Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, marked the 180th anniversary of Ireland’s Great Famine by calling Americans and Catholics to “find a compassionate path forward” on immigration.
In a Nov. 2 statement, Cardinal Cupich said government indifference worsened the Irish famine, which left more than a million dead and forced another million to flee.
“As we observe this sad anniversary, let us also remember that what turned an agricultural failure into human tragedy was the reality that their government stood by and watched it happen without meaningful response,” he wrote.
He said Irish immigrants who arrived in new countries were often “[s]hunned because of their faith” and “told they ‘need not apply’ for work. Still, the gifts they brought and their perseverance have enriched every place they found refuge, however grudging.”
Turning to the present, the cardinal said that “this inhumanity” must not be repeated.
“We must pray that we feel that pain and resolve that this inhumanity not be repeated in our time, that future generations do not look back on the history of our nation and rank our present actions among those that stain its reputation,” he wrote. “This country of immigrants can choose to ignore its past mistakes – all vigorously justified at the time – and add another to our national sins. Or we can live up to our ideals as Americans and Catholics and find a compassionate path forward.”
He concluded by calling for gratitude and solidarity with immigrants.
“Today let us both rejoice in the gifts the Irish have given the United States and acknowledge the suffering that brought so many to our shores,” he said. “We lift our voices in the name of Jesus, carried as his refugee parents fled their homeland in search of safety for their Son. And we commit to welcoming those who follow their example today.”
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