By Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) - The U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 22 took no action on the Trump administration's appeal of a federal appeals court's injunction on its efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. It is unclear if the high court will take up the case. In November, a three- judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco, upheld a lower court's pre- liminary injunction block- ing the federal govern- ment's attempts to stop the program implemented by the Obama administration in 2012. Although several trial judges have found fault with Trump's decision to end DACA, this decision was the first from a federal appeals court and the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to review it. "We conclude that plaintiffs are likely to suc- ceed on their claim that the rescission of DACA - at least as justified on this record - is arbitrary, capricious or otherwise not in accordance with law," the 9th Circuit panel ruled. Lawsuits by California and other states challeng- ing the Trump administra- tion's decision to end DACA will continue to move ahead in federal court while the injunction remains in place. Currently, DACA pro- tects about 700,000 people. Although qualifying DACA recipients do not get legal status, they receive a work permit and get a reprieve from depor- tation and other temporary relief. During his 2017 announcement about end- ing the program, then- Attorney General Jeff Sessions called DACA "an unconstitutional exercise of authority." DACA began under then President Barack Obama via executive order. As a presidential candi- date, Donald Trump said he would end the policy. As president, Trump said he would make a decision "with heart," and said that even though he was ending DACA, he was calling on Congress to find a solution to help the young adults. Lawmakers have failed to deliver, leaving the courts to toss around challenges. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2017 called the cancellation of DACA "reprehensible" and said it caused "unnecessary fear for DACA youth and their families." The USCCB, along with a vari- ety of Catholic groups, organizations and religious orders, have since then called for a solution to help the young adults. Last August, a federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump admin- istration to restore DACA.
National/World News
Page 6 January 31, 2019 The Catholic Messenger, Davenport, Iowa
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By Junno Arocho Esteves
Catholic News Service
PANAMA CITY (CNS) - Young men and women in the church can bring the joy of the Gospel to the world by showing that God's love extends to all people and excludes no one, Pope Francis said. "By your actions and your approach, your way of looking at things, your desires and above all your sensitivity, you discredit and defuse the kind of talk that is intent on sowing division, on excluding or rejecting those who are not 'like us,'" the pope said Jan. 24 during the official ceremony welcoming him to World Youth Day in Panama. Arriving at the site, which sat along the pictur- esque Panamanian coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the pope was wel- comed by an estimated 250,000 young people enthusiastically waving their country's flags as the popemobile passed. Five young people, rep- resenting each of the five continents present at the gathering, greeted the pope. Taking those near him by the hand, Pope Francis walked toward the main stage as young people processed, carrying the World Youth Day cross. Interspersed with fes- tive music and dancing, the opening ceremony cele- brated the universality of the church as young people dressed in the traditional outfits of their native coun- tries entertained the multi- tude. Young people from Panama presented the pope with a stole made of "mola," a handmade textile form featuring ornate designs that are part of the indigenous Guna people of Panama. In his speech, the pope thanked the young people for coming to Panama and encouraged them to be bet- ter witnesses of the Gospel. While World Youth Day is usually marked by fes- tive celebrations, its goal is not to "create a parallel church that would be more 'fun' or 'cool,'" the pope said. "That way of thinking," he said, "would not respect either you or everything that the Spirit is saying through you." Instead, the pope con- tinued, World Youth Day is an opportunity to reawaken "the church's constant freshness and youth" that happens only by listening and sharing with others as well as by serving others. Acknowledging the dif- ficulty many young men and women faced in mak- ing the journey to Panama, Pope Francis said it mir- rored the life of a disciple who "is not merely some- one who arrives at a certain place, but one who sets out decisively, who is not afraid to take risks and keeps walking." In making the sacrifices that allowed them to partic- ipate in World Youth Day, he added, young people have become "true teachers and builders of the culture of encounter." Their example, he con- tinued, teaches that the cul- ture of encounter "does not mean having to look alike, or think the same way or do the same things, listen- ing to the same music or wearing the same football jersey." Instead, young people can teach the world that the culture of encounter is built by a shared dream, "a great dream, a dream that has a place for everyone." It is "a dream named Jesus, sown by the Father in the confidence that it would grow and live in every heart," he said. "A dream running through our veins, thrilling our hearts and making them dance whenever we hear the com- mand: 'that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.'" The result of World Youth Day will not be a final document or a pro- gram, he said, but rather each young person return- ing home with "the new strength born of every encounter with others and with the Lord" to keep love alive and not let it "grow cold in the heart of our world." "Wherever we may be and whatever we may do, we can always look up and say, 'Lord, teach me to love as you have loved us,'" Pope Francis said.
Keep God's love alive, pope tells young people at WYD
CNS/Paul Haring
Pope Francis watches as young people carry the World Youth Day cross and icon during a welcoming ceremony and gathering with young people in Santa Maria la Antigua Field in Panama City Jan. 24, 2019.
By Carol Zimmermann
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) - Days after the now-famous exchange took place between Covington Catholic High School students and a Native American tribal leader in Washington, D.C., the Diocese of Covington, Ky., announced it would begin a third- party investigation into what hap- pened at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial following the annual March for Life Jan. 18. "This is a very serious matter that has already permanently altered the lives of many people. It is important for us to gather the facts that will allow us to deter- mine what corrective actions, if any, are appropriate," the diocese said in a Jan. 22 statement. It also mentioned that Covington High School, Cov - ington Latin School and Cov - ington's diocesan offices were closed that day due to threats of violence and would reopen when it was safe to do so. A few dozen people took part in a protest vigil at the diocese's headquarters Jan. 21. Covington High School reopened Jan. 23 with police at the school entrance. The diocesan offices also reopened that day, but the building was evacuated that afternoon due to a suspicious package, which police and fire- fighters determined to be safe that evening. "We pray that we may come to the truth and that this unfortunate situation may be resolved peace- fully and amicably and ask others to join us in this prayer," the dio- cese said. On Jan. 19, the day a viral video showed the students who appeared to be mocking or disre- specting Nathan Phillips, tribal elder for the Omaha Tribe, Covington High School and the Diocese of Covington issued a joint statement condemning the students' actions, apologizing to Phillips and noting that the inci- dent was "being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion." But more of the story unfolded the next day when the students issued statements about what happened and longer videos shown online revealed that another group at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial that afternoon included members of the Hebrew Israelites, who with Phillips and others were attending an Indigenous People's March. The Israelites were there to share their own beliefs that African-Americans are God's chosen people and the true Hebrew descendants. Members of this group, as shown in video footage, taunted the students and some responded back. Phillips, the Native American, walked over to the students and the group, which he has described to reporters as an intervention and was singing and beating a song of prayer. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., a neighboring diocese to Covington, wrote in his Jan. 22 blog that he has received "many calls and email messages from people with many different viewpoints and seem- ingly opposite messages about the incidences involving Covington Catholic High School students at the March for Life. Many of these calls and messages have revealed the regrettable polarization in our church and in our society." He said many people have pointed out how he initially joined Covington Bishop Roger Foys in a blog post condemning the alleged actions, which he has now taken down. The archbishop said he has sought to "act in solidarity with the bishop of Covington, who is in a position to have the best information about what tran- spired and who has pledged an independent investigation of the situation." "Whatever the investigation reveals, I hope that we can use this as a teachable moment, learn from any mistakes on the part of anyone involved, and begin the process of healing," he added. Nick Sandmann, a junior at Covington Catholic High School who was most prominent in the footage for standing directly in front of Phillips, issued his own statement Jan. 20 saying he would cooperate in any investi- gation church leaders planned to do. He said he had received insults and death threats since the incident. In an interview shown Jan. 23 with "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, Sandmann said, "In hindsight, I wish we could've walked away and avoid- ed the whole thing." He said he was not disrespect- ful to Phillips, but chose to just stand still in front of him as a way to show he would not be aggres- sive. When asked if he heard stu- dents say anything insulting or racist in response to the taunts they received, Sandmann said: "We're a Catholic school, it's not tolerated. They don't tolerate racism and none of my class- mates are racist people." Phillips responded the next day to this interview, also on the "Today" show, and said he thought Sandmann's remarks seemed "coached" and that he failed to take responsibility, but he said he took it to prayer and woke up the next day with a for- giving heart. "So, I forgive him," he said.
Covington school incident: Investigation begins, discussion ongoing
CNS/Kaya Taitano, social media via Reuters
Nick Sandmann, a junior at Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Ky., and others students from the school stand in front of Native American Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips Jan. 18 near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in this still image from video.
High court takes no action on DACA
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