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On January 21, the Catholic, Episcopal, and Methodist bishops of Mississippi signed off on a statement calling Mississippi State Legislators and Governor Phil Bryant to “refrain from drafting and enacting” anti-immigrant legislation.
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<p>On January 21,<a href="http://www.mississippicatholic.com/categories/diocese/2012/012712/immigratiom.html"> the Catholic, Episcopal, and Methodist bishops of Mississippi signed off on a statement</a> calling Mississippi State Legislators and Governor Phil Bryant to &ldquo;refrain from drafting and enacting&rdquo; anti-immigrant legislation &ldquo;that threatens the dignity of the human person and the basic human rights that we accord to the dignity of the family unit.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The Bishops expressed their concern about growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Mississippi and pointed out that such legislation taken on the local level only serves to further divide a state already marked by &ldquo;a troublesome past, with biases and discrimination between cultural and ethnic groups.&rdquo;</p>
<p>In addition, the bishops state that &ldquo;for our part, in exercising our responsibility as leaders of Christian communities, we call for adherence to basic Gospel mandates of love, care, and concern for our neighbors&rdquo; and urge Christians to follow Jesus&rsquo; example &ldquo;to show love of God through love of our brothers and sisters.&rdquo;</p>