USCCB committee chairman laments Supreme Court decision on criminalization of homeless
July 02, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development said that “criminalizing homeless is not the response to caring for those in need” after the Supreme Court upheld an Oregon city law that banned outdoor sleeping in public places (AP coverage).
Archbishop Borys Gudziak, the Ukrainian Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia and chairman of the committee, said that the 6-3 decision failed to “affirm the inherent dignity of a person, which is properly recognized by the Constitution.”
“Instead of punishing the most vulnerable among us, government should help provide shelter and economic and social programs that uphold and enhance the dignity of homeless persons,” he added.
In an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had argued that “homeless people should not be punished merely because they lack shelter.” The Los Angeles Catholic Worker also filed a brief in the case.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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