Strangers and Sojourners: Immigration Will Remain a Pressing Issue for the Church

What does the Catholic Church teach about immigration?

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Pope Francis made outreach and support for migrants a hallmark of his papacy. No matter who is elected the next pope in the coming days, immigration will remain a pressing issue as nations worldwide grapple with its consequences. Although its political and economic ramifications often rise to the forefront, the immigration question necessarily includes a spiritual dimension for Catholics.

The Catholic Church has said surprisingly little about immigration in its magisterial teaching. In the Compendium on Catholic Social Teaching, one little section on “Immigration and work” comprises two paragraphs. When Pope Francis recently wrote to the Bishops of the United States, he needed to refer back to a 1952 Apostolic Constitution from Pope Pius XII as the Magna Carta of the Church’s teaching on this issue. It doesn’t appear in the index of topics of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but you can find a succinct teaching in paragraph 2241, included within its consideration of the Seventh Commandment:

“The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him. Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”

So, what are Catholics to think, especially as immigration has become such a polarizing issue in the United States and Europe?

The Bible provides a spiritual starting point. Hebrews, summarizing the experience of Abraham and Israel as a whole, tells us that “. . .they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. . . . a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13-14, 16).

The context of “stranger” may be lost on us, but it means a migrant who has left his homeland searching for something. Abraham left Ur for the Promised Land but then sojourned in Egypt, just like his descendants, during famine. Under Pharaoh, the people of Israel knew what it was like to do manual labor as despised immigrants. This is why God commanded them during the Exodus to remember this experience:

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34).

God asks his people to love their neighbor as themselves, especially if that means a foreigner who has arrived on their soil. Some chapters later, he would tell Israel that even after conquering the land, they would remain strangers on it, passing through for a time, holding it only as stewards of the Lord, to be used as he directed, “for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23). This command came also with a warning that Moses gave the people in Deuteronomy 10:

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (vv 17-19).

Notice how he doesn’t tell them to tolerate or even respect immigrants. They are to love them, remembering their own maltreatment in Egypt. In a way, they give thanks to God for delivering them from it by treating others better.

Does this mean that nations should have unregulated borders? The Catechism says that nations have the right to regulate immigration judicially. We see the harm in our own country from an open border left prey to human and drug traffickers, leading to exploitation and crime. A nation does not have to take on all the world's problems and subject itself to an internal crisis, but the Catechism does challenge wealthy nations, speaking even of an obligation, to welcome those in need.

Immigration requires a difficult balance, avoiding the Scylla and Charybdis of a dangerous free-for-all and an inhuman coldness in the face of those in need.

From the beginning, America has been a land of opportunity for immigrants. Our own ancestors migrated here in search of better opportunities, making this the wealthiest nation on earth. Catholics have always faced an uphill battle of assimilation, enduring waves of prejudice and marginalization. Today, we’re facing a population decline and need additional labor for many industries that rely on migrants. It’s not a matter of whether we should allow immigration or not, but the best way to manage it, especially in a way that is fair for those trying to enter the nation legally or in urgent need of asylum.

In addition, we have a responsibility to treat immigrants in the country with dignity. We can praise the crackdown on violent gangs, smugglers and cartels, while also acting with charity and compassion for regular people who work hard to support their families.

Even though it’s been an insurmountable hurdle for decades, can’t we find a way to regularize those who have been here for years and decades and have formed families here?

Many of these families are fellow Catholics who need our support and charity as they face a terrible crisis. While it’s possible to fault those who came illegally, we also know this was encouraged and tolerated for a long time, leading many good people to come, work and have families in the United States.

Pius XII’s Apostolic Constitution, mentioned above, Exsul Familia Nazarethana, begins by pointing to the fact that Jesus himself was a migrant:

“The émigré Holy Family of Nazareth, fleeing into Egypt, is the archetype of every refugee family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king, are, for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, his beloved parents and relatives, his close friends, and to seek a foreign soil.”

Pius meticulously recounts the history of the Church’s care for migrants, including in the United States, urging charity and pastoral care for those in need, writing, “She has been especially careful to provide all possible spiritual care for pilgrims, aliens, exiles and migrants of every kind.”

Catholics in the United States have the opportunity to show solidarity and charity to those suffering from the immigration crisis, particularly during the Jubilee Year, which calls us to release those who are bound in servitude and to resettle people on the land, which ultimately belongs to the Lord.

God has reminded us that we are all strangers and sojourners in this valley of tears and, when we stand before him in judgment, he may just say to us, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).