Another U.S. bishop has weighed in on the issue of poverty in the 2012 campaign. Bishop Kevin Farrell posted this at the website of the Dallas diocese he leads. The - pardon the expression - money quote:
"Poverty in America is a scandal, certainly not to the poor. There is no scandal to being poor. The scandal is for those of us who could help by using our influence and resources to promote community and government programs to assist and do not do so."
Farrell takes the traditional "both/and" Catholic approach to issues, both private charity and government programs. And, he here follows the even more traditional Gospel mandate to care for the poor, a mandate reiterated in our Gospel reading yesterday about the rich young man who walks away sad. Did anyone else wonder what Congressman Ryan and his RC apologists thought while listening to that reading yesterday?
