Catholic Bishops Urge House Against Steep Budget Cuts

By David Gibson
Religion News Service

(RNS) The nation's Roman Catholic bishops are urging the GOP-led House to reject a cuts-only approach to the budget as Washington tries to avert an unprecedented government default on its multi-trillion-dollar debts.

"A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons," wrote Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., and Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., in a Tuesday (July 26) letter to House members.

The bishops said balancing the budget "requires shared sacrifice by all," and called for raising revenues, eliminating unneeded military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.

Blaire heads the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Hubbard the Committee on International Justice and Peace.

The bishops' call for balancing spending cuts with new revenues tends to echo the approach of President Obama and other Democrats.

That stance has been rejected by the House, including Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Budget Committee Chair Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., both of whom are Catholic.

In their two-page letter, the bishops also write that the bill being considered by the House requires "massive cuts" in international assistance to the poor that they find unacceptable.

The bishops say they recognize "the difficult challenges" of getting the nation's financial house in order, but they echo the arguments of many other religious groups by declaring that the budget is a moral document.

"The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first," the bishops said.

Comments

[timezone]

11:39 AM on 09/01/2011

Well, as a former Catholic, I will say the last paragraph re helping those in need is one of the only things I've agreed with the church about in recent memory. With all the scandals the catholic church has been embroiled in, it was nice to see they still at least voice protection for the needy.

[Michael LoCascio]

09:23 PM on 07/31/2011

If the Church was for the budget cuts, the Huffington Post would be crying seperation of church and state. Nevertheless, they did not and chose to report it.
First let me preface this diatribe by saying that I am Catholic. However, the worlds largest and richest institution has the gall toask the people to allow for more spending thus more expense on the people of this country. I will tell you this, let the chuch sell a few of their paintings and treasures and donate the money to help our country get back on its feet. A Trillion Dollar company, the Catholic Church, and they keep crying poverty.

[timezone]

11:42 AM on 09/01/2011

I agree with you, Michael, however, it was nice to read the last paragraph. It's good to at least read the Church believes the govt should watch out for the vulnerable, even if the Church doesn't always do so themselves.

[Siara]

07:12 PM on 07/31/2011

Contact your church representatives Catholics. Ask them to speak out against the budget compromise

[jo smith456]

08:39 AM on 07/31/2011

FOR GOD's and the AMERICANs' sake, STOP THE TRILLION-DOLLAR WARS and WALL-STREET-BAILOUTS.

Then we'll have no problems with DEBT ceiling, just like what we have now.

[Grada3784]

06:07 PM on 07/30/2011

Only urge?

On other things, they excommunicate. I guess the poor just aren't that much, corporal works of mercy notwithstanding.

[Watching rock grow]

06:13 AM on 07/30/2011

I appreciate the Bishops voice in this matter. However I would prefer it much more if they just kept to tending their flocks and left politics to the secular world.

[Rozanna]

06:34 PM on 07/29/2011

Since the days when I was a child, when people accused catholics of hiding weapons in their basements (a role now being attributed to Muslims) to the present day, the Church has been attacked for much that is untrue. My belief is that this is a sincere and laudable effort on the part of the Catholic bishops to defend the poor in our society. All churches should be putting pressure on Congress to protect those in need..

[Watching rock grow]

06:16 AM on 07/30/2011

Churches that interfere in government and politics should have their tax exempt status revoked IMHO.

[AnathTheGoddess]

08:33 PM on 07/31/2011

No, they should not because the bishops are Americans who have a right to voice an opinion the same as anyone else.

However, I am against a tax exempt status because I consider religious sects nothing more than businesses. Now, that is a reason to revoke that status.

[philnmdg]

12:12 PM on 07/29/2011

Hey Bishops, render under unto Caesar that which is Caesars....Get a spine for the Planned Parenthood and abortion supporters who receive Communion on Sunday. Obama is going to tax everyone to the point and close charitable contribution loopholes to such a degree that the gov't will give it all to the poor. Catholic Charities will wither and close.

[Grada3784]

06:10 PM on 07/30/2011

Catholic Charities is already withering and dying, since it's being used as a political tool by these very same Bishops.

[Willie12345]

12:06 PM on 07/29/2011

Let the Catholic Church pick up the tab for the illegals.

[Dan Crabtree]

11:53 AM on 07/29/2011

And to think all of this we now witness every day was fortelled in a 1957 book called "ATLAS SHRUGGED"..amazing woman.. ayn rand..

[Watching rock grow]

06:18 AM on 07/30/2011

For an atheist yes she is amazing, but I have known far better educated ones in my life that don't make my flesh crawl like she does.

[almostlyniceguy]

07:11 PM on 07/30/2011

She was an emotionally disturbed woman who was a bad writer. Her ideas are total nonsense, and her followers are gullible, uneducated people.

[evita1123]

09:36 AM on 07/29/2011

the Catholic Bishops could sell indulgences to feed the poor......or better yet, why don't they begin selling realestate in heaven at inflated prices?

[Ramsis]

12:11 PM on 07/29/2011

Evitta they do feed the poor who have you feed lately.

[Jestnow]

08:12 AM on 07/29/2011

The Catholic Church, for that matter any organized religion, needs to stay out of politics -they have contributed to a big enough mess already! BUT, if they feel they must intrude, let them put their money where their mouth (faith) is and dig into their own coffers.

[arabia]

10:05 AM on 07/29/2011

"... organized religion needs to stay out of politics...."

As long as African Americans churches OVER AND OVER AND OVER again invite politicians to their churches to give witiness to their party's political and social positions, Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, non-black Baptists churches can do likewise. Fair is fair. I see nothing wrong with bishops entering their opinion on the side of th poor. Furthermore, no other US church has a healthcare system equal to the Catholic Church's. And their real estate is for the most part overwhelmingly invested in thousands of primary, secondary schools and hundreds of Catholic universities, colleges and hospitals. ( And you won't find the Catholic Church running huge farms in Florida [as Mormons] to raise funds for chjurch projects!) And finally, you won't find a Catholic bishop running for the presidency as you will with Mormon candidate, Mitt Romney, who at one time was "bishop" or overseer of his Mormon "stake" in New England.

[Ramsis]

12:32 PM on 07/29/2011

What about Muslims well anyway the Black Christian Churches are not the only religious bodies who invite politicians to their churches. What about the Moral Majority and the Republican Party and the fundamentalists and Evangelicals .What world have you been living in

[xanas]

07:42 AM on 07/29/2011

The bishops shirk their duty and give it to government. I'm not exactly surprised given they've been doing that for centuries.

You can't make people charitable by stealing from them, neither can you make them more moral or better people. And I want to see exactly where the scripture is that advocates such policies. Tithing was voluntary and it was also significantly lower as a proportion of income than total Fed/state/local taxes.

[bealebkk]

04:34 AM on 07/29/2011

Lets make a deal?
You put all the pedophilia priests in jail, we won't cut to deep
Deal?

[ls263]

02:45 AM on 07/29/2011

The republicans will have to pull out their "Ayn Rand" bible and see what it says.