Standing up for sanctuary: the broken immigration system is a spiritual issue.The ringing of the bells announces a new thing filing and breaks the silence. So too do we announce our new resolve to speak out about injustice, to no longer be silent and complicit com·plic·it adj. Associated with or participating in a questionable act or a crime; having complicity: newspapers complicit with the propaganda arm of a dictatorship. , to welcome our brothers and sisters who are in this land with us ... in the name and in the spirit of our common and diverse religious traditions." With these words the New Sanctuary Movement The Sanctuary movement was a religious and political movement of approximately 500 congregations in the U.S. that helped Central American refugees by sheltering them from Immigration and Naturalization Service authorities. The movement flourished between 1982 and 1992. was launched in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. on May 9. At the interfaith service that morning, two families came Forth publicly with their U.S.-born children to seek "sanctuary" with religions congregations and leaders. These families have a final deportation order deportation order n → orden f de expulsión or deportación deportation order n → arrêté m d'expulsion deportation order and risk being torn apart from their loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl . As we held their children in our arms, we were reminded that family unity must always be the cornerstone of humane and just immigration reform. Our families are the greatest testament to hope, faith, and courage in the face of continual adversity. After attending an initial meeting in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , I knew that silence during this poignant time in our nation's history would be betrayal of our Fellow brothers and sisters. How could we, rooted in a faith tradition that compels us to act on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society, not respond to this grave humanitarian crisis? As people of faith, we needed to act and we did. The Latino Leadership Circle (LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control ), of which I am a member, responded by becoming a partner in the New Sanctuary Movement. LLC is an emergent cohort of Latino/Latina ministers in New York City that seeks to support, equip, and engage Christian leaders to serve as catalysts for personal and community transformation. In becoming a New Sanctuary partner, LLC bridged theological reflection and praxis. We put our faith into action. We believe that the broken immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. system is, first and foremost, a spiritual issue, that the very soul of our nation is in peril. Sanctuary congregations and allied partners span the theological and political spectrum but are united in a common tradition of welcoming the stranger among us and of loving neighbors as ourselves. Let us stand in solidarity with those suffering amongst us and provide them "sanctuary." Let us stand to reform a damaged immigration system. In doing so, we continue in the spiritual tradition of our ancestors and advance the common good for all people. Belinda Passafaro is a Marketplace minister and an active member of the Latino Leadership Circle (www.latinoleadershipcircle.org). For information regarding Sanctuary outreach, training, and advocacy, contact the New York City Sanctuary Coalition at sanctuary07@yahoo.com. |
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