Weeks before Republican Paul Ryan was selected to run for vice president, Sister Simone Campbell -- who heads NETWORK, a Catholic policy and lobbying group -- hit the road to protest the so-called "Ryan budget" recently passed by the House of Representatives.
She and some of her sister nuns rolled across the heartland on a bus trip designed to arouse public concern over what the Ryan plan would mean for social services in America, especially its slashing of programs for the poor. Sister Simone says Ryan's budget is inconsistent with Catholic social teaching. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops agrees.
Below, watch an extended clip from our field report of that bus trip, featuring real people in need and a persistent message: Paul Ryan's budget would hurt those already struggling to make ends meet.
Other Catholics have a different point of view. Robert Royal, editor in chief of The Catholic Thing and founder of the Faith & Reason Institute, believes issues of economic inequality are being oversimplified, and that the focus should be on creating a more dynamic economy for all.
Watch a clip of my conversation with both Royal and Sister Simone, in which the two debate faith and economics.
The full Moyers & Company episode, "Nuns, Faith, and Politics," airs this weekend on public television. Explore more at BillMoyers.com.