State’s bishops support policies on immigration, sales of guns
In the fall, the Catholic bishops of Washington urged members of the state’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives to support comprehensive immigration reform. They also expressed support of a state initiative for limiting the sale of guns.
The bishops are Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of the Archdiocese of Seattle; Bishop Blase Cupich of the Diocese of Spokane; Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
They favor a measure that promotes a path to citizenship and family unity, reduces the immigration backlog, includes border security, and protects U.S. workers and due process for immigrants.
They are concerned about the human suffering the current “deficient immigration system,” causes and urge “comprehensive immigration reform legislation that respects the human dignity of migrants and reflects the unique soul and character of America.”
In cooperation with a national effort by U.S. bishops to raise awareness among Catholic people and promote legislative action, the four bishops released a statement in September on immigration for distribution in the state’s parishes.
They say the U.S. immigration system is deficient for everyone: taxpayers, employers and immigrants.
It fails to protect national security, is counterproductive to economic development and is unjust.
On gun control, the Washington State Catholic Conference, which represents these bishops, also expressed support this fall for Initiative 594’s call for background checks on gun sales given the prevalence of mass shootings across the nation and how they “reflect a devaluing of human life in the nation.”
They said that while committed to the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of liberty and legitimate recourse to self defense, they cannot “ignore the threat to public safety that arises when guns are too easily accessible.”
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