Bishop
David A. Zubik's Letter on Immigration
February 5, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In my pastoral letter, The Church Living! I addressed the
importance of building a culture of life by respecting all
life. This includes respect for people from different countries,
societies, races, and cultures.
“In Jesus Christ, the fullness of God’s love
is revealed,” I wrote in The Church Living! “The
love that Jesus pours out in His ministry, and in the giving
of His very life on the cross, flows from the intimate union
of love with His Father. It is the same love the Holy Spirit
pours out upon the Church. The Church Living is a sign of
the powerful dimension of love within every human heart—love
that wants and needs to connect with God and the world. The
church, which Pope John Paul II called ‘expert in humanity,’
proclaims a vision of the world in which people may live in
peace, freedom and truth” (#12).
Because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, I want
to raise my concern for the current immigration system in
the United States. President Obama announced in his State
of the Union address on January 27 that this will be a major
initiative in the coming year and soon our legislative leaders
will debate comprehensive immigration reform.
There are many of our brothers and sisters in the Diocese
of Pittsburgh who are affected by immigration polices, including
those seeking citizenship, refugees, religious workers, separated
families, and students studying in the Untied States. As one
family under God, we must insist upon just and comprehensive
immigration reform that is based on the understanding that
we are a nation of immigrants.
Immigration reform must establish new policies that offer
a moral response to a broken system. Immigration reform must
consider families and policies that keep families together.
Immigration reform must offer a viable solution for those
seeking permanent residency in the United States.
In The Church Living! I spoke of human dignity that is both
personal and social. “Every person is a creature of
God and thereby lives in relation to all other persons. This
social aspect of each human person is also inherent in our
own being and needs to be respected, not ignored” (#26).
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI said during his April
2008 visit to the United States that freedom “is not
only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility.
Americans know this from experience. The preservation of freedom
calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice
for the common good and a sense of responsibility for the
less fortunate. It demands the courage to engage in civic
life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to
reasoned public debate.”
I join the bishops of the United States in supporting comprehensive
immigration reform that respects the human dignity of the
individual and the sacredness of families. In light of this,
I have asked Deacon Alexander Wroblicky, diocesan Secretary
for Evangelization and Social Concerns, and Mrs. Greta Stokes
Tucker, diocesan Director of the Department for Black Catholics,
Ethnic and Cultural Communities, to co-chair a Task Force
on just comprehensive immigration reform. Their charge is
to lead diocesan efforts to educate and inform the clergy,
religious and all the faithful within the Diocese of Pittsburgh
on current immigration issues, to implement the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ campaign for just immigration
reform, and to propose strategies for action that reflect
the Gospel and the rich social doctrine of the Church.
Please join me in praying for our nation and our elected
officials that we may “never act out of rivalry or conceit;
rather, let all parties think humbly of others as superior
to themselves, each of you looking to others’ interests
rather than his own.” (Philippians 2:3-4).
It is imperative that we have compassion for everyone, inclusive
of immigrants, as we live, pray and work together in solidarity
and especially as the Church of Pittsburgh; the Body of Christ.
Grateful for our belief that “Nothing is impossible
with God,” I am
Your brother in Christ,
Most Reverend David A. Zubik
Bishop of Pittsburgh
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