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Immigration picks up on the topic of rights, the political nature of Christian commitment, economic justice, and the relation between being a member of a worldwide Church and a citizen of a particular nation. Please reflect on the story Fr. Corpora relates about mass on the Rió Grande in light of the points made by Bishop Lester concerning the rights of immigrants.

see where rights come from in the Catholic tradition,

explore the relationship between rights and duties discern the difference between liberty rights and

claim rights, see how emphasizing one or the other leads to

different notions of society, and focus on immigration as an example of human

rights crossing national boundaries.

I. Justice & RightsA. What are rights?

II. Rights & DutiesA. How many rights do you want?B. How many duties do you want?C. “Inconsistency” according to Pope Benedict?

III. Kinds of rightsA. B.

1. Human rights according to the Church?2. Tensions with present U.S. policies?

IV. Immigration rights

Liberties (“immunity from interference”)Liberties (“immunity from interference”)Claim rights (or “empowerments”)Claim rights (or “empowerments”)

“It is important to call for a renewed reflection on how rights presuppose duties if they are not to become mere licence.”

“Nowadays we are witnessing a grave inconsistency. On the one hand, appeals are made to alleged rights, arbitrary and non-essential in nature, accompanied by the demand that they be recognized and promoted by public structures, while, on the other hand, elementary and basic rights remain unacknowledged and are violated in much of the world.”

“… [I]ndividual rights, when detached from a framework of duties which grants them their full meaning, can run wild, leading to an escalation of demands which is effectively unlimited and indiscriminate.”

“An overemphasis on rights leads to a disregard for duties. Duties set a limit on rights because they point to the anthropological and ethical framework of which rights are a part….”

“Duties thereby reinforce rights and call for their defence and promotion as a task to be undertaken in the service of the common good.”

Rights & CommunityRights & Community