Photo credit: NCR online
A Catholic Charities’ homeless shelter in Louisiana has had its state funding reduced over the wider Catholic Church’s ministry to migrants.
OSV News reports that the vetoing of $1 million in state funds by Governor Jeff Landry has dealt a significant blow on the church’s ability to care for area residents experiencing homelessness, including veterans.The June 24 line veto also struck other organizations, including $1 million for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
In a statement, Landry who is a Catholic did not specify the work of Catholic Charities in Acadiana. But he made a general accusation that Catholic Charities supports illegal immigration. The church leaders vigorously denied the charge.
“As you can see from their website, part of Catholic Charities’ mission is to support the influx of illegal aliens into our country. Taxpayers should never foot the bill for nonprofits who are contributing to the illegal immigration crisis our nation is facing,” he said.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said, “Primarily, we have to respond to the mandate of the Gospel, which is that a stranger must see the face of Christ. And if that liberty is restricted – we obviously want to respect the law – but if that liberty is restricted, then yes, our religious liberty is being restricted, because we can’t put into practice the precepts of the Gospel.”
