On the great Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we contemplate the image of Mary that she left on the tilma (mantle) of St. Juan Diego in 1531. Her gentle face, tender and serene, invites us to move beyond any perspectives, attitudes, and feelings that diminish the dignity and value of people who may be different from ourselves in appearance, language, or culture. Like the star-filled sky it symbolizes, her mantle encompasses us and encourages us to be as open in our welcome and acceptance of others. This invitation is found over and over in Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” Hebrews 13:2
“The Church in America must be a vigilant advocate, defending against any unjust restriction the natural right of individual persons to move freely within their own nation 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 cases of non-legal immigration.”
— Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America of the Holy Father John Paul II, January 22, 1999.
“‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Mt 25:35). Today, the illegal migrant comes before us like that ‘stranger’ in whom Jesus asks to be recognized. To wel- come him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself.”
— Pope John Paul II, Annual Message for World Migration Day 1996.“The Catholic community is rapidly re-encountering itself as an “immigrant Church,” a witness at once to the diversity of people who make up our world and to our unity in one humanity, destined to enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings in Jesus Christ. For the Church in the United States, to walk in solidarity with newcomers to our country is to live out our catholicity as a Church.”
— The Catholic Bishops of the United States, “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity,” November 2000.
I. Why We Speak
We, the Catholic Bishops of Arizona, are deeply saddened by the death and suffering we see on our border. We are aware that our communities have become increasingly divided as a result of the immigration in our state. We have seen mounting expressions of hostility and opposition to undocumented immigrants. We are concerned about the image that some may have of Arizona as a state which is hostile to immigrants. We do not believe this to be true. Many of us in Arizona were ourselves warmly welcomed here and we wish to see that same hospitality continue.
