Interfaith walk emphasizes immigrants' plight
SALT LAKE CITY — Braving the cold wind, a small group of people of various ages, ethnicities and religious affiliations followed a donkey through the streets of Salt Lake City on Dec. 16. Seated on the donkey was a young woman representing Mary, the Mother of God; the beast was led by a man dressed as Joseph, Jesus’ foster father. Enacting the Hispanic tradition of "las posadas," the group stopped at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark, where Joseph asked for shelter but was turned away. Those outside and those inside the church recited the traditional lines of the posadas: "In the name of the heavens, I beg you for lodging, my beloved wife can no longer travel," Joseph says, but the innkeepers reply, "Although you tell us that you are weary, we do not give lodging to strangers." The "posadas" was organized by the Crossroads Urban Center and members of various other faith communities. The event was a way to underscore the way immigrants are treated in Utah, said Jean Hill, government liaison for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, who was among those representing the Catholic community at the posadas. "The posadas is an opportunity to remember times when we have turned others away from our doors. Who is asking us for shelter? Who seeks our hospitality in their quest for a life of dignity? In Utah, the answer is often the undocumented immigrant." The posadas started at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, then processed to the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark and ended at the First United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. The group began their walk with a prayer led by the Rev. David Nichols of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, who noted that the Holy Family had been immigrants. He also asked that God "unlock the doors of our hearts, make straight the path of your people who seek shelter. Shed your light upon us, that we may make room for you and welcome all you claim as your own." Members of the group sang Christmas hymns as they walked. At the end, they were welcomed at the First United Methodist Church with the traditional posadas verses: the journeyers said, "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (James 2:14-17) Once inside, members of the event’s organizing group read a statement on immigration. (See below.) This statement echoed the "Welcoming Resolution" that was adopted by the Salt Lake City Council, which stated the city’s values of acceptance and equality in support of creating a welcoming environment of all community members, both native born and immigrants. That resolution was signed during the regular Dec. 11 council meeting. Las Posadas Interfaith Statement on Immigration (Editor’s note: This document was read after the Dec. 16 posadas in Salt Lake City.) As members of different faiths in Utah, we respect each other’s differences and embrace our shared values. Our common roots in the teachings of Scripture guide us to certain universal truths. Thus: We believe that every person has value and must be granted basic human rights. One of our basic rights is to emigrate to escape from poverty, political strife, or any other life- or dignity-threatening circumstance. We believe individuals and families should be treated with dignity, not taken advantage of or called criminals because they seek food, clothing, shelter, and education. We believe in providing rational, reasonable opportunities for immigrants to become full participants in our nation. We believe we have a moral obligation to not just greedily accept the contributions of our immigrant neighbors, but to open paths to citizenship for immigrants seeking full legal status, with all of the rights, responsibilities, and protections that entails. We believe immigration reform must begin at the federal level and must ensure the families are united, rather than separated. We believe a basic principle of a civilized society must be that we will not tolerate inhumane treatment, exploitation, or the creation of shadow societies where people are used for their labor, then left to live in fear. We believe in the value immigrant workers, students, and families provide to our country and our moral obligation to work for the common good of our neighbors across the street and around the globe. In faith, Jean Hill, government liaison, Catholic Diocese Rev. Eun-Sang Lee, First United Methodist Church Rev. Steve Klemz, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Rev. David Nichols, Mt. Tabor ELCA Rev. Libby Hunter, Deacon, The Cathedral Church of St. Mark Fr. Ken Vialpando, Saint Joseph Catholic Parish Rev. Mary S. Janda, All Saints Episcopal Fr. Elias Kuocos, Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Rev. Jerrod Lowry, Community of Grace Presbyterian Rev. Curtis Price, First Baptist Church, SLC Re. Tom Goldsmith, First Unitarian, SLC Re. Yvonne Lee, Centenary UMC Rev. Dr. David Henry, Presbyterian, Ret.
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