The editors of NCR write “The church is changing. The situation in the Amazon region gathers up, as we’ve noted before, the most compelling themes facing humanity and the church today. The Earth is indisputably under assault because of the activity of humans and nowhere is it more demonstrable than in this critically important ecosystem. Can humanity come to some agreement over ways to protect it?” Read Genuine Dialogue Takes Church into Unscripted Territory.
Today, November 12th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about the legality of DACA. Archbishop Charles Chaput from Philadelphia writes, “In this great country, we should not have young people living under the threat of deportation, their lives dependent on the outcome of a court case. The issues at stake are legal, but they are also humanitarian, economic, and moral. By now, these young people are grown up and are deeply integrated into our social fabric – studying in universities and colleges, serving in the police and military, working in hi-tech fields and hospitals; some are even preparing for the priesthood and religious life…. Business leaders from every sector of the economy say these young adults are vital to our nation’s economic future; already, they are contributing billions each year in tax revenues and income. This contribution is especially important at a time when 10,000 baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964 are reaching retirement age every day.” Read more.
The Supreme Court will not issue its decision until the Spring of 2020. In the meantime, we must urge Congress to act to provide DACA recipients a legislative solution and a path to citizenship. The House has already passed H.R. 6 which includes a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. Please call your Senators and ask them to support S. 874, the Dream Act of 2019 which will support legislative protection for these young people. Here is a suggested text:
As a person of faith and a Catholic sister, I want express my strong support for the “Dream Act of 2019” (S. 874). The young people protected by this bill are our neighbors and friends. They are mothers and fathers of U.S. citizens. They are important members of our community and leaders in our parishes. As Catholics, we have long supported DREAMERS as we believe in protecting the dignity of every human being, especially that of our children. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program that has benefited over 800,000 young people by ensuring that recipients are able to live their lives free of the anxiety that they could be deported at any time to a country they do not know and separated from their families.I urge the Senator to:
- Support and co-sponsor S. 874, the Dream Act of 2019; and
- Continue to work towards larger legislative reform of our immigration laws.
Be assured of my prayers and please know that Catholics stand with you in support of the DREAM Act of 2019, S. 874.
For more information about what you can do, check out this information from the USCCB Justice for Immigrants.
Catholic Sisters Against Trafficking recently highlighted an innovative program used in Columbus, Ohio to help trafficking victims called CATCH (Changing Actions to Change Habits) Court. To read more about this program, click here.
The LCWR released a statement about the recent withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. “Catholic teaching is clear – climate change is a grave moral issue that threatens our commitment to: protect human life and dignity, exercise a preferential option for the most vulnerable, promote the common good, and care for God’s creation” Read the entire statement. Also call your members of Congress and urge them to publicly oppose the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.