Catholic News 2
IBB, Yemen (AP) -- Nasrine's husband was once a happy, optimistic man. He made good money from a restaurant and butcher shop he owned. "With his hands, he could turn dust into gold," Nasrine says....
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi forces are steadily closing in on the remaining pockets of territory held by the Islamic State group in Mosul, inching toward a victory that U.S.-led coalition officials say is "only a matter of time."...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Earth is likely to hit more dangerous levels of warming even sooner if the U.S. pulls back from its pledge to cut carbon dioxide pollution, scientists said. That's because America contributes so much to rising temperatures....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A lawyer for Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner says Kushner stands ready to talk to federal investigators as well as Congress about his contacts and his role in Donald Trump's 2016 campaign....
TAORMINA, Italy (AP) -- The Latest on President Donald Trump's visit to Europe (all times local):...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, who helped topple economic barriers between the Soviet Union, China and the West as President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, died Friday. He was 89....
TAORMINA, Italy (AP) -- Down to the final day of his lengthy first international trip, President Donald Trump will lift off for Washington having rattled some allies and reassured others, returning to a White House that sits under a cloud of scandal....
Charleston, W.Va., May 26, 2017 / 04:12 pm (CNA).- A young girl in Charles Town, West Virginia was undergoing treatment for bone cancer when she dreamed about meeting a beautiful princess.She later identified that princess as St. Philomena, and when she eventually recovered from bone cancer after extensive treatment, her family attributed the recovery to the intercession of St. Philomena, who is known as the patron of difficult situations, especially for youth.In honor of her experience, the Catholic parish of St. James in Charles Town, West Virginia is holding their second annual St. Philomena Medical Benefit Concert, which will aid cancer victims and their families.“The people of St. James have done their best to provide support to alleviate the strain that families naturally feel during these difficult times,” stated Angie Cummings, a member of the parish.“Many have reported that, as they have done their best to exercise the faith during these trials, they have ...
Charleston, W.Va., May 26, 2017 / 04:12 pm (CNA).- A young girl in Charles Town, West Virginia was undergoing treatment for bone cancer when she dreamed about meeting a beautiful princess.
She later identified that princess as St. Philomena, and when she eventually recovered from bone cancer after extensive treatment, her family attributed the recovery to the intercession of St. Philomena, who is known as the patron of difficult situations, especially for youth.
In honor of her experience, the Catholic parish of St. James in Charles Town, West Virginia is holding their second annual St. Philomena Medical Benefit Concert, which will aid cancer victims and their families.
“The people of St. James have done their best to provide support to alleviate the strain that families naturally feel during these difficult times,” stated Angie Cummings, a member of the parish.
“Many have reported that, as they have done their best to exercise the faith during these trials, they have felt the presence of God grow stronger in their lives,” she continued.
Over the years, multiple individuals in the St. James community have experienced cancer, including three children, and many have lost family members to the disease.
St. James Catholic Church will donate all of the proceeds from the benefit concert to the Father McGivney Medical Assistance Fund. Founded by the local Knights of Columbus, the fund will be used to help out with medical expenses for local cancer patients.
The concert will feature the world-famous Irish band Scythian, with other music groups such as New Tides, the Santiago Mountain Band, and Holy Trinity Choir.
The benefit will take place on Saturday, June 10 at St. James Catholic Church in Charles Town. The doors will open at 6:15, and all tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.
More information can be found at RadioHeart Media.
Louisville, Ky., May 26, 2017 / 05:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The former head of the US bishops decried President Trump's budget plan, claiming its cuts to social services conflict with both the Catholic faith and American principles.“Whether through Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps or foreign aid, our nation has recognized that our worth is judged by how we treat the most vulnerable among us,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky said in a May 24 article published by Courier-Journal.“The concept is shared by many religions and has become part of the ethos of the United States.”President Trump issued 2018’s budget proposal, “The New Foundation for American Greatness,” on Tuesday. The proposal would defund many aid programs benefiting the poor, the environment, and the foreign aid, drawing outcry from organizations like Catholic Charities and Catholic relief services.The budget proposes 4.1 trillion dollars for 2018, with bu...
Louisville, Ky., May 26, 2017 / 05:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The former head of the US bishops decried President Trump's budget plan, claiming its cuts to social services conflict with both the Catholic faith and American principles.
“Whether through Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps or foreign aid, our nation has recognized that our worth is judged by how we treat the most vulnerable among us,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky said in a May 24 article published by Courier-Journal.
“The concept is shared by many religions and has become part of the ethos of the United States.”
President Trump issued 2018’s budget proposal, “The New Foundation for American Greatness,” on Tuesday. The proposal would defund many aid programs benefiting the poor, the environment, and the foreign aid, drawing outcry from organizations like Catholic Charities and Catholic relief services.
The budget proposes 4.1 trillion dollars for 2018, with budget cuts expected to affect nearly $19 billion in global aid according to Reuters.
Catholic leaders have applauded that federal funding will be redirected from Planned Parenthood to women's health centers that do not perform abortions. But they lament the decrease in funding to US charitable programs.
“Our church has always said that we fulfill our responsibility to the poor not only through personal charity, but also through our support for just governmental policies,” Archbishop Kurtz said.
“The work of these agencies to serve the most vulnerable people depends on both private contributions and public support.”
Archbishop Kurtz, who served as president of the U.S. Bishops' Conference from 2013-2016, discussed the benefits of foreign aid, especially to schools which provide both food and education.
“Right now in many developing countries, hundreds of thousands of kids get a nutritional meal every day at school … Sometimes that’s the reason they go to school. It’s a win-win situation: They get fed, and they get educated. They benefit. Their country benefits.”
He continued to give the example of Thomas Awiapo, who went to school solely because he was hungry. Receiving an education, he now works at Catholic Relief Services providing similar relief to other children.
After his father died, Awiapo was forced to live with his extended family. The family was already struggling with food, including family members who died from malnutrition. He then saw his friend returning from school with sorghum, a grain often used to feed US cattle. Attending school, he worked was able to receive food and education, and eventually he received his master’s in public administration.
The programs not only work, said the archbishop, but are part of U.S. history and serve to affirm the inherit dignity of the person. He expressed hopes that Congress would consider this and reject the proposal.
The budget cut would affect both Catholic Relief Services, an international aid program established in 1943, and Catholic Charities, a national relief program established in 1910. The programs rely on funding from private and public donations.
A budget cut for the next 10 years will decrease funding to national welfare programs by over $270 billion and $72 billion to disability programs in order to prepare for the increase in national defense.
Included in the proposal is an additional $54 billion to US military funding and $2.7 billion to immigration control. Military funding will have a total of $639 billion. Over $44 billion will go towards the Department of Homeland Security and nearly $28 billion to the Department of Justice.
IMAGE: EPABy Rhina GuidosWASHINGTON (CNS) -- Worried about the fate of some of theirstudents, more than 65 college presidents representing U.S. Catholicinstitutions asked for a meeting with the Secretary of Homeland Security to talkabout immigration policy."As leaders of Catholic colleges and universities, we arededicated to educating students from all backgrounds. In keeping with thiscommitment, many of our institutions are home to young men and women who areundocumented and have met the criteria for Deferred Action for ChildhoodArrivals (DACA). We are deeply concerned about the futures of our undocumentedstudents," said the May 23 letter addressed to Department of Homeland SecuritySecretary John Kelly.In the letter, they cited incidents in which DACA recipientshave been placed under immigration detention, including a case in which one of them was deported, and said that "recent actions and statements byImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about young people who met the DACAc...
IMAGE: EPA
By Rhina Guidos
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Worried about the fate of some of their students, more than 65 college presidents representing U.S. Catholic institutions asked for a meeting with the Secretary of Homeland Security to talk about immigration policy.
"As leaders of Catholic colleges and universities, we are dedicated to educating students from all backgrounds. In keeping with this commitment, many of our institutions are home to young men and women who are undocumented and have met the criteria for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). We are deeply concerned about the futures of our undocumented students," said the May 23 letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
In the letter, they cited incidents in which DACA recipients have been placed under immigration detention, including a case in which one of them was deported, and said that "recent actions and statements by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about young people who met the DACA criteria raise many questions about the safety of our students." They referred in particular to a tweet from ICE that said: "DACA is not a protected legal status, but active DACA recipients are typically a lower level of enforcement priority."
Addressing Kelly, they said: "implementation of immigration enforcement policies falls under your discretion. We respectfully request a meeting with you to better understand how enforcement agencies are approaching DACA holders."
John Gehring, Catholic program director at Washington's advocacy group Faith in Public Life, which along with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities helped coordinate the effort, said there were worries because of "aggressive enforcement tactics we're seeing around the country." And since Kelly is Catholic, they wanted to convey to him that "the Catholic community is concerned with these aggressive actions," Gehring said in a phone interview with Catholic News Service. He added that the culture of fear those aggressive actions have created is "unacceptable."
The list of signers includes the presidents of The Catholic University of America in Washington, Trinity Washington University, as well as Villanova, Gonzaga, Fordham, Loyola and Santa Clara universities.
The college presidents say they want to "clarify" the administration's stance on the special status granted to the students via the Obama-era's DACA policy that allowed minors who had been brought into the country without proper documentation a temporary reprieve from deportation and a work permit, if they met certain conditions.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump said he would do away with the DACA policy. As president, he said he would decide what to do about the policy "with heart" and has said that it's a "difficult" decision to grapple with. Some of the recipients are "absolutely wonderful kids," he said in a February news conference, but then immediately also said that some DACA recipients are "gang members and they're drug dealers, too."
The college presidents said that as the academic year concludes, they worry about what the future brings because "many of these students will leave our campuses for internships, summer programs and jobs. Our prayer is that they return." They said they want to meet with Kelly to discuss the administration's policies and request that he take steps to protect their immigrant students who are at risk of deportation.
Gehring said the Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged receiving the letter.
The students for whom the college leaders are advocating are known in immigration circles as "dreamers" because of a bipartisan bill called the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM Act, that failed to pass in 2010. It would have granted residency in the country for some unauthorized persons brought in to the country as minors, if they met certain conditions.
"Our shared faith calls us to protect the most vulnerable among us," said the letter signed by the college presidents. "Over the years, we have opened the doors of our colleges and universities to dreamers and advocated for comprehensive immigration reform so that they and their families can live safe, full lives in our country."
Jesuit Father Kevin Wildes, president of Loyola University New Orleans, said sending back young men and women to countries they don't know is "morally wrong," particularly when they contribute much to the U.S.
"We are committed to doing everything we can to protect these students. We urge Secretary Kelly and President Trump to do the same," said Father Wildes in a news release about the letter.
Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, said her institution would stand in solidarity with "dreamers" and other immigrants.
"No nation can claim greatness by treating our youth as dispensable because of conditions for which they are not responsible," she said. "We reject as cruel and immoral, and will resist to the greatest extent possible, any government effort to harm our students and their families."
John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, said the Catholic Church has always stood with immigrants but particularly with the young and with families seeking a better life.
"In our time, some of those young people are university students who have qualified for DACA protection," he said. "While the need for immigration reform is evident, we hope that policymakers will pay particular attention to the integrity of the family, the importance of work and the dignity of the human person."
Others spoke of how Catholic higher education traditionally "has welcomed students on society's margins," and recalled the pope's words during his apostolic visit to the U.S. in 2015 when he said immigrants provide "many gifts" to a nation.
- - -
Follow Guidos on Twitter: @CNS_Rhina.
- - -
Copyright © 2017 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
