The Gospel asks us to welcome the stranger in our midst. Tens of thousands of Haitians are fleeing the hopelessness that another major earthquake and another destructive hurricane have produced. Their hopelessness is compounded by the incompetence and corruption of a succession of Haitian governments. The consequence is civil chaos and gang rule. Their best hope is here.

Thousands more, who fled Haiti earlier for like reasons and whose South American jobs have disappeared, are also approaching our southern border.

As Catholics committed to social justice in service of our common humanity – and American citizens cognizant that our interventions are largely responsible for the situation there – members of the Our Lady of Hope Parish (St. Joseph and St. Pius X churches in Portland) Social Justice & Peace Commission beg our representatives in Washington to do all they can to end the wholesale deportation of Haitian refugees seeking asylum – and hope — here.

Carole Center
Portland