I cannot tell you how many times I have run around the walls of the Vatican early in the morning, in the heat of the day, or in the cool of the evening. I always deviate off the sidewalk to enter St. Peter’s Square, which is open to the public.
I cross myself and bow to Jesus, and acknowledge Sts. Peter and Paul and the 140 saints atop the colonnades reaching out as arms to welcome us.
Yes the colonnades warmly welcome us into the arms of Mother Church. But try to enter the Vatican at one of the eight entrances into this tiny nation and see what happens.
No one enters without special permission and without the proper paperwork. You will not find immigrants lined up at the entrances or climbing the walls.
The Vatican has strict newly implemented laws about entering the Vatican. According to the Catholic News Agency,
In a decree issued last month by the Holy See, the monetary sanctions and prison sentences for those who violate the strict security regulations of Vatican City have been considerably increased.
The document, signed by Cardinal Fernando Vérguez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, provides for monetary fines ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 euros (about $10,200 to $25,700) and prison sentences ranging from one to four years.
These fines will apply especially to those who enter by means of violence, threats, or deception, bypassing border controls or security systems.
The Pope just sent a letter to the US Bishops challenging our attempt to restrict illegal entry into the United States. He substantially called on our bishops to continue our current policy under Biden Immigration, in effect, resisting our president.
Immigration should be legal and our country is very generous and always has been.
We are spending untold millions to house illegal immigrants while our own people are neglected (e.g., recent hurricane victims). Why are our citizen ignored while illegals are housed in posh hotels across the country.
Josh Mercer, VP of CatholicVote wrote,
Those closest to the Pope have failed to give him the full picture of the humanitarian crisis we have experienced this last four years. Biden’s border policies were a boon to Mexican cartels, who made $30 million a day smuggling drugs and people across our southern border.
This reckless open border policy allowed migrant women and children to be exploited. When Trump took office there were 300,000 migrant children who were missing.
American Catholics have compassion for the plight of people in other countries and have long shown incredible generosity to other countries. But we don’t understand why our already-generous immigration laws are not respected.
The Vatican is protected by impenetrable walls and strict laws and penalties, yet they expect us to open our borders to anyone that wants to enter? Why the double standard?
Babies are not allowed to be born inside the Vatican Walls which would give them citizenship—they must be taken outside to hospitals in Rome for birth.
We cannot insist on legal processes for immigration? We should not take care of our own disadvantaged and needy first?
We all want to care for the poor and needy. That is what we as Americans have always done. But we want it implemented in a legal and orderly manner.