DACA termination would punish young adults brought to the U.S. as children AUSTIN — The Catholic bishops of Texas expressed disappointment in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s movement to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, forcing 117,000 young people to be deported from the United States. “These individuals contribute to the economy, serve honorably in our armed forces, excel in our schools and universities, minister in our churches, and volunteer in our communities. Texans should be proud to claim them as our own” instead of deporting them, said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S., who wrote in their role as metropolitan archbishops of Texas on behalf of their brother bishops. Paxton and nine other state attorneys general recently petitioned the federal government to terminate DACA, which was created in 2012 to provide legal recognition to young adults who were brought to the United States unlawfully when they were children. To be eligible for DACA, applicants must not have a criminal record; be in school or have graduated, or have served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Texas bishops’ letter to Paxton notes that his petition “cites concerns pertaining to executive overreach.” The bishops urge Paxton also “to be mindful of migrants’ dignity and our own Texas values. DACA is but another consequence of Congress’ failure, and the young adults accepted into DACA, along with countless other migrants who truly believe in the American dream, are victims of a broken system.” The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops also denounced the state attorneys general petition. The full letter from the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops follows. Dear Attorney General Paxton: We are disappointed by your coordinated petition to terminate DACA. Since…
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops is pleased to support this package of pro-life bills that provides incremental progress to reduce abortion in Texas. In 2015, more than 55,000 unborn children were killed by abortion in our state. Each one of them was made in God’s image. Each one of them was a precious child of our Lord. Each one of them was—and continues to be—precious in his sight. The tragedy of our nation is that the courts of the United States do not just permit abortion. The courts protect it. They guarantee it. Realizing our helplessness before the power of the courts, we are tempted to despair. But especially in this time of Easter, we remember that suffering and death are not the end. Life—life—is the final victor. Legislators often have to vote for legislation that isn’t perfect. But we thank and praise legislators whose pro-life position is well-known. We also thank them for voting in a way that diminishes the harmful effects of abortion and fortifies public morality against the culture of death. A vote to protect human life—even if that protection is incremental—is exactly what St. John Paul II praised in his life and his work. (Evangelium Vitae, 73) While we don’t have the votes on the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, and abolish abortion in our nation, we must press onward in our efforts to save lives in our state, and establish greater reverence for life in Texas. We applaud these legislators who filed these strong bills. We thank every Texas lawmaker who advances a culture of life. May God bless them and bring their work to fruition.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued two statements regarding the federal government’s guidance on requiring schools to treat “a student’s gender identity as the student’s sex.” Recognizing the complexity of this discussion, the bishops recommend that decisions be made on the local level, in accord with President Trump’s withdrawal of earlier guidance by the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Education .
Each year during October the Church observes Respect Life Month. During this time, we pray and reflect on the precious gift of life and recommit ourselves to working toward a culture that truly welcomes and protects human life in our society, from conception to natural death. Catholic teaching on abortion and euthanasia is very clear, as is our commitment to the ongoing work of improving living conditions, education, and health-care access for all, especially the poor and those without resources. This year we bishops draw particular attention to our consistent call for the abolition of the death penalty in Texas, as we recognize this is undeniably a pro-life issue. Catholic Social Teaching is a distinct body of Church doctrine and an essential part of Catholic faith (Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, Challenges & Directions, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). Rooted in the Scriptures, our Church’s teaching develops over centuries as the Church encounters new social realities and challenges. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures is with the Church as we “read the signs of the times” in each new culture and age (Gaudium et Spes, no. 4). Today, the Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a comprehensive summary of Catholic doctrine. Catholic teaching unequivocally states that “if non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means …” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2267). This simply means if alternatives to the death penalty exist that serve to protect society from violent criminals, society “must limit itself” to these other means. There can be no doubt such means exist today in the United States, including in the State of Texas. Pope Saint John Paul II…
AUSTIN — The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops has released astatementcalling for the abolition of the death penalty, denouncing its effects not only on victims and others immediately affected, but also on society. ——— versions of the statement suitable for bulletin inserts ——— “Capital punishment vitiates our hearts’ capacity for mercy and love,” the bishops write, noting that “the death penalty not only does not correspond to the common good, it actually does great harm to it.” In their statement, the bishops cite several ways that harm is inflicted: 1) Capital punishment is used disproportionately on the poor, minorities, and people with mental disabilities; 2) Costs for capital punishment cases are three times that of a prisoner with life imprisonment; 3) The finality of death does not allow for rehabilitation or for consolation for victims’ families and 4) Studies have shown that innocent people have been executed by the state and that crime rates are not affected by a state’s use of the death penalty. Instead, the bishops write, “The death penalty negatively influences our children’s moral formation and our culture as it fails to allow for mercy and redemption.” “The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops will also be working in the upcoming Texas legislative session to improve the rights of jurors serving in death penalty sentencing cases,” explained Executive Director Jennifer Carr Allmon. “Texas law is intentionally misleading as it requires judges and attorneys to lie to jurors about the level of unanimity required for a death sentence. While we will continue our efforts to end the use of the death penalty in Texas, this legislation will at least improve the fairness of the current system.” The statement is being released on the World Day Against…
On Monday, the Duval County Commissioners voted to begin contract negotiations with Serco, an Australian for-profit contractor, in order to submit to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a proposal for a family detention facility in San Diego. Monday’s hearing did not follow the proper hearing disclosure procedures. Duval County Judge Ricardo Carrillo said the hearing did not abide by proper procedures because time did not permit as the proposal is due tomorrow (Friday). I feel that if there is time to put forth a proposal and hold a vote there is certainly time to hold a hearing. I think the Duval County Commissioners need to hear what the community has to say about the possibility of converting La Hacienda Nursing Home into a secure facility that would detain women and children. I believe that the Duval County Commissioners would hear similar things to what the Jim Wells and Dimmit County commissioners heard: that our communities do not want to build facilities that incarcerate vulnerable women, children and babies. I have publically stated that family detention is against the tenets of Catholic Social teaching. But I feel that the Duval County Commissioners’ actions on Monday, which in effect bypassed the San Diego people, were contrary to another Catholic Social Teaching and community value and that is subsidiarity. Subsidiarity holds that human affairs are best handled at the most local possible level, and thereby providing solutions closest to the affected persons. The facility will actually be in Jim Wells county and the local people in Jim Wells county rejected the facility through strong public opposition and a vote of the County Commissioners. Now, Duval county is acting against the will of the people of Jim Wells in their own…
By Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Archdiocese of San Antonio The cry to end the imprisonment of refugee children and their young mothers in detention centers is written on the heart and soul of the Catholic Church and the Gospel. “Whatever you did for these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” I ask you, my sisters and brothers in Christ, to join me in prayerful thanksgiving for the ruling of Federal Judge Dolly M. Gee. Her decision declared that the detention centers in Dilley and Karnes City are committing serious violations of the 1997 Flores-Reno ruling that prohibited children from being held in prison-like facilities, surrounded by walls and fences that send a message to the world that these little ones are criminals, not victims seeking safety. I welcome this decision and pray that by the time you read this, the United States Government will have already begun an orderly and compassionate process to release all of the children and their mothers from this deplorable situation. I pray that the government will not appeal Judge Gee’s ruling and not delay restoring dignity and hope to the lives of these families. I echo the response to the ruling by Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration who said, “Hopefully, the court’s decision will end the suffering and further traumatization of these families…The detention of families is unnecessary, inhumane, and unworthy of our nation.” Judge Glee’s decision, points to another source of shame as the New York Times reported, the judge “… found that migrant children had been held in ‘widespread deplorable conditions’ in Border Patrol stations after they were first caught, and she said the authorities had ‘wholly failed’ to…
Texas’ Catholic Bishops have expressed deep concern and moral disgust at recent videos showing executives of Planned Parenthood Inc. casually negotiating the sale of infant body parts that have been harvested from abortions. The two undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress has awakened national attention to the atrocity of dismembering infants and then using those parts for medical experimentation. The cavalier attitude displayed by Planned Parenthood, Inc. executives in haggling over the sale of these infants exposes a sustained pattern of exploitation and a heart-rending disregard for innocent human life. Planned Parenthood claims that these atrocities are permissible under federal law, but the mere notion that this is an acceptable practice indicates the immoral depths to which segments of our society continue to fall. Planned Parenthood claims that recouping “its costs of preserving and delivering fetal tissue samples to companies for research” is legally permitted with written consent from abortion mothers under federal laws. However, something that may be technically legal does not mean it is morally right. The Bishops expressed appreciation to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for calling for an investigation into “the organ harvesting claims” against Planned Parenthood in light of these videos. The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee also launched a federal probe of the organization’s practices last week. The Center for Medical Progress released its first video showing Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, graphically explaining how abortions can be conducted to preserve the baby’s organs for medical research, as well as their associated costs. A second video released by the group this week features Mary Gatter, Medical Director for Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, discussing the method and haggling over…
WASHINGTON—The bishops chairing two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) renewed the bishops’ opposition to the death penalty in a message, July 16. The message commemorated the 10th anniversary of the bishops’ Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty and their accompanying message,“A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death.”“Our faith tradition offers a unique perspective on crime and punishment, one grounded in mercy and healing, not punishment for its own sake. No matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so. Today, we have this capability,” wrote Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., of Boston, chair of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.The bishops cited progress over the last decade, including several states abolishing the death penalty, other states enacting moratoria, and death sentences being at their lowest level since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. The bishops also noted Pope Francis’ call for an end to the use of the death penalty.“Pope Francis, like his predecessors, provides a clear and prophetic voice for life and mercy in calling for all people of good will to work to end the use of the death penalty,” Archbishop Wenski said of the message. “In anticipation of Pope Francis’s visit to the United States in September, we join our voices with his and continue our call for a culture of life. As a people of life, we say it is time for the U.S. to abandon use of the death penalty.”The full text of the message is available online:www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/criminal-justice-restorative-justice/wenski-omalley-end-of-death-penalty-2015-07-16.cfm
By Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Archdiocese of San Antonio I join with our civic leaders and Catholics across the archdiocese in celebrating the inclusion of the San Antonio Missions as a United Nations World Heritage site. It is a wonderful recognition of the cultural and historical treasures they are, not only to the city, but to the world. The missions have helped to shape the face of San Antonio. They are still a haven of culture and history; we especially value that they continue as active parishes of the archdiocese, where hundreds of families on the city’s south side continue to gather for prayer within the original walls, which many dedicated persons have worked to preserve over the years. The Archdiocese of San Antonio Old Spanish Missions, which include Mission Concepción, (Nuestra Señora de la Purisma Concepción de Acuña Mission), Mission San José (San José y San Miguel de Aguayo Mission), Mission Espada (San Francisco de la Espada Mission), and Mission San Juan (San Juan Capistrano Mission), are a living witness to the rich heritage left by the Spanish Franciscans who worked among and with the Native Americans (indigenous) and built these missions in the 18th century. Now, San Antonio enjoys the fruits of this legacy. We are a multicultural city where — enriched by our diversity — we live together in peace and harmony. We look forward to continuing our long partnership and collaboration with the National Park Service in enhancing and protecting these beloved missions and telling their wonderful story to the world.