BISHOP WANG:
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES
www.catholic-sf.org
JULY 11, 2019
$1.00 | VOL. 21 NO. 13
Local parishioners rush to provide humanitarian aid at border refugee centers
CCC: Confession bill pulled from Assembly floor hours before hearing
CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
Parishioners of St. Ignatius, St. Agnes, Our Lady of the Pillar, St. John of God and Our Lady of Angels are among the archdiocesan faithful making the trip to the U.S.-Mexico border at their own expense to volunteer in overwhelmed refugee centers. “Something must be done to alleviate the situation there, otherwise we will be seeing more desperate fathers taking a chance in swimming across the Rio Grande after they have been refused entry to claim asylum,” said St. John of God parishioner Roberta McLaughlin. McLaughlin spent nearly a month this spring at Casa del Refugiados (House of Refugees), the newest and largest refugee center run by Annunciation House, a nonprofit in El Paso, Texas, a few miles from the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez. The humanitarian crisis on the border came into tragic focus June 24 when Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month-old daughter Valeria drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande at Matamoros, Mexico. They attempted to swim across the river after they were unable to make an official request to U.S. authorities for asylum from El Salvador, the Mexican newspaper La Jornada reported. Pope Francis expressed “immense sadness” on seeing the image of the father and child. The president of the U.S. bishops’ conference and the chair of the bishops’ migration committee said “this unspeakable consequence of a failed immigration system, together with growing reports of inhumane conditions for children in the custody of the federal government at the border, shock the conscience and demand immediate action.” At least 283 migrants died while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
(COURTESY PHOTOS)
Terry Sprague, a parishioner of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame, speaks with a young migrant woman at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. The woman, traveling with a toddler, gave birth by Cesarean section to a premature child at the border. Left, volunteers from St. John of God Parish in San Francisco worked at the center helping refugees connect with their American sponsors.
Legislation that would require priests to break the seal of confession has been pulled indefinitely from consideration in the California Legislature, less than a day before the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing on it, according to the California Catholic Conference. “We just got word from the capitol – Senator Hill pulled his bill from the Assembly Public Safety Committee. This bill will not be heard tomorrow, July 9. No other information at this time,” said Linda Wanner, associate director for governmental relations with the conference. Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo, Senate Bill SB 360 would force priests to disclose information about child sexual abuse that they learn when hearing the confession of a co-worker or another priest. It passed the Senate May 23 by a 30-4 vote. The Assembly had been expected to vote on it in September. SB 360 has proved divisive since it was introduced in February, with priests and bishops stating they would go to jail before complying with the bill. The Archdiocese of San Francisco participated in a state-wide letter writing campaign rallying Catholics to write their representatives about the legislation. According to the archdiocesan Office of Human Life & Dignity, more than 18,000 letters were hand-delivered to state Assembly members’ local district offices June 28 during Religious Freedom Week. The archdiocese had also chartered buses to bring Catholics to Sacramento to attend the Assembly committee hearing on SB 360. It was unclear whether the legislation has been defeated or whether it could
“We received 350 to 420 migrants border last year, according to the per day while we were there,” said U.S. Border Patrol. McLaughlin, who was joined by McLaughlin and her husband Jim parishioners Ken Hoegger, Claudia were among five parishioners from Quijane and Karen Duderstadt. Two the Sanctuary Committee of St. more committee members left June 26 John of God Parish in San Franto volunteer at Casa Alitas, a Catholiccisco who traveled to Texas in May run safe house in Tucson, Arizona. and June, working around-the-clock for the families that passed throughA personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country. If you have received a flag honoring loved PAGE one's13 military service and would like to donate it SEE SB 360, PAGE 17 Casa del Refugiados. SEEyour BORDER,
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