Archbishop Lori lauds passage of Maryland DREAM Act
November 13, 2012
In brief remarks at the fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore praised the passage of Maryland DREAM Act in a November 6 referendum.
“Voters in Maryland voted to uphold the DREAM Act in Maryland, which provides in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students,” said Archbishop Lori. “A dramatic change in the public's perception of this law took place during the months between its passage and the referendum vote in last week's election. The change occurred after the Church and others conducted a public education campaign helping voters see the fairness and justice of the law and how it benefits children and society.”
“We reminded our Catholic faithful of our rich history of offering educational opportunities to the disadvantaged, that opening the doors to education has been a hallmark of the Church's outreach since the earliest days of our country,” he continued. “Whenever possible, the Church has always advocated for policies that allow all young people, regardless of their ethnicity, creed, legal status or economic means, equal access to educational opportunities.”
“The Church's support for the DREAM Act, something favored by Democrats, juxtaposed our support for marriage between one woman and one man, something also on the ballot in Maryland and which was supported by Republicans,” he concluded. “This revealed in stark clarity the Church's allegiance not to any one party's platform but to the Gospel values taught to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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Posted by: -
Nov. 14, 2012 2:25 PM ET USA
The bishops should spend their time reminding illegal immigrants that it's their duty as Catholics to first, come here legally, and second, to assimilate into OUR culture, not have us adapt to THEIR language and ways of life, as the Catechism is so very clear on. And let's not forget their failure to teach the nearly 50% of the faithful who voted that voting for a pro-abortion politician is a grave sin. That, to me, is much more important than convincing them the DREAM Act is a good thing.
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Posted by: -
Nov. 14, 2012 2:17 PM ET USA
“Whenever possible, the Church has always advocated for policies that allow all young people, regardless of their ethnicity, creed, legal status or economic means, equal access to educational opportunities.” What part of LEGAL STATUS (or in this case, ILLEGAL STATUS) does the good bishop not understand? Besides, the DREAM Act does not afford illegal immigrants "equal" access to educational opportunities. It gives them an unfair advantage over less fortunate LEGAL citizens.
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Posted by: rpp -
Nov. 13, 2012 11:04 AM ET USA
I do not believe that meeting out any praise for government measures is in keeping with authentic Catholic teachings. The American government, and larger American society, has been transformed into a body whose principal purpose is to erase the very existence of the Church by going after both the Church Herself and individual believers. A better course would be to remind people that no government can be considered just if it attacks the Church and religious freedom. Keep silent on other stuff.
