Diocese issues clarion call for Advocacy Network
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March 31, 2017David Campa
David Campa, Chief of Staff/General Counsel for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, announced at the Fullness of Truth Conference in March the diocese’s plans to organize a Catholic advocacy network in the diocese. “This is important for a lot of reasons,” Campa said. “Oftentimes in legislation you have an opportunity to do things that really helps us Catholics advance what we need to be doing in the world.”The Texas Catholic Conference, the voice of Texas bishops, already organized a Texas Catholic Network—a grassroots program that enables the more than seven million Catholics from across Texas to communicate with each other and the members of the Texas Legislature. This work is carried out through Texas Catholic Network “Archangels” Program, a network of volunteers who help inform parishioners about the legislative agenda and encourage them to communicate with lawmakers about legislation that supports our faith and Catholic social teaching.
“A lot of people don’t know that the Catholic Church has advocacy groups and a lot of time we don’t know about it,” Campa said. “Legislators would like to hear from local people. If we’re not reaching out to our legislators locally than we can’t have an affect on what is going to happen.”
Texas bishops will host an Advocacy Day on the South Steps of the Capitol at noon on Thursday, April 4. Campa said the Diocese of Corpus Christi is organizing buses that will take local Catholics to Austin to meet with legislators and talk with them “about the issues that matter to us.”
All Texas bishops will be at the Advocacy Day as will people from all the other dioceses in Texas. Catholic delegations will go to the Capitol and meet their Legislative delegations in their offices.
Campa said the Advocacy Day will be an opportunity for Catholics to urge support for issues important to the Church, including pro-life issues, education, children and families, the poor and vulnerable, criminal justice and immigration.
Protecting Human Life
The Catholic Church teaches that human life is intrinsically valuable and should be protected from conception to natural death; including the calls to end abortion, prevent euthanasia, stop the destruction of human embryos and oppose cloning. Among the legislative issues being discussed in Austin, which need support from the Catholic faithful, are support state funding to abortion alternative providers and banning research using fetal tissue acquired from abortions.
Other important pro-life issues include opposing all public funding to abortion providers, including funds for contraceptives; supporting the protection and improvement of air, land and water quality in Texas; supporting efforts to reform the statute governing end-of-life care to involve patients, families and physicians in protecting life and dignity, while preserving ethical standards of care; and supporting programs to encourage adoption and to assist families with parenting support.
Children and Families
The Catholic Church is also supporting legislation that promotes strong, stable and healthy families. It recognizes parents as the primary educators of children and supports the freedom of parents to choose a school for their children with a safe, productive learning environment and rejects the notion that a parent’s address and income level should determine a child’s educational or child care opportunities.
The Church is promoting legislation on the permanency of marriage between one man and one woman; abstinence-only education in Texas schools; conscience protection legislation to ensure that charities have the religious liberty protection to fulfill their mission without violating deeply held religious beliefs related to the life and dignity of the human person and traditional family structures; school choice tax credit scholarships to provide educational choices for families; Texas public school students’ receipt of in-state college tuition and financial aid; foster care system improvements, especially related to children aging out of foster care; increased recruitment, formation and support for foster care families; and quality, affordable before- and after-school care for public and private students.
Health and Human Services
The Church believes that health care is essential for the proper development of life and that justice demands that medical and behavioral health care be easily available for all. Particular care must be offered to those who have special needs because of age, addiction, physical or mental disability.
The Church is supporting legislation for the improvement to Texas’ critical public health safety net, especially expanding opportunities for acquiring health insurance, including expanding Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; access to basic and preventative health care for low income uninsured women, as well as prenatal and pediatric care for children; and care for persons who are aging, live with disabilities or need mental health services.
Justice for Immigrants
Catholics derive special concern for the immigrant from the many Biblical accounts of immigration. The Catholic Church supports immigration reform that is merciful, charitable and compassionate to immigrants working for a better life, while also recognizing the legitimate responsibility of the Federal government to maintain control of our nation’s borders.
The Church supports comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship; opposes efforts to compel local and state agencies to enforce federal immigration laws; oppose efforts to reduce access to education and healthcare for immigrants; oppose efforts that hinder immigrants’ ability to get Texas drivers’ licenses and IDs or birth certificates for immigrants’ citizen children; support care for unaccompanied minors and reunite families separated by migration; supports alternatives to family detention of migrants and refugees; and supports continued state and Federal cooperation with refugee resettlement.
Protecting The Poor and Vulnerable
The Catholic Church has always served the poor and the vulnerable by providing services and advocating for the public good. In difficult economic times, those unable to help themselves are in particular need of society’s compassion. The Church calls on state leaders to craft a balanced approach to addressing the social and economic needs, including adequately funding essential public services.
Catholics are called to support access to safe and affordable housing, water and power for low-income Texans; regulatory standards for payday and auto-title lending to curb usurious lending practices and prevent a cycle of consumer debt; safe and dignified working conditions, adequate training, and fair compensation for workers; policies to alleviate food insecurity and hunger, including expanded access to summer nutrition programs, school breakfast projects, and nutritional awareness; and efforts to end human trafficking and provide care for victims.
Criminal Justice
The Church believes that society should be just and compassionate, committed to ensuring the safety and protection of our communities while encouraging the merciful forgiveness and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. The Church supports reform to the state’s criminal justice system that ends the death penalty and that provides for the compassionate treatment of prisoners and encourages rehabilitation and forgiveness for those re-entering society.
Anyone interested in participating in the diocese’s Advocacy Network can email Campa at [email protected].
Texas bishops will return to the South Steps of the Capitol on April 4 for the annual Catholic Advocacy Day.Archived photo
