BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO ACT ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE BEFORE YEAR’S END

BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO ACT ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE BEFORE YEAR’S END

Cardinal DiNardo highlights problems for religious institutions, individuals

Sees Administration policy’s approach to religious freedom most grudging, arbitrary ever

Congressional action defending religious freedom long overdue

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called on Congress to address the crisis in health care sparked by the Obama administration’s contraceptive/sterilization coverage mandate in an August 3 letter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

            The mandate, which was announced a year ago by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he said, “would forbid Americans to provide or purchase health coverage unless it includes female surgical sterilizations, all FDA-approved prescription drugs and devices for preventing pregnancy – including drugs and devices which can destroy a human life at its earliest stages – and ‘counseling and education’ to promote these to all women and girls of childbearing age.”

          

            Cardinal DiNardo called the mandate “unprecedented and misguided federal policy.” He added that “most of those who initiate or renew employee health plans as well as student plans at educational institutions after August 1 must comply with this mandate, notwithstanding their moral or religious objections, or drop their health coverage altogether as some colleges have now begun to do.” 

            “For our part, the Catholic bishops of the United States continue to advocate for life-affirming health care for all, especially for poor and vulnerable people.  We do not see this policy as a step in that direction,” he said.

            “Despite widespread opposition to this coercive policy by religious organizations, lawmakers and the general public, Congress has still taken no action to counter it.  The time for such action is, to say the least, overdue,” he said.

            “The fundamental importance of the religious freedom issue at stake demands a timely congressional response,” he said. “Through this mandate, the Administration is promoting an approach to religious freedom that is more grudging and arbitrary than any yet seen in federal law.”

           He added that a minority of religious employers – those which, among other things, engage primarily in prayer and preaching – are said to be exempt from the mandate. “By contrast, religious organizations which live out their faith by reaching out to all in need with health care and other humanitarian services are deemed ‘not religious enough’ for the exemption.  Many, though not all, of these organizations will qualify for a one-year delay in enforcement, after which partial control of their health plans will be handed over by the government to others willing to implement the mandate.” 

          Cardinal DiNardo highlighted the plight of employers who may have moral or religious objections to some or all of the mandated services, people who are “devout individuals and families who own and operate businesses, who without any word of protest from employees have been offering health coverage that does not violate their moral convictions.” With the mandate “their longtime practice will be contrary to federal law, punished by a tax of $100 a day per employee and other penalties,” he said. “In court, the Administration has insisted that these companies are entirely ‘secular’ with no claim on religious freedom.  In effect, if an organization is ‘for profit,’ it is not allowed to be ‘for’ anything else.  The owners who have imbued their companies with faith-based commitments to employee well-being, community service and social responsibility strongly disagree.  And at a time of grave concern over business and banking scandals, does anyone think that rewarding businesses obsessed solely with company profits is sound government policy?” 

          Cardinal DiNardo noted several current lawsuits opposing the mandate brought by institutions and individuals.

          “Vindication of the fundamental rights of these individuals and organizations may take years of litigation,” he said.

          “The validity of the religious freedom claim against the contraceptive mandate is clearer than ever – even for those supposedly ‘secular’ companies whose rights are completely ignored under that mandate,” he said. “Yet timely and uniform protection of these rights cannot be expected from the current lengthy judicial process.  Therefore the Catholic bishops of the United States and many others fervently hope Congress will address this urgent and fundamental issue before it completes its business this year.”

USCCB urges Congress to retain tax credits for working poor

BISHOP BLAIRE URGES CONGRESS TO RETAIN TAX CREDITS FOR WORKING POOR

 

WASHINGTON—As they consider legislation that addresses deficits and spending, Congress should extend “tax credits that help low-income families live in dignity,” said the bishop who chairs the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 

            “Poverty in this country is historically high and growing. Currently over 46 million Americans live in poverty; over 16 million of them are children. In America today, the younger a person is, the more likely they are to live in poverty,” wrote Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California in a July 24 letter to Congress. “Low-income tax credits are pro-work, pro-family, and some of the most effective antipoverty programs in our nation.”

            Bishop Blaire noted that the Earned Income Tax Credit and the refundable Child Tax Credit “lift millions of American families out of poverty and help them live in dignity and with greater economic security.”

            Reiterating a point from earlier letters to Congress, he said that a just framework for spending cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons and that it would be unjust not to renew tax cuts for the working poor while addressing tax cuts for middle class and wealthy Americans. He asked that Congress “maintain and strengthen the bi-partisan commitment to assist those working families who struggle the most in these difficult economic times.”

            “I urge you to protect low-income tax credits that help American workers escape poverty and raise their children in dignity,” Bishop Blaire wrote.

            The full text of Bishop Blaire’s letter is available online: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/federal-budget/upload/letter-on-tax-credits-senate-2012-07-25.pdf

USCCB Labor Day Statement Human Costs and Moral Challenges of a Broken Economy

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 5, 2011

Each year Americans celebrate Labor Day as a national holiday to honor working people. This year, however, is less a time for celebration and more a time for reflection and action on current economic turmoil and hardships experienced by workers and their families. For Catholics, it is also an opportunity to recall the traditional teaching of the Church on dignity of work and the rights of workers. This Labor Day, the economic facts are stark and the human costs are real: millions of our sisters and brothers are without work, raising children in poverty and haunted by fears about their economic security. These are not just economic problems, but also human tragedies, moral challenges, and tests of our faith.

As we approach Labor Day 2011, over nine percent of Americans are looking for work and cannot find it. Other workers fear they could lose their jobs. Joblessness is higher among African American and Hispanic workers. Wages are not keeping up with expenses for many. Countless families have lost their homes, and others owe more on their homes than they are worth. Union workers are part of a smaller labor movement and experience new efforts to restrict collective bargaining rights. Hunger and homelessness are a part of life for too many children. Most Americans fear our nation and economy are headed in the wrong direction. Many are confused and dismayed by polarization over how our nation can work together to deal with joblessness and declining wages, debt and deficits, economic stagnation, and global fiscal crises. Workers are rightfully anxious and fearful about the future. These realities are at the heart of the Church’s concerns and prayers on this Labor Day. As the Second Vatican Council insisted, the ‘grief and anguish’ of the people of our time, "especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way . . . are the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well" (Gaudium et Spes, no. 1).

All these challenges have economic and financial dimensions, but they also have unavoidable human and moral costs. This Labor Day we need to look beyond the economic indicators, stock market gyrations, and political conflicts and focus on the often invisible burdens of ordinary workers and their families, many of whom are hurting, discouraged, and left behind by this economy.

One-hundred-twenty years ago at the time of the Industrial Revolution workers also faced great difficulties. Pope Leo XIII identified the situation of workers as the key moral challenge of that time and issued his groundbreaking encyclical Rerum Novarum. This letter has served as the cornerstone for more than a century of Catholic social teaching and the inspiration for this year’s Labor Day statement. This timely encyclical lifted up the inherent dignity of the worker in the midst of massive economic changes. Pope Leo’s powerful letter rejected both unbridled capitalism that could strip workers of their God-given human dignity and dangerous socialism that could empower the state over all else in ways that destroy human initiative. This encyclical is best remembered for Pope Leo’s prophetic call for the Church to support workers’ associations for the protection of workers and the advancement of the common good.

Human Costs of a Broken Economy

When we look at the situation of unemployed people and many ordinary workers, we see not only individuals in economic crisis, but also struggling families and hurting communities. We see a society that cannot use the talents and energies of all those who can and should work. We see a nation that cannot assure people who work hard every day that their wages and benefits can support a family in dignity. We see a workplace where many have little participation, ownership, or a sense they are contributing to a common enterprise or the common good. An economy that cannot provide employment, decent wages and benefits, and a sense of participation and ownership for its workers is broken in fundamental ways. The signs of this broken economy are all around us:

About 14 million workers are unemployed. We see the stories and pictures of hundreds, even thousands lining up for the chance to simply apply for work. There are currently more than four jobless workers for every job opening. Many more have given up looking for employment.
There are increasing numbers of children (more than 15 million) and families living in poverty. This does not mean they lack the newest video game, it means they lack the resources to provide the basics of food, shelter, clothing and other necessities.
Educated young workers graduate with substantial debt and few or no job prospects. Millions more, without college or specialized training, are pushed to the margins of economic life. Almost half of the unemployed have been jobless for over six months, and many have given up hope of finding new work.
Our nation faces unsustainable deficits and growing debt that will burden our children for decades to come.
Gaps in wealth and income are growing between the relatively affluent few and the many who are struggling.
Economic growth is so slow that our nation is not recovering from the economic crisis, and owners and workers have difficulty finding and responding to future opportunities.
Economic tensions are further dividing and polarizing our nation and our public life with attacks on unions, immigrants, and vulnerable groups.
Economic weakness and turmoil increase fear, uncertainty, and insecurity for retirees, families, and businesses.
This global economy is hurting the poorest people in the poorest places on earth with growing hunger, famine, and hopelessness.
Economic stagnation is restraining creativity, initiative, and investment by those who could make things better, but are held back by demands for short-term gains, uncertainty, and other barriers.
These failures and challenges are not just economic, but also ethical. They are not just institutional, but also personal. The economy is an incredibly complex interaction of markets, interests, institutions, and structures shaped by people who make innumerable decisions, based on wide variety of obligations, expectations, motives, and choices. Financial institutions that were supposed to be responsible were not. Some sought short-term gain and ignored long-term consequences. Some individuals also made irresponsible choices, letting their desire for things, greed, and envy override good judgment and their financial capacity. As a result, people lost their jobs, their homes, their savings and retirement funds, and so much more. Most significantly, confidence and trust were lost. We are still paying terrible economic and moral costs for these failures. Dishonesty, irresponsibility, and corruption must yield to integrity, accountability, and what Pope Benedict calls "gratuitousness," a particular kind of generosity focused on the good of others and the good of all. As he said in Caritas in Veritate, "Without . . . mutual trust, the market cannot completely fulfill its proper economic function. And today it is this trust which has ceased to exist, and the loss of trust is a grave loss" (no. 35).

Church Teaching on Work and Workers

Our faith gives us a particular way of looking at this broken economy. From the prophets of the Old Testament to the example of the early Church recorded in the New Testament, we learn that God cares for the poor and vulnerable, and he measures the faith of the community by the treatment of those on the margins of life. Jesus in his time on earth taught us about the dignity of work and said we would be judged by our response to "the least of these" (Mt 25). Christians need to study carefully what Jesus taught about the use of money and wealth, a spirit of stewardship and detachment, the search for justice and care for those in need, and the call to seek and serve the reign of God. Based on these scriptural values, our Church has focused on work, workers, and economic justice in a series of papal encyclicals beginning with Rerum Novarum.

This long tradition places work at the center of economic and social life. In Catholic teaching, work has an inherent dignity because work helps us not only to meet our needs and provide for our families, but also to share in God’s creation and contribute to the common good. People need work not only to pay bills, put food on the table, and stay in their homes, but also to express their human dignity and to enrich and strengthen the larger community (Gaudium et Spes, no. 34). Human labor represents "the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 378).

Over the last century, the Church has repeatedly warned about the moral, spiritual, and economic dangers of widespread unemployment. According to the Catechism, "Unemployment almost always wounds its victim’s dignity and threatens the equilibrium of his life. Besides the harm done to him personally, it entails many risks for his family" (no. 2436). One of the most disturbing aspects of current public discussion is how little focus there is on massive unemployment and what to do to get people back to work. In Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council declared that "It is the duty of society to see to it that, according to prevailing circumstances, all citizens have the opportunity of finding employment" (no. 67). As Pope Benedict warns, "Being out of work or dependent on public or private assistance for a prolonged period undermines the freedom and creativity of the person and his family and social relationships, causing great psychological and spiritual suffering" (Caritas in Veritate, no. 25). A society that cannot use the work and creativity of so many of its members is failing both economically and ethically.

Workers and Their Unions: Affirmation and Challenge

Beginning in Rerum Novarum, the Church has consistently supported efforts of workers to join together to defend their rights and protect their dignity. Pope Leo XIII taught that the right of workers to choose to join a union was based on a natural right and that it was the government’s obligation to protect that right rather than undermine it (Rerum Novarum, no. 51). This teaching has been affirmed consistently by his successors. Pope John Paul II, in his powerful encyclical Laborem Exercens, noted unions "defend the existential interests of workers in all sectors in which their rights are concerned. . . . [They] are an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies" (no. 20). Most recently, in Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI said, "the repeated calls issued within the Church’s social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum, for the promotion of workers’ associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honored today even more than in the past . . ." (no. 25).

There have been some efforts, as part of broader disputes over state budgets, to remove or restrict the rights of workers to collective bargaining as well as limit the role of unions in the workplace. Bishops in Wisconsin, Ohio, and elsewhere have faithfully and carefully outlined Catholic teaching on worker rights, suggesting that difficult times should not lead us to ignore the legitimate rights of workers. Without endorsing every tactic of unions or every outcome of collective bargaining, the Church affirms the rights of workers in public and private employment to choose to come together to form and join unions, to bargain collectively, and to have an effective voice in the workplace.

The Church’s relationship with the labor movement is both supportive and challenging. Our Church continues to teach that unions remain an effective instrument to protect the dignity of work and the rights of workers. At their best, unions are important not just for the economic protections and benefits they can provide for their members, but especially for the voice and participation they can offer to workers. They are important not only for what they achieve for their members, but also for the contributions they make to the whole society.

This does not mean every outcome of bargaining is responsible or that all actions of particular unions--or for that matter employers--merit support. Unions, like other human institutions, can be misused or can abuse their role. The Church has urged leaders of the labor movement to avoid the temptations of excessive partisanship and the pursuit of only narrow interests. Workers and their unions, as well as employers and their businesses, all have responsibility to seek the common good, not just their own economic, political, or institutional interests.

The teaching that workers have the right to choose freely to form and belong to unions and other associations without interference or intimidation is strong and consistent. At the same time, some unions in some places have taken public positions that the Church cannot support, which many union members may not support, and which have little to do with work or workers’ rights. Leaders of the Church and the labor movement cannot avoid these differences, but should address them in principled, respectful and candid dialogue. This should not keep us from working on our own and together to advance common priorities of protecting worker rights, economic and social justice, overcoming poverty, and creating economic opportunity for all.

Standing with the Poor and Vulnerable

As we observe this Labor Day, our nation faces a contentious and necessary debate on how to reduce unsustainable debt and deficits, grow and strengthen the economy, and create jobs and reduce poverty. In this continuing discussion on how to allocate scarce resources and share sacrifice and burdens, our faith offers a clear moral criterion: put poor and vulnerable people first.

This is why the Catholic bishops of the United States have joined with other Christian churches in an unprecedented initiative to form a "Circle of Protection" to defend, improve, and strengthen essential programs that protect the lives and dignity of poor and vulnerable people. The statement calls for assessing "every budget proposal from the bottom up--how it treats those Jesus called ‘the least of these’ (Mt 25:45)." These Christian leaders also insist:

A fundamental task is to create jobs and spur economic growth. Decent jobs at decent wages are the best path out of poverty, and restoring growth is a powerful way to reduce deficits.


In our letters to Congress, the bishops write as pastors and teachers, not experts or partisans, acknowledging the duty to get our financial house in order and suggest:

A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.

We believe a moral measure of this budget debate is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are jobless, hungry, homeless, or poor are treated. Their voices are too often missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on our consciences and our common resources.

A Catholic Framework for Economic Life

In rebuilding trust in economic life, responding to the suffering of the jobless and the fears of so many in our nation, our Catholic faith offers a clear set of moral directions outlined in a "Catholic Framework for Economic Life." This useful framework insists, "The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy" and echoes Pope John Paul II:

the Catholic tradition calls for a "society of work, enterprise and participation" which "is not directed against the market, but demands that the market be appropriately controlled by the forces of society and by the state to assure that the basic needs of the whole society are satisfied (Centesimus Annus, no. 35).

A Way Forward: A Search for Common Action

Sometimes economic troubles bring out the worst in us. Uncertainty and fear compel us to fight for our own interests and to preserve our own advantages. There is too much finger pointing and blaming of others and efforts to take advantage in political and economic arenas. We have seen efforts to limit or abolish elements of collective bargaining and restrict the roles of workers and their unions. Some demonize the market or government as the source of all our economic problems. Immigrants have been unfairly blamed for some of the current economic difficulties. Too often, the loudest voices often get the most attention and a predictable and unproductive cycle of blame and evasion takes place, but there is little effective action to address fundamental problems.

There is another way to respond to the difficult situation in which we find ourselves. We can understand and act like we are part of one economy, one nation, and one human family. We can acknowledge our responsibility for the ways--large or small--we contributed to this crisis. We can all accept our responsibility for working together to overcome this economic stagnation and all that comes with it. We can clearly respect the legitimacy and roles of others in economic life: business and labor, private enterprise and public institutions, for profit and non-profit, religious and academic, community and government. We can avoid challenging the motives of others. We can advocate our principles and priorities with conviction, integrity, civility, and respect for others. We can look for common ground and seek the common good. We can encourage all the institutions in our society to work together to reduce joblessness, promote economic growth, overcome poverty, increase prosperity, and make the shared sacrifices and--even compromises--necessary to begin to heal our broken economy.

The seriousness and the peril of the current economic situation require clear commitment from all sectors to come together to shape and rebuild a stronger economy that safeguards the lives and dignity of all, especially providing opportunities for work. No one entity alone can turn the economy around and every institution must move beyond their own particular interests. Structures for dialogue leading to comprehensive and coordinated action need to be established or strengthened among leaders in government, business, unions, investment, banking, education, health care, philanthropy, religious communities, the jobless, and those living in poverty so that the common ground can be laid for pursuing the common good in economic life. As the Catholic bishops have insisted, "The Catholic way is to recognize the essential role and the complementary responsibilities of families, communities, the market, and government to work together to overcome poverty and advance human dignity" (A Place at the Table, 18).

Conclusion: A Word of Hope and Commitment

For Christians, it is not enough to acknowledge current difficulties. We are people of hope, committed to prayer, to help those facing hard time and to work with others to build a better economy. Our faith gives strength, direction and confidence in these tasks. As Pope Benedict encourages us:

On this earth there is room for everyone: here the entire human family must find the resources to live with dignity, through the help of nature itself--God’s gift to his children--and through hard work and creativity (Caritas in Veritate, no. 50).

We must remember that at the heart of everything we do as believers must be love, for it is love which honors the dignity of work as participation in the act of God’s creation, and it is love which values the dignity of the worker, not just for the work he or she does, but above all for the person he or she is. This call of love is also a work of faith and an expression of hope.

On this Labor Day in 2011, in the midst of continuing economic turmoil, we are called to renew our commitment to the God-given task of defending human life and dignity, celebrating work, and defending workers with both hope and conviction. This is a time for prayer, reflection, and action. In the words of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI:

The current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and to reject negatives ones. The crisis thus becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future (Caritas in Veritate, no. 21.)

BISHOPS TO HOUSE: BUDGET CANNOT RELY ON DISPROPORTIONATE CUTS IN SERVICES TO POOR PERSONS, REQUIRES SHARED SACRIFICE BY ALL

BISHOPS TO HOUSE: BUDGET CANNOT RELY ON DISPROPORTIONATE CUTS IN SERVICES TO POOR PERSONS, REQUIRES SHARED SACRIFICE BY ALL

WASHINGTON—In a July 26 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York, called on Congress to remember the human and moral dimensions of the ongoing budget and debt ceiling debate.
The bishops wrote, “A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.”
Bishop Blaire and Bishop Hubbard respectively chair the Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The bishops wrote that every budget decision should be assessed by whether it protects human life and dignity, how it affects “the least of these,” including the hungry and homeless, and how well it reflects the shared responsibility of the government and other institutions to promote the common good of all, especially workers and families struggling in the current economy.
The full text of the letter is available online: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/economy/upload/budget-debate-letter-to-house-2011-07-26.pdf

USCCB Highlight protecting the poor, fiscal responsibility as moral criteria for budget debate

BISHOPS HIGHLIGHT PROTECTING THE POOR, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AS MORAL
CRITERIA OF BUDGET DEBATE

WASHINGTON—The federal budget should protect human life and dignity, make
the poor a top priority and promote the common good of all during tough
economic times, said the U.S. bishops who oversee foreign and domestic
policy on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB) in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The moral measure of this budget debate is not which party
wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are
jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated, Their voices are too often
missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on
our consciences and our common resources,” wrote Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
of Albany, New York, and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California
in their April 13 letter.
Bishop Hubbard and Bishop Blaire chair the USCCB Committees on
International Justice and Peace and Domestic Justice and Human Development,
respectively.
“A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on
disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons,” the bishops
wrote. “It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate
revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and
addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs
fairly.”
The bishops also expressed their gratitude that the FY 2011
budget, which is scheduled for a vote this week, expands funding for the
D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Fund, restores the ban on congressionally
appropriated funds for abortion in the District of Columbia, and that
spending cuts to programs that serve the poor are significantly less than
originally proposed.
The bishops also offered a framework of three moral criteria
that could guide budgetary decisions: “1. Every budget decision should be
assessed by whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity. 2. A
central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least
of these” (Matthew 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless,
without work or in poverty should come first. 3. Government and other
institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of
all, especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in
dignity in difficult economic times.”
The bishops wrote, “In light of growing deficits, Congress
faces difficult choices about how to balance needs and resources and
allocate burdens and sacrifices. We welcome the efforts of those who have
offered serious plans and encourage other leaders to do the same. These
choices are economic, political, and moral. This important national
discussion requires wise bipartisan leadership, clear priorities, and moral
clarity.”
The full text of the letter is available online:
www.usccb.org/sdwp/2012-Budget-Letter-to-House-04-13-11.pdf

CARDINAL DINARDO URGES SUPPORT FOR ‘RESPECT FOR RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE ACT’

WASHINGTON— Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the
Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has written to urge all members of the U.S. House
of Representatives to support a bipartisan bill protecting conscience
rights in health insurance.Introduced by Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and
Dan Boren (D-OK), the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011 (HR
1179) “will help ensure that the new health care reform act is not misused
to violate the religious freedom and rights of conscience of those who
offer and purchase health insurance coverage in our nation,” Cardinal
DiNardo wrote.
“Federal law, until now, has never prevented the issuers and
purchasers of health coverage from negotiating a health plan that is
consistent with their moral and religious convictions,” Cardinal DiNardo
explained. “This could change, however, with implementation of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as now written.” He noted that
the law “establishes a new list of ‘essential health benefits’ that will be
mandatory for most health plans throughout the United States,” and also
“requires all group and individual plans to cover general ‘preventive
services,’ as well as additional preventive services specifically for
women.”
“For months,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote, “Planned Parenthood and
other groups have been urging that mandated ‘preventive services for women’
include all drugs and devices approved by the FDA for
contraception—including those that can prevent the implantation and
survival of a newly conceived human being, and hence are seen as
abortifacient by the Catholic Church and many others.”
“Mandated inclusion of contraception, sterilization and
abortifacient drugs in health plans poses an obvious potential conflict
with rights of conscience,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote. “Such conflicts would
also arise if HHS mandates inclusion of some fertility treatments such as
in vitro fertilization, treatments using material from deliberately killed
unborn children, or other procedures specifically rejected by the teachings
of some religions.”
PPACA “arbitrarily and inexplicably does not protect the many religious
denominations – including those providing the backbone of the nonprofit
health care system in this country – whose moral teaching rejects specific
procedures,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “If religious and other stakeholders
are driven out of the health insurance marketplace by this aspect of PPACA,
legislation whose purpose was to expand health coverage could have the
opposite effect.”
The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act “is modest and
well-crafted legislation…it only prevents PPACA itself from being misused
to deny Americans’ existing freedom to seek health care coverage that meets
their medical needs and respects their deepest convictions,” he wrote. “I
am sure that most members of Congress voting for PPACA did not intend that
it should deny or take away this freedom. Therefore I hope and expect that
Representatives who supported PPACA as well as those who opposed it will
join in co-sponsoring the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act and in
helping to ensure its enactment.”
The full text of the letter may be read at:
www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/DiNardo-ltr-HR1179.pdf.

US Catholic Bishops Comment on Federal Budget Discussions

BISHOPS CONTINUE TO URGE CONGRESS TO REMEMBER THE POOR IN BUDGET PRIORITIES

WASHINGTON—Congress should place the needs of the poor, unemployed, hungry
and other vulnerable people first as it sets its budget priorities for
Fiscal Year 2011, said the bishop who oversees domestic policy on behalf of
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
“The spending choices of Congress have clear moral and human
dimensions; they reflect our values as a people,” said Bishop Stephen
Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic
Justice and Human Development, in a March 4 letter to the U.S. Senate.
“Some current proposals call for substantial reductions, particularly in
those programs that serve the poorest and most vulnerable people in our
nation. In a time of economic crisis, poor and vulnerable people are in
greater need of assistance, not less.”
Bishop Blaire cited over $5 billion in proposed cuts to
programs including community health centers, affordable housing, job
training programs, education programs for low-income people and refugee
funding as having a severe impact on the poor and vulnerable.
Bishop Blaire acknowledged the need to address the federal
deficit to ensure stability for future generations, as well as the need to
preserve national security, noting that the way to do this is not to create
greater insecurity for the poor but through shared sacrifice for all. He
also voiced support for provisions that continue to ban federal abortion
funding and restore the ban in the District of Columbia.
The full text of the letter can be found online:
www.usccb.org/sdwp/Final-2011-CR-letter-Domestic-Senate.pdf. Bishop
Blaire’s letter echoes a February 22 letter from Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
of Albany, New York, chairman of the USCCB Committee on International
Justice and Peace, and Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services
(CRS), in which they argued that assistance to the world’s poor needed to
be a budget priority: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/2011-02SenateCRLetterFinal.pdf

USCCB Chairman Supports Wisconsin Bishops on the Rights of Workers

WASHINGTON (February 24, 2011)—Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, expressed his “support for and solidarity” with the Wisconsin bishops’ statement on the rights of workers.

In a February 23 letter to Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee, Bishop Blaire wrote, “You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, ‘hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.’”

“Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy.”

Recalling the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II on unions and the rights of workers, Bishop Blaire praised the Wisconsin bishops for consistently sharing the “teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy” and made a call to everyone involved to overcome differences and put the common good first.

“We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin—and across our nation—will respond to your “appeal to everyone—lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions—to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”

Full text of letter follows.

February 23, 2011



The Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
3501 S. Lake Drive
P.O. Box 070912
Milwaukee, WI 53207-0912



Your Excellency:

As Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express support for and solidarity with your clear statement, on behalf of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, of February 17, 2011, articulating traditional Catholic teaching on workers, their rights and the common good. You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.”

You point out that Pope Benedict XVI, in Caritas in Veritate, states, “The repeated calls…for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honoured today even more than in the past.” (#25) In Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II calls labor associations “an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies,” but also reminds unions “to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society.” (#20)

The situation in Wisconsin is not unique. Other states and the federal government also face daunting challenges of growing budget deficits and how to allocate burdens and share sacrifice in ways that reflect principles of social justice, economic fairness and wise stewardship. Your efforts to share the consistent teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy are an example for all of us on how to apply our moral principles to the “signs of the times.”

Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy. As you point out, “It does not follow from this that every claim made by workers or their representatives is valid. Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities. However, it is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth. As Pope John Paul II wrote in 1981, ‘[a] union remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore it.’” (Laborem Exercens #20, emphasis in original)

We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin--and across our nation--will respond to your “appeal to everyone--lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions--to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”

I write to assure you that your brother bishops stand with you as you share Catholic teaching on workers and unions and call for dialogue, mutual respect and the search for the common good as a way forward in these difficult days.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and
Human Development

PUT THE POOR FIRST IN FEDERAL BUDGET DECISIONS SAY CATHOLIC BISHOPS, CRS PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON— Expressing concern over proposed federal budget cuts in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, the heads of two
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) committees and the president of
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sent letters to Congress on February 14,
reminding elected officials that “decisions on how to allocate
opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more than
economic policies — they are significant moral choices.”


On the international side, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, chairman of
the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Ken Hackett,
president Catholic Relief Services, said in a joint letter that
“[e]specially in a time of austerity and fiscal restraints, the poor have a
special moral claim on limited financial resources.” According to an
analysis by USCCB and CRS, the proposed Continuing Resolution makes over
26% in cuts for poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in
cuts overall.


“Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable,” said Bishop Hubbard and
Hackett in the letter. “It is morally unacceptable for our nation to
balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and abroad.”


The Church leaders said international assistance is an essential tool to
promote human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and
enhance security throughout the world. The letter warned that many of the
proposed funding reductions will disrupt existing programs mid-stream,
undermining their impact, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately
the moral credibility of United States. The letter also welcomed the
restoration of the Mexico City Policy that prohibits funding groups that
perform or promote abortion and the denial of funding to the U.N.
Population Fund which supports a program of coerced abortion and
involuntary sterilization in China, but noted that the Continuing
Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.


In a separate letter, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California,
chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development,
called on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, saying “[a] moral
measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all stages
of life from conception until natural death.”


Citing the call for major reductions in non-security related programs that
serve the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Blaire said, “In a time of economic
crisis, the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not
less. Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.”


Bishop Blaire called for “reasonable solutions and strategies to address
the federal deficit that will ensure stability and security for future
generations” while advocating for “a balanced approach that is just and
works to preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people.” He also
said, “decisions should be made that not only reflect a commitment to
national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate justice, compassion
and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor and vulnerable first
as you consider how to spend limited federal resources.”


Among the main concerns highlighted by Bishop Blaire in his letter are the
proposed cuts to funding for Community Health Centers,affordable housing
programs, job training programs, and critical refugee funding. The letter
also welcomed the bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against
abortion funding, and its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding
in the District of Columbia.


More than 300 Catholic leaders, in Washington for the 2011 Catholic Social
Ministry Gathering (February 13-16), will take the bishops’ message to
Capitol Hill on February 15 in a day of visits to their U.S.
representatives and senators lifting up the needs of the poor and
vulnerable.


Full text of both letters follows.


February 14, 2011
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515


Dear Representative:


The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), the relief and development agency of the Catholic
Church in the United States, urge you to preserve poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance. Especially in a time of austerity
and fiscal restraints, the poor have a special moral claim on limited
financial resources.


The proposed Continuing Resolution makes over 26% in cuts for
poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in cuts overall.
Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable. It is morally unacceptable for
our nation to balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and
abroad.


We need to give particular priority to programs that protect the poor, who
are the least able to cope with budget cuts. Priority poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts in the FY 2011 President’s
request total $20.25 billion, only 0.6% of the federal budget and only
one-third of all U.S. international assistance to the developing world.
(See chart for detailed list of poverty-focused accounts supported by USCCB
and CRS.)


The Church views international assistance as an essential tool to promote
human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and enhance
security throughout the world. Foreign assistance is not simply an
optional commitment; it is a moral responsibility to assist “the least of
these.” For over 50 years, Catholic Relief Services has partnered with the
United States Government to implement some of these priority programs. CRS
knows from experience how effectively they can save lives and help the poor
achieve their human potential.


These priority programs support a wide range of life-saving and
dignity-preserving activities, including: agricultural assistance to poor
farmers; drugs for people living with HIV and tuberculosis; cost-effective
vaccines for preventable diseases; assistance to orphans and vulnerable
children; mosquito nets to prevent malaria; food aid for famines,
emergencies, and development; emergency health care, shelter, and
reconstruction in disaster-devastated places like Haiti; peacekeepers to
protect innocent civilians such as in Sudan and the Congo; assistance to
migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or persecution; and debt relief for
poor nations.


Cuts at the level being considered will result in the loss of innocent
lives: persons with HIV no longer able to access life-saving
anti-retroviral medications; refugees and victims of natural disaster
succumbing to starvation and hunger-related illnesses; and poor families
unable to grow what they need to survive. These funding reductions will
also disrupt existing programs mid-stream, which undermines the impact of
the program, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately the moral
credibility of United States.


Instead of these proposed cuts, we urge Congress to find resources
elsewhere, in programs that do not serve the poorest persons and
communities. Even within accounts not on the attached list, however, great
care to protect the poor must be taken. For example, in the Economic
Support Fund, assistance for Sudan and Haiti and other poverty-focused
programs must be retained. In addition, the civilian capacity at the U.S.
Agency for International Development requires the full support necessary to
effectively carry out these programs.


We do strongly approve of this bill’s restoration of the Mexico City Policy
against funding groups that perform or promote abortion, and its denial of
funding to the U.N. Population Fund which supports a program of coerced
abortion and involuntary sterilization in China. Unfortunately, the
Continuing Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.


In times of fiscal restraint, shared sacrifice demands that the entire
budget be examined, including defense. As the bishops of the United States
said in 2011, “Maintaining a strong military is only one component of our
national security. A much broader, long-term understanding of security is
needed. In a world where one-fifth of the population survives on less than
$1 per day, where some twenty countries are involved in major armed
conflict, and where poverty, corruption, and repressive regimes bring
untold suffering to millions of people, we simply cannot remain
indifferent. … Our nation must join with others in addressing policies and
problems that provide fertile ground in which terrorism can thrive.”


At a minimum, we urge you to restore funding to the poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts on the attached list back
to the FY 2011 request level. USCCB and CRS are committed to working with
the Congress to meet the U.S. imperative to preserve poverty-focused
international assistance to improve the lives of those in greatest need.
Our commitment to human life and dignity demands no less.


Sincerely yours,


Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard Ken Hackett
Bishop of Albany
President
Chairman,
Catholic Relief Services
Committee on International Justice and Peace
---

February 14, 2011
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515


Dear Representative:


On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we
call on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution. Decisions on how to
allocate opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more
than economic policies -- they are significant moral choices. Meeting
essential human needs is a compelling ethical and fiscal priority. The
health, stability and well being of our nation depend on these decisions. A
moral measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all
stages of life from conception until natural death.


Current proposals call for drastic reductions in non-security related
programs that serve the poor and vulnerable. In a time of economic crisis,
the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not less.
Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.


We support reasonable solutions and strategies to address the federal
deficit that will ensure stability and security for future generations.
However, we advocate for a balanced approach that is just and works to
preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people. Congress should
adopt a spending plan for the remainder of FY 2011 that ensures adequate
funding for programs that offer opportunity and help to the poor, children,
seniors, and people with disabilities and other vulnerable persons.
Congress should help to alleviate the burden of the vulnerable, not make it
worse.


The need to protect life is clear in decisions on whether to use public
funds to attack innocent human life- and in this regard we welcome the
bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against abortion funding, and
its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding in the District of
Columbia.


The Catholic Bishops’ Conference offers examples of possible considerations
that reflect some of our concerns with the proposed plan:
The USCCB calls on Congress to work to ensure adequate health care
coverage to those in need. The proposed $1 billion cut to Community
Health Centers will deny health care to nearly ten million poor and
vulnerable people including mothers and children at risk. These
centers are often the only access to health care for tens of millions
of people in our country.
The bishops affirm their long-standing position that safe, affordable
and decent housing is a human right. At a time of record
foreclosures, increasing homelessness and rising housing costs, the
proposed cut of $2.3 billion to affordable housing programs is not
justifiable in light of the housing crisis for low and moderate
income families.
Reducing job training programs by a proposed $1.75 billion does not
make sense at a time of high unemployment and low job creation.
Further, this will prolong the economic pain of the very people
seeking adequate training to re-enter the job market. Many of those
most affected by job loss are less-skilled workers who need
additional training and skill development to re-enter the workforce.
Congress must ensure funding for and support efforts to strengthen
and improve these quality training programs with successful outcomes.
We are deeply concerned by cuts in FY 2011 refugee funding that the
bill would make. More specifically, the bill would cut available
funding in FY 2011 for domestic refugee resettlement programs
operated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Refugee Resettlement (ORR) by $77 million, or 10.5 percent relative
to FY 2010 appropriations. And it would cut funding for refugee
admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs in the Migration
and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account that is operated by the
Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(PRM) by $827 million, or 44.8 percent, relative to FY 2010
appropriations. USCCB believes that cuts to these accounts, which
have been historically under-funded, would have a devastating effect
on refugees, Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa recipients,
victims of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied alien children, and
other vulnerable populations served by PRM, ORR, and the communities
across the country that welcome these populations.
As you consider the FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Bill, we urge
you, at a minimum, to maintain the funding for the MRA and ORR
accounts at the FY 2010 total enacted level. To do otherwise would
have a devastating impact on those displaced persons around the world
who are almost entirely dependent on the international system for
life-saving assistance, as well as to those who we have offered the
life-saving assistance of admission to the United States.


The spending choices of Congress have clear moral and human dimensions;
they reflect our values as a people. We are not policy makers, but pastors
and teachers. But, we remind Congress that the poor and vulnerable have a
priority claim on our limited, although still substantive, financial
resources. In efforts to pass a responsible spending resolution for the
remainder of FY 2011, decisions should be made that not only reflect a
commitment to national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate
justice, compassion and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor
and vulnerable first as you consider how to spend limited federal
resources.


Sincerely,


Bishop Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice
and Human Development

ARCHBISHOP DOLAN, BISHOP BLAIRE URGE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT TAX CREDITS FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, RELIEF FOR UNEMPLOYED

Urge protection for low-income families, children
Current unemployment numbers concern bishops
Need to continue Emergency Unemployment Compensation to protect jobless and families

WASHINGTON—Congress should protect vulnerable communities, particularly low-income families and children, and support the continuation of the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and Emergency Unemployment Compensation, said the U.S. bishops in a December 6 letter to both houses of Congress. The priorities of the letter were reflected in a tentative deal struck by Congress and the Obama administration later that day.
“Presently, the Refundable Child Tax Credit and expanded Earned Income Tax Credit encourage work and family life,” said Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “To keep in place tax cuts for more affluent families while ending the tax help for those families in greatest need would be bad policy and unjust. For example, a low-income family with two children, with one income at the minimum wage ($15,000 a year), stands to lose roughly $1,400 if the 2009 Child Tax Credit reform is eliminated. In such an economic climate, a promise to raise taxes on no one must include low-income families.”
Bishop Blaire added that Congress had a moral obligation to help the unemployed, citing that jobless numbers in the U.S. have climbed to over 15 million, or to 9.8 percent.
“Therefore, I strongly urge that effective ways be found to assure continuing Emergency Unemployment Compensation to protect jobless workers and their families,” wrote Bishop Blaire.
The tentative deal struck Monday night between Congress and the Obama administration included the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
In a separate statement regarding these priorities of the bishops, USCCB president Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, joined his voice with Bishop Blaire, saying, “The bishops are deeply concerned with the current unemployment numbers, and the Church recognizes the need to assist those hit hardest by these economic times.”

The full text of Bishop Blaire’s letter follows:

Dear Senator:

As you complete your business and prepare to adjourn the 111 th Congress, I urge you to advocate policies and priorities that protect vulnerable communities, especially low-income families and children.

For years, the Catholic bishops have been strong supporters of the refundability and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit particularly because of their effectiveness in helping families escape or prevent poverty and offer essential resources for raising children. Low- and middle-income working families would see their economic security severely threatened if the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are not maintained in their current forms. This includes the important changes made in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and they should not be abandoned now.

Presently, the Refundable Child Tax Credit and expanded Earned Income Tax Credit encourage work and family life. Both of them focus on earned income, and the recent Earned Income Tax Credit reforms relaxed the “marriage penalty” for low-income, married workers filing jointly. To keep in place tax cuts for more affluent families while ending the tax help for those families in greatest need would be bad policy and unjust. For example, a low-income family with two children, with one income at the minimum wage ($15,000 a year), stands to lose roughly $1,400 if the 2009 Child Tax Credit reform is eliminated. In such an economic climate, a promise to raise taxes on no one must include low-income families.

The Child Tax Credit should be maintained in such a way as to maximize the benefit to low- and middle-income families by keeping in place the refundability of the current provisions. Likewise, Earned Income Tax Credit reforms that relaxed the “marriage penalty” and enhanced the benefit for families with three or more children must be protected.

On a related matter, this past Friday the Department of Labor released a sobering unemployment report: the number of unemployed people climbed back over 15 million, and the rate rose to 9.8 percent. Pope John Paul II, who called such prolonged and pervasive economic pain “a social disaster,” said:

The obligation to provide unemployment benefits, that is to say, the duty to make suitable grants indispensable for the subsistence of unemployed workers and their families, is a duty springing from the fundamental principle of the moral order in this sphere, namely the principle of the common use of goods or, to put it in another and still simpler way, the right to life and subsistence. ( Laborem Exercens #18)

The bishops believe strongly that the most effective antipoverty policy is decent work at decent wages; however in such an extraordinary economic circumstance, Congress has a moral obligation to protect the life and dignity of unemployed workers and their families. Therefore, I strongly urge that effective ways be found to assure continuing Emergency Unemployment Compensation to protect jobless workers and their families.

As you deliberate important tax questions, I urge you to consider the moral consequences of your decisions on the most vulnerable among us, especially low-income families and children.


Sincerely,



Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire
Chairman
Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development

BISHOPS CALL FOR NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT FOR ‘NEW THINGS’ IN TODAY’S ECONOMY IN LABOR DAY STATEMENT

With millions unemployed and U.S. workers experiencing tragedies such as mining deaths in West Virginia and the oil rig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans “must seek to protect the life and dignity of each worker in a renewed and robust economy,” said Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York. Bishop Murphy addressed these issues in the 2010 Labor Day Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), entitled “A New ‘Social Contract’ for Today’s ‘New Things,’” which can be found online in English (www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/labor_day_2010.pdf) and Spanish ( www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/labor_day_2010_spanish.pdf ).

Bishop Murphy, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, compared the challenges faced by today’s workers to the changing society of the Industrial Revolution addressed by Pope Leo XIII in the 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (Of New Things).

“America is undergoing a rare economic transformation, shedding jobs and testing safety nets as the nation searches for new ways to govern and grow our economy,” said Bishop Murphy. “Workers need a new ‘social contract.’” Bishop Murphy said that creating new jobs would require new investments, initiative and creativity in the economy. He also drew on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, which call for placing the human person at the center of economic life and emphasize the role of civil society and mediating institutions such as unions in pursing the common good.

“Workers need to have a real voice and effective protections in economic life,” said Bishop Murphy. “The market, the state, and civil society, unions and employers all have roles to play and they must be exercised in creative and fruitful interrelationships. Private action and public policies that strengthen families and reduce poverty are needed. New jobs with just wages and benefits must be created so that all workers can express their dignity through the dignity of work and are able to fulfill God’s call to us all to be co-creators. A new social contract, which begins by honoring work and workers, must be forged that ultimately focuses on the common good of the entire human family.”

Bishops' Conference Immigration Expert discusses Current Church Involvement in Immigration

Out of the Shadows: A Call for Reform
http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Catholicism.html

By Kevin Appleby

The U.S. Catholic bishops have been very involved in the national immigration debate, having called for reform of our nation's immigration laws, including a controversial proposal that would provide a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
Some Catholics have questioned out loud the bishop's involvement in the issue, suggesting that the church should remain neutral in such an emotionally charged debate. If one looks at the history of the U.S. Catholic Church, however, it is understandable that the church hierarchy sees it not only as a justice issue but as important to the future of the American Catholic community.
More than any other organized religion in the United States, the Catholic Church is an immigrant church that has grown in lock step with the nation, welcoming successive generations of immigrants who have helped build our nation.
Indeed, the church and her institutions have welcomed and helped integrate into American life Irish and Italian immigrants who arrived in the late 19th and early 20th century; Central and Eastern Europeans who fled Europe after the Second World War; and Latin American and Asian populations more recently. To borrow a phrase from a toy store, immigrants are us.
During each successive wave, the church and the bishops defended the rights of newly arrived immigrants, arguing, in contrast to nativist organizations, that immigrants by and large added to the strength of our country by bringing to our shores unique skills, perspectives, and traditions. These new arrivals, the bishops claimed, enriched our culture and way of life. Given the success of our country as a global superpower, they were right.
The same debates are playing out today, as immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa -- the majority Catholic -- are becoming part of American society. And once again, the Catholic Church stands in the forefront of defending their basic rights and dignity.
Critics of the position of the bishops state that the church only wants more Catholics in the pews and that speaking in favor of immigrants is, in fact, a way to ensure that the new arrivals join and contribute to the local parish.
What they do not know is that immigrants are already here, drawn to the United States by the magnet of jobs and the opportunity to earn ten times more in a day than in their native lands. What also is not mentioned is that undocumented immigrants, who work in important industries such as agriculture and service, want to migrate legally but that there are insufficient -- only 5,000 -- permanent visas in the system for unskilled workers.
Immigrants are present in Catholic social service programs, hospitals, schools, and parishes, and each day a priest or employee is approached by an immigrant asking for help for a loved one -- a parent who has been detained, a child who has been involuntarily left behind by two deported parents, or a distraught family member who has lost a loved one in the desert.
Without changing the law governing immigration, often priests, employees, or the bishops themselves cannot help them or help keep their families together.
How does the outcome of the immigration debate, therefore, impact the future of the American church as well as the nation?
Close to 5 million U.S. citizen children live in "mixed-status" households, where one or more parents are undocumented. Another 700,000 minors are without legal status, having been brought to the United States by their parents when they were small children.
In many ways, they are the future leaders of our communities, parishes, and nation, but they constantly live in fear of the knock at the door, where they and/or their parents will be taken away at a moment's notice. Instead of developing their talents and building their confidence in this country, we are alienating them and squandering their potential. In many ways, we are shaking their faith in God.
As pastors, the bishops and priests are charged with ensuring that all Catholics and those of good will are given the opportunity to know God and to be with Him. It is also an obligation of all Catholics. This important responsibility is not dependent upon where a person was born and what legal status he or she may have or not have. Advocating for immigration reform is yet another way for the Catholic clergy, joined by the Catholic faithful, to fulfill that responsibility.
Just as past waves of Catholic immigrants have arrived to enrich, build, and help lead our church and nation, so will this generation, provided we give them the opportunity to reach their God-given potential. Reforming our immigration system and bringing them and their families out of the shadows will help set them, and us, on the right course.

Kevin Appleby has been the director of Migration and Refugee Policy for Migration and Refugee Services of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for the past eight years. Kevin has testified before Congress on immigration issues and represented the U.S. Catholic bishops on these issues at public events and with the media. He is a member of the board of the National Immigration Forum and the social policy committee of Catholic Charities USA.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q & A: Kevin Appleby of the USCCB
http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/q-kevin-appleby-usccb

By Michael Sean Winters
Created Jul 19, 2010

This week, we are discussing immigration reform. Our first interviewee is Kevin Appleby, the Director of Migration Policy and Public Affairs at the USCCB.

The question: What needs to be done to get immigration reform passed, and what are the prospects for passage?

Kevin Appleby:

Among the many issues confounding lawmakers and eluding bipartisan
support on Capitol Hill these days is immigration, perhaps one of the
most controversial topics in the country. Our elected officials in
Washington have avoided it like an unwelcome neighbor knocking at the
front door. Problem is, the knocks keep getting louder and louder.
The latest flashpoint in the debate is the recently passed Arizona law
SB 1070, state legislation which, among other provisions, under certain
conditions permits law enforcement to inquire as to an individual's
legal status. Whatever one thinks about the substance of the law, it
certainly has re-ignited the national debate and, most particularly, has
highlighted congressional dithering on fixing the nation's broken
immigration system.

For several years now, the U.S. Catholic bishops have advocated for
comprehensive reform of our nation's immigration laws, citing the
devastating impacts current laws have on immigrant families and
children. Close to 5 million U.S. citizen children live with either
one or two parents without legal status, leaving immigrant families
vulnerable to separation. In fact, the federal government has forcibly
separated thousands of these families in recent years through workplace
raids and other enforcement actions, deporting parents away from their
children.

The bishops, along with other faith groups, have argued that the 11
million persons in the country illegally should have a chance to pay
their debt to society through a fine and back taxes, begin learning
English, and get in the back of the line for a green card and eventual
citizenship. This would ensure that family unity is protected, as
undocumented family members would receive legal status and not face
deportation.

Opponents of the path to citizenship proposal cite the rule of law,
stating that any "reward" of legal status would be condoning illegal
behavior. What they fail to acknowledge is that immigrants who enter
illegally, drawn by the attraction of jobs, would enter legally if visas
were available to them.

Currently, only 5,000 permanent visas are available for unskilled
workers, while, before the recession, the economy absorbed close to
500,000 migrant workers per year into such industries as agriculture,
service, and construction. It is time to examine all parts of our
immigration system and reform it to match the future labor needs of our
country.

Moreover, more of the same -- increased expenditures on border
enforcement---will not solve the challenge of illegal immigration. The
U.S. government has spent close to $100 billion on immigration
enforcement since the year 2000, but the number of undocumented has
increased and the debate rages on. Tragically, during this time nearly
5,000 migrants, including women and children, have died in the American
desert.

Another approach is clearly needed. By creating legal avenues for
migrant workers to enter and work, based on economic needs and by the
unemployment rate among Americans, law enforcement could focus upon
criminal elements along our border, not on those simply attempting to
find work or join family members.

As Congress continues to avoid this issue, the situation worsens.
Families continue to be divided, migrants continue to be exploited in
the workplace and die in the desert, and laws like SB 1070 continue to
erode the hard earned trust that now exists between immigrant
communities and law enforcement. Without federal action, states and
communities may continue to pass their own laws, creating a patchwork
across the nation which would not serve the country*s long-term
interests.

There should be a legislative window in the next year for Congress to
consider immigration reform, either later this year or early in the next
Congress. They will not act, however, unless they are moved to by their
constituents.

To help move Congress to action this year, please visit the Justice for
Immigrants website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at
justiceforimmigrants.org, and send a postcard to your Senator and
Representatives.

BISHOPS NOTE WAY FORWARD WITH HEALTH CARE, CLARIFY MISCONCEPTIONS

WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops called for steps to protect the lives of the most vulnerable, provide fairness for immigrants and guarantee conscience protections for individual and institutions in a statement on health care reform issued May 21.
The statement was offered by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice, Peace and Human Development, and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Immigration.
“Following enactment of the health care reform legislation, our challenge remains formidable but in some ways is simpler,” the bishops said. “Since the battle over the bill is over, the defects can be judged soberly in their own right, and solutions can be advanced in Congress while retaining what is good in the new law. Indeed, any failure to do so would only leave these genuine problems as ammunition for those who prefer total repeal of the law.”
The bishops said the current situation “provides a new opportunity for the Catholic community to come together in defense of human life, rights of conscience and fairness to immigrants so we will have a health care system that truly respects the life, dignity, health and consciences of all.”
The statement follows.

Setting the Record Straight

As the Chairmen of the three committees most directly involved in the efforts of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on health care reform, we are writing to set the record straight on some important issues raised during and after final consideration of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” this spring.

From our first statement to Congress a year ago ( http://usccb.org/sdwp/national/2009-05-usccb-health-care-statement.pdf ) to Cardinal George’s March 23 rd , 2010 statement about the enactment of a “profoundly flawed” final bill, the position of our Conference has been unified and consistent. Reflecting decades of advocacy on behalf of universal access to health care, the bishops were clear in calling for health care reform as a moral imperative and urgent national priority. We called for reform that would make health coverage affordable for the poor and needy, moving our society substantially toward the goal of universal coverage. We were equally clear in stating that this must be done in accord with the dignity of each and every human person, showing full respect for the life, health and conscience of all.

Specifically we insisted that the provisions of the Hyde amendment and other longstanding current laws, which forbid federal funding of abortion and of health plans that cover abortion, must be preserved in this or any new legislation. Likewise, we sought to have longstanding policies of respect for rights of conscience applied to this legislation. Americans must retain in new legislation the rights they had before its enactment. These include the full range of protections regarding the right to provide and purchase health care in accord with their religious beliefs and moral convictions. In addition, since access to basic health care is a right inherent in each human person, as acknowledged both in Catholic social teaching and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, legislation must not unfairly exclude immigrants from health coverage (January 26, 2010 Letter to the House).

Apparently, because we always presented these criteria together and insisted that each had profound moral implications, some thought the bishops might ultimately be persuaded to abandon one or the other in response to political pressures from left or right. Some hoped or feared that we would join with those who reject the need for vigorous government action to reform our ailing health care system. Others hoped or feared that, for the “greater good” of making progress on health care, we would neglect or deny the rights of the most vulnerable members of our society, including unborn children who have no voice and of immigrants.

There was never any chance that the bishops would do any of these things. We will never cease to advocate for everyone, beginning with the most needy, to have access to health care. We will never conclude that we must accept what is intrinsically evil so that some good may be achieved. Specifically we reject the argument made to us by some Catholics that expanding health care coverage justified setting aside our longstanding opposition to government participation in elective abortions or weakening rights to life and freedom of conscience. Catholic teaching rejects any idea that the weakest or “disposable” members of society must be forgotten to serve alleged “greater goods.” Arguments of this sort undermine the common good. Our vision of the common good embraces the good for each and every member without exception, beginning with those who are weakest and most vulnerable.

Ultimately the House of Representatives approved a health care reform bill that the bishops welcomed for substantially meeting most of the principles and goods we were espousing. We hoped to address final concerns as the legislation moved forward. However, the Senate rejected the House legislation, including the key elements that we supported, and produced a bill that abandoned the very principles that we espoused: no expansion of abortion, protections for freedom of conscience and the rights of immigrants. With these foundational principles rejected, it was then announced that no further substantive changes were possible. From that moment on, the bishops were clear and consistent in saying that this “take it or leave it” offer was morally unacceptable and politically divisive. Whatever might be the positive aspects of the Senate bill, we had no choice but to oppose the Senate version as a matter of principle. As bishops we must faithfully proclaim the truth. We must defend the rights of the unborn and the weakest and most vulnerable among us. We must oppose the advance of elective abortion in our society, especially the use of government authority and funding to advance it, and we must speak out in favor of the rights of freedom of conscience for persons and institutions. We urged Congress to vote against this version of the bill, with the hope that together we could find a way to address our legitimate concerns in a bill which would thus have broader appeal and greater support. Unfortunately, the political will to do so did not emerge.

The final result is legislation that expands health care coverage, implements many needed reforms, and provides welcome support for pregnant and parenting women and adoptive families. Unfortunately it also perpetuates grave injustices toward immigrant families and makes new and disturbing changes in federal policy on abortion and conscience rights. We have documented the legislation’s serious flaws in several analyses available on the bishops’ web site, www.usccb.org/healthcare .

Since final passage of the legislation, we have been disturbed and disappointed by reactions inside and outside the Church that have sought to marginalize or dismiss legitimate concerns that were presented in a serious manner by us. Our clear and consistent position has been misrepresented, misunderstood and misused for political and other purposes. Our right to speak in the public forum has been questioned. Our teaching role within the Catholic Church and even our responsibility to lead the Church have come under criticism. All of us must be open to different points of view and recognize the legitimacy of serious criticism. However, whether from within or without the Catholic community, very often these critics lacked an understanding of these particular issues or of the moral framework that motivated our positions. Others did grasp the seriousness of the issues we were attempting to address. Yet other priorities, in our judgment, led them to accept an inaccurate reading of the proposed legislation. They gave credence to analyses by those who were likewise dedicated to minimizing important concerns so as to pass the legislation. In the end, they made a judgment that the moral problems in the new law – for example, the fact that the federal government, for the first time in decades, will now force Americans to pay for other people’s elective abortions – simply are not serious enough to oppose a particular health care reform bill.

We regret that this approach carried the day, as some overlooked the clear evidence or dismissed careful analysis and teaching on the morality of these matters. But making such moral judgments, and providing guidance to Catholics on whether an action by government is moral or immoral, is first of all the task of the bishops, not of any other group or individual. As Bishops, we disagree that the divergence between the Catholic Conference and Catholic organizations, including the Catholic Health Association, represents merely a difference of analysis or strategy ( Catholic Health World , April 15, 2010, “Now That Reform Has Passed”). Rather, for whatever good will was intended, it represented a fundamental disagreement, not just with our staff as some maintain, but with the Bishops themselves. As such it has resulted in confusion and a wound to Catholic unity.

Following enactment of the health care reform legislation, our challenge remains formidable but in some ways is simpler. Since the battle over the bill is over, the defects can be judged soberly in their own right, and solutions can be advanced in Congress while retaining what is good in the new law. Indeed, any failure to do so would only leave these genuine problems as ammunition for those who prefer total repeal of the law. In this context we do not need agreement among lawmakers that the problems are serious enough to oppose the legislation – we only need agreement that the problems are real and deserve to be addressed. This provides a new opportunity for the Catholic community to come together in defense of human life, rights of conscience and fairness to immigrants so we will have a health care system that truly respects the life, dignity, health and consciences of all. We urge Catholics, members of Congress of all parties and others of good will to join us in advancing this worthy goal.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice, Peace and Human Development

Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City
Committee on Migration