The following is the text of Bishop Murphy’s talk at the Nassau County Latino Forum at Adelphi University on October 22:

County Executive Suozzi, I am grateful and happy to accept your invitation to join you today as you recognize and honor the many positive contributions of our Latino brothers and sisters to the life of the community that is Nassau County. I want to commend President Scott and Adelphi for hosting this event, and also to thank the Hagedorn Foundation for their support and leadership in addressing the challenges of immigration that we face both nationally and locally here on Long Island.

My words today are neither political nor economic nor theoretical. They are the thoughts of a pastor of almost 2 million Catholics on Long Island including the majority of the 330,000 Latinos.

For many, the face of the Latino community on Long Island is the face of the day laborers as they gather at the “esquinas” or corners of our communities in search of work. This presence is real and presents us with challenges and opportunities. However, it is but one thread in the rich cultural tapestry of Latino life on Long Island. People hail from every country in the Americas. I think of the men and women who are our doctors and educators, our nurses and social workers, our lawyers and advocates, entrepreneurs and executives in business. I think of our leaders in public life — some of whom are represented here on this panel today. I think especially of parents who made and continue to make enormous sacrifices so that their children can achieve the American dream.

For others, the face of the Latino community — especially the youth — is associated with the growing problem of gangs in our communities. This is a real problem. We have to do everything we can to control and eliminate this so that this minority of Latino youth not become the norm. Most of our young people work hard and study hard to achieve their dreams and honor the sacrifices of their loved ones. This past Labor Day, as every Labor Day, I gathered at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington with almost 400 Latino youth from the diocese for our annual Encuentro. What an uplifting gathering! It was both humbling and inspiring to witness the joy, vitality and hope that these young people bring to the Church and to Long Island. They are an integral part of our future!

The face of Long Island, as I often say, is changed, and we are better off as a result. So my first words today are words of thanks to the many members of the Latino community; be you from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru or Puerto Rico or elsewhere: THANK YOU. THANK YOU for your enormous contribution to the Church on Long Island, THANK YOU for your engagement in, and enrichment of, the many communities on Long Island where you live and work and serve.

The challenge of our day:

If we cast an eye back through our nation’s history of immigration, it is clear that at different times different ethnic groups faced particular opposition and even hostility. The Irish in their time, the Italians in theirs and … sadly, in our day it seems that the Latino community bears a similar burden, although the circumstances are quite different.

We live in a global economy where the means of both communication and travel are beyond the wildest dreams of our parents. We live in a world wounded and marked deeply by the events of September 11. We live in a world where there is an ever-increasing gap between those who have and those who have not. We live in a world that presents us with enormous opportunities for advancement, but it also brings with it many negative aspects, including new forms of economic insecurity, of homelessness, of illness without adequate health insurance, and the fear of terrorism. We as a nation must address these even though they are very complex. We must do all we possibly can to protect our nation against terrorism. We must see to it that the laws of our land are respected and obeyed by all. Within this complex set of issues, we must face the equally complex question of immigration, not by slogan and not by setting up straw men, but with a sense of mutual respect, civil discourse and a shared commitment to the dignity of every human being and the common good of our society here on Long Island.

There are many millions of immigrants living and working here in the United States. We depend on their labor, and they make significant contributions to our local and national economies. They work in our hospitals, our schools, our farms, restaurants and even our own homes; they take care of our children and elderly parents.

More than 12 million of these are undocumented, and a significant number of these are Latino. The presence of these undocumented persons is the subject of much public debate. I would like to speak briefly to that today.

First, let us be reminded that of approximately 330,000 Latinos living on Long Island, 50,000 are undocumented. Slightly less than one in six! In other words, 280,000 are citizens or documented. Mirroring the national reality, the presence of these persons is a point of deep division and controversy throughout Long Island. Our communities are polarized and people, especially the immigrants, are demonized. There is a quality to the public debate that is, simply put, unhelpful. Proponents on both sides of the debate lay claim to half truths and inaccurate “facts,” proposing simple solutions to a complex problem. In this regard, I would appeal especially to the media and those who facilitate or participate in the public debate of this issue to work to create an atmosphere where there is room for a civil dialogue that resists the temptation to stereotype, or settle for the quick sound bite.

What we need above all at this time is a civil, reasoned discourse that will help us arrive at a meaningful and realistic solution. We need to listen to the other, try to understand their fears, their needs, their perspective, and get to know them as human persons. We need to muster the courage to acknowledge:

— That abject poverty forces people to set out on a perilous journey to our country in search of a better life.
— That 40 men living in a one-family house is neither safe nor desirable and harms the neighborhood.
 — That day laborers, documented and undocumented workers, fill a void in our labor market and to date there is no reasonable alternative.
— That long-time residents struggle to pay their taxes and continue to live in their communities where they have a right to see the standards of decent living observed and respected by all.
— That families are torn apart as a result of the economic need to immigrate.
— That having large numbers of people gather on busy street corners is both an issue of public safety and public health.
— That those who do gather must not threaten others, especially women and children, and must be as law abiding as everyone else.

As Church we approach this important social issue from the moral perspectives of our biblical tradition and our rich body of Catholic social teaching. We hold that the quality of our relationship with God can be judged by how the poor and vulnerable are treated in our society. Catholic social teaching challenges us to engage in important social issues with the dual moral principles of respecting the dignity and rights of the individual, while always pursuing the common good.

In the Diocese of Rockville Centre, we have demonstrated our faithfulness to this teaching in our ongoing pastoral ministry to immigrants. Last year alone over 15,000 immigrants were assisted through the programs of Catholic Charities. Our Office of Hispanic Apostolate strives every day to reach out to and serve Latino immigrants in their parish communities. In 2005, I was especially proud of our response to a request for assistance from the federal government to meet the needs of almost 100 Peruvian victims of human trafficking, many of whom we continue to serve.

In 1983, the Holy See formulated and deposited at the United Nations a Charter of the Rights of the Family. This is based on the inherent dignity of every human person, a dignity that must be respected no matter who the person is or what circumstances he or she may be subjected to. One of the values of Latino society is its high regard for the family. In fact, care of one’s family back in one’s homeland is a major motivating factor for those immigrants who come here seeking work. As we seek to respond to the challenges we are discussing today, we need always to keep in mind fundamental rights of the person such as rights to work, decent wages, safe working conditions, and the ability to live simply but with dignity. We must also recognize the right to marry and found a family, the right of the family to live together in unity and freely to bring children into the world; the right to have access to the means to earn a living that can care for the family and for that family to contribute to the good of society freely and responsibly. The last right in this Charter states, “The families of migrants have the right to the same protection as that accorded other families.”

We as Church are eager to offer our pastoral help and assistance in this important challenge to us all. We do so with great respect for the laws of our land and those who are called to make and enforce them. We seek to collaborate with all persons of good will in finding solutions that are just, equitable and respectful of every person affected by the challenges we face together. Let me mention some principles that must be observed by us all in this matter:

— Respect for law and the commitment that all must live according to just laws
— The right of sovereign nations to secure their borders
— The right of persons to remain in their homeland or to emigrate to support themselves and their families
— The respect for the inherent human dignity and rights of every person regardless of political, economic or civil status
— The central role and rights of the family as the primary and fundamental unit that is the basis of every other society.

As bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, I have serious concerns about the recent immigration raids that took place on Long Island. I do not, in any way, object to the right and duty of law enforcement authorities to do their job, nor do I oppose the appropriate arrest and prosecution of those engaged in criminal activities. However, any enforcement effort that does not respect the dignity and rights of the human person and denies due process under the law ought to be vigorously rejected. One of the results of recent raids has been that families were torn apart and even to date pastors and family members have been unable to determine the location of their loved ones who were detained.

The federal government has a primary responsibility for comprehensive immigration law reform that is so needed. We must have enforceable federal laws that regulate immigration effectively. We should not expect local communities to fill in the void. We should not punish people who have come here legally seeking honest work, nor should we deprive people who are here of their dignity as human beings.

Let me conclude then by challenging all of us to rise to the occasion of this enormous social challenge, by putting aside the rhetoric and stereotypes, and directing our passions and strong convictions instead to finding real and lasting solutions that will build a nation and a Long Island of which we can all be proud.

As bishop, I pledge that the Church of the Diocese of Rockville Centre will play its role in partnering, as appropriate, with government, other faith and civic groups, and people of good will to achieve this end.