The Bishops’ Borders

CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY of Los Angeles recently proposed that Catholics begin the Lenten season by fasting and praying to defeat a bill just passed by the House of Representatives to tighten up the enforcement of immigration control and border security. It sounded like a new sort of progressive penance for recalcitrant pre-Vatican II Catholics – but the cardinal was apparently in earnest. He warned his archdiocese that “hysterical” anti-immigrant sentiment was sweeping the nation, argued that the House bill was tantamount to “punishing people who help immigrants,” suggested that it could mean the Church would have to ask for documentation before serving communion at the altar rail, called for “humane” reform of immigration law more or less identical with the McCain-Kennedy bill (amnesty, guest workers, more family-reunification visas, etc.), announced that he would instruct his priests to ignore and even defy the rules if they became law, and declared that he himself would go to prison if necessary to make the point.

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John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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The Bishops’ Borders

CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY of Los Angeles recently proposed that Catholics begin the Lenten season by fasting and praying to defeat a bill just passed by the House of Representatives to tighten up the enforcement of immigration control and border security. It sounded like a new sort of progressive penance for recalcitrant pre-Vatican II Catholics – but the cardinal was apparently in earnest. He warned his archdiocese that “hysterical” anti-immigrant sentiment was sweeping the nation, argued that the House bill was tantamount to “punishing people who help immigrants,” suggested that it could mean the Church would have to ask for documentation before serving communion at the altar rail, called for “humane” reform of immigration law more or less identical with the McCain-Kennedy bill (amnesty, guest workers, more family-reunification visas, etc.), announced that he would instruct his priests to ignore and even defy the rules if they became law, and declared that he himself would go to prison if necessary to make the point.