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Opinion

Mixed Signals From The Vatican On Immigration, Islam, National Security

There have been several statements from the Vatican in the past few weeks regarding Islam, especially when it comes to Muslim migrants.

During the Christmas Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis compared Joseph and Mary’s situation to that of the migrants entering from the Muslim world. I doubt Joseph and Mary qualify as migrants when they went to Bethlehem, since they were going there to register for a census mandated by Rome. Thus, Joseph was returning to his hometown because he was of the House of David. After Jesus was born, one might be able to label Joseph, Mary, and Jesus as migrants, since they went to Egypt to avoid King Herod and his men (and came back after learning of Herod’s death). However, Egypt, Judea, and Galilee were all part of the Roman Empire, it is unclear if they qualify as migrants.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis stated that migrants had an obligation to respect the laws of the countries in which they arrived in, and cautioned nations against taking in too many immigrants. He also said that the Vatican would not interfere with any given nation’s immigration policies. Such statements are in accordance with Catholic doctrine, and it seems as though the Pope might also be backtracking on his pro-immigration stance (perhaps he has taken notice of the Muslim problem in Sweden, especially since he had recently returned from that nation).

On January 12, Jesuit Father Michael Czerny, undersecretary for the Vatican’s office of Migrants and Refugees, stated that critics of the Pope were obsessed with national security and border control, even going so far as to say that nationalism and xenophobia were a greater threat to peace and security throughout the world. The Pope supposedly made a similar statement last month.

Meanwhile, a group of individuals who had converted from Islam to Catholicism has sent a letter/petition to Pope Francis regarding his views on Islam. You can view the petition here (and sign it regardless of whether or not you are Catholic):
http://exmusulmanschretiens.fr/en/

By taking a pro-immigration stance, Pope Francis and other church officials are deviating from Catholic doctrine, or appear to be flip-flopping on the issue.

So is Pope Francis now realizing the seriousness of the Islamic threat? And if so, what action will he take? Will he abandon his previous politically correct stance and side with liberals on this matter, or will he abide by church doctrine and take a stand against the Islamists (and call on the leader of nations to do the same)?

photo credit: David Baggins A holy place via photopin (license)

Andrew Linn

Andrew Linn is a member of the Owensboro Tea Party and a former Field Representative for the Media Research Center. An ex-Democrat, he became a Republican one week after the 2008 Presidential Election. He has an M.A. in history from the University of Louisville, where he became a member of the Phi Alpha Theta historical honors society. He has also contributed to examiner.com and Right Impulse Media.

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