Remarking on the Pope's Visit and Illegal Immigration

Floor Speech

Mr. TANCREDO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to also welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the United States and to Washington, D.C., and congratulate him for delivering an important message on the role that faith plays in the lives of every believer.

Over the years, the Vatican has been a strong voice for religious freedom, for human rights, and was an invaluable partner in defeating Communism during the Cold War. The Catholic Church has long been a source of charity and benevolence helping some of the world's most vulnerable people in some of the world's most dangerous places.

However, as President Bush welcomes Benedict XVI to Washington this week, Americans might be surprised to know that the Pope isn't here just to minister to his flock. He's here to lobby for amnesty for illegal aliens. According to news reports, the Pope met with President Bush yesterday to add his voice to the open border lobby by encouraging the President to give the 20 to 30 million illegal aliens in this country a free pass to stay here.

Now, I'm not taking issue with the Pope's moral authority. I respect his views on the threats of Islam, the sanctity of human life. But I don't think it's in his job description to engage in American political activities.

Worse yet, the Pope chided America, insinuating that immigrants are subject to ``violence'' and prevented from leading ``dignified lives.'' Madam Speaker, I would like to know what part of our American lax immigration policy is ``violent.'' I fail to see how accepting more refugees than any other Nation while providing free health care, free education, free housing and free social service benefits to millions of illegal aliens in this country is in any way degrading to them or undignified.

I would like to remind the Pope that America has long been dedicated to the principle of the rule of law, and there is absolutely nothing inhumane about American immigration statutes or the robust but civilized enforcement of it.

But perhaps the Pontiff has made these comments with a motive more broad than simply spreading the gospel. It's no secret that the Catholic Church has been having difficulty maintaining its membership levels and a growing number of religions are competing for parishioners.

Indeed, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the ``Catholic Church has long been losing members and as much as a third of the native-born Catholic population is diminished. Meanwhile it has gained members among foreign-born (mostly Hispanic) residents.''

Madam Speaker, it's possible and unfortunate that the Pope's immigration comments may have had as much to do with spreading the gospel as it does recruiting new members to the Church.

I regret that the Pope used some of his time with the President to engage in faith-based marketing trying to attract new parishioners instead of preaching amnesty for illegal aliens to try and enlarge the size of the global Catholic congregation. I would urge the Pope to subscribe to the wisdom of one of his cardinals, Cardinal Biffi. A few years ago, the cardinal told The Times of London, ``Countries can choose to let in whoever they want. There is no such thing as a right of invasion.''

Madam Speaker, the United States already has a legal immigration system unparalleled in its generosity. In the meantime, we assist illegal aliens, and those affected by them, by reimbursing hospitals for costly illegal emergency room hospital visits, providing free public education to illegal alien children. I would challenge the Pope to name any other country on Earth that demonstrates this kind of compassion on such a large scale.

I hope, Madam Speaker, that the American people will welcome the Pope with open hearts and open arms but that they will reject his demand to replace our efforts to achieve genuine border security with a faith-based immigration system.

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