Resolving Unintentional Immigration Insult

Yesterday, on the Facebook Page for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops I encountered a blog post that struck me as quite divisive, even insulting.

Fr. Allan’s Blog reprinted an article by Fr. Bruce Nieli regarding immigration. While I am certain Fr. Bruce, Fr. Allan, and the USCCB did not intend to purposely insult Catholic readers, it appeared to me that they managed to do so—if my reaction can be considered a benchmark. (Dozens of comments echoed my sentiments, so I believe I am not a “Lone Ranger” on this issue.)

While I hope Taming readers will read the entire Fr. Nieli post, I will quote the first line that raised concern:

It is the opinion of this writer that to a great extent the source of this conflict is the hesitancy on the part of many, perhaps due to complacency, reserve, or even fear, to truly get to know persons culturally different from themselves, to deeply enter into their aspirations, struggles, life experiences.”

“Ouch,” I reacted. I could not see this analysis helping to open a dialogue. It certainly would not soften any hearts.

Did Fr.Nieli really intend to insult readers by arguing the conflict over immigration arises from the cultural ignorance of Americans who can’t be bothered to get to know people? Was his implication, that Americans are just hard-hearted and insulated, meant to insult? When he goes on to admonish Americans to follow their own motto: “out of many, one,” did he mean to be condescending?

It seemed Fr. Nieli was telling us twelve million migrants entering the country illegally did not really constitute a problem that needed to be addressed but rather the problem was the cultural insensitivity of the American people who are in need of a lesson in Christian charity. It occurred to me to ask, why not just slap a cream pie in the face of the audience or kick them in the shins to get them warmed up?

Perhaps the conflict is heating up because some, like Fr. Nieli, suffer from tone deafness. Perhaps they have become culturally isolated and unable to recognize when they have insulted another.

Assuming Fr. Nieli is a man of good intentions, and being mindful of my checkered past, filled with incidents of insulting others inadvertently, I turned to possible solutions. I gave thought to how I might rewrite his article or speech:

Fr. Nieli might say:

I bow before you, America, with gratitude and admiration. You, more than any other people on the planet, have lived the Christian charism. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and the Church thanks you for being so loving that you have taken in over twelve million migrants, strangers among you, and provided them with jobs, health care, schools, and personal safety at a level unknown in their own country.

America, you have lived up to your motto ‘from many, one’ and lived up to the Christian faith upon which this great country was founded. You have truly humbled me with your graciousness and your compassionate caring. You have come to know and embrace a foreign people in numbers that stagger your ability to manage your own communities. For that you are forever blessed.

And, as a representative of the Catholic Church, I confess before you that we, as a Church, the primary church in Mexico and Central America, have failed to nurture cultures based on respect for the law; we have failed to nurture cultures that recognize the dignity of human life. We have failed, as spiritual advisers, to inspire cultures to create opportunity for all their citizens. I confess we have erred through liberation theology and other aberrations that Pope Benedict XVI teaches were clearly wrong. For these transgressions I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness and your patience.

In light of the illegal immigration situation that has begun to harden hearts, and in recognition of the integral role that respect for the law plays within the American culture I offer the following suggestions:

1. All Catholics, clergy and laity alike, shall cease to demonize or cast aspersions on any group. ALL Catholic support, emotional and financial, for groups demonizing the Tea Party or Arizona residents will immediately be terminated.
2. Catholics shall sit down and engage in creative problem-solving and dedicate themselves to crafting a humane and robust guest worker program that gives migrants legal status as guests. We will work to make sure the law respects those we invite to our table in the manner the gospel teaches.
3. The solution we craft shall grant our guests proper legal status that allows them to escape exploitation, fear, and uncertainty. Should the federal government not honor our suggestions and not put in place a robust, well-managed guest worker program within two months, I suggest that individual states, such as Arizona, take it upon themselves to enter into guest worker agreements with Mexican states.
4. I suggest American citizens and migrants sit down together and create robust solutions for reforming the government and culture of Mexico (and Central American nations) so that our guests may eventually return home and realize human dignity and prosperity in their own “promised land.”
5. As a representative of the Catholic Church, I promise the Church will become a dedicated shepherd to displaced migrants as they seek to reform and revitalize the culture of Mexico (and Central American nations) so that, like the United States, their lands become a destination migrants will seek in order to find a better life.”

Fr. Nieli, would you agree this approach might bear sweeter fruit?

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