Inside this issue
• Love Your Neighbor, COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar
• National Crime Victims' Rights Week and Resources
• April is Childhood Abuse Prevention Month
• USCCB Issues Statement on Situation at U.S. - Mexico Border
• Take Action NOW
Love Your Neighbor, COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar
The California Catholic Conference and Santa Clara University have released a webinar, Love Your Neighbor and Get Vaccinated: Science, Ethics and the COVID-19 Vaccines, discussing the safety and efficacy of the COVID019 vaccines, as well as the impact the pandemic has had on parishes around the state.
Available in both English and Spanish, the one-hour-long webinar features Dr. Charles Binkley, MD, Director of Bioethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB, MD, DPhil.: Professor of Church History and Moral Theology, St. John's Seminary, and Mr. Isaac Cuevas, Director of Immigration and Public Affairs, Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
All Californians ages 16 and over (who are not already) will be eligible to make an appointment to receive the COVID-19 starting April 15. In another encouraging sign, the number of vaccinations has increased substantially, leading Governor Newsom to announce on Tuesday that the still will "re-open" its economy and repeal the color-coded tier system, provided that the low number of infections persists and vaccinations continue.
For more information, bulletin announcements and other resources, visit the California Catholic Conference's Coronavirus information page or CatholicCARES.org.
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National Crime Victims' Rights Week and Resources
In conjunction with the commemoration of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, the Catholic bishops of California have released a new pastoral resource to help guide pastors in ministering to victims of violent crime.
Pastoral Support for Grieving a Violent Death A guide for clergy, lay ministers, and community helpers is available in English and coming soon in Spanish. There are also Prayers for the Faithful in English and Spanish.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the first National Crime Victims' Rights Week, established to draw attention to the people and families whose lives have been affected by violent crime.
In recognition of those impacted by crime, the Restorative Justice Committee of the California Catholic Conference issued a statement calling NCVRW "a time to focus attention on the needs of our brothers and sisters who have been impacted by crime during the year. Often unsure, embarrassed, or angry, crime victims can be reluctant to let others know what has happened to them or express their need for help. They can be lonely and unsure yet sitting in our congregations slowly losing hope."
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April is Childhood Abuse Prevention Month
According to the Child Help Foundation, a report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has probably increased the number of unreported cases, since schools are often the first to report abuse because they have the opportunity to see the signs during the school year.
Since 1983, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has dedicated April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, when communities should rededicate themselves to support families and play an active role in preventing child abuse and neglect and taking positive action to promote child and family well-being.
Click here to learn the signs of child abuse and what to do if you suspect abuse is taking place.
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USCCB Issues Statement on Situation at U.S. - Mexico Border
The bishops along the border of the United States and Northern Mexico have issued the following joint statement on the situation at the border of the two countries:
"As U.S. and Mexican bishops along the border, we witness daily the dilemma that our migrant sisters and brothers face. For most, the decision to migrate is not motivated by an indifference toward their homeland or the pursuit of economic prosperity; it is a matter of life or death. The situation is all the more difficult for children.
Challenges such as these require humanitarian solutions. Undoubtedly, nations have the right to maintain their borders. This is vital to their sovereignty and self-determination. At the same time, there is a shared responsibility of all nations to preserve human life and provide for safe, orderly, and humane immigration, including the right to asylum.
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Take Action NOW
The California State legislature is back in session after the Easter break, and bills are being heard in committees in both chambers. See the alerts below to act on these alarming proposed bills, and visit our Advocacy page for more legislative info.
Physician-Assisted Suicide Proponents Aim to Remove "Safeguards"
With doctor-assisted suicide being legal in California for only a few years, proponents say the law is working and now want SB 380 to eliminate necessary "safeguards" and reduce the "trial period" they initially said were needed to help protect Californians from abuse and misuse of the law.
Stop the Expansion of Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
SB 245 would remove insurance co-pays or any other cost-sharing requirement for all abortion services and would prohibit cost-sharing from being imposed on a Medi-Cal beneficiary for those services.
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April 9, 2021
Vol. 14 No. 13
California Catholic Conference
En Español
"Everyone needs assistance, especially the most vulnerable. Only together can we build a more just and health[y] world. All of us are called to combat the pandemic and vaccines are an essential tool in this fight." #worldhealthday
@Pontifex
BISHOPS' STATEMENT ON COVID-19 VACCINES
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