The National Council on Disability (NCD) has released a federal study, “The Danger of Assisted Suicide Laws,” revealing that assisted suicide laws are rife with dangers to people with disabilities. The NCD is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President, Congress and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect [...]
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Nov. 12, 2019 on the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. A decision is expected to be announced by the Supreme Court in June 2020. DACA recipients are young adults who were born in other countries and are not citizens in the United States. [...]
USCCB LAUNCHES CIVILITY EFFORT As campaigning by presidential candidates takes place across Iowa, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is launching a year-long initiative that invites Catholics to model civility, love for neighbor and respectful dialogue. “Civilize It: Dignity Beyond the Debate” will ask Catholics to pledge civility, clarity, and [...]
‘WORLD DAY FOR MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES’ TO BE CELEBRATED SUNDAY The Vatican’s World Day for Migrants and Refugees will be held this Sunday, Sept. 29. The theme for the celebration is, “It is not just about migrants.” Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on [...]
BISHOPS HIGHLIGHT 1919 PROGRAM OF SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION For Labor Day, the U.S. Catholic bishops have issued a statement on the one-hundred-year-old United States Bishops’ Program of Social Reconstruction. The Program was published in 1919 after the end of World War I as a guide for the economic changes during that time period. In the statement, [...]
BISHOPS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT RACISM AND MASS SHOOTINGS Bishops from three committees at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed their deep concern on Aug. 8 about racism and xenophobia that apparently motivated the recent massacre in El Paso and that have motivated numerous other recent mass shootings in the United States. Following [...]
BISHOPS URGE RECONSIDERATION OF ENFORCEMENT-ONLY IMMIGRATION POLICIES Immigration policy continues to be a topic of great public interest. The pictures of the father and his daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande, as well as reports of inhumane conditions for children in custody at the border, touch our conscience and invite action. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, [...]
HOUSE PASSES DREAM ACT The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) on June 4 by a vote of 237-187. Click here for more information on the bill. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, said, [...]
The Catholic bishops of Iowa are pledging cooperation with the Iowa Attorney General’s request for information to be voluntarily provided regarding clergy sexual abuse. Please see below for the full text of their statement: “Last week the Iowa Attorney General asked the state’s four Catholic dioceses to submit, by Aug. 1, 2019, documents related to [...]
Now that Gov. Reynolds has completed her signing of bills, the bishops of Iowa have released a statement on the 2019 legislation session. Here is the full text: We, the members of the Iowa Catholic Conference, recognize the hard work of lawmakers in our State. We would like to commend them for some of the [...]