A group of more than 300 Catholic leaders met with members of
Congress on Feb. 15, to share a message from the U.S. bishops – urging
legislators to remember the needs of the poor and vulnerable, as they
make cuts to the federal budget.
Participants in the 2011 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (Feb.
13-16) took the bishops' message to Capitol Hill, delivering letters
from two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
during a day of visits with U.S. representatives and senators.
The
letters express concern over what Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany,
chairman for International Justice and Peace, described as
“disproportionate cuts in programs that serve the most vulnerable” to
the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution.
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman for
Domestic Justice and Human Development, warned lawmakers against the
temptation to “secure the nation while at the same time furthering the
insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.”
“Decisions should be made that not only reflect a commitment to
national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate justice,
compassion and fairness,” wrote Bishop Blaire.
“Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor and vulnerable first as you consider how to spend limited federal resources.”
Bishop Blaire's call reflected the Church's authoritative social
teaching, which states that both individuals and societies must
prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable in their public and private
decisions.
Accordingly, he criticized proposals to cut funding for
community health centers, affordable housing programs, job training and
refugee relief.
But the Bishop of Stockton praised the proposed budget for regarding
the rights of other vulnerable human persons, by retaining language
against abortion funding, and seeking to restore a ban on funding of
abortion in the District of Columbia.
The letter from Bishop Hubbard, co-written with Catholic Relief
Services' president Ken Hackett, called attention to the importance of
foreign aid, a small portion of the U.S. budget which could nevertheless
come in for significant reduction.
An analysis by Catholic Relief
Services and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops showed foreign aid
being cut at 10 times the rate of the budget as a whole under the
proposed resolution.
Hackett and Bishop Hubbard said they strongly approved of the bill's
proposal to restore the Mexico City Policy – which denies funding to
international groups that perform or promote abortion – and to cut
funding to the U.N. Population Fund, which supports forced abortion and
sterilization in China.
“Unfortunately,” they noted, “the Continuing Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.”
“Cuts at the level being considered will result in the loss of
innocent lives: persons with HIV no longer able to access life-saving
anti-retroviral medications; refugees and victims of natural disaster
succumbing to starvation and hunger-related illnesses; and poor families
unable to grow what they need to survive.”
They urged Congress to “find resources elsewhere, in programs that do not serve the poorest persons and communities.”
“In times of fiscal restraint,” they pointed out, “shared sacrifice
demands that the entire budget be examined, including defense.”