"Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?"

• "On Wednesday, Archbishop Wood High School became aware that some of its former students were allegedly involved in the assault of two men in Center City last week. That afternoon, administrators communicated with the entire Archbishop Wood school community to make it emphatically clear that the school does not, under any circumstances, tolerate or condone the violent and hateful behavior displayed by those who took part in this senseless attack.  Administration also stressed that Catholic schools are centers of learning where students are expected to treat each other in a Christ-like manner at all times and that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The actions of those who took part in the attack are reprehensible and entirely unacceptable. They are not an accurate reflection of our Catholic values or of Archbishop Wood High School" (Kenneth A. Gavin, Archdiocese of Philadephia, 9/17/14). 

• "A key part of a Catholic education is forming students to respect the dignity of every human person whether we agree with them or not. What students do with that formation when they enter the adult world determines their own maturity and dignity, or their lack of it. Violence against anyone, simply because of who they are, is inexcusable and alien to what it means to be a Christian. A recent beating incident in Center City allegedly involved, in some way, a part-time coach at Archbishop Wood High School. After inquiries by school leadership, the coach was contacted regarding the matter and he resigned. Archbishop Wood's handling of the matter was appropriate, and I support their efforts to ensure that Catholic convictions guide the behavior of their whole school community, including their staff" (Archbishop Chaput, 9/18/14).

The Archdiocese and Archbishop Chaput moved quickly to condemn a despicable attack.  In yesterday's Bucks County Courier Times, Mark Segal also rightly condemned the attack.  Tragically, Segal veered off into an anti-Catholic venom:

• "Why is the Archdiocese acting so quickly? Do they know something that we do not? And let us not forget that Archbishop Chaput has continually used what I consider hate speech against gay marriage. Was teaching hate an influencing factor?"

Positions/Legislation advocated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference

The USCCB urges us to advocate, so that our legislators in Washington....

• Support/Co-Sponsor the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (HR 7 / S 946),
• Support/Co-Sponsor the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940 / S 1204;
  the Pa Catholic Conf also facilitates action on the Health Care Conscience Rights Act .),
• Support/Co-Sponsor the Marriage Protection Amendment (HJ Res 51),
• Support/Co-Sponsor the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act (HR 3133 / S 1808), 
• Support/Co-Sponsor the State Marriage Defense Act (HR 3829 / S 2024),  
• Support/Co-Sponsor the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (HR 5285 / S 2706), 
• Support/Co-Sponsor the Second Chance Act (HR 3465/S 1690),
• Support/Co-Sponsor the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act (HR 4653).

As per the USCCB, "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, Justice for Immigrants." 

• Support "just and compassionate immigration reform"  (The Pa Catholic Conference also facilitates support for immigration reform; No specific legislation is cited.)  

The USCCB has shown clear 

• Opposition to the misleadingly named Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S 815/ HR 1755, HRES 639, HRES 678). 

As per the USCCB, "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the National Committee for the Human Life Amendment":

• Oppose the so-called so-called Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act (HR 5051/S2578) .

With regard to advocacy with state level issues, the Pa Catholic Conference  

• Supports Marriage (This forms a message of encouragement to Theresa Gaffney, Clerk of the Orphan's Court of Schuylkill County, who is trying to defend marriage in Pa.  It would seem that sponsors of HB 1349. also merit our encouragement.),  
• Supports equal education funding.

The Pa Catholic Conference urges us to

• Oppose HB 162 (NOTE: While ostensibly about giving adoptees full access to info about their birth parents, this blogger has noticed that HB 162 says NOTHING about access to info, when one biological parent was a so-called "egg donor" or a so-called "sperm donor."  Privacy rights of biological parents who chose life could be overridden, while those playing God continue to have absolute protection!), 
• Oppose the death penalty,
• Oppose  HB300/SB300 (The Pa Catholic Conference describes this legislation as "intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith." Governor Corbett (a Catholic) supports this legislation (cf., Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/19/13).  Scandalously, both HB 300 and SB 300 count Catholics among their co-sponsors!).

 

  (Click for an enlarged, legible interactive chart on how public officials representing the Archdiocese are doing in D.C. and how public officials representing Bucks County are doing in Harrisburg, regarding  these positions/legislation.)

Other Positions/ Legislation of Great Concern:

Oppose Pa's SB 872, ''Prohibiting mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual under 18 years of age"  The American College of Pediatricians and the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality are opposed to legislation like Pa's SB 872.  Montgomery County's Rick Fitzgibbons, M.D. has noted that "well-organized attempts are under way to attempt to block youth from being given both the appropriate scientific knowledge, and informed consent about: same-sex attractions, gender identity disorder, transsexual issues, the psychological needs of a child for father and mother, and marriage" (2/16/11).  On 9/11/14, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld New Jersey's mirror legislation (cf., Associated Press, 9/12/14).   
 
Oppose HB2303/SB1456, Pa's anti-life, anti-woman and misleadingly named "Patient Trust Act."  As per Maria Gallagher of Pa Pro Life, "Women deserve to know the facts. We cannot turn back the clock to the days when women did not receive vital information before making life-altering medical decisions."