For Immediate Release: Thurday Sept. 24, 2015
Contact: Donna De La Cruz, [email protected], (202) 339-9331

Pope Francis Calls on Congress to Put Families First and to Accept and Welcome All Seeking Refuge in U.S.

(WASHINGTON)—Pope Francis called on Congress today to help families build better lives for themselves, find solutions to help the poorest of Americans, and to welcome all who seek refuge by coming to the United States.

“The pope challenged all Americans to show compassion to immigrants, to working families struggling to make ends meet, to the poorest of our society,” said Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of the Center for Community Change. “We hope every American heard Pope Francis’ message challenging us to build a politics grounded on love and compassion.”

In his address, the pope talked about “the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and –one step at a time – to build a better life for their families.”

“These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need,” the pope said.

“Community Change is also heartened by Pope Francis’ loving embrace of immigrants, calling himself and many members of Congress descendants of immigrants,” Bhargava said. “These are words this Congress needed to hear.”

The pope referred to the migrant crisis of Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country to safer havens in Europe but also to those immigrants who seek refuge in the U.S. from Central America.

“On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” the pope said.

Bhargava said the pope’s words remind us of the simple moral center of many of the issues we are called upon to address.

“Are we willing to build an economy that puts families, rather than profits and wealthy interests, first?   Are we willing to treat the immigrants who seek shelter and opportunity in our midst as we would wish to be treated if forced to seek a better a life for our families?” Bhargava asked.

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