A few weeks ago, Pope Francis and Donald Trump had a little “disagreement” about Mr. Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. Of course, the pope’s remarks were taken out of context by the media. I doubt many people know exactly what Pope Francis said. So, here’s the full quote, in its entirety:
“I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.” [New York Times, February 19, 2016]
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see any reporting that Pope Francis was giving Mr. Trump the “benefit of the doubt.” Nonetheless, I think it is important to explore the issue of illegal immigration from a Christian perspective.
Before we can determine if Mr. Trump is a Christian, I think it is necessary to define the term. What does it mean when someone says they are a Christian? Is it enough to attend a weekly service/Mass at the local Christian place of worship? What if that person attends service twice (or more) per week? What if they pray every day and also donate some money to charity? Is that enough to qualify as a Christian?
As I have learned over the last few years, Jesus was and is calling us to something different, something more. Being a Christian means we live our lives with a greater purpose. Going to Mass, praying, and almsgiving are important. However, the purpose of Christian life is spelled out in the Gospels and Jesus summed it up this way: Love your neighbor as yourself. Is building a wall an act of love?
The economist in me fully understands scarcity of resources. As a Christian, though, I also know that scarcity of resources is a short-term problem. In the long run, God will provide us with all the answers, with everything we need. We are never lacking money; we are only lacking in ideas. No, it isn’t feasible or even wise to have completely open borders. However, I also know that in this age of instantaneous communication and accessibility to information, it shouldn’t take years for immigrants to become citizens either.
To be a Christian, we must love radically. Jesus wants us to become the best, holiest version of ourselves. It’s not an easy task. But if we are throwing up walls between ourselves and those that need our help, we certainly aren’t following the example that Christ set.
I don’t have many answers to the “problem” of illegal immigration. But I do know one thing: Until we start acting out of love for our fellow man (loving our neighbor), we aren’t going to make any real progress.