Even after my ordination as a Bishop in 1980, I continued to direct the Migration Office, until I was appointed by the Holy Father to serve as Bishop of Pittsburgh. I was moved by the plight of newcomers and refugees. Many had left countries like Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico and other Latin American countries, Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam, fleeing from wars, torture, persecution and extreme poverty. Like my parents who immigrated from Italy, they came with few material possessions, but with a determination to create a better life for their children. For newcomers, it is always about the children.
Parents sacrifice everything so that their children can have a better life.
As a priest and a Christian I was compelled to do everything possible to help these poor people to make a new life in this country. Of all the things that I have been privileged to do, nothing is dearer to my heart than my years of service as priest and lawyer to the newcomers and refugees. Christ said explicitly that if we welcome the stranger, we welcome Him. Newcomers and refugees often arrive in this country poor, not knowing the language or laws, threatened with exploitation and deportation, often accused of being a threat to the economy. Often it is their lawyer who is the only person who stands by them in the midst of a hostile world.