To the editor:
January 24, 2020, marked the 47th Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. The theme was “Pro Life Is Pro Woman.”
Tag: donald trump
Keep family-based immigration system
When my ancestors settled in Wisconsin from Ireland, Germany, and Belgium, many of them came to this state because other family members had arrived previously.
Today, this would be called family-based immigration. Some of the reasons why my relatives came to the U.S. were the same as they are today.
They were seeking freedom of religion, since most of them were of the Catholic faith. They left their home countries, where they may have had low wages and poor living conditions. They hoped to create a better life for themselves and their families. Some came to escape war and conflicts in their countries.
Our country needs a national paid leave plan
When I had children many years ago, I did not have paid maternity leave.
I was able to use my accumulated vacation and sick leave. But that meant that I had very little time off available the rest of the year. That was difficult, especially with young children.
First national leave law
Fortunately for other parents, our nation took a step toward a more family friendly future 25 years ago when the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) became law.
Why the Church loves immigrants
Some people seem to feel the Catholic Church’s love of immigrants comes from a selfish point of view.
This opinion came to light in an interview airing on September 10 on the CBS-TV program 60 Minutes. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist for President Donald Trump and now executive chairman of Breitbart News, said on the program that the Catholic bishops of the United States have “an economic interest in illegal immigration” as “they need illegal aliens to fill the pews.”
I beg to disagree. The Catholic Church’s love of immigrants is certainly not based on an economic interest. It is true that many immigrants do contribute of their time, talent, and treasure to Catholic parishes. But many of them start out living in poverty, and it may take years for them to be able to give anything back to the Church as they get settled in their communities here.
Continue to welcome immigrants
In the 1970s, I remember going to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin to do a story on refugees from Vietnam who were settling in the Diocese of Madison.
One of our parishes — St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville — helped sponsor a number of these Vietnamese refugees.
Over the years, refugees from other countries received assistance settling in our diocese through the Catholic Charities resettlement program.
Programs such as this continue throughout the United States through Catholic Charities and other religious-based agencies.
We must have health care for all Americans
To the editor:
What will we Americans do to save 53,000 American lives every year? Twenty-seven million Americans could lose coverage in the first year of repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This is in addition to the 26 million who did not have health insurance in 2015. A Harvard School of Public Health study finds that for every thousand people without health care, one dies each year.
Support scientists in protecting our planet’s health
To the editor:
Thank you for publishing the December 1 article on Pope Francis’ November speech at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Pope Francis said, “I would say that it falls to scientists, who work free of political, economic or ideological interests . . . ” to build a cultural model to confront the challenge of climate change.
American Catholics must also support our scientists. U.S. bishops could hold a similar science summit. This would be an opportunity to teach Catholics and public leaders and explain the Catholic principle of stewardship of our earth in human solidarity.
Opening doors and building bridges
When he opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome at the beginning of the Year of Mercy in December of 2015, Pope Francis declared that people of faith must welcome and experience God’s love and then go out into the world to be instruments of mercy.
The pope added that Christians must be “aware that we will be judged by this.” Being a Christian calls for a lifelong journey and a “more radical commitment” to be merciful like God the Father, Pope Francis said.