Vatican against Opponents of immigration

The immigration issue is a very difficult one the pope wants to bring under our attention.

In many countries we can see that those who are opposed letting other people in what they call ‘their country’, are voted for and are gaining money by their opposition.
Pollster Frank Luntz said Tuesday of a businessman who has gone bankrupt at least four times that

“Donald Trump will never run out of money,” {Why is Donald Trump winning? Duh, because of immigration}

The scope and nature of Trump’s immigration. opposition does not harm his position, instead it is his fire-breathing resistance to immigration that has drawn popular support for him like it did for others in the previous centuries. Politicians, Republican and Democrat, do not like to ignore such support at their own risk. It demands more courage to go against the fear of many for other races or other believers.

Many European politicians are not blind for the way Trump has taken immigration front and centre, and how his campaign has gained ground.

Opposing immigration stirs people’s souls. It has for almost as long as there’s been an America. Even longer, in fact, than there’s been an America, given how the New World’s indigenous peoples came to feel about inbound populations. {Why is Donald Trump winning? Duh, because of immigration}

Pope Francis arrives to lead the Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 31, 2013 (photo credit:Reuters)

In 2013 Pope Francis, in some of the most conciliatory words from any pontiff on gays, said they should not be judged or marginalized and should be integrated into society, but he reaffirmed Church teaching that homosexual acts are a sin. But those words shook the religious communities all over the world.

Many also found that Catholic doctrine against homosexuality must be disposed of because otherwise his words would be hollow.

Since the Latin American bishop is seated at the Vatican he more than once called for  injustice to be denounced and eliminated.

In December 2013 he said:

“injustice in the civil [sphere] must be denounced and eliminated.”

The world has enough places where religious freedom, but also racial freedom is not yet guaranteed or has not yet fully come into being, but also lots of places where people with an other skin colour have to undergo abuse and violence against them. Westerners, also Christians, cannot deny they are guilty as well.

Pope Francis shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting with government authorities at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Nov. 28. (CNS/Paul Haring)

For this reason it is not bad the pope has called several Catholic majors to discuss the problem of injustice to the human species and to nature it self as well.

“It is essential that all citizens — Muslim, Jewish and Christian — both in the provision and practice of the law, enjoy the same rights and respect the same duties,”

the pope said 2014 November 28 in a speech to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials at the presidential palace.

Already then Pope Francis criticized the use of religion to justify violence, particularly in the neighbouring countries of Syria and Iraq. Pope Francis focused recently also several times in meetings on the plight of Christian minorities targeted by Islamic State militants there.

“Prisoners and entire ethnic populations are experiencing the violation of the most basic humanitarian laws. Grave persecutions have taken place in the past and still continue today to the detriment of minorities, especially — though not only — Christians and Yezidis. Hundreds of thousands of persons have been forced to abandon their homes and countries in order to survive and remain faithful to their religious beliefs,”

the pope said.

Those who flee from the violence we must accede and because so many in Europe and the capitalist world are looking angrily to those trying to enter Europe, Pope Francis I hopes in this weeks meeting to bring some solutions for all the parties involved.

It was in 1988 that was requested by the then sitting Holy Father the then Pontifical Commission “Iustitia et Pax” to publish a detailed document entitled The Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society. Since that time, the situation with regard to “Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance”, has not changed enough and calls for further observations on the part of the Holy See and of those who call themselves Christian. From Christians namely we should expect an exemplary attitude, but when we look at those countries who claim to be very Christian, we get the worst attacks on those who try to flee their home country.

Globalization is accelerating at an ever-greater pace; countries, economies, cultures and ways of life are drawing closer together and becoming more universal and intermingled. The phenomenon of interdependence is evident in every area:  political, economic, financial, social and cultural. Scientific discoveries and the development of communications technology have “shrunk” the planet considerably.
The globalization now emerging manifests itself in various ways; for example, the impact of a political, economic or financial incident occurring unexpectedly in one country is felt by other countries as well, and the great problems or questions of our time are global in scale (immigration, the environment, food resources, etc.).

Therefore it is good to notice that the pope invited mayors from all over the world to discuss the human issues which should concern every decent thinking man.

Many years after many world leaders trying to set global goals to address climate change and extreme poverty, the pope managed to get those different city mayors to gather at the Vatican to pledge they will take real action and lead the fight on their streets.

The Pope spoke briefly in Spanish on Tuesday after 65 mayors attended a day-long workshop on modern slavery and climate change, sponsored by the pontifical academies of sciences and social sciences in the Vatican’s synod hall.

The academies invited the leaders to share best practices, to sign a declaration recognising that climate change and extreme poverty are influenced by human activity, and to pledge to pursue low-impact development to make cities “socially inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

For the pope it is clear that we cannot do it on our own and we do need help from such institutions like the United Nations. We all should recognise that it is high time to take a stance and to see the interlocking of the problems. The leaders should make sure it takes

“a very strong position on this issue, especially the trafficking of human beings that is caused by this environmental situation and the exploitation of people.”

The pope expressed his hope that a fundamental, basic agreement is reached at the UN climate summit in Paris in December.

Mayor Mitchell Landrieu of New Orleans told Catholic News Service,

“There is a vivid recognition that mayors are key players in changing how policies that have before now been spoken about across nations are actually applied on the streets of the cities. Mayors are actually responsible for getting things done.”

I also do think they could put more pressure on their national governments.

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said in his speech,

“It’s increasingly clear that we local leaders of the world have many tools and that we must use them boldly even as our national governments hesitate.”

A number of mayors said that their countries and cities are still learning about the actual extent and seriousness of modern-day slavery and human trafficking and therefore found it helpful the Vatican invited two former victims to tell their stories.

Mayor Tony Chammany of Kochi, India, told CNS his region faces huge problems with forced organ donations. Even though there are strict laws against such crimes, the problem

“is corruption at the level of governance. We have laws, but who is going to enforce them?”

he said.

Belgium is a good example how a country may have lots and lots of laws but where everybody keeps doing his own thing ignoring the many laws, whilst there is no real law enforcement. There we we also hear many parliamentarians saying everybody has to safe and cut spending but they themselves create new posts and take care that higher placed people stay untouched or can even strike their bonuses whilst they stole so much money from the general public.

We also can see that nor the countries in Europe nor Northern America have put their  priorities right. Most of those countries only thought of their own country and did not want to feel united with the rest of their community or ‘Union’.

Gregor Angus Bethune Robertson (1964) Canadian politician elected in 2008 39th Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vancouver, British Columbia, told CNS that governments are not accustomed to hearing spiritual leaders speak so courageously and effectively about social and ecological ills. Though they should know that those who call themselves followers of Christ should try to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. And when the pope is calling himself a Christian leader it should be his high duty to call his followers and all other Christians to unite in the war against injustice to the creation of the Most High. As such it is not at all out of place for the Pope to add his voice to the political debate because

“we all have a moral responsibility to speak out when we see injustice and a planet in peril”

and take real action.

On the topic of human trafficking Mayor Angela Brown-Burke of Kingston, Jamaica, said that

“as an individual who is from enslaved people, it is extremely important for us to understand the legacy that we have and to ensure that no one else has to go through that again.”

Today’s slavery is much worse, she said, because today’s

“chains are invisible, they’re in your mind in a sense and they are just as real if not worse.”

We as Christians therefore should be very careful which products we choose and investigate more where we want to invest our money and which companies we want to support with our shopping. As Christians we should be more aware of the need to check how those products where made, from what sort of material at what ecological and human cost.

Mayor Yelgi Verley Knight of Siquirres, Costa Rica was disappointed to see so few women on the Vatican’s list of speakers, especially because women are the first victims of human trafficking and the poverty caused by climate change.

“We as women mayors have to speak for those who have no voice. Slavery isn’t something of yesterday. I am of African descent; my ancestors came to the Caribbean as slaves, a situation that was driven by the economic system, which is the same thing that is happening today.”

Banana and pineapple plantations have abused the land for decades, she said, even though

“it all started with the idea of economic development.”

But the plantations

“benefited only a few. Our economy has been designed to benefit only a few and to get cheap labour. Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour,’ but we are loving only a few of our neighbours.”

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Preceding: Forms of slavery, human trafficking and disrespectful attitude to creation to be changed

Next: Majors form all over the world at the Vatican to talk about climate change

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Additional reading

1. Burgemeesters in het Vaticaan tegen moderne slavernij en klimaatverandering
2. Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
3. Pope Francis says Catholics must become evangelisers
4. Economic crisis danger for the rise of political extremism
5. Speciesism and racism
6. Martin Luther King’s Dream Today
7. 1.253 billion Catholics worldwide
8. Christianity to be enshrined
9. Bishop Marriage Equality: Praying for Marriage Equality Is Blasphemy
10. Our stance against certain religions and immigrating people
11. The world Having to face a collective failure
12. 2014 Human Rights
13. Immigration consternation
14. Race, Skin color and differences
15. Many present American citizens do not want to recognise their Land of hope and glory
16. Expanding opportunities for more American families
17. Migrants to the West #2
18. Migrants to the West #5
19. Migrants to the West #6
20. Migrants to the West #8 Welbeing
21. Americans honouring Labour Day when Wages are still putting someone below poverty level
22. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe

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Further reading:

• Pope Francis says gays should not be judged, marginalized
• Pope denounces discrimination, violence against Christians
• Francis: “Violence and discrimination against Christians must end”
• Pope, Turkish leaders trade concerns about religious discrimination
• We want to change the world
• Africans fastest growing immigrant group in America
• Virginia: African refugee from Togo in US for nine days before attempted rape
• After Xenophobia: the paradox of moving forward and stagnating
• No End to Tears: Refugee Deaths in the Mediterranean
• Co-opting Judaism for social causes: Paternalism, condescending or justice?
• Life as it is Lived: On Encountering Refugees
• Reflections on Dr. Jeanine Ntihirageza’s lecture
• Of Lemons and Somali Women in a Sicilian Refugee Center
• Vu Cumpra? The refugee street vendor in Sicily.
• Africa Hope Community | Guest Post by Cait Murphy
• Rome: Protesters take to the streets claiming refugees are bringing crime to their neighborhood
• When Death Comes, it Will Come in Hoards: Italy Ends Mare Nostrum
• Joe Sestak discusses immigration reform – The Delaware County Daily Times
• Opinion: Power Vs. Powerless: Trump Attacks McCain, McCain Attacks Everyday Americans
• Entering a new country: Customs & Immigration, Student Writing & Videos
• Black Immigrants Waiting for Reform too
• Donald Trump To Visit US-Mexico Border
• Donald Trump to Visit Mexico Border
• Anti-racism group disrupts launch of political group
• Mother of Son Murdered by Illegal Immigrants Pleads for Change
• Illegal Immigration & Immigrants, A Biblical Viewpoint
• SF sheriff points finger back at feds in murder case involving illegal immigrant
• Tech will make Immigrating to the US easier
• Diggs to focus on immigrants hidden in the heartland
• Immigration Reform 2015: Illegal Mexican Border Crossings Down Nationwide, Study Finds
• Chris Brown’s departure from Philippines delayed; immigration requiring prior clearance | Fox News
• No Sanctuary Cities Bumper Stickers
• LA Archbishop Gomez says Catholic Church will continue to push for immigration reform | abc7.com
• New Refugee, Parole Program Offers Some Minors in Central America Legal Option to Come to US
• Megacities
• The Durango Herald 07/21/2015 | Immigration policies under fire
• Ireland sees notable increase in business-based immigrants
• Lincoln immigration office on pace to handle a record 2 million citizenship applications – Omaha.com
• Is There Such a Thing as Free Immigration Advice?
• No Mas: Backdoor Amnesty and Terraforming American Sovereignty
• Immigration to Indignation: The Republican Ghost Ship
• Reliable Immigrer En Floride Services By Marcelle Poirier
• Christian Asylum Seekers Hounded Out of Immigrant Housing by Muslim Residents
• The International Scholarship Programme is a Perfect Example of the Discrimination Practised Against Singaporeans
• The Immigrant-Crime Connection
• “In my town, nobody is a stranger.”
• USCIS’ “Citizenship Public Awareness Initiative” seeks to demystify the immigration process for legal permanent residents
• Coming to America: No Papers, No Problem!
• The Exodus Road
• Did you know today is World Day Against Child Labour?
• Jim Willie: China Planning Trojan Horse
• Human Trafficking For Slavery Off-world, Self Policing Slavery On Earth, Liberation Through Self Knowledge | Corey GoodETxSG
• Why you should read this book…
• Does legalized prostitution reduce human trafficking?
• How can you help to fight human trafficking?
• Myths Vs. Realities of Human Trafficking
• Human Trafficking Legislation: What are we doing about it?
• Child Sex Trafficking
• Modern Slavery: Human Trafficking
• Human Trafficking in Ohio
• CEOMPH Blog
• You can help stop Human Slavery today
• Most Americans Are Slaves And They Don’t Even Know It

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