Earlier this week the News & Observer reported on the findings of the Pew Forum Survey on Religion and Public Life. The results were certainly worth reviewing and made for interesting reading. Nevertheless, as I transplanted Catholic, I found the comments of Russ Elmayan, the chief operating officer of the Diocese of Raleigh far more interesting. In the article, Mr. Elmayan is quoted as saying there are approximately 210,000 registered Catholics in the diocese, and an estimated 225,000 unregistered Hispanic Catholics who attend mass weekly but do not fill out membership forms. Do we mean to say the number of unregistered Hispanic Catholics actually exceeds the number of registered Anglo-Catholics? No doubt the issue of illegal immigration is driving much of the numbers. While I know the diocese has an official policy of welcoming all illegal immigrants, the reality is the issue has divided those within the church as much as those outside of it. The figures speak of the great challenge facing the Church. Is there a better time for the Church and our communities to begin a public discussion on the issue of illegal immigration?
Yes the Catholic Church recognizes the inherent dignity of all people.
However, GOP leaders, including Elizabeth Dole, have stubbornly blocked immigration reform which would allow many Catholics to worship openly.
We should all be ashamed that the Republican party stands in the way of honest folks being able to fill out a church membership card.
They can fill out church membership cards. The feds do NOT look at any church’s membership records, nor do they check IDs of parishioners on the way in to mass.