Suddenly the mainstream media is leaping to the defense of the Catholic Church to teach and preach and act in accord with her beliefs despite laws that would prevent her. Have there been massive conversions in newsrooms around country? Hardly. It’s not the Church’s teaching on adoption and homosexuality that they’re suddenly okay with. It’s a declaration by Cardinal Roger Mahony of LA and other bishops that the Church won’t obey a new immigration law. The way it’s been portrayed by the media and by those bishops, the law will supposedly require churches to report any illegal immigrants who come to them for aid and services or make it illegal to provide that help in the first place. But is that what the new law really says?
Deal Hudson’s new newsletter says the rhetoric on the new law is being misconstrued. The law is HR4437 and it was passed by the House in December. The co-authors of the bill are Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) and Rep. Peter King (R-New York). King tells Hudson flat out that the law will not criminalize assistance to illegal immigrants.
Rep. Peter King, a Catholic from New York, says, “Absolutely not.” King continues, “Not a single priest or bishop has contacted me to talk about this bill. They are questioning my good faith and that of Rep. Sensenbrenner. We want to target gangs and smugglers. This law has always been on the books, and no priest, nun, social worker, or volunteer has ever been arrested or will be arrested.”
What the law really says
Technorati Tags: bishops, Catholic, immigration, politics
