According to the Associated Press, Indiana Governor Mike Pence spent part of his Wednesday meeting with the Catholic Archbishop of Indianapolis in an effort to dissuade him from continuing to assist in the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family. Apparently, Pence was prompted when the archdiocese announced on Tuesday that “it had donors willing to pay for the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family expected to arrive in Indiana later this month after a two-year vetting process.”
I don’t want to get into a theological debate here, but I think the Holy Bible is clear on the importance of looking after refugees. It’s clear that the archdiocese is following the spirit of their faith.
I think that Hunter over at Daily Kos contextualized this situation quite well.
Imagine you’re a family fleeing your town in the midst of a very, very bloody civil war. You make it to the refugee camps, you wait two years for “vetting” to prove your family isn’t a menace—and as you get final approvals to resettle in some American state, you hear that your possible arrival has mustered the top elected official in that state into efforts to move heaven and earth to prevent your family, specifically, from entering. He’s giving speeches. He’s summoning the people who are helping you flee the war into his statehouse office, and demanding that they stop, because God only knows what perils America would face if you are allowed sanctuary there.
I’m not the judge of who is and isn’t a good Christian, and being a good Christian isn’t necessarily the right measure of who is a good governor.
I just don’t think Mike Pence is a good governor.
