By Tom Chapman
For The Catholic Messenger
The Iowa Catholic Conference, which is the public policy voice for Iowa’s bishops, is asking Catholics to advocate on behalf of the following concerns:
Oppose international aid rescissions
This week is the deadline for Congress to act on the White House’s request to cancel lifesaving funding for international assistance, called rescissions. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the request for cuts, which means your advocacy is necessary to move the Senate to oppose this package.
If the Senate approves the rescissions package, critical programs that will be affected include:
Maternal and Child Health (essential services such as vaccinations, routine check-ups and prenatal care); Fighting Infectious Diseases (programs targeting diseases such as tuberculosis and Ebola) and International Disaster Assistance (aid for responses to natural disasters such as the Myanmar earthquake). Let Senators Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley (congress.gov) know why you think humanitarian aid is important.
Forming Catholics’ consciences
The Johnson Amendment defines guidelines for the tax-exempt status of a church or other nonprofit regarding political activities and endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.
In response to the recent interpretation of the Johnson Amendment publicized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered a statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs.
“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate. The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good. The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates,” she said.
New federal tax credit program
Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education (ACE) and statewide tuition organizations are collaborating on a new federal income tax credit program created in the recent “Big” bill for donations to K-12 scholarship funds. The credit is available dollar for dollar for up to a $1,700 contribution. To ensure the effective and equitable administration of this program, Iowa ACE, along with leaders of the 12 existing school tuition organizations (STOs) and Homeschool Iowa leaders, are making plans to establish a new collaborative entity dedicated to overseeing the federal tax credit program in Iowa.
“This partnership will draw on the deep experience and commitment of Iowa’s leading educational choice advocates, ensuring families and donors alike benefit from a transparent and streamlined process,” said Trish Wilger, executive director of the Iowa ACE.
Additionally, more than 45,000 parents in Iowa submitted applications for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for the upcoming school year. People sometimes ask why other scholarship programs are necessary since the passage of ESAs. The reason: if you have one or more children in school, particularly in high school, ESAs may not cover the total cost of education.
Chemical abortion dangers
The Catholic Medical Association, the USCCB, and several other Catholic pro-life organizations have submitted a letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary regarding the medical dangers of chemical abortions and the need for further safety protocols. The letter highlights the Catholic Medical Association’s new report entitled Telemedicine Chemical Abortion: A Catholic Medical Association Policy with Recommendations. It builds on the recent Ethics and Public Policy study demonstrating the medical dangers that mifepristone presents to the health and safety of women across America.
Pope announces new ‘Mass of Creation’
Pope Leo XIV has announced a new Mass of Creation to be added to the Roman Missal. In his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation coming up in September, the pope said, “Nature itself is reduced at times to a bargaining chip, a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain. As a result, God’s creation turns into a battleground for the control of vital resources. We see this in agricultural areas and forests peppered with landmines, ‘scorched earth’ policies, conflicts over water sources, and the unequal distribution of raw materials, which penalizes the poorer nations and undermines social stability itself … These various wounds are the effect of sin.”
(Tom Chapman is executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference.)
