Gun violence déjà vu

Another mass shooting in America, this time at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. And, as often is the case, the weapon was an assault rifle.

Surveys show that almost six-in-ten adults in American favor stricter gun laws. Here, once again, are proposals supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They include:

-       A total ban on assault weapons, which the USCCB supported when the ban passed in 1994 and when Congress failed to renew it in 2004. 

-       Measures that control the sale and use of firearms, such as universal background checks for all gun purchases; 

-       Limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines; 

-       A federal law to criminalize gun trafficking; 

-       Improved access to and increased resources for mental health care and earlier interventions; 

-       Regulations and limitations on the purchasing of handguns; 

-       Measures that make guns safer, such as locks that prevent children and anyone other than the owner from using the gun without permission and supervision; and 

-       An honest assessment of the toll of violent images and experiences which inundate people, particularly our youth. 

You can contact your House Representative or Senators by phone by calling the Capitol Switchboard. Simply dial 202-224-3121, give the operator your zip code, and he/she will connect you with your elected officials' office. Let your representatives that you support these reasonable measures to address gun violence.

USCCB Budget Comments

The heads of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development; International Justice and Peace; and Migration have written to Congress to express their views on the Biden Administration’s August 10, 2023, request for emergency Fiscal Year 2024 supplemental funding.

Among the programs they support are requests for rural housing rental assistance, the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) “in order for these critical programs to continue meeting basic nutrition and housing needs. It is especially important to address WIC funding to ensure all mothers, infants, and young children in need have access to life-saving nutrition and health services. Ensuring the WIC program is strong and effective is vital to building a truly life-affirming society.”

Among the proposals they oppose the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2), which they describe as “a divisive border and immigration bill that the House narrowly passed earlier this year. We believe that such provisions would severely weaken humanitarian protections long enshrined in U.S. and international law. Catholic social teaching clearly recognizes a country’s right to secure its borders in accordance with the common good. However, the USCCB opposes measures that seriously contradict our nation’s fundamental commitment to humanitarian protection, especially those that would undermine protection for the sanctity of human life.”

The full letter is here.

Cluster munitions

Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, today raised concern about the use of cluster munitions in the Russia-Ukraine war.

He noted that more  than 100 countries, including the Holy See, have signed the 2010 Convention on Cluster Munitions banning their use, recognizing their indiscriminate nature and risk to civilian populations long after fighting has ceased.

He also said, "I, and my predecessors as chairmen of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, have long urged the U.S. government to sign on to both the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Mine Ban Treaty."

His full statement is here. A brochure about cluster munitions is here. 

World Refugee Day 2023

Today is World Refugee Day, an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and “celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.”
 
World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
 
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops offers these resources to help refugees. This includes outreach, education, advocacy, and donations.

Catholic Relief Services offers this prayer for refugees.

At the end of Black History Month . . .

As we come to the end of Black History Month, the Penitential Act from the beginning of Mass has been on my mind. You will recall the opening, “I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; . . .”
 
And what, you might ask, does that have to do with Black History Month? It is a reminder that so much of Black history is the result of action or inaction by white people.
 
Just read this section of Rev. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail:
 
I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
 
Rev. King wrote this letter 60 years ago. Since then some things have changed, but many have not. Perhaps he had a premonition of this when he wrote later in the letter, “I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action.”
 
In the years since those words were written, there have been many bouts of civil unrest, some of which resulted in investigations and reports by various government agencies. It seems each of those reports contained a similar finding, one that was seen in earlier reports on the 1919 riot in Chicago, the Harlem riot of 1935, and the report of the investigating committee on the Harlem riot of 1943. As one commentator noted, “the same analysis, the same recommendations, and the same inaction.”
 
The analysis was that the chief cause of the unrest was white racism, which still leads to problems today. Fortunately, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared this guide to assist Catholics and people of good will in reflecting on the evil and harm of racism. Although not a comprehensive list, it provides actionable steps to help Catholics to reflect and respond in faith. With the aid of Holy Scripture, Catholic social teaching, and sacred tradition, it is an open invitation to journey toward reconciliation. I would encourage you to share it with your parish community. Future possibilities of civil unrest rest on what we do or what we fail to do.
 
And for an excellent history on civil unrest and the government reports about it, read this excellent article by Harvard historian Jill Lepore in The New Yorker. You will learn a lot.

Human Trafficking Awareness Day

“Every year, millions of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers in their own countries and abroad.  No sector or industry is immune from human trafficking.  Victims may be workers in food processing factories, waiters or cooks at restaurants, construction workers, agricultural laborers, fishers, housekeeping staff at hotels, domestic help in private residences, or sex trafficked women and men in brothels, spas and massage parlors.”

-       United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. You may be surprised to know that there are almost 25 million victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation worldwide. According to information provided by the USCCB:

-       The average person has purchased goods or services that were produced, at least in part, by victims of human trafficking. This includes everything from fish, cotton, rice, cement, and even Christmas decorations.

 

-       While human trafficking does occur in illicit underground industries such as brothels and the drug trade, it is also found in legitimate businesses, such as in the hotel, construction, agriculture, and restaurant sectors.

 

-       Men, women, and children do not need to be kept in chains or beaten to be considered victims of trafficking. Traffickers often use methods of fraud and coercion to "imprison" their victims. This may take many different forms, including threatening to kill or harm loved ones, tricking the victim into thinking he/she owes him/her a debt, or threatening deportation in the case of the foreign-born victims.

 

Although the problem may appear to be so overwhelming and big that there is nothing one individual can do to make a difference, the truth is that every person can help bring an end to human trafficking. You can learn more here and here.

Farm Workforce Modernization Act

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United Farm Workers, and others to urge the Senate to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which was passed by the House of Representatives last year.

According to the USCCB:

 

As the United States grapples with labor shortages, supply chain challenges, and high inflation, now is the time for Congress to pass the reforms contained in H.R. 1603. Moreover, we know many of the men and women who cultivate our fields, work in food processing plants, and perform other vital roles within our food supply chain currently face mistreatment, exploitation, and dangerous conditions because they lack legal status, even though our very way of life has come to depend on them and, quite literally, we would not be able to live without the fruits of their labors.

 

H.R. 1603, as passed by the House, would:

 

Establish a program for agricultural workers in the United States to earn legal status through continued agricultural employment and contributions to the U.S. agricultural economy;

 

Reform the H-2A guest worker program to provide more flexibility for employers, while ensuring critical protections for workers; and

 

Establish an E-Verify employment eligibility verification system for all agricultural employment. 
 

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, have stated that this bill “would help many hardworking immigrants reach their God-given potential, not only for their benefit but for that of the entire country.” 

 

Unless the Senate approves the bill by the time the current Congress ends on January 3, 2023, it will need to be reintroduced and the whole process begun anew in the 118th Congress, starting January 4, 2023. 

 

Click here to send a message to your senators. 

Catholic Social Ministry Gathering

In just over two weeks, the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) will virtually gather Catholic social ministry leaders for an event organized by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and 20 national Catholic organizations.

For more than 30 years, this event has brought together hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world. Registration is $50 for this multi-day event. Financial assistance is available for leaders from under-represented ethnic, cultural, or disability communities, as well as those experiencing economic hardship.

This year’s virtual gathering will include:

-       Inspiring speakers and grassroots voices in Church and society 

-       Workshops with policy experts and community leaders 

-       Intentional opportunities for best practice-sharing among participants 

-       Resources from dozens of Catholic social ministry organizations 

-       Virtual advocacy visits with elected officials 

-       And much more.

The program will be bilingual (English and Spanish), with translation available for plenary sessions and unique Spanish-only workshops.

For more information, or to register, click here.

International Vaccine Equity

 Because fewer than four percent of people living in low-income countries have been vaccinated against COVID, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging people to contact their Congressional representatives to ensure that “the United States uses its full diplomatic and funding capabilities to push for the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This includes pushing for additional global vaccine donations and investments in supplies, health systems, and further manufacturing capacity.”
 
An Action Alert from the bishops states: 

As Catholics, we believe in Catholic social teaching and that we must live out the principles of human dignity and the preferential option for the poor. The U.S. must continue to push for additional global vaccine donations and healthcare supplies. 
 
Take action and remind our elected officials that by helping others abroad, we also help ourselves here at home. Lift your voice today to protect the health and safety of our global family!

The bishops commend our government for its pledge of $4 billion toward the global vaccine campaign and the broader $10.8 billion committed toward the overall international COVID-19 response. However, they note, despite pledges from many nations, the global community has not fulfilled its commitments. The result is that “low vaccination rates worldwide have resulted in millions of deaths and unimaginable suffering that could have been averted.”
 
To take action or to learn more, click here.

Bishops like new refugee numbers

This week, the chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Committee on Migration commended the Biden administration for increasing the number of refugees that will be allowed into the United States.
 
Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville issued a statement that said, in part, “The last few years have had a devastating impact on refugee resettlement, all while we witness the greatest forced migration crises in decades. We commend the Administration for seeking to reassert American leadership in this area, and we look forward to continued action in support of this goal. We also urge Congress to provide the resources necessary to not only rebuild the Refugee Admissions Program but sustain it for the next four decades and beyond.”
 
Last week, the Administration announced a Fiscal Year 2022 Presidential Determination (PD) of 125,000 refugees for resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). According to a release from the USCCB, “This is the highest PD since 1993 and follows four consecutive years of historic lows. During the previous fiscal year, which ended on September 30, the U.S. resettled only 11,411 refugees out of a possible 62,500, the lowest number in the program’s history.”
 
The USRAP was created in 1980, and it has received strong bipartisan support ever since. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is one of nine national resettlement agencies that partners with the U.S. government in this effort. 
 
The USCCB noted that the Catholic Church’s involvement in refugee resettlement stems from the Church’s social teaching on the common good and is consistent with its longstanding role in welcoming newcomers and supporting integration. “In a special way, we as Catholics are called to this ministry of welcome and encounter, through which we express the fullness of the Church’s universality. The bishops of the United States pledge our continued commitment to this work, and we praise the many Catholic organizations, communities, and persons dedicated to what Pope Francis has referred to as ‘a new “frontier” for mission, a privileged opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ and the Gospel message at home, and to bear concrete witness to the Christian faith in a spirit of charity.’” 
 
 

Bishops' Labor Day statement

For Labor Day, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, released a statement in which he writes, “It is our task not only to reflect on the present ills of our economy, but also to build consensus around human dignity and the common good, the bedrocks of Catholic social teaching, and to answer the Pope’s call to propose new and creative economic responses to human need, both locally and globally.”  

 

Archbishop Coakley notes:

Throughout the pandemic, the bishops have advocated in favor of nutrition programs, an eviction moratorium, income and employment support, safety measures for those who are incarcerated, and access to health care. During consideration of legislative proposals on infrastructure, the bishops shared with members of the U.S. Congress that Pope Francis considers employment to be the “biggest issue” in politics as it relates to reducing economic inequality. We emphasized the importance of creating jobs for those who are poor and marginalized, prioritizing organized labor and continued protection of workers’ rights. We also called for the legislation to support working families and address the ecological crisis that impacts all workers. 

The entire statement is available here.

Expedited removal proceedings

Last week, after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it will be placing certain migrant families in expedited removal proceedings, Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, asked the administration to change the policy.

The expedited removal proceedings allow immigration officers to quickly, and without a hearing, deport noncitizens suspected of recently entering the United States without inspection. While Congress did not intend for expedited removal to be used against bona fide asylum seekers, it is widely believed that its use undermines due process and impedes access to protections guaranteed by both domestic and international law. 

According to the USCCB, “This announcement was made days before DHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the federal government will continue to use authorities under Title 42 of the U.S. Code to block and expel asylum seekers, including families with children and those attempting to exercise this legal right at designated ports of entry. These developments coincided with the Biden Administration’s release of its ‘Blueprint for a Fair, Orderly, and Humane Immigration System’ on July 27.

Here is Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville’s statement:

“In February, we welcomed Executive Orders signed by the President related to removing barriers and restoring due process in the legal immigration system. Strong due process is vital for the rule of law to thrive in accordance with the common good, and we cannot have a ‘fair, orderly, and humane’ immigration system without robust due process protections.

 Therefore, we call on the Administration to reverse course on its expanded use of expedited removal, reexamine its use of Title 42 authorities, and truly promote due process, consistent with past commitments. We also renew the appeal I made in April with my brother bishops from along the U.S.-Mexico border, echoing Pope Francis: let us work together as a nation to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants according to their God-given dignity. Mindful of public health concerns, we encourage policies supported by sound scientific rationales and oppose those with a disparate impact on families, children, and other vulnerable populations. Finally, we praise recent efforts by the Administration to expand vaccination access for migrants, which is critical to limiting the spread of COVID-19. 

In this Year of Saint Joseph, we pray for the patron of families to intercede on behalf of vulnerable migrant families, especially those traveling with children and the elderly.

Limits on refugee admissions

America’s bishops have issued a statement in response to the announcement last week that the Biden Administration will not increase the historically low number of refugees who can be resettled in the United States for the current fiscal year. While making that announcement, the Administration also said that it will restore the long-time practice of allocating refugees from every region of the world, thus opening resettlement to some who were not included in the more restricted categories of the previous Administration. 

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, expressed disappointment that the refugee admissions number for the fiscal year will continue to be at a historic low but he also expressed appreciation that a number of persecuted refugee families who could not previously travel will finally be permitted resettlement in the United States.

His statement is available here.

A COVID relief bill

 Last August, Pope Francis said that the current pandemic “has highlighted how vulnerable and interconnected everyone is. If we do not take care of one another, starting with the least, with those who are most impacted, including creation, we cannot heal the world.” 

With that in mind, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued some guidance on what a COVID relief bill should contain. In doing so, they noted that the USCCB “has consistently advocated for Congress to address peoples’ need for food, housing, health care, employment and income support, and safety in prisons and detention facilities.” They said that relief legislation passed by Congress last year has been a lifeline for families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. Still, they say, more is needed to reach all sectors of society and ensure that help lasts for the duration of the economic crisis.

In the area of hunger and nutrition, the bishops praise increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which they say is a proven way to combat this food insecurity, delivering resources directly to low-income households. They also call for continued investments in vital nutrition programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) which will also help respond to food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

 

To help the millions more at risk of losing their homes due to the resulting economic crisis, the bishops are requesting robust investments in Emergency Solutions Grants, emergency rental assistance, housing counseling services, and mortgage payment assistance as well as greater eviction and foreclosure preventions will help address the health and housing needs of America’s lowest-income renters and people experiencing homelessness.

 

Because millions of people have lost their health insurance coverage during the pandemic, individuals have a need for affordable healthcare coverage. Necessary efforts to provide such coverage should ensure no federal funding goes to health care plans that cover abortion, the bishops said. Expanding Medicaid resources for states and tribes is an important tool to respond to public health needs while avoiding cuts to healthcare or other vital services. We also need to address racial inequities in healthcare, which existed in many forms before the COVID-19 crisis and “have manifested in disturbingly disproportionate rates of coronavirus infection and death in patients of color.” Additional resources to methods of care for low-income and historically marginalized communities are examples of the type of investments needed. The bishops note that, as is even more clear in a pandemic, the exclusion of some from health care threatens the health of all.

 

To learn more, and to see what other issues should be addressed in any COVID relief bill, go here.

Stopping Christian Genocide

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is asking all people to support a petition to stop genocide in the Middle East and convince the U.S. Department of State to include Christians in any formal declaration of genocide.

The call to action was issued days before the U.S. Department of State is expected to make a decision on the issue, and as a congressional resolution gains support in Congress.

"For months, the Catholic Church has been a voice for Christians and other religious minorities facing the evil of deadly persecution," Archbishop Kurtz said. "Please, make sure your name is added to the witness. The very future of the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is at stake."

The petition is available here.

Bulletin insert for the Year of Mercy

The Jubilee Year of Mercy is December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016.  The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared a two-page handout that offers a brief reflection on the Year, as well as ideas for prayer and action. It makes an excellent insert for your church bulletin. You can read it here.

Among the topics it addresses:
 - Jesus is the “face” of the Father’s mercy
 - Mercy is “the beating heart of the Gospel”
 - Mercy “demands justice”
 - Ideas for Living Mercy during the Jubilee Year.

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany has a website devoted to providing information about the Syrian refugees and the European migrant crisis. They explain that the situation is not new.

For more than four years, Catholic Relief Services and its local partners have been working to assist more than 600,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and northern Iraq. They are also working in the transit countries of Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania, where resources to help the migrants are limited. In response to the Holy Father’s call to help resettle migrants in Europe, we are working with Caritas Germany to resettle refugees by providing accommodations, job assistance, early-integration activities and volunteer training.

Many people have asked what their parishes can do to help refugees being resettled in America. Currently the U.S. is accepting very few Syrians. Catholic Relief Services and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops are working together on advocacy opportunities to expand U.S. policy on accepting refugees from Syria and Iraq, provide more U.S. funding to refugees in neighboring countries, and exercise leadership for diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.

Catholics are urged to contact President Obama and their members of Congress today and urge them to lead the world in a coordinated response to save the lives of refugees. The United States must do its part to resettle many more Syrian refugees here, and provide more humanitarian and development assistance to refugees in the Middle East who hope to return home or to remain in the region. Finally, our nation should lead a concerted diplomatic effort to finally end the fighting in Syria so that refugees can return to their homeland in safety.

The Catholic Charities’ website also has links to background information about the situation as well as things that we can do now.

Pray with Pope Francis Tomorrow

Earlier this year, Pope Francis announced that he was establishing a World of Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to be celebrated on September 1 every year beginning tomorrow. In making the announcement, the Pope wrote: 

As Christians we wish to offer our contribution towards overcoming the ecological crisis which humanity is living through.  Therefore, first of all we must draw from our rich spiritual heritage the reasons which feed our passion for the care of creation, always remembering that for believers in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who became man for us, “the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us.” ([cfr Encylical Letter. Laudato Si,]  216).  The ecological crisis therefore calls us to a profound spiritual conversion: Christians are called to “an ecological conversion whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them.” (ibid., 217).  Thus, “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”(ibid). 

One way to mark the day is to pray the Prayer to Care for Our Common Home, from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is based on the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si. 

You might also visit the website of Catholics Confront Global Poverty, an organization formed by the USCCB  and Catholic Relief Services. It offers information on Church teachings and provides ways to get involved in addressing the issues.

 

Catholic Charities' Commission on Peace and Justice is looking at appropriate ways mark the day next year.

The Iran nuclear deal

The Chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has written to Congress urging passage of the recent nuclear deal with Iran. The deal aims to curb Iran’s development of nuclear weapons while allowing the country to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

In his letter, Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico, wrote:

Since 2007, our Committee on International Justice and Peace, reflecting the longstanding position of the Holy See, has urged our nation to pursue diplomacy to ensure Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. For years, we have supported dialogue and a negotiated resolution of the conflict in collaboration with international partners.

It is no small achievement that the United States, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, China, Germany and France have reached this agreement with Iran. We hope that the full implementation of the agreement will gradually foster an environment in which all parties build mutual confidence and trust, so that progress will be made toward greater stability and dialogue in the region.  In that spirit, our Committee will continue to urge Congress to endorse the result of these intense negotiations because the alternative leads toward armed conflict, an outcome of profound concern to the Church.

The entire letter is available here.

The debate on immigraton

Recent comments by presidential candidates have re-ignited the debate over immigration. Therefore, it is useful to know what the Catholic Church teaches on the subject, as well as some facts that are relevant.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has a webpage devoted to immigration. It includes links to their 2001 pastoral statement, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us; Unity in Diversity, as well as Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, a pastoral statement by the Bishops of the United States and the Bishops of Mexico.

The USCCB also sponsors the Justice for Immigrants website that provides facts and figures about immigration, gives answers to frequently asked questions and debunks some of the myths that are at the center of the debate.