tvc . dsj . org | February 7 , 2017 in the church 13 Bishops say Refugee Ban Raises Deep Concerns Over Religious Freedom
WASHINGTON ( CNS ) -- The chairmen of three U . S . bishops ’ committees Jan . 31 expressed solidarity with the Muslim community and expressed deep concern over religious freedom issues they said President Donald Trump ’ s refugee ban raises . Trump ’ s executive memorandum of Jan . 27 “ has generated fear and untold anxiety |
among refugees , immigrants and others throughout the faith community in the United States ,” said the committee chairmen in a joint statement . “ In response we join with other faith leaders to stand in solidarity again with those affected by this order , especially our Muslim sisters and brothers .” “ We also express our firm resolution that |
the order ’ s stated preference for ‘ religious minorities ’ should be applied to protect not only Christians where they are a minority , but all religious minorities who suffer persecution , which includes Yezidis , Shia Muslims in majority Sunni areas , and vice versa ,” said the statement from by Bishop Mitchell T . Rozanski of Springfield , |
MA , Archbishop William E . Lori of Baltimore and Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces , NM . They are , respectively , the chairmen of the U . S . Conference of Catholic Bishops ’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs , Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty and Committee on International Justice and Peace . |
By Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the seat on the U . S . Supreme Court that has been empty since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February .
Gorsuch is a man the country needs , Trump said in announcing his nominee the evening of Jan . 31 . He added that his pick for the high court already has had bipartisan support . “ Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills , a brilliant mind , tremendous discipline ,” he said .
When Trump announced his choice at the White House , in the audience was Maureen McCarthy Scalia , the widow of the late justice . One of the couple ’ s children also was present : Father Paul Scalia , a priest of the Diocese of Arlington , Virginia .
In his remarks , Gorsuch said he was thankful for friends , family and faith giving him balance . He also said he was honored and humbled to be chosen as a nominee to the nation ’ s highest court . He described Scalia as “ lion of the law ” and said he misses him .
He said he respects the fact that Congress , not the courts , writes new laws . “ It is the role of judges to apply , not alter , the work of the people ’ s representatives . A judge who likes every outcome
Judge Neil Gorsuch Nominated to fill Supreme Court Vacancy
he reaches is very likely a bad judge , stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands .”
Several news outlets reported that hundreds of demonstrators held a rally outside the Supreme Court building to protest Trump ’ s choice of Gorsuch . Pro-life organizations , however , were quick to praise the president ’ s selection of someone who they said will “ carry on the legacy ” of Scalia .
Gorsuch , judge of the U . S . Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit , is 49 , making him the youngest Supreme Court nominee in 25 years . He was born in Denver . He currently lives outside of Boulder , Colorado , with his wife and two daughters . He lived in the Washington area as a teenager when his mother , Anne Gorsuch Burford , was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to head the Environmental Protection Agency . Gorsuch attended the Jesuit-run Georgetown Preparatory School where he won a national debate championship .
Gorsuch has the typical qualifications of a high court justice . He graduated from Columbia , Harvard and Oxford , clerked for two Supreme Court justices and also worked for the Department of Justice .
He also is an adjunct law professor at the University of Colorado and he wrote a 2009 book arguing against
Judge Neil Gorsuch speaks after U . S . President Donald Trump nominated him to be a U . S . Supreme Court justice Jan . 31 at the White House in Washington . ( CNS photo / Michael Reynolds , EPA )
the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia .
Gorsuch hasn ’ t written a ruling specifically on abortion , but he has strong views on religious liberty . He sided with the Little Sisters of the Poor in their challenge of the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act . And in Hobby Lobby Stores v . Sebelius , in June 2013 , the 10th Circuit ordered the federal government to stop enforcement of the federal mandate against Hobby Lobby , the Oklahoma-based Christian chain of retail arts and crafts stores . In his concurrence , Gorsuch said the contraception mandate substantially burdened the company ’ s religious exercise – a decision the Supreme Court later upheld .
Gorsuch is an Episcopalian . Scalia , who had been one of six Catholic members of the court , was often described as its most conservative voice and known for his strict interpretation of the Constitution ’ s intent .
“ All too often , our efforts to protect unborn children and other vulnerable humans have been overridden by judges who believe they have a right to impose their own policy preferences ,” Carol Tobias , president of National Right to Life , said in a statement .
“ We are heartened that Judge Gorsuch appears to share Justice Scalia ’ s view that federal judges are constrained to enforce the text and original intent of constitutional provisions , and on all other matters should defer to democratically elected lawmakers ,” Tobias added .
Priests for Life , the American Life League , the Susan B . Anthony List and other groups echoed those sentiments .
Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of the Susan B . Anthony List , called Gorsuch “ an exceptional choice .” “ In the coming days , we will mobilize the pro-life grass-roots nationwide and in key Senate battleground states to urge the Senate to swiftly confirm ” she said in a statement . “ Should pro-abortion Democratic Senators choose to filibuster this immensely qualified nominee , they do so at their own political peril .”
Saint Valentine
By Catholic News Service
How Feb . 14 came to be celebrated as the feast for lovers is somewhat a mystery . What little is known of the feast ’ s namesake can be attributed to the lives of two martyrs : one a priest , the other a bishop . Their lives have no connection to the contemporary holiday . The priest Valentine reportedly was beheaded in 269 by Emperor Claudius II . The bishop , known for healing , was martyred earlier . It ’ s probable that a medieval custom of sending messages of love on this day somehow merged later with the feast .