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Showing posts from November, 2017

Immigration and gun control discussed by Catholic bishops in Baltimore

BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is holding its annual fall meeting in Baltimore this week. The meeting entails three days of prayer, reflection and politics, as top church decision-makers weigh in on the same issues being debated across the nation's capital, including immigration and gun control. "(Immigrants) who are often fleeing horrible violence, terrorism and disaster. Their journey is our journey," said Bishop Vasquez. Bishops advocated for inclusion by embracing immigrants and migrants. That stance is in direct opposition to the Trump administration. "We have resources for our local churches, our diocese, to be able to pursue policies. We try to work out, sometimes, in terms of legislatures or Congress or the administration," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB president. A small but dedicated group of protesters demanded the Roman Catholic Church designate one "sanctuary church"

Shootings demonstrate need for gun control, USCCB says

USCCB = United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Washington D.C., Nov 7, 2017 / 04:38 pm ( CNA/EWTN News ) .- In response to mass shootings in Las Vegas, Nevada and the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Spring, Texas, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has encouraged public debate on gun control, suggesting specific policies that might quell gun violence. “For many years, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been urging our leaders to explore and adopt reasonable policies to help curb gun violence,” said Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, Chairman of the USCCB’s committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in a Nov. 7 statement. “The recent and shocking events in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs remind us of how much damage can be caused when weapons … too easily find their way into the hands of those who would wish to use them to harm others.” On Oct. 1, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock unleashed hundreds of bullets on a crowd

Responding to Texas church shooting, U.S. bishops renew call for gun control

Meredith Cooper, of San Antonio, Tex., and her 8-year-old daughter, Heather, visit a memorial of 26 metal crosses near First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., on Nov. 6. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Like the episodes of violence themselves—three of the nation’s five worst shootings in modern history have taken place over the last 24 months —responses to mass shooting events from politicians and activists seem to have adopted a routine. Those with an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment offer thoughts and prayers but insist that the immediate aftermath of a shooting is not the right time to discuss gun control. Those who wish to end easy access to high-capacity, military-style weapons say thoughts and prayers are insufficient without action and demand legislators stand up to the national gun lobby, now prompting a backlash by some conservatives who say the supporters of gun regulation mock religion. Just days after the n

Texas bishop in wake of church shooting: ‘No war, no violence, no guns’

Carrie Matula embraces a woman after a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. Matula said she heard the shooting from the gas station where she works a block away. (Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, responded to the country’s latest mass shooting, where at least 20 people were killed in a Texas church on Sunday, by saying Americans “must come to the firm determination that there is a fundamental problem in our society.” We need to be embassadors of peace. No war, no violence, no guns. — Archbishop Gustavo (@ABishopGustavo) November 5, 2017 “This incomprehensibly tragic event joins an ever-growing list of mass shootings, some of which were also at Churches while people were worshipping and at prayer,” the cardinal said in response to the shooting at the First Baptist