By Daneen G. Peterson, Ph.D.
March 21, 2006
The debate continues to rage over Cardinal Mahony's instructions to his priests to ignore future immigration laws while cloaking his justification in biblical verse. He is not the first to do so. Cardinal McCarrick the archbishop of Washington, DC, has also made a similar claim about current immigration laws. It is this author's opinion that such exhortations are prima facie evidence of preaching and practicing sedition. It is further suggested that the rampant, willful continuance of unlawfully 'aiding and abetting' illegal aliens by the Catholic Church, Catholic Charities and others, is ALSO a form of sedition.
Just what IS sedition?
Sedition is a United States "federal crime of advocacy of insurrection against the government [such as the call to defy our laws announced by Cardinal Mahony] OR support for an enemy of the nation during time of war, by speeches [preaching], or publications [informational packets] and organization [Banding together ~ participating in the coalition]. Sedition usually involves actually conspiring to disrupt the legal operation of the government [as in advocating the willful disobeyance of our laws] and is beyond expression of an opinion or protesting government policy [as in 'aiding and abetting' illegal aliens]."(1) "Sedition is conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state [as preached by Father Gutierrez]."(2)
"Wading back into the growing debate over illegal immigration, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony on Tuesday [2/28/06] denounced what he called 'hysterical' anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping California and the nation."(3)
"In his most forceful comments to date, Mahony said he would instruct his priests to defy legislation — if approved by Congress — that would require churches and other social organizations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing assistance and penalize them if they refuse to do so. That provision was included in the immigration bill [H.R. 4437] recently passed by the House of Representatives; a similar proposal is in the version that the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to begin debating this week."(3)
It seems that many Catholics, especially the church hierarchy, have openly preached and advocated sedition. Cardinal Mahony does so when he calls for Catholics to disobey laws that the government may enact to stop illegal immigration. The Cardinal seems to have forgotten the teachings of the bible concerning respect for the law of the land: Romans 13:1-2 . . . "let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed . . . "
Obeying Cardinal Mahony's exhortations promoting sedition, a priest at the "St. Anne Catholic Church in Santa Monica on Sunday, [a] Father Michael Gutierrez clearly relished the chance to declare that his church would welcome immigrants regardless of any laws Congress may pass. 'This is not our law,' he said. 'We follow God's law'."(4) That is about as clear as it get to engaging in sedition.
Cardinal Mahony's Seditious Political Agenda . . .
In pursuit of his political agenda . . . "Mahony announced that 'the Catholic Church and many other organizations, and immigrants rights advocates . . . are banding together to protect the rights of all [except for taxpayers] . . . . to see that it [HR 4437] does not go beyond the Senate,' and that the Senate passes measures to increase legalization rights for immigrants."(5)
In addition, Cardinal Mahony announced that "he has sent informational packets to all parishes on how to preach, teach and lobby on the issue. He said he also planned to step up his personal political advocacy, starting with a letter to California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Senate Judiciary Committee member and opponent of large-scale guest-worker [amnesty] programs outside agriculture."(3)
Along with Mahony . . . "The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is participating in the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which includes hundreds of labor, civil rights, faith, community and business groups. It opposes HR 4437 and supports legislation that would provide legalization of 'undocumented' [illegal alien] workers."(5)
Mahony Also Disobeys the Pope . . .
Apparently Cardinal Mahony and the US Bishops hadn't read the Pope's Encyclical from Christmas 2005 where Pope Benedict XVI clearly ordered the Church to stay out of politics. The call by Mahony to engage in politics is in disobeyance of the Pope's Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est of 12/25/05 where he states: "Fundamental to Christianity is the distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God . . . The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics . . . The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible . . . The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society, on the other hand, is proper to the lay faithful. As citizens of the State, they are called to take part in public life in a personal capacity."(6) Since Cardinal Mahony is not laity, his preaching and political activism and organizational efforts are in violation of the Pope's Encyclical.
Mahony And His Co-Conspirators Also Endanger The Church's Non-Profit Status
Perhaps the Bishops and Cardinals of the Catholic Church should also keep in mind that they are a non-profit which allows them to avoid paying any taxes as long as they abide by certain rules and laws. Their political activities put the Church in jeopardy because they are ALSO flagrantly disobeying the rules for their 501(c)(3) status.
According to the Rutherford Institute: "Since the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which authorized Congress to impose a federal income tax, Congress has consistently granted churches and religious organizations special exemptions from paying taxes and for receiving tax-deductible contributions. However, if a church or religious organization wishes to qualify for and maintain this tax-exempt status, it must abide by the restrictions in political and legislative activities established in section 501(c)(3) of the internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as amended) .2 Section 501(c)(3) includes two stipulations: first, no substantial part of the organization's activities may consist of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; and second, the organization may not participate in political campaigning in opposition to, or on behalf of, any candidate for public office."(7) The rule of thumb for violation of a non-profit status is that if more than 5% of staff, time, effort or dollars is involved, it is against the law.(8)
(3) "There is enormous ignorance out there," said Mahony, disputing as "myths" accusations that undocumented immigrants take jobs from Americans or don't pay taxes. "This is a teachable moment to help people understand that all of us are immigrant people."(5) What is he going to 'teach': that illegal aliens DON'T take jobs from Americans and that they ALL pay taxes? That is absurd on its face. There is no evidence to support such a 'teachable' claim. In fact there is a MOUNTAIN of evidence to support the exact opposite.
"Mahony also criticized efforts by the Minuteman Project and other [illegal] immigration control groups to police the border, saying that such efforts were a misguided reaction to national security concerns."(3)
Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, replied by saying: "As a Catholic, it troubles me to have to say that Cardinal Mahony is just flat wrong . . . First of all, he seems to not understand the difference between legal immigration and illegal immigration . . . It discredits the church and brings shame to parishioners to say we are not going to follow the laws of the United States
"Those hit hardest by illegal immigration are the poor who are squeezed from the job market. Meanwhile, the middle class see their tax burden skyrocket to pay for education and healthcare for illegal immigrants. It is the church's flock that has to foot the bill and they are unlikely to be receptive to paying higher taxes to satisfy Cardinal Mahony's political agenda . . ."(9)
"Gilchrist also disagreed with the Cardinal's statement that illegal immigration opponents are 'hysterical': It is emphatically not 'hysterical' to want to stop the flow of drugs streaming across our borders, not to mention ending the murders and rapes which are a regular occurrence
"The Catholic Church is a worldwide institution. If this were only about helping the needy as the Cardinal claims, that could just as easily be done in any of the other of the dozens of nations illegal aliens come to America from . . . One thing the Cardinal is right about: There is enormous ignorance out there. But this time it just happens to be coming from the church."(9)
Sedition's Other Aspect . . . A De Facto War with Mexico
Sedition also involves support for an enemy of our nation. You may believe that aspect of sedition is not applicable concerning the Catholic Church because we are not 'at war' with most of those countries from which illegal aliens originate. There are currently 23 million illegal aliens occupying our country today with 10,000 more A DAY entering America.(17) Of those 23 million illegaIs, 90% are mostly Catholic Hispanics, 65% of whom originate from Mexico. These are the illegal alien 'migrants' or 'immigrants,' that the Catholic Church and Charities 'aids and abets.' Because of the enormous size of the invasion, you cannot compare America's 'human tsunami' of illegal immigration with any other country in the world! The current number of illegal aliens is 23 million or more, and counting! The fact that our government has allowed these illegal aliens to overwhelm our country is so outrageous and egregious, that it boggles the mind! With nearly 90% of the illegals, Hispanics and Latinos, and 65% of those are Mexican, they WILL, by their sheer numbers, irrevocably alter our American community. They will divide our nation into two languages, two cultures, and two societies.(19)

"What they [illegal immigrants] are interested in is in having their rights respected." "These workers are not going to become American citizens, nor do they want U.S. citizenship."(27) Fox has also said "it is his government's ultimate goal to try to give all Mexicans living and working illegally in the United States 'all the rights that any worker has in that country'."(28) And: "My people are not doing anything wrong or breaking any laws, nor are they 'illegal aliens' [what is he smoking?]. They are Mexican citizens migrating north looking for work."(29) Fox has also stated that: In the last few months we have managed to achieve an improvement in the situation of many Mexicans [in the United States], regardless of their migratory [illegal alien] status, through schemes [by using American Laws] that have permitted them access to health and education systems, identity documents [Mexican matricula consular cards that only illegal aliens need], as well as the full respect for their human [illegal alien] rights [to illegally invade America and have us pay for it].'(19)(30)
(60)
To grasp the enormity of the invasion one has only to look to the South and see how they "have moved into the small towns of Dixie faster than in any other region of the country . . . [where] at the county level, [the increases are] exceeding 1,000 percent in some counties and 500 percent in many others."(41) The question is . . . why have we continued to allow the government of Mexico to execute a de facto war by encouraging tens of millions of their citizens to illegally enter America and then blatantly lobby, protest and provide support for them while our government 'rolls over' and plays dead?
Perhaps you should know that another of the Hispanic/Latino group called MEChA has a motto that says: "For the race everything. For those outside the Race, nothing!" And . . . of course the 'race' they speak of is the Hispanic/Latino.(44) Why do we Americans put up with being called 'racist' and 'anti-immigrant' by the TRULY racist pro-illegal alien Hispanic and Latino organizations, when we demand our immigration laws be enforced against illegal immigrants? Why do we let them get away with such hypocritical accusations?(25)
To 'Aid or Abet' is to actively, knowingly, or intentionally assist another person in the commission or attempted commission of a crime, such as illegally entering our country without our permission or knowledge, housing them, transporting them, or employing them.(45)

Catholic Bishops Seditiously Exhort Members to 'Aid and Abet' Illegal Aliens
According to the Washington Times, in May of 2005, said that "religious teachings justify aiding illegal aliens" . . . "We go right to the New Testament and say, him or her who is without sin cast the first stone. How many of us have not violated some laws, whatever they might have been -- either they're traffic laws or immigration laws or tax laws, something like that."(49)
While speaking at that same 2005 Conference Derbez "lamented the poor image of hard-working, honest illegal [isn't that an oxymoron?] immigrants, which is being distorted by vigilante [the outrageous branding of American Patriots, by President Bush, has served the pro-illegal alien crowd well, hasn't it?] groups such as the Minuteman Project in Arizona . . . [t]he show of racism and xenophobia [that's what one is called, when you are an American citizen who insists that the laws of our country be enforced!] of certain individuals against undocumented immigrants [illegal aliens trying to break into America], especially on the border with Arizona, and which threatens to expand, is unacceptable."(55)