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Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J. and 29 Catholic leaders urge Speaker Boehner to keep families together by doing his part to pass immigration reform.
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<span class="intro">Dear Speaker Boehner,</span></div>
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<span class="intro">We write to you as fellow Catholics with heavy hearts and a profound sense of urgency. As the House of Representatives still delays passing comprehensive immigration reform, mothers are&nbsp;torn apart from children, migrants are dying in the desert and our nation is weakened.</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>Mr. Speaker, how can we fail to act?</strong></span></div>
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<span class="intro">Legislative obstruction in the face of preventable suffering and death is not only a failure of&nbsp;leadership. It is immoral and shameful. The eyes of our God &mdash; who hungers for justice and&nbsp;commands us to welcome the stranger and bind the wounds of those left by the side of the road &mdash;&nbsp;are on us.</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>Are we deaf to the cries of families and aspiring Americans separated by a broken system?</strong></span></div>
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<span class="intro">We stand with U.S. Catholic bishops who will celebrate Mass on Capitol Hill today, and who come once again to advocate for humane and&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">practical immigration reform.</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>Will you pray with us that the House of Representatives puts aside partisanship and passes comprehensive reform?</strong></span></div>
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<span class="intro">Pope Francis reminds us that a &ldquo;globalization of indifference&rdquo; prevents us from seeing that every migrant, regardless of status, has inherent&nbsp;human dignity. As Catholics who share your commitment to the sanctity of life in the womb, we must not be complicit in the suffering of&nbsp;migrants dying in the shadows. Cardinal Sean O&rsquo;Malley of Boston, who has called justice for immigrants a &ldquo;pro-life&rdquo; issue, spoke during a&nbsp;Mass on the U.S.-Mexico border last month of the &ldquo;unmarked graves of thousands who die alone and nameless.&rdquo;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Is our nation so callous that we fail to weep for those nameless lost? We pray that you and your colleagues in the House have the moral&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">courage to show real leadership and act.</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. LARRY SNYDER</strong>, CEO&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Catholic Charities USA</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. THOMAS H. SMOLICH, S.J.</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Jesuit Conference</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>PATRICIA MCGUIRE,</strong> President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Trinity Washington University</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. DANIEL GROODY, CSC</strong>, Director of Immigration&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Initiatives, Institute for Latino Studies&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">University of Notre Dame</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. STEPHEN A. PRIVETT, S.J.</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">University of San Francisco</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>DONNA M. CARROLL,</strong> President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Dominican University</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. CLETE KILEY</strong>, Director for Immigration Policy&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">UNITE HERE</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. CHARLES CURRIE, S.J.</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Jesuit Commons</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. DREW CHRISTIANSEN, S.J.</strong>, Distinguished&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Professor of Ethics &amp; Global Development&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Georgetown University</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. MICHAEL U. PUCKE</strong>, St. Julie Billiart Parish&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Hamilton County, Ohio</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. ANTHONY KUTCHER</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">National Federation of Priests&rsquo; Councils&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>SR. SIMONE CAMPBELL, SSS</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">NETWORK, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>STEPHEN F. SCHNECK</strong>, Director, Institute for Policy&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Research &amp; Catholic Studies&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">The Catholic University of America</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>SR. SALLY DUFFY, SC</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">SC Ministry Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>MOYA K. DITTMEIER</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Conference for Mercy Higher Education</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. LEONIR CHIARELLO, C.S.</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Scalabrini International Migration Network</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>DONALD KERWIN</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Center for Migration Studies of New York</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>FRANCIS X. DOYLE</strong>, Associate General Secretary&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">(retired), U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. FRED KAMMER, S.J.</strong>, Director</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Jesuit Social&nbsp;Research Institute&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Loyola University New Orleans</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. JOHN BAUMANN, S.J.</strong>, Founder&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">PICO National Network</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>CHRISTOPHER G. KERR,</strong> Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Ignatian Solidarity Network&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>PATRICK CAROLAN</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Franciscan Action Network</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>SR. PAT MCDERMOTT, RSM</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>SR. CAROL ZINN, SSJ</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Leadership Conference of Women Religious</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>SR. PATRICIA CHAPPELL</strong>, Executive Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Pax Christi USA</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>FRANCIS J. BUTLER</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Drexel Philanthropic Advisors</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>JOHN GEHRING</strong>, Catholic Program Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Faith in Public Life</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>GERRY LEE</strong>, Director&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>CHRISTOPHER J. HALE</strong>, Senior Fellow&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good</span></div>
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<span class="intro"><strong>REV. KEVIN WILDES, S.J.</strong>, President&nbsp;</span></div>
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<span class="intro">Loyola University New Orleans</span></div>
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<span class="intro">For a copy of the letter, please visit <a href="http://www.faithinpubliclife.org/">Faith in Public Life</a> or click&nbsp;<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/Catholic Leaders Agree.pdf">HERE</a></span></div>