US bishops' spokesman decries hostility toward Syrian refugees
November 18, 2015
The chairman of the US bishops’ committee on migration decried the opposition to accepting refugees from Syria, in a statement delivered on November 17 during the US bishops’ meeting in Baltimore.
After voicing his sympathy for the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo continued:
I am disturbed, however, by calls from both federal and state officials for an end to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. These refugees are fleeing terror themselves—violence like we have witnessed in Paris. They are extremely vulnerable families, women, and children who are fleeing for their lives. We cannot and should not blame them for the actions of a terrorist organization.
Bishop Elizondo pointed out that refugees coming into the US are subject to interviewing and security checks more stringent than those applied to other immigrant, and the vetting process can take up to two years. “We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program,” he said, “but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need.”
Rather than treating Syrian refugees as scapegoats, the bishop urged political leaders to work for an end to the bloodshed that has driven so many Syrian families from their homes.
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Posted by: jrorr19609092 -
Nov. 19, 2015 12:43 AM ET USA
A Republican Congressman from Montana, a former Seal, Congressman Zinke said, "Suicide offenders are not repeat offenders." You can not vet them. A recent PBS Frontline program showed training programs for 3 year olds on how to cut peoples heads off and how to become a suicide bomber. How ignorant our USCCB is on what is happening in the world. How insulting they are to common sense. And how ignorant they are to their own interpretation of the bible. Read the footnote to Mt 25; 35.
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Posted by: FredC -
Nov. 18, 2015 9:27 PM ET USA
I assume that he will also decry the works of the suicide bombers that enter with the refugees, so many of which are military-age men.
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Posted by: Ken -
Nov. 18, 2015 8:27 PM ET USA
Every bishop who supports this statement should immediately announce how many Syrian refugees they are welcoming into their homes to live. Live your faith, gentlemen.
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Posted by: skall391825 -
Nov. 18, 2015 6:58 PM ET USA
Sounds like CRS/Obama talking points. CRS receives grants for the purpose of bringing refugees here for bankrupt America to support. There is no way to reasonably vet them, despite the dishonest talking points, and I doubt CRS is focusing on Christians undergoing genocide. Obama wants Syrians (and other future Democrats) here rather than creating a military safe zone in Iraq (which he GAVE to ISIS) or elsewhere in the Middle-East where Muslims would support them.
