Borders and burdens

John Huebscher, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, argues that Unaccompanied Minors at Our Border Provide Opportunity for Pro-Life Witness, in WCC's Eye on the Capitol for August 1, 2014. Here's his math.

"If we are prepared to do this for 6,900 children lost to the abortionists, how can we accept the argument that caring for less than 2% of that number is something we can’t afford?"

One reason might be because it calls to mind arguments like the one Archbishop Dolan made for strict limits on the number of foreign clergy allowed into our Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In his Herald of Hope column in the August 21, 2008 issue of the Milwaukee Catholic Herald he said,

"Yes, we welcome and embrace international priests and sisters, but we are slow and careful in discerning who, when, or where. ... And we usually only accept one or two priests a year so they can be warmly welcomed and properly assigned."

Among his reasons,

"They need some time 'on the ground' perfecting their English, softening the accent, learning American ways."

If those are the concerns that limit the burden a bishop can take on with regard to foreign priests, then it should not be surprising that some of the laity are wary about instant foster care for Central American kids.

[The quoted Catholic Herald article is not now available online. Quotations of Archbishop Dolan are from this post of mine regarding the article.]