Politico reported Friday that Pope Francis "slammed both US presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the 'lesser evil' in the upcoming US elections.
The Pope said, "Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies."
So, there. That should settle the matter. Right?
A closer look begs the question, "Is having open borders the equivalent of killing unborn babies?"
Be informed, not misled.
While Pope Frances didn't mention either candidate by name, he expressed himself in stark terms when asked to weigh in on their positions on two hot-button issues in the U.S. election — abortion and migration — that are also of major concern to the Catholic Church.
Politico says, "Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it. While strongly upholding church teaching forbidding abortion, Francis has not emphasized church doctrine as much as his predecessors."
They continued, "Francis said migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a 'grave sin.'”
He was also blunt, the Leftist news organization said, in speaking about abortion. “To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” he said. “We have to see this clearly.”
Agreed. It is killing.
But let's take a closer look at what the Bible actually says about illegal immigrants and the "stranger."
Ralph Drollinger has a ministry called Capitol Ministries for our elected officials in Congress. His Bible studies focus on what the Bible says about specific issues our elected representatives face on a daily basis.
Five years ago, Ralph wrote a Bible study on the problem of illegal immigration.
During the last three and a half years, Illegal immigration has become exponentially worse. The biblical principles remain the same.
I would encourage you to take 15-20 minutes and read the study. Many Christians and conservatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives have made this their guide in making policy decisions.
Some thoughts about the "stranger."
Open borders advocates, and apparently the Pope, like to claim that the Bible supports what they call "comprehensive immigration reform," which essentially really means open borders.
Ironically, the Vatican has walls and high fences protecting its sovereignty and the people who live within it.
The religious left's favorite Scripture to support their position on "the stranger" is usually Leviticus 19:33-34:
"And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Exodus 23:9 reminds us we know how a stranger feels, "For you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt."
Clearly, anyone of Judeo-Christian faith, when they read that passage, would want to do the right thing regarding the "stranger" in our land.
The religious left has built an open borders movement off that Scripture and a couple of others they feel support open borders.
The key question is, "Who is the stranger?"
The religious left argues that a stranger is any foreigner who immigrates, including those who break the law.
"Welcome the stranger" is now the banner for the religious left in their advocacy of, essentially, open borders. And it's always linked with "compassion."
The Bible clearly defines a stranger as "a man of non-Israeli birth, resident in the promised land with the permission of the Israelite authorities." Your Bible dictionary will easily lead you to these verses.
So, a stranger in Israel was an immigrant who was in the country with permission. Our founding immigration laws were based on Judeo-Christian principles.
When a stranger is mentioned in the Bible, it always refers to a legal alien, not an illegal one, in Leviticus 19:33-34.
Borders were important in ancient biblical times. When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he asked permission each time he crossed a border and entered a new land. When he was denied permission, he changed course and took a different route.
About 2000 years before Christ, Egypt was an oasis of prosperity and opportunity, much like the United States is today. It was a magnet for migrants suffering from famine or economic difficulties. When famine struck the land of Canaan, Abraham, for example, turned to Egypt for relief (Genesis 12:10).
Egypt didn't appreciate the surge at their borders because it included hostile marauders and foreign barbarians, which they deemed a threat to their country.
In Genesis 12, we see the story of Abraham lying to the authorities, claiming his wife was his sister. The authorities expelled him from Egypt, and Abraham complied with them. He did not try to sneak back in.
In Hebrew, the Bible uses two different words to define a "foreigner" and an "alien." A foreigner is a person from another land, like a tourist or businessman, who is only in the country temporarily but with permission.
An alien is a person from another land who plans to take up residence, again, with the host country's permission.
When Abraham's great-grandson Joseph wanted to bring his father and brothers to Egypt during another great famine, he had to get permission from Pharoah. Even though he held a high position in government, Joseph himself was not Egyptian. He was a guest---a foreigner and could not legally bring his family into the land.
When Joseph's brothers returned, they appealed to Pharoah again (Gen. 47:4-6) to allow them to live in the land of Goshen.
God has called us to a life of compassion, charity, and helping the poor.
Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to remove the security of borders in the name of the Lord, yet that's exactly what the religious left and this administration are calling for.
Compassion and charity do not require us to look the other way when someone breaks the law, nor do they demand that we deconstruct our nation.
What the Biden administration is doing on our southern border is child abuse---not compassion, yet they claim they're doing it in the name of the Lord.
Takeaway
Asked what voters should do at the polls, Pope Francis recalled the civic duty to vote.
“One should vote and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know."
“Everyone in their conscience should think and do it,” he said.
The two most morally destructive issues of our day are illegal immigration and abortion.
This election should not present a difficult decision if we are informed.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Sober. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful. VOTE.