'May God bless you': evangelical pastors’
hidden role in human smuggling's boom
Guardian [U.K.],
by
Sarah Kinosian
Original Article
Posted By: earlybird,
6/30/2019 2:44:22 PM
Early in the morning, Antonio knelt before an altar with white candles and a small statue of the Virgin Mary and prayed for a miracle.(Snip)It was still dark when he piled into a blue van with his six-year-old son, Gaspar, and a group of other farmers and their family members hoping to reach the United States. They set out from their home town in the highlands of Guatemala and rode for hours before pulling down a narrow dirt road which ended in a clearing near the Mexican border.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/30/2019 2:46:52 PM (No. 110550)
FTA:
“The church is an invisible actor in migration,” said Francisco Simón, a researcher on migration and smuggling at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. “Using the image of the pastor is just one of the many ways coyotes [people smugglers] recruit clients. He has credibility and the trust of the people.”
Out of 23 towns Simón recently visited in the western highlands, he found cases of pastors and priests helping people to migrate in 14 of them.
There had to be a trusted link who would convince these simple people to embark on these long, dangerous treks. Now we know what that link too often is. One has to wonder how much the pastors/priests receive from the smugglers for these “referrals”...
22 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/30/2019 2:50:21 PM (No. 110555)
Oops. Should have read past the photo.
At this church, three of the pastor’s brothers are well-known coyotes, according to Pedro and members of the congregation. For each customer he recruits, the pastor makes $250; he earns another $150 for praying with a group before they set out.
So they are part of the business.
37 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Mushroom 6/30/2019 3:12:50 PM (No. 110566)
Well that explains Frank's stance...the Vatican is getting it's cut.
32 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
DVC 6/30/2019 3:50:22 PM (No. 110586)
The leftists have totally infiltrated our religious groups at the national levels, it appears. They are destroying the churches from the inside, and doing their bests to destroy nations.
"Church people" are doing great evil in modern times. Some is just ignorance, but I am absolutely convinced that many leftist do it as a lifetime double agent, a leftist who hates God going undercover to intentionally work to destroy churches from within. Great evil.
And The Guardian being a Communist paper, is probably pleased to see harm being done to
religions. The soviets blew up thousands of churches and controlled all the priests (according to my
very Christian friend, a former soviet citizen), yet these people are doing every bit as much damage.
25 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 6/30/2019 4:03:59 PM (No. 110600)
Ministers view the migrants as Christians and potential Christians waiting to be converted. They do not see the migrants as criminal Godless leftists.
13 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Tennman 6/30/2019 4:10:24 PM (No. 110606)
These vultures must be self-identifying as "pastors". Are not acting as Christ intended since they're intentionally putting people in harm's way for money. All's well as long as they get their cut.
20 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/30/2019 4:15:54 PM (No. 110610)
I would rather see this in the Guardian - the only news outlet where I’ve seen it reported - than not at all. They got the story and they got it out. It filled in missing pieces - such as “how do poor people in remote regions of Guatemala suddenly decide to take off on a 2000 mile journey to an unknown future in the United States?” Now we know. It wasn’t just “outside organizers” on twitter or whatever. It was the local pastor, working in cahoots with coyotes (who might even be relatives) for plain old money.
I will not fault the Guardian for this report. We know that faith is one thing, the so-called “pastors” and “priests” can be something quite different.
25 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
DVC 6/30/2019 5:11:51 PM (No. 110644)
Good point, #7. Commie or not, The Guardian reported the facts (I think) in this case.
And now we can know that the Church in Central America is the enemy, or at least a lot of the representatives of the Church.
One point. I never considered Catholics to be part of "evangelicals", which I took to be Protestants
who were supporting missionaries, both external to the USA and inside the USA.
10 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/30/2019 5:20:53 PM (No. 110650)
Although the article is primarily focused on the Pentecostal/Evangelical pastors and their churches, which thrive in the areas where the inigenous people live (and they are the ones who make up much of the caravan participants), the article also speaks of “priests”. That would be Catholic priests.
13 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
beancounter 6/30/2019 5:35:29 PM (No. 110659)
The churches get it both ways. They’re in on the corruption that impoverishes Central America and then they get a cut of the money from smuggling.
11 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
pros7767 6/30/2019 5:54:33 PM (No. 110667)
I've reduced my contributions to the Catholic Church significantly. My donations really aren't even enough to support my parish but I don't care.
The damage they've done to our country and their incessant cries for supplies to food banks, baby diapers and pajamas for illegals have really turned me off. That, and an idiot/Commie Pope.
23 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 6/30/2019 6:03:11 PM (No. 110678)
What happens once all these people get to the US? They have no way to support themselves. No housing, no car, no job, no food, etc... I don't think the church is supposed to turn people into hapless dependents.
16 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
msjena 6/30/2019 6:07:08 PM (No. 110681)
What evangelical church worships the Virgin Mary? And there is no evangelical “Church,” like the Catholic Church. That some pastors who purport to be “evangelical” are facilitating illegal immigration says nothing about Christians who follow the Bible as authority (ie, evangelicals).
14 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
bad-hair 6/30/2019 7:01:12 PM (No. 110706)
And when they finally get here the Southern Baptist Social Services "non-profits" bill the government $700 a week each. When you are a church there are a LOT of ways to ensure that you don't make a profit.
10 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 6/30/2019 7:45:45 PM (No. 110731)
I'd like to know what the Guardian's definition of evangelical is and how they know these were evangelical pastors.
12 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 7/1/2019 12:43:42 AM (No. 110828)
Paying for someone to break Federal law isn't "sweet" or "Christian" it is felonious. Throw him in Federal prison and let him find converts there.
14 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Heraclitus 7/1/2019 2:01:08 AM (No. 110858)
Pompously stuffing their pockets with loot, including millions from the USA taxpayer, via funding for NGOs.
On a Biblical issue, if they're Believers, then according to scripture, they must obey the authorities which "God has given over them" so that there is "peace in the land." whole heck of a lot of unrest, dissension, corruption everywhere.
6 people like this.
Under Obola, federal funds went to these churches for immigrants. If the federal funding is cut, would they welcome illegals with open arms?
The Catholic Church hopes all Latinos are Catholics to fill the plate.
6 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Rinktum 7/1/2019 7:07:25 AM (No. 110929)
The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil. It also teaches us to be law abiding and to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. The great commission mentioned in the Bible is to preach the Gospel to all nations which is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and to baptize. It says nothing about conspiring with coyotes to facilitate entrance into a country illegally for profit. Churches much Iike people can fall pray to the love of money. Using the church to profit on trafficking of people and who knows what else is not the commission the church was given. Like everything else in this world liberalism is a destructive force even when it is couched in”good works”. Add the temptation of financial gain and many will fall right into it. Globalist atheists relish the opportunity to use “Christians” as their tool. What is a shame is that so many so called Christians are nothing more than willing pawns in their strategy to destroy our country. Pull their tax exempt status if any church is involved in human smuggling. You cannot be allowed to hide behind religion in order to break the laws of this country. If their concern is so great, send missionaries, medicine and financial aid to these home countries. Of course, that is not as profitable.
12 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
jacksin5 7/1/2019 7:49:48 AM (No. 110953)
The Catholic Church in the U.S. has seen declining numbers of parishoners since the 1960's. Catholic Charities is trying to beef up the numbers of the faithful by importing "Refugees" from Central America, and offering them sanctuary. It's no surprise that the illegals end up in urban areas where churches were about to be shuttered due to lack of attendance.
5 people like this.
This concept of a church being owned by an individual is something I ran into when we lived in Arkansas. A black man we knew said that if he were to win the lottery he would buy a couple of churches!
When I was in Uganda I ran into an unethical pastor there as well. People trust pastors with donations for children and that draws some to their own calling.
If you have ever read the wonderful book Miracle on Voodoo Mountain, you know there is a very evil man posing as a pastor in Haiti.
None of this is present in 99% of truly evangelical churches, but it reveals that con men have spotted a source of naive people, who might be less likely to file criminal charges.
9 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
MickTurn 7/1/2019 7:56:31 AM (No. 110962)
May God Bless you...now go back home and pray!
4 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
lana720 7/1/2019 8:28:44 AM (No. 110997)
This is WRONG on so many levels! Follow the money, I don’t care which denomination. If it is the Catholic Church, the priests have been defiled by money, and an illegitimate pope. If it’s Pentecostal, or some guy who wants his own name on the door, it still,wrong.
We are sick,of this invasion, no matter the source! Make your own dayum country better!
10 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
Yuban 7/1/2019 8:52:02 AM (No. 111014)
Christianity can save your soul and give you joy unheard of. . Organized religion can turn you in to an atheist.
12 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
Gnana1 7/1/2019 9:05:59 AM (No. 111030)
Reminds me of Judas.
However the pictures in the article are those from a catholic environment. I do not believe God approves of this "business". Pastors who have family members who are coyotes and pass off illegals to "handlers" are criminals and will rot in hell.
Do not use evangelicals in a blanket statement and infer there more non catholic pastors doing this catholics. That is factually not true. There are baptist orgs and pentacostal orgs who violate God's Word every day. But more catholics provide cover for the illegals and those who move them: FOR 30 pieces of silver!! Shame!
Oh, love it when the Godless Guardian lectures about "religion".
Article says nothing. Just a cheap shot at Christians by bringing up frauds and misuse by in the church.
2 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
Harlowe 7/1/2019 9:39:44 AM (No. 111060)
FTA: “Pentecostal churches are omnipresent in the mostly indigenous regions where most of the country’s migrants are from.” Take note that “Pentecostal churches” predominate the area. The author, without identifying the specific church involved, is misrepresenting Evangelical churches; the church involved may be a Pentecostal church, and not an Evangelical church.
There is a difference between Evangelicals and Pentecostals that is worth pointing out which eludes most journalists. Pentecostals places emphasis on “openness to spirituality that is not necessarily centered in the Bible” whereas Evangelicals adhere to “Divine revelation” as the source of all truth, “Scripture is its verifying principle.”
8 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
starboard 7/1/2019 10:04:32 AM (No. 111088)
FTA: “Every Evangelical church is a moment of entrepreneurialism. You only need 10 families and you’re breaking even, if you take tithing seriously,” said O’Neill. “It’s a way to create a job out of nothing. It is also why there is so much competition in Guatemala – and why there are so many churches.”
There are some well known churches here in the USA who are taking an active role in helping asylum seekers. As a Christian, being kind and helping the helpless is like handing out fishes and bread. BUT, it could be more than kindness with the declining numbers in churches these days? Is it a form of recruitment to perpetuate their congregations?
Televangelism has become a big money business using the bible as a lore. If it helps some people who are shut in, then it's a good thing. Some of those big church arenas should do more Hands-on by taking it directly to the people in need without the Hollywood production style. Generosity without greed is generosity of spirit.
2 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 7/1/2019 10:20:39 AM (No. 111102)
Evil, pure corrupt evil is what these wolves in sheep's clothing are. Bringing disease and carnage on their fellow citizens. They sure are lacking in a Biblical foundation as a part of what they claim is their Christian faith.
3 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
HisHandmaiden 7/1/2019 11:05:21 AM (No. 111138)
FTA: “Every Evangelical church is a moment of entrepreneurialism. You only need 10 families and you’re breaking even, if you take tithing seriously,” said O’Neill. “It’s a way to create a job out of nothing. It is also why there is so much competition in Guatemala – and why there are so many churches.”
There is NOTHING evangelical about any of this evil. It is heresy and an abomination, straight from Satan. LORD, may this all stop TODAY! Amen!
2 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
VivienLeigh 7/1/2019 6:15:49 PM (No. 111479)
Thank you Robinson buckler for bringing my lover back if you need his assist as such contact him on Robinson.buckler (@) yahoo . com,…
0 people like this.
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…where their guide - an Evangelical pastor - prayed for them and passed them on to the next handler. Article describes the part that pastors and priests are playing in these “migrations” aka invasions.