Bend, Ore., May 14, 2010 / 04:04 am
In recent column, Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon spoke on the controversial topic of immigration, saying that although a nation has the “duty” to protect its borders, “remaining in a country illegally” does not eliminate a person's human dignity, nor his or her right to be treated “as a brother or sister.”
On Thursday, Bishop Vasa framed his Catholic Sentinel article with a clarification on humans rights and the law in regard to immigration policies. “Just because something is 'legal,'” he explained, “does not mean that it is morally correct.”
“There are any number of examples from our own history and the histories of other nations where something 'legal' was grossly immoral and needed to be resisted,” the bishop noted. “I am not suggesting that the American 'immigration policy' is immoral but there seem to be some elements of injustice that permeate it and it is this injustice, whether legally sanctioned or not, the Church opposes.”
Though the prelate stressed that a country has the “right and duty to properly police its borders,” once illegal immigrants have crossed them, the Church is charged with the task of providing the same care for them.