Catholics across the country, and certainly those within the Archdiocese of Chicago, have increasingly asked this question in recent years: Why is the Catholic Church, specifically its U.S. leaders and representatives, involved in the immigration reform debate? A hot-button political issue that sparks high emotions, Father Larry Dowling addressed that very question on March 23 at the Sacred Heart Parish Center in Palos Hills. More than 40 guests attended Dowling’s presentation titled “Immigration and the Catholic Church: Why is the Church Supporting Legislation Favorable to Undocumented Immigrants?” Sponsored by Vicariate V’s Peace and Justice commission, Dowling, pastor at St. Agatha Parish, 3147 W. Douglas Blvd., presented a case for Catholic involvement in a political issue as contentious on Capitol Hill as it is in America’s heartland. Dowling, who is a member of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, offered his thoughts in a 90-minute presentation. “A basic tenet of our faith is the dignity and sanctity of life and that’s precisely our challenge on the immigration issue,” Dowling said. “As people of faith, we’re called to correct a system so that there is just treatment for everyone. “As Catholics, there is no venue that we do not exercise our faith in,” he continued. “Our faith calls us to care about those who need our support, particularly those on the margins, and to figure out a way to integrate them.” Rooted in tradition Much of Dowling’s program relied on explaining the 2003 landmark pastoral letter issued by Catholic bishops in Mexico and the United States — “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” Guided by biblical principles and Catholic social teaching, the bishops called for comprehensive reform to fix a broken immigration system and offered five recommendations for changing U.S. law to bring about a more humane and just immigration system (see www.justiceforimmigrants.org). The bishops’ recommendations, all of which Dowling referenced in his program, include: an international call for anti-poverty efforts; an expanded opportunity to reunify families; a temporary worker program; broad-based legalization efforts; and the restoration of due process. “This is not about retribution but restoration,” Dowling said. No ‘loose borders’ Numerous times, Dowling reiterated the church’s stance, which does not include amnesty or loose borders, but rather legislation that offers a path toward citizenship and recognizes the importance of an intact family. “This includes learning the language, paying penalties, and proving solid citizenship in a lengthy process. The church here is trying to welcome and inform,” Dowling said, acknowledging that the immigration issue has become a polarizing topic. In the final half of his presentation, Dowling fielded a number of targeted, even heated questions concerning immigration’s relationship to the economy, health care and the legislative progress. “Who do we blame: the immigrant who’s come to make a better life or the system that does not allow for reasonable and responsible possibilities?” Dowling asked the crowd more than once. All immigrants, Dowling reminded, have the right to make a living and remain with their family, central reasons behind the church’s calls for reform. While the politics intensify, he reminded that the church’s involvement is rooted in faith. “As people of faith, we believe there’s a greater power that can bring us together to spark change. There are not meant to be borders to our compassion,” he told the crowd. “We are called to be united here, to understand the need to reach out and respond on this issue.”