By Jim Kofalt
Last weekend, Catholic priests throughout the state of New Hampshire were ordered by Bishop Peter Labasci to read a letter to parishioners at all Masses. The letter urged Catholics to call Congress and lobby for a “solution” to protect the beneficiaries of DACA from deportation and “unnecessary anxiety.” The letter was accompanied by several handouts prepared by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which included talking points that outlined the proposed solution.
The talking points include statements like “I know that families are not ‘chains’” and explicitly call for “a path to citizenship”. (In other words, amnesty.)
The materials also direct Catholics to visit a website called “Justice for Immigrants,” which provides a decidedly one-sided view of immigration issues. The appeal for Catholics to call Congress was positioned as a “Lenten Action,” which implies that parishioners will be fulfilling a Christian duty by lobbying for amnesty and chain migration.
If you would like to communicate with Bishop Labasci regarding his campaign to promote amnesty and chain migration, you can call the Diocese of Manchester at (603) 669-3100. If you can’t reach the Bishop directly, you might want to try reaching Meredith Cook at (603) 663-0148 (or e-mail her atmcook@rcbm.org. Meredith is the Director of Public Policy and heads up the Diocese’s efforts to promote policies that support refugee resettlement and other immigration issues.
The Diocese of Manchester also has a Facebook page and a Twitter Account @BishopLabasci.
Bishop’s Letter
Bishop Labasci’s Letter
Handouts
Why We are Advocating for Dreamers
Why-We-are-Advocating-for-Dreamers_English
Lenten Action for Dreamers
Lenten-Action-for-Dreamers-Campaign-English
National Call-in Day to Congress
Feb2018NationalCall-InDayToCongress AF (002)