Congress should avoid measures that harm at-risk students, low-income families and the global poor who benefit from international assistance, said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., and Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Nov. 13. The bishops oversee the justice and peace efforts of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “As you work to avoid sequestration and enact responsible deficit reduction…we hope longstanding moral principles and values will inform your decisions,” they wrote. The bishops said Pope Benedict XVI warns against “downsizing of social security systems” and emphasizes “solidarity with poor countries” and asked Congress to weigh the “human and moral consequences” of numerous policy choices. The bishops said the “important goal” of long-term deficit control “must not be achieved at the expense of the dignity of poor and vulnerable people at home and abroad.”
Do No Harm
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.
Robots can give you facts. But they can’t give you faith.
“Irena’s Vow” is true story of a Catholic nurse who used her position to shelter a dozen Jews in World War II-era Poland.
Few events inspire a media spectacle quite like the election of a pope. Zac and Ashley talk with church historian Miles Pattenden to learn how conclaves evolved—and how they might change in the future.