Denver Seminary

On Friday, March 2nd, the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy hosted a discussion on immigration between Professors Andrew Yuengert of Pepperdine University (chair of the Economics Department) and Virgil Wiebe, Associate Professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis). This was one of their series on “Hot Topics.”

The Murphy Institute is “a collaboration between the Center for Catholic Studies and the School of Law at the University of St. Thomas. The institute explores the various interactions between law and Catholic thought on topics ranging from workers' rights to criminal law to marriage and family” (from the website). The series this year explores different perspectives on major policy issues that are sure to play a part in this year’s national elections.

Professor Yuengert speaks as one who has concerns about enforcement, while Professor Wiebe takes an immigration advocate stance. The exchange is civil, informed, and constructive. I recommend it. It can be found at: http://www.stthomas.edu/murphyinstitute/events/20120302_hotTopics_i.html

In an email in which Professor Wiebe alerted me to this event, he also mentioned two helpful books on immigration from the view of Roman Catholic social teaching (which is far ahead of most evangelical thinking). I pass this information on to any of you, who might desire to keep learning about the topic:

• Michelle Pistone and John J. Hoeffner. Stepping Out of the Brain Drain: Applying Catholic Social Teaching in a New Era of Migration. Lexington Books, 2007.
• Donald Kerwin and Jill Marie Gerschutz, eds. And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching. Lexington Books, 2009.