Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, told participants at the Social Action Summer Institute July 18 that only religious-minded patience can save the world from the horrific headlines of the day.
“The past year has been heart breaking. Our patience has been tested,” he said. “Patience is not resignation. It is not abdication.”
In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis invoked four pastoral principles: time is greater than space, unity should prevail over conflict, realities are more important than ideas, and the whole is greater than the part.
In his address, Soto said those principles of Catholic action need to be applied in a wide range of issues, including immigration, police and law enforcement, the #MeToo movement, organized labor, marriage, work with veterans, and sex education. Soto, who worked as associate director of Catholic Charities in his home diocese of Orange, California, was active in assisting undocumented immigrants who received amnesty in the Immigration Reform Act of 1986. He became bishop of Sacramento in 2008.
The #MeToo movement upholds the dignity of all those in the workplace, Soto said, while the church should emphasize its traditional support of labor unions.
“Many of the faithful are part of unions. Many are those without labor protections that unions can provide,” he said. The Janus vs. AFSCME Supreme Court decision, issued in June, ruled against the right of public sector labor unions to collect “agency fees” (dues) from all employees. That decision, said Soto, is an example of how government and social policy is shifting in favor of individuals at the expense of intermediary institutions such as unions and the church.
Full story at National Catholic Reporter.
Another reason not ever to give a cent to most diocesan fund drives. These men simply have no idea of what they are supposed to do. Instead we have unelected social democrats that operate as if they have a special knowledge or expertise in certain secular areas and that we are supposed to pay attention to what they say. No, we don’t. In fact, you, B. Soto, are not supposed to pay attention to such things. Instead, your mission is to offer solace to the sinner and direction to the confessional, to aid the penitent, to provide pray and the sacraments for your flock, so that they can attain salvation (go to Heaven, that is, and avoid Hell). But you probably don’t believe in that, do you B. Soto? Better to quit and be a professor of…
Amen
What if the labor union is supporting abortion, so called “marriages” between two men or two women and are against notifying parents that their under aged pregnant daughters want abortions as many labor unions do? Let us face it; there is as much corruption in some unions as there is in some corporations
St. Paul said in the Bible not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and I can certainly see what he meant. It applies not just to marriage, but other organizations as well at times.
Perfect examples of why Bishop Soto needs to clean up his Diocese, clean up the abuse and STOP supporting the SJW thatcassust, fund, and promote “abortion”, the Socialist Democrat Party that funds Planned Parenthood. You cannot have it both ways
Employee Union dues go the the corrupt Union bosses to give to the corrupt Democrats.
Bp. Soto — your “Never Trumpet” is showing…
Bishops have a lot of house cleaning to do in ridding active homosexuals from their midst. Forming those in their flock according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church takes priority over their political activism.
St. Christopher, I agree with all you say.
The Bishop is saying we should support radically immoral organizations – Bishop Soto has lost his way.
How about the Catholic Church supporting the salvation of souls?
Just more evidence that the US Catholic Church is in lock step with the Democrat Party — the party of pro-abortion, the party that denied God three times at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Mal tipo!
I wonder who wrote his speech for him?—Bernie Sanders?
Just like McCarrick and so many other prelates, Soto curries favor with the political Left and gives a bit of lip service to the Faithful.
How small of him.
A public employee, such as a teacher, should be free to choose to join the union or not. The Janus decision supports this freedom. Many public unions were using union dues to promote values that were contrary to the core values of its members. Janus has ended this compulsory imprisonment and now allows public employees to be free from unions that have veered away from contract/worker issues and got involved in political and social issues members personally opposed. Janus is a very good Supreme Court ruling.
Yes, the Church should support labor unions and working people.
And, the Church should commit to abolishing the death penalty in all cases and all places. Oh, wait,… Pope Francis just did that!
So typical of a leftist, of course you want the backing of the Church to support your leftist agenda…. Yes Anti-Pope did just do that, of course you support planned parenthood and destruction of the unborn in the name of tolerance. The schism is coming and Church will be purified of the Left
Labor unions do not work for working people, they work to fatten their own pockets and promote the most extreme liberal agenda which is by definition anti Catholic. I am sure you are aware of this. So your provocation should not confuse anyone.
1) The Church, through all of the Popes, has taught that we must support the idea of workers joining together to improve their work life and wages. This is nothing new.
2) Wages have been stagnant for nearly two decades while profits and the pay of executives skyrocketed. The workers have no one to represent them.
3) Unions have gone from emphasis on wages and working conditions to an emphasis on social issues in the public square.
4) Union contracts are most prevalent among government workers but nearly nonexistent in private industry which results in laws that replace the union contract.
I almost completely agree with you Bob One Hell must be getting a cold snap. Unions today are more concerned with their “social injustice” agenda then the workers. Thank God the Court ruled that members are no longer required to pay dues for causes they oppose
Bob One— specify where it is written that a Catholic must support the forced joining of a union or paying dues to promote behaviors antithetical to the Catholic faith. On the other hand, I cannot understand why people go so ferociously after Bishop Soto? He has every right to express his opinion on a matter open to the prudential judgment of every Catholic. Now if he takes it further and insists that all Catholics must agree with his opinion, that is precisely the point at which he goes wrong.
“Bob One”: Unions must have a religious character, which they do not. From “Rerum Novarum,” (Leo XIII): ” It is clear that they must pay special and chief attention to the duties of religion and morality, and that social betterment should have this chiefly in view; otherwise they would lose wholly their special character, and end by becoming little better than those societies which take no account whatever of religion. What advantage can it be to a working man to obtain by means of a society material well-being, if he endangers his soul for lack of spiritual food? (Para. 57).
The California Nurses Association (CNA) is a labor union. $50,000 was contributed to the California Democratic Party on March 13, 2017 and June 19, 2018. On February 13, 2018 CNA contributed $180,000 to Gavin Newsom (D) for Governor of California campaign. CNA gives thousands of dollars to other Democrat campaigns and progressive causes. Money that could go to the welfare of working RN’s instead is funneled off and handed to candidates, political parties, and causes diametrically opposed to Catholic teaching. Nurses must assert their rights under the Janus decision and keep their hard earned dollars in their pockets instead of having their funds siphoned off to fund politicians and causes they can’t in good conscience support…
AFSCME – American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=7515
PS: National Catholic Reporter is not Catholic.
These concerns are what the Bishops are dedicating time towards ? Saving souls and directing them to spend etenity in Heaven is what needs to be taught. Stop distracting Catholics from where the real problem stands and thats with there own behavior, sins of the body. Many of them are animals !!!!
Thank God for Bishop Soto! As a practicing Catholic, working man and a union member I am pleased that Bishop Soto is speaking out for working folks instead of just the uber rich. Do not believe everything you see and hear on Fox News, a lot of their stories are just fake news. Also, the tax cuts for the rich have not “trickled down” to the working class and where is the beautiful and great Trumpcare health plan? Not delivered!
Ah another leftist who probably thought the Obama years were an economic boom, Unions are corrupt occupied by thugs and who do the bidding of the Left.. I will take the flawed resident of the White House than the former street hustler and communist. Get over your healthcare wants…. Health care IS NOT a right…
Ironic when you consider almost all bishops don’t allow their own employees to unionize.
The Church should indeed support the concept of private-sector unions where they are desired by the workers. As for supporting the particular agenda of any particular union, that is not the clergy’s business. They have a duty only to oppose anything immoral in union agendas (not to pass judgment on prudential issues.) Still another issue is the question of public-sector unions, the wisdom of which is highly dubious.
Those of you opposed to public employee labor unions may not know that your police officers and firefighters belong to such unions.
Radicals love unions. It’s a shortcut to power. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is a union of a sort.