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Catholic Conference Testifies Against Immigration Bill
The Georgia Bulletin ^ | March 3, 2011 | GRETCHEN KEISER

Posted on 03/03/2011 7:50:01 AM PST by Alex Murphy

ATLANTA—Legislation that proposes new penalties for employing illegal immigrants, possessing fraudulent identification and for transporting or “harboring” illegal immigrants will be debated in the full Georgia House of Representatives. The legislation also proposes giving law enforcement officers in the state the power to enforce federal immigration laws in certain circumstances and requires employers to use a federal verification system before hiring.

House Bill 87, the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011,” sponsored by Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City), was favorably voted out of a House judicial committee Feb. 28.

In the first half of the legislative session, the bill has been in committee where it has been debated and to some extent revised.

Among those taking a position on the bill is the Georgia Farm Bureau, which has opposed the legislation because of the impact on the state’s largest industry, agriculture. Farmers say they have difficulty already finding enough agricultural workers and the verification that would be required would be insurmountable.

Frank Mulcahy, executive director of the Georgia Catholic Conference, testified against the bill in committee because of its impact on Catholic Church ministries. Earlier provisions would have put individuals at risk of being arrested if they transported people found to be in the country illegally. Mulcahy said the impact on many church ministries, from driving youth to a confirmation retreat, taking a soccer team to a game or taking a sick person from a homeless shelter to a hospital, would be devastating and criminalize acts of charity.

While that provision has been re-worded in the version sent to the full House, the Catholic Conference is still opposing the legislation, Mulcahy said Feb. 28.

He wrote, “As recommended by the House Judiciary (non-civil) committee, HB 87 creates the risk of criminal prosecution against churches and social welfare organizations by prohibiting any person from ‘harboring’ any person present in the United States in violation of federal immigration law.”

“‘Harboring’ is broadly defined as ‘any conduct that tends to substantially help an illegal alien remain in the United States in violation of federal law.’ (This) could include many services provided by churches and social service agencies, such as women’s shelters, homeless shelters, retreat house, clinics and the like. The offense of ‘transporting or moving an illegal alien’ creates a similar risk,” he wrote.

Other concerns about the bill cited by the Georgia Catholic Conference include that it criminalizes actions that tend to help undocumented immigrants, criminalizes transporting undocumented immigrants, requires law enforcement officers to verify the immigration status of anyone stopped for a criminal violation, which would include a traffic violation, and creates new documentation requirements for persons seeking public benefits with no exception for pregnant women or unborn children.


TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Politics
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To: Kansas58
possibly many may not -- others may WILLFULLY not wish to know. It's our duty as laity to kick this into their heads. I've taken a cue from the Orthodox and write to priest's superiors, bishops, all the way up if I see them stepping away from Church teachings.

It's our job to kick this out of line priests and tell them -- what the **** are you talking about social justice? This is what the Pope himself has said (and quote the article) -- you want to say the opposite? If not, then change your tune.

The Church is us, we are in obedience to Church teachings, not to some man. The bishops are shepherds who must follow Church teachings -- if they do stick to the doctrines and are obedient, we are to be humble and obedient too, but if they veer from Church teachings, its our job to wack them back in line. It's good for their souls too!

21 posted on 03/03/2011 9:22:32 PM PST by Cronos ("They object to tradition saying that they themselves are wiser than the apostles" - Ire.III.2.2)
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To: Religion Moderator; Alex Murphy; WPaCon; MarkBsnr
RM -- you said that "Do not spread arguments from one thread to another. Engage the argument on the original thread unless the issues are raised anew on the current thread. "

These links do just that and by this rule this post should not be allowed. Note that these are both spreading arguments from one thread to another and also in in cases (like "how to train ...") are not relevant to the issue of the thread at all.

22 posted on 03/04/2011 7:04:29 AM PST by Cronos ("They object to tradition saying that they themselves are wiser than the apostles" - Ire.III.2.2)
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To: Cronos; Alex Murphy; Salvation
No dice. Alex Murphy's is a list of links to ARTICLES not reply posts. Salvation also posts lists of links to articles.

The guideline applies to disputes between individual Freepers, past flame wars - bringing them forward to a new thread is flame baiting, trouble making.

23 posted on 03/04/2011 7:09:03 AM PST by Religion Moderator
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To: Alex Murphy

The heads of any church that harbors or aids illegls in amy way belong in prison!


24 posted on 03/04/2011 7:11:59 AM PST by dalereed
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To: Cronos
Maybe it's because Murph's arguments are so weak they don't count? Like the internet equivelent of a height requirement in front of a roller coaster: "your argument must make at least this much sense for any one to care about it..."
25 posted on 03/04/2011 7:12:45 AM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: Kansas58
re:the Eastern Orthodox do not embarrass me as much. How many Catholics switch due to the idiocy of the Church’s liberal politics?

They "switch" because they lost the faith. No different than the liberal Catholics who say they leave the Church "because the church is too dogmatic". A Catholic who leaves the Church to join the Orthodox or the Protestant, and dies separated, will perish to hell for all eternity. This is no game!

I have never had anything to do with these progressivists Catholic bishops, I go to an SSPX Chapel. Other like minded Catholics go to other traditional mass centers like FSSP, ICK, or support "the indult" mass diocene priest and avoid their bishops like the plague. God provides for those who seek.

A Catholic becoming an Eastern Orthodox "because of liberal Catholic bishops", is like jumping from the pan into the fire, LITERALLY! Americans are more easily fooled by the Eastern Orthodox, since they have far better liturgy than the Novus Ordo Mass (which is a joke as commonly seen). This is a big mistake. They are just as dangerous as the Protestants, but even more today, because they APPEAR as an alternative.

Rat poison is 99% nutritious, it's the 1% that will kill you. If it was NOT in every way: sight, smell, taste, the same as good food, no one would eat eat. The more something appears as the real thing, the more dangerous it is.

27 posted on 03/04/2011 7:17:58 AM PST by verdugo ("You can't lie, even to save the World")
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To: Religion Moderator

Would you be so kind as to remove my posting #26.

Thank you , and God Bless


28 posted on 03/04/2011 7:19:17 AM PST by verdugo ("You can't lie, even to save the World")
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To: Religion Moderator

ok. thanks


29 posted on 03/04/2011 7:27:35 AM PST by Cronos ("They object to tradition saying that they themselves are wiser than the apostles" - Ire.III.2.2)
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To: WPaCon; Alex Murphy

“I have to give my hat off to Alex, though: I vote him for most effective anti-Catholic on Free Republic. Unlike other anti-Catholics, he is actually sane and rational, so he can convince unsuspecting people that the Church is evil, liberal, and un-American.”

Some of the most intense hate is subtle. If people are persuaded by untruths that they don’t even take the time to get educated on....then they are already persuaded by their hearts.

You would be surprised how many private emails I get from Protestants, apologizing for the obnoxious behavior of some of the Anti Catholics on FR. Quite a few btw, believe that Pope Benedict is a holy man and respect his emphasis on Scripture.

“Don’t let your heart be troubled”...the bigots lose in the long run with their tactics.


30 posted on 03/04/2011 7:30:08 AM PST by rbmillerjr (I will not, under any circumstances, vote for Mitt Romney....none.)
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To: rbmillerjr

That is very true. I think that the anti-Catholics in no way represent the majority of Protestantism, and in fact, I’m not so sure most of them are even Protestant. If I was Protestant, like the people who freepmail you, I would also be very embarrassed by their behavior.


31 posted on 03/04/2011 10:15:28 AM PST by WPaCon
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