Catholic Exchange

San Diego Minutemen Draw Bigoted Support

Written by

Catholic League

in

The decision of a suburban San Diego Catholic Church, St. Peter's in Fallbrook, to welcome day laborers has unleashed an anti-Catholic response on the part of the San Diego Minutemen (an independent Minuteman group). We have asked for all parties to the dispute to exercise civility. Unfortunately, some of our critics are now unleashing their own hate-filled screeds. Herewith is a sample of the invective that has reached our office:

  • "I'd be putting a mine field on the border — warn them of course and then do it."
  • "You compound your embarrassing blindness by attacking the messengers of these facts with petty name calling, and even go so far as to call for a ‘Catholic Jihad' against those who are concerned about the impact that these very real issues will have…."
  • "I don't understand how the Catholic League can support a church that is harboring felons."
  • "I am also very angry that you're issuing your news releases in Spanish! Why does the Catholic League need to explain itself to these people!"
  • "South America and Mexico are pushing on my country and as an American citizen…It is against the law for churches to help day labor services because of the separation of church and state."
  • "By this sweeping and arrogant elitist attack on the people who oppose the illegal invasion of our country from the south, you are putting yourself in the same league with the overwhelming leftist, gay-friendly, California Amchurch hierarchy which hopes to replenish its dwindling flocks with illegal Mexicans."
  • "I also wanted to register my total shock and annoyance at your first-time ever, as far as I'm aware, use of Spanish as if it were incumbent on Catholics to explain to Mexicans in America in their language various situations as opposed to them learning, understanding and speaking English."

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:

"Fair criticism of the Catholic Church's position on any public policy issue is welcomed. This kind of nativism is not."

Comments

  1. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    I didn't realize the Catholic Church is now the theocratic dictator of what laws, meant to protect the people of this country, are just.

     

    "If you don't like U.S. immigration laws, then advocate for changing them. But don't ask me to accept lawbreakers -who aren't being persecuted in their home countries -transgressing our laws. Period." 

  2. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    “Only if I serve my neighbor can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much He loves me.” – Deus Caritas Est, Benedict XVI

  3. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Zephyr, are you Catholic?  Your posts certainly don't sound that way.  I understand your opposition to illegal aliens, but it does not justify the anti-Catholic bigotry that this group is exercising.  They are harrassing parishioners on their way to Church, harrassing first communicants, etc.  That is a bigoted way to protest.  

  4. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Sounds like that church was practicing what Christ taught us. 

     

    Love one another.

     

    Not a real big fan of illegal aliens myself.  Partly becuase of all the paperwork and interviews I had to endured to get my wife to this country back in 1981.  We got married while I was a service member in the Philippines.  But I see no reason to deny a fellow Catholic the sacraments or a place to worship merely because of immigration status.

     

    Tarheel

  5. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    What I don't understand is what part of immigration laws are so absolute that the Catholic Church is not justified in helping illegal immigrants on a case by case basis?  It says right in the Catechism that some laws do not need to be followed if they are unjust.  Are these immigration laws completely just?  Are priests justified in helping people despite these laws?  As long as they don't harbor criminals, what's the big deal?  It just goes to show how much secular society thinks itself absolutely right and thinks the Church is abolutely wrong.  If that were true, then of course the Church is wrong in helping illegal immigrants to have free access to their Christian faith.  Otherwise, how is it good for a bunch of screaming idiots to harrass small children receiving their first Communion?  So long as you're not a priest it must be ok in today's society to harrass small children.  This point is proved by the outright condemnation of the Catholic Church due to the sins of a few men who took vows they could not keep, men who pretend to be priests to gain trust and then betray that trust in the most awful manner immaginable.  But in secular society, these horrific criminals can hide almost invisible in neighborhoods crowded with children and escape prison time, the system of child protection is still full of problems and there are more repeat offenders than should be allowed (A woman in Chicago was arrested this weekend for beating her 5 year old daughter to death – the neighbors said they thought something might be wrong but no one called for help).  And yet secular society would insist on standards for the Church that it cannot even master itself.  Until this insane hypocrisy is corrected I cannot simply hand over my support to anyone criticizing the Catholic Church for anything, especially the immigration laws that are in need of obvious improvements.   Now don't come at me with super specific examples of how this Church official during the Crusades did such and such or this one priest in this city last year committed this crime, I know there are reasonable limits to my statement, but either support the Catholic Church or don't.  If you're Catholic, you must be obedient to the Church.  All or nothing.  And mind you, I said the CHURCH, not this one guy who did this one thing.  I mean the Church, out of Rome, and the Pope, the infallible teachings.  Otherwise, it may be up for debate, but seriously, if we truly believe that helping those that we hate is a crime, then we are not believers in Jesus because he preached love our enemies and that's from the Bible.

  6. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Claire,

    I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school, and attend Catholic mass. I also frequent contemporary evangelical services on Sunday nights near where I live. It's non-denominational and has an awesome live band which plays music from groups like Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin etc. and the church members are very faithful and attractive with most being in their 20's and 30's.

    That said, supporting illegal immigration is wrong for a myriad of different reasons. I can give you at least 100 why it is unfair, and leads to further law breaking. Here are a few:

    1) Lawbreakers jump in front of those who are waiting patiently in line to become U.S. citizens legally.

    2) Subversion of our laws encourages more lawbreaking, and subjectively applies U.S. law to our citizens who would keep them.

    3) Illegal Immigration penalizes businesses who play by the rules and hire U.S. citizens.

    4) Employment opportunities are taken away from our college students and teenagers who would normally work these jobs.

    5) The corrupt elites in the immigrant's host countries are rewarded by still being reprobate, yet receiving all the money sent home from the U.S.

    6) The crack, heroin, cocaine, pot and opium trade is encouraged. 

     

    In the bible, one of the punishments for a nation of people who've become immoral, is having foreigners taking the legacy which would have rightfully belonged to the Lord's heirs. After the massive settlement in California for the priest pedophilia scandal, I don't believe it's right for the Catholic Church to be supporting the subversion of U.S. law.

  7. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Well, I agree with you on that, Zephyr.  I just don't think that their protest of that parish's support of illegal aliens justifies anti-Catholic bigotry.  There are other ways to protest.  I am Catholic first and American second.

  8. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    I have to agree with "Zepher" and "TMitchell".  The only "help" we should be giving illegal aliens is a helping hand to leave the U.S. 

    The main thrust of my argument is that there is NO sector of U.S. society (with the overwhelming exception of Congress!) where LAWBREAKERS are REWARDED!  What part of "ILLEGAL" doesn't compute????!

    While some of the "sound bytes" in the article are obviously hate-based, I adamantly deny that this is an ethnocentric debate.  This is a debate about Law in America.  We have to obey the law; why don't they?

    I also agree with the Catholic League that no one–First Communicants or others–should be harrassed while practicing their faith.  The Minutemen are WAY out of line!

  9. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Well said, Cooky!

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