I am not attempting to break the separation between church and state, but this news article definitely caught my eye this morning. Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his message on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees to the plight of immigrant children:

The pope said host countries must create policies that protect child immigrants and help them integrate into society. These children should enjoy basic rights such as going to school and being able to work legally, he added.
“I warmly hope that proper attention will be given to minor migrants who need a social environment that permits and fosters their physical, cultural, spiritual and moral development,” he said.
Despite increased awareness of the need to help child immigrants, the pope said, “many are left to fend for themselves and, in various ways, face the risk of exploitation.”

I am not Catholic, but I recognize that – for better or for worse – the pope has the position and influence to influence the public dialogue. One such case was in 1978 when John Paul II acted swiftly to prevent the corrupt dictatorships in Argentina and Chile to go to a pointless war against each other and sacrifice the lives of many young men with their pointless bravado. My father, an eventual immigrant to the U.S. who brought us here with sacrifice and hope, was an 19-year-old doing his compulsory military service in the Argentina side at the time.

Now, saying the Pope “endorsed” the DREAM Act is obviously a tongue-in-cheek comment. Nonetheless, the pope’s speech has the potential to resonate with many people of faith to get involved in calling for governments in their receiving countries to call for better policies of immigrant integration. By association – and because the main Catholic lobby in the U.S. has come out in support of the DREAM Act - I feel comfortable saying this is a welcomed endorsement for the DREAM Act. Kind of.