April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Bishop pleased with meeting's many achievements
"The statement on Sudan," he told The Evangelist, "calls attention to a situation largely ignored by our own country and the Church at large. With the attention we gave to the abuses, pressure will be applied to alleviate the oppression there."
He was referring to the bishops' statement on anti-Christian persecution being carried out by the Sudanese government. The statement lamented "slavery, torture, executions, religious persecution" and "discriminatory laws" by the Sudanese government.
The statement added that restrictions on aid to famine-threatened populations, "indiscriminate bombing of churches, hospitals and schools," and the "systematic destruction and expropriation of property and resources are just some of the horrors perpetrated on the people of Sudan" by their government.
Justice
The bishops' statement on criminal justice, Bishop Hubbard noted, focuses on restorative justice that heals victims, provides safety and security for the public, and offers rehabilitation for offenders."The recent action by the New York State bishops fits in well as a practical application of the U.S. bishops' document," he said, referring to a recently released statement on criminal justice issues in the state. That statement addressed the death penalty, the Rockefeller drug laws, alternatives to incarceration and the use of special housing units (portions of the text appeared in the Nov. 16 issue of The Evangelist).
Bishop Hubbard took particular pride in the decision of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to commit $1 million to implement the American bishops' efforts in criminal justice reforms. He is a member of the CCHD committee.
The grants from the CCHD will be for educational and community-based efforts related to crime and criminal justice.
Immigration and life
Twin statements on immigration from the U.S. bishops, Bishop Hubbard continued, reflect the need for reform of immigration laws "in a time of growing xenophobia and the shunning of immigrants, rather than seeing them as people who can contribute to society."As for the "strong statement on abortion," Bishop Hubbard stressed that such declarations "need to be made" in order to assert the Church's "on-going commitment to life, no matter what the Supreme Court rules."
(Editor's note The texts of the bishops' statements are available at www.nccbuscc.org.)
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