AS WE'D CRUCIFY THE MAN, SO WE'D SCORN HIS PARENTS:

Bishop says Joseph and Mary were immigrants, too (BUD KENNEDY, 11/30/08, Fort Worth Star Telegram)

The new bishop of Arkansas has a strong message for Roman Catholics: Christmas is an immigrant’s story.

"Does Jesus find a warm welcome in our communities?" writes Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, a Fort Worth native, in a pastoral letter read last Sunday in parishes across Arkansas. [...]

"What changes do we need to make here in Arkansas in order to ensure that today’s Marys and Josephs — today’s Marias and Joses — receive a warm welcome truly worthy of the Savior?" [...]

So I see in the Arkansas newspapers and on the Web, where activists from Americans for Legal Immigration are openly publishing Catholic-bashing comments accusing Arkansas church leaders as "pedifiles" and the church of "looking for more alter boys."

Priests across Arkansas will follow Taylor’s letter with sermons today, beginning a three-week series of Advent messages linking the Christmas story to civil rights and immigration.

The title of Taylor’s message is from Jesus’ words in Matthew 25: "I Was a Stranger, and You Welcomed Me . . ."

Yet people still can't figure out why the far Right is so scared of another serious Christian nominee like Sarah Palin.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 23, 2008 3:21 PM