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Pope meets U.S. leaders patiently building ‘culture of solidarity’ | USCCB September 20th, 2023
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis told a group of U.S. community organizers that their work was “atomic,” Jorge Montiel said, “I thought, ‘Oh, you mean we blow things up?'”
But instead, the pope spoke about how the groups associated with the West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation in the United States take issues patiently, “atom by atom,” and end up building something that “penetrates” and changes entire communities, said Montiel, an IAF organizer in Colorado and New Mexico.
Pope Francis’ hourlong meeting Sept. 14 with 15 delegates from the group was a follow-up to a similar meeting a year ago. Neither meeting was listed on the pope’s official schedule and, the delegates said, both were conversations, not “audiences.”
“It was relaxed, it was engaging,” said Joe Rubio, national co-director of IAF. “Often you don’t see that even with parish priests,” he told Catholic News Service Sept. 15, garnering the laughter of other delegates.
On February 26 Urge Congress to Protect Dreamers February 22nd, 2018
Join U.S Catholics on February 26: National Call-In Day to Protect Dreamers
On Monday, February 26, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging Catholics to call Congress and demand they act on behalf of Dreamers. Please join with other Catholics across the country in calling on Senators and Representatives to urge them to give Dreamers protection and a path to citizenship.
There are approximately 1.8 million Dreamers (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals-DACA) living in this country who were brought to the United States as young children and teens. They worship with us in our churches and serve in the military, contribute to the economy, and bring diverse talents to American society.
The DACA program, which previously granted temporary legal status to Dreamers, was revoked by the current administration and will expire on March 5, leaving almost a million Dreamers vulnerable to arrest, deportation and separation from their families.
As Catholics, we are taught to care for the foreigner: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Mt 25:35). This is our faith tradition as Christians – to care for our neighbor.
Your voice is needed! Take Action on February 26 to Protect Dreamers.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and its Justice for Immigrants Campaign (JFI) are calling all Catholics to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives to urge them to take action for Dreamers.
- Please call 855-589-5698 to reach the Capitol switchboard and press 1 to connect to your Senator. Once you are connected to the Senator‘s offices, please ask the person on the phone to deliver this simple message to your legislator:
“I urge you to support a bipartisan, common-sense, and humane solution for Dreamers. Protect Dreamers from deportation and provide them with a path to citizenship. Reject proposals that undermine family immigration or protections for unaccompanied children. As a Catholic, I know that families are not “chains,” but a blessing to be protected. Act now to protect Dreamers, our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
- Please call 855-589-5698 a second time to reach the Capitol switchboard again. Press 2 to connect to your Representative. Once you are connected to the Representative’s office, please ask the person on the phone to deliver the same message as above.
After completing your call, please go to http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org to learn more about Dreamers and find other ways to voice your support.
US Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Reflection: “Living as a People of God in Unsettled Times” March 22nd, 2017
On March 22, the U.S Catholic Bishops Administrative Committee issued a pastoral reflection, “Living as a People of God in Unsettled Times,” calling on all Catholics “to accompany migrants and refugees who seek a better life in the United States.” The pastoral statement offers some recommendations on how Catholics in their own small way might offer solidarity for migrants and refugees.
Read USCCB’s pastoral reflection here.
Fr. Séamus P. Finn on the Evolution of Catholic Investing February 9th, 2017
Fr. Séamus P. Finn, OMI, spoke to participants at the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, February 8,th 2017
A summary
The three core elements for Catholic Investment that were presented by the US Catholic bishops in 1986 and reinforced by the investment guidelines that were adopted for the management of the financial assets of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops were;
1) Do not invest in companies, products or services that counter to Catholic moral teaching.
2) Exercise responsible active ownership of shares that the USCCB has in the portfolio through a process of engagement with the directors and managers of these institutions.
3) Proactively investing in funds and projects that are designed to promote the common good and sustainable development that in some cases offer a lower rate of return.
Fr Séamus Finn, OMI with Mike Ricci, CCF Director of Professional Outreach & Investment
The good news is that much has been achieved in the first of these categories, also known as negative screens, when excluding investments in specific companies and or industries. Now the work of applying these same screens across all assets classes in a portfolio needs to be accelerated.
Secondly, little has been done to take up the work of active engagement and this responsibility for active advocacy and dialogue is more important now than ever given the growing influence of corporations and large investment funds on nearly every aspect of life. Some catholic religious orders and institutions have done the bulk of this work through organizations like the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, www.iccr.org.
Stand in Solidarity with Refugees: Take Action Now January 31st, 2017
Justice for Immigrants (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has issued an action alert calling on Catholics to contact their lawmakers to support immigrants and refugees. This week, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order that is having a devastating impact on refugee resettlement in the United States. Missionary Oblates JPIC stands with religious communities and human rights organizations in calling for the support and protection of refugees forced to flee violence in their home communities. As people of faith, we cannot turn our backs on refugee families as they flee from violence. Today, there is an urgent need for the United States to continue showing global leadership on refugee protection.
