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May 8 , 2006 • VOL. 44, NO. 9 • Oakland, CA
Catholics travel
to Sacramento
to lobby on legislative issues
Catholics
from Yreka to San Diego came to Sacramento, April 25, united by a solitary
mission: to give voice to the human dignity of the living, the dying,
and the marginalized.
Nearly 800, including a small delegation fro the Oakland Diocese, joined
together for Catholic Lobby Day, sponsored by the California Catholic
Conference, the public policy office of the state’s Catholic bishops.
The event at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament included a Mass, a
march to the state Capitol and a rally, followed by visits to legislators
and their staffs.
Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto of Orange in a homily challenged Lobby Day
participants from 12 dioceses to approach the day as believers in a “culture
of life” which begins as a “covenant of love.”
“Too often we can allow ourselves and the Gospel we proclaim to
be defined by what we are against,” he said. “Our message
should be a hymn to a new creation of society in California that promotes
the culture of life, the ways of wisdom, the habits of harmony, and the
dance of dignity.”
The California Catholic Conference asked participants to focus their efforts
on measures to legalize assisted suicide, place a moratorium on the death
penalty, increase the minimum wage, and assist in naturalization funding.
Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the Conference, said in an interview
the issues chosen preserve human dignity by reflecting “a consistent
ethic of respect for life,” protecting the rights of immigrants
“who work hard and are on track for citizenship,” and by “valuing
people for their time and work.”
Some Lobby Day participants focused on voicing opposition to AB 651, the
California Compassionate Choice Act, which would legalize physician-assisted
suicide for people diagnosed with a terminal illness who have six months
or less to live.
Dolejsi said that AB 651 is not about having compassion for people who
are dying.
“It’s about autonomy, pure and simple,” he said.
Participants lobbied in favor of AB 2060, which would require the Department
of Community Services and Development to implement the Naturalization
Services Program by allocating funds to community-based organizations
to provide free naturalization services.
Currently there are 2.7 million immigrants in the state eligible for naturalization
but not enough services to assist them through the naturalization process.
Steve Pehanich, executive director of Catholic Charities of California,
said in an interview that issues of trust and affordability have made
negotiating the naturalization process a complicated affair for many legal
immigrants.
“As a new immigrant you’re not sure what services are available
for you and may not want to ask for services because it might affect your
immigration status,” he said. “You go with people you trust,
and a lot of people trust their religious organizations.”
Pehanich added that if AB 2060 passes, community-based organizations such
as Catholic Charities of California will be positioned to dramatically
improve the cost-effectiveness of services to immigrants.“There
are unscrupulous providers who charge $1,500 to $2,000 for a service Catholic
Charities provides for a few hundred dollars a person,” he said.
A third Lobby Day priority bill was AB 1835, which would raise the state
minimum wage from $6.75 per hour to $7.75 per hour over two years and
index wages after that to inflation.
Yvette
Espinoza, a resource specialist in the Oakland Diocese’s Department
for Evangelization and Catechesis, sings during a march from Blessed Sacrament
Cathedral to the state Capitol. Playing the guitar is Juan Jesus Ambriz
of Woodland, former resource specialist in family life ministry in the
Oakland Diocese.
Young adults join in the march to the Capitol for
a Catholic Lobby Day rally.
CATHY JOYCE PHOTOS
