skip to main content

Sunday, June 4, 2023

play newscast audioPlay

A Wisconsin group criticizes two of its members of Congress, a new report says the Phoenix area cannot meet its groundwater demands, and Nevada's sporting community sends its priorities to the governor.

play newscast audioPlay

The Senate aims to get the debt limit spending bill to President Biden's desk quickly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes a campaign stop in Iowa, and a new survey finds most straight adults support LGBTQ+ rights.

play newscast audioPlay

Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

Catholic Nuns Bring Message of Economic Justice to Arizona

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 10, 2018   

PHOENIX – Election season is in high gear in Arizona, and amid messaging from candidates and political action committees, a new group joins the political conversation in the state this week: Roman Catholic nuns.

The "Nuns on the Bus tour" is driving cross-country to share a message of economic justice. A handful of Catholic sisters from orders around the country are to visit Phoenix and Tucson today and Thursday.

The group's leader, Sister Simone Campbell, said her faith teaches her to look out for society's most vulnerable people – and in her view, politics is an important piece of that.

"Quite frankly, the Constitution's best values are quite similar to my faith values," she said, "and what we know is, it's about 'We the people' – we the people of the United States, forming a more perfect union. So the fact is, it's our constitutional mandate to create a union that works for the 100 percent."

The main focus of the Nuns on the Bus tour is the 2017 Republican tax bill, which the sisters see as favoring the wealthy at the expense of the poor. The group is calling for budget and tax policies that invest in communities and reduce economic inequality. The sisters will host town hall-style events in Phoenix and Tucson to hear from Arizonans about challenges they face.

The nuns also have requested a visit with U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., a U.S. Senate candidate. Campbell, who also is executive director of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, said they want to know why McSally voted in favor of the tax bill.

"We know that we need to reach across divides and differences," Campbell said. "So, we've got our opinion about the tax bill, but we need to understand the other side. So, we're trying to get a visit to understand her perspective."

The politically active Catholic sisters will visit 21 states on their tour, which is to conclude just before the November midterm elections at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida – a site they refer to as "the pinnacle of economic inequality."

Tour dates and details are online at networklobby.org.


get more stories like this via email

Almost all departments in Connecticut schools saw shortages in 2022, following a long-standing national trend. A 2022 American Federation of Teachers report found before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 300,000 teachers were leaving the profession each year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As the school year ends, Connecticut's teacher shortage seems to have only worsened. In March, school districts across the state reported having 2,60…


Social Issues

play sound

A Muslim rights group is taking the Kent County Sheriff's Office to court for forcing a Michigan woman to remove her hijab for a booking photo…

Social Issues

play sound

A rally was held in Salem Thursday to urge passage of a bill to provide food assistance to Oregonians regardless of their immigration status…


Pennsylvanians must register to vote by Oct. 23 to be eligible to vote in the general election on Nov. 7. (Vesperstock/AdobeStock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Keystone State's general election is less than six months away and a nonpartisan, grassroots organization is already getting the word out to …

Environment

play sound

Offshore wind in New York and New Jersey is becoming a large contributor to job growth. New York's offshore wind investments are slated to create …

Sarah Van Loon, Midwest regional director for the American Jewish Committee, said it is incumbent upon all of us to teach children about the Holocaust. (Adobe stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Hoosiers could play a pivotal role in pushing back against a surge of hate and violence against Jews in America. Nearly two-thirds of all …

Environment

play sound

The Nevada hunting and fishing community is sharing its top 10 conservation priorities for 2023 with Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, as they seek to …

Environment

play sound

In Yellowstone National Park, 30,000 acres are protected from mining by Congressional order, but there is a sliver left unprotected, and a Montana …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021