Shrugged was one of my favorite novels. I also was a big Bertrand Russell fan as well. I have nearly all his works.
For the past two years I haven’t purchased a single secular book for myself. It will take another 10 years for the theology works to outweigh (pun intended) the Secular in my library – but I’ve made good progress toward that end, however.
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam,
Mark
April 23, 2008 at 1:41 am
Mark,
I believe I can empathize with your position. Just a guess, but I suspect you are also in a progressive diocese as I am. It would be hard for folks who are surrounded by people of their own faith to understand how difficult it is to have to deal with the daily suppression of the Catholic faithful. Just an example from a very, very long list of the lack of support from AmChurch but when JPII died the only church in town that lowered their flag(of their own volition) was the Baptist Church. I contacted our own parish and suggested that we also do the same as a head of state had died(Also did this with the company I work for and they complied). Needless to say, the flag never went down to half mast. Few parishioners showed any acknowledgement that something significant had happened. Thankfully, we are allowed to practice ‘private devotions’ but we have no Divine Mercy Sunday, no Corpus Christi processions, and little acknowledgement(if any) of the feast days of the Saints. Our musical tradition seems to have begun in the early 70’s and sadly, some of the only people I know who sense the present of ‘something sacred’ in the chapel where we the tabernacle is located are either pagans or people of other faiths.
Mark may live in an environment much like this and I can certainly understand his strong feelings. Maybe I can take some of the flak for him from our more erudite brothers who live in a different world than those who are actually persecuted for their faith.
Sancta Maria, spes nostra, sedes sapientiae, ora pro nobis.
April 23, 2008 at 2:57 am
Hi,
I am an immigrant myself, but LEGAL! As an immigrant I am sensitive about the issue, and as a Catholic and fellow German, I do have to admit that I was indeed a tad bit disappointed in what appears to be a lop-sided opinion on the topic by our Holy Father.
Naturally, we are dealing with human beings here, but we are dealing with human beings who break the law! These human beings should receive the respect and dignity every human being deserves, but that cannot translate into a free pass into this country. It is a duty that both civil authorities, but primarily church authorities have to make it very clear that humanitarian aid is available, but that these illegal immigrants also understand their own duties and responsibilities towards their own countries and communities to affect change. And I believe, in this area the Church can really assist them. They must go back to their home land, provided they are safe, and apply through proper channels to legally immigrate into this country, and in the meantime use their civil powers as they have them to work for change in their homeland.
April 23, 2008 at 4:42 am
Lance,
Seattle, do I need to say more?
Oremus pro Sancta Ecclesia Catholica nostra.
Mark