The Roman Catholic diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, under Bishop Michael Cote, has praised Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) for his work with diocesan groups toward amnesty for illegal immigrants, claiming that Courtney and the pro-amnesty groups are “working together to do the right thing.”
Courtney, who was raised Catholic, last year was given a rating of 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice America, the largest organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion and expand access to abortion. His 100% NARAL rating means that Courtney has always voted to ensure abortion has no restrictions and that, in fact, access to abortion can be expanded.
The Congressman is featured in a photo accompanying an article on page 12 of the August issue of Four County Catholic, the diocesan newspaper, along with Sister Mary Jude, director of the diocesan Hispanic Ministry.
“Immigration reform and immigration assistance continues to be a priority concern of the Church, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Hispanic Ministry here in the Diocese of Norwich,” reads the article. “Continuous efforts are underway to build awareness of the Catholic position on this matter with State legislators, national representatives and the public at large.”
However, in 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) adopted a resolution, by a near-unanimous vote, that states’ Catholic institutions should not honor pro-abortion politicians or provide them with a stage that would suggest support for their actions.
“It is the teaching of the Catholic Church from the very beginning, founded on her understanding of her Lord’s own witness to the sacredness of human life, that the killing of an unborn child is always intrinsically evil and can never be justified,” reads the document “Catholics in Political Life.”
“If those who perform an abortion and those who cooperate willingly in the action are fully aware of the objective evil of what they do, they are guilty of grave sin and thereby separate themselves from God’s grace,” the bishops say. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
According to the diocesan newspaper article, Courtney, who this year is seeking his fifth term as U.S. representative to Connecticut’s eastern district, met with Sister Mary Jude to discuss the urgency of enacting “comprehensive immigration reform.”
“Leaders of about a dozen groups across the state have been working together in an ad hoc committee, initiated by the Office of Social Justice of the Archdiocese of Hartford,” the article explains. “More meetings with all five [Connecticut U.S.] representatives are being scheduled.”
All five of Connecticut’s U.S. representatives and two U.S. senators have 100% NARAL ratings for supporting abortion.
The diocesan article further invites readers to visit the Justice for Immigrants website for more information.
Justice for Immigrants is the “boots on the ground” group that is closely aligned with the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) program. MRS states that Justice for Immigrants is “designed to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic institutions, individuals, and other persons of good will in support of a broad legalization program and comprehensive immigration reform.”
Among the founding members of Justice for Immigrants is the Catholic Health Association (CHA) which, in July of 2013, announced that it would accept the White House’s “accommodation” for religious employers that opposed the HHS contraception and abortifacients mandate, even though the bishops said the final rule failed to resolve several key concerns for them.
Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of CHA, had also supported the passage of ObamaCare, even after the USCCB withdrew its backing because of concerns about the health reform law’s subsidies for abortion.
The USCCB/MRS states that it is “the largest resettlement agency in the United States.”
MRS shows a total budget of approximately $71 million, of which nearly $66 million – or about 93% – has come from federal grants and contracts, which means MRS is essentially a federal government program that is being operated through the bishops’ conference.
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