Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Washington (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Bishops of the United States of America have urged the Congress to extend unemployment benefits, because there is "a moral duty to help protect the lives and dignity of workers". The President of the Commission "Justice and Human Development" of the Episcopal Conference of the United States, His Exc. Mgr. Stephen Edward Blaire, Bishop of Stockton (California), sent a letter to the MPs reminding them that "for millions of workers and their families, economic problems continue to worsen".
The House of Representatives these days is to discuss several projects that are designed to extend unemployment benefits and apply a reduction of taxes on the workers taxes.
However, there remains profound differences between Democrats and Republicans on the financing of these benefits. The Republicans, that have the majority in the House of Representatives are willing to extend unemployment benefits and to make tax cuts if President Barack Obama's government promises that in the next six months the construction of a pipeline from the fields Oil refineries in Canada arrive in southern United States is authorized. The Democrats propose that the benefits are financed by increasing taxes on the richest families in the country, and maintain their opposition to the pipeline because they fear environmental damage.
"The Catholic Bishops said long ago that the most effective way to build a fair economy is the availability of decent jobs with decent wages", wrote Mgr. Blaire. "When economy does not generate enough jobs, there is a moral obligation to help protect the lives and dignity of unemployed workers and their families," he added. Bishop Blaire also complained that there is a "widespread economic distress" and in particular the fact that the unemployed often take on average more than ten months to find a new job, and that for every job vacancy there are four unemployed. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 15/12/2011).
