It is perhaps unusual for a Lutheran pastor to encourage his congregation to read and study a papal message from the Vatican, but in this case I believe Pope Francis is way ahead of the leaders of the mainline Protestant denominations in stating clearly, succinctly and eloquently some core gospel values that should inform our behavior in the current political context.
In a letter addressed to Catholic bishops in the United States earlier this week, the Pope reminded us all that while faithful Christians may disagree, sometimes sharply, on questions of national immigration policy, there are fundamental guardrails that all Christians must observe in respecting the sacred dignity of every human being, including refugees. Rather than paraphrasing his words, I invite you to read them yourselves. It is a short letter, and excepting only the last paragraph, I think all Christians can and should embrace this message.