Catholics go to Congress

In session
April 2001

Keeping up with Campaign Finance Reform
President says Salvadorans can stay, temporarily
Protecting the innocent already on death row
U.S. Catholics meet Congress

U.S. Catholics meet Congress
They came from dioceses, social action groups, and religious orders across the country, but in February they joined together in Washington D.C. to take on Capitol Hill. They were Catholic lobbyists and they had a message for their congressional representatives.

The hundreds of social justice leaders who attended the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering the last week of February approached their members of Congress to speak for "the least among us." Their agendas included four key issues selected by the U.S. Catholic Conference:

Assistance for low-income families
The USCC urged Catholic activists to help shape the debate over a national tax cut. "The proposals now in play would leave a huge tax cut for most of us and no help for the poorest families," said John Carr, secretary of the USCC Department of Social Development and World Peace. The Catholic leaders asked their representatives and senators to consider supporting a refundable child tax credit, expanding the earned income tax credit, and increasing the minimum wage.

Opposition to the death penalty
While the USCC stressed its ultimate goal is to abolish the death penalty, representatives encouraged lobbyists to generate support for the Innocence Protection Act. The bill establishes procedures for DNA testing of federal inmates and forces states to allow DNA testing if it may produce evidence of an inmate’s innocence. It also calls for a national commission to ensure adequate legal representation for those facing a death sentence.

Foreign aid and debt relief
An increase in foreign aid and a reassessment of how aid is delivered also topped the USCC's list of priorities. "There's too little foreign aid, too little of it actually goes to human development, and too little of it reaches poor people," Carr said at the social justice gathering. He argued foreign aid must be reoriented for the elimination of extreme poverty. The Catholic leaders asked for more foreign aid for immunizations and infectious disease programs plus efforts to increase primary school enrollment, especially for girls. They also said Congress should appropriate the remaining $375 million for the United States' commitment to the Cologne Debt Relief accord (passed at the 1999 G-8 summit in Cologne, Germany).

Cuba sanctions
Finally, lobbyists pushed for an end to the economic sanctions on Cuba. They argued the restrictions on food and medicine only harm the Cuban people and provide a scapegoat for the government. "Nobody benefits more from the embargo than Fidel Castro," Tom Quigley, a policy advisor with the USCC Office of International Justice and Peace, said at the conference. "It’s the all-purpose excuse."

So how did the members of Congress react to the Catholic lobbyists? Reports were mixed, but Laverne Redden of the Toledo, Ohio diocese offered an opinion: "I think they get set for us coming and they adopt a defensive posture, but once they realize we're not going to attack, just inform, they're more receptive."—Anne Graber

More info:
Annual Social Ministry Gathering
USCC's Office of Government Liaison
Network
Catholic Charities 2001 Legislative Priorities

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