Supporters of SB1070 attend a rally at the Arizona Capitol | Source: AP

Over the last several weeks, the new Arizona immigration law has been making news across the country. There are those that completely agree with the new law and those that completely disagree with the new law. Immigration reform is such an important issue to the people of the United States and an important concern for the Catholic Church. It seems there hasn’t been too much said about this latest controversy by many mainstream Catholic bloggers. That needs to change; so, let’s take a look at the facts and the stance of the Church on this important concern of ours, shall we.

Before we get started, let’s examine what the Center for Immigration Studies says about immigration in Arizona. The center released the following information on the current situation in Arizona:

• The federal government estimated that Arizona had one of the fastest growing illegal immigrant populations in the country, increasing from 330,000 in 2000 to 560,000 by 2008.
• The federal government estimated that Arizona had one of the fastest growing illegal immigrant populations in the country, increasing from 330,000 in 2000 to 560,000 by 2008.
• Arizona has adopted other laws to deter the settlement of illegal immigrants in the state in recent years. The federal government estimates that the illegal immigrant population dropped by 18 percent in the state from 2008 to 2009, compared to a 7 percent drop for the nation as a whole. This may be evidence that the state enforcement efforts are having an impact.

Well folks, here is the video from the Mass of Installation of the fourth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, Thomas Gerard Wenski.

If you would prefer the video from the Archdiocese of Miami, please follow the following link: http://www.miamiarch.org/ip.asp?op=Article_10531171852608.

And, if anyone was interested, here is what the liturgical hammer looked like.

Here is the English text of Archbishop Wenski‘s homily for the Installation Mass, which will take place this afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

Archbishop Wenski in the Cathedral of St. Mary, Miami

Thank you for that enthusiastic welcome you gave me at the beginning of Mass. Gracias, Mesi anpil. Also, I am grateful for the support of those who traveled great distances to be here today – his Eminence, Cardinal O’Mally, my brother bishops, my relatives, and, of course, the priests who came down from Orlando to make sure that I was well received.. Your presence means so much not only to me but also to all the faithful of the Archdiocese – for this is a significant event not only in my own life but in the life of this local Church. Your Excellency, Archbishop Sambi, as Papal Nuncio in the United States, I ask you to convey to the Holy Father my gratitude for the confidence he has place in me in entrusting to me the care of this Archdiocese – in spite of my own limitations and shortcomings. . Of course, if you forget to, perhaps Archbishop Barney Auza, Papal Nuncio to Haiti, who is also present here today, could carry that same message for me.

Sometimes I tell people – only half in jest – the best thing about Miami and South Florida is that it is so close to the United States. Miami is certainly part of the United States, this great land of opportunity and freedom. And Miami can rightfully claim to be our nation’s new Ellis Island – for it has become a port of entry for refugees and immigrants from around the world, but especially from the Caribbean, Central and South America. Of course, there was no Statue of Liberty here to welcome the newcomers – and sometimes those newcomers were not very welcomed anyway; but for the past 52 years under the leadership of my predecessors, Archbishops Coleman Carroll, Edward McCarthy and John C. Favalora, the Church of Miami was here to extend her maternal embrace to all. For the Church is the Father’s House – and all God’s children should feel at home in their Father’s House, and here in the Archdiocese of Miami – in our parishes, schools and charitable institutions – we have welcomed newcomers – from the first refugees fleeing the Cuban Revolution to this year’s victims of Haiti’s January earthquake. And we’ve learned that the best way to make someone feel at home in their “Father’s House” is to speak their Mother’s tongue.

And while Miami (and South Florida) is part of these United States, it also has become a vital part of the various nations from which our people have come: Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia and the rest of the Caribbean, South and Central America. South Florida is truly a transnational community – and that, more than the sun and the beautiful beaches, explains why those who live here find it such a dynamic and exciting place to live. Sometimes, Miami boasts that it is the capital of the hemisphere. The presence here today of Bishops from Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico, I think, shows that this is no idle boast.