Priests planning hunger strike at Hastert's office

[MsUSA]

BATAVIA — Priests from the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Rockford Diocese say they will begin a hunger strike at U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert's downtown Batavia office today in support of a federal immigration bill.

The Rev. Larry Dowling, pastor of Chicago's St. Denis Church, said he will be joined by three dozen members of Priests for Justice, including some from Aurora. A handful of priests will not eat until Hastert agrees to meet with them and accept 150,000 postcards in favor of the McCain/Kennedy legislation that supports a gradual path to citizenship for immigrants who work in the United States.

"It's not a free pass," Dowling said of the bill being debated in the Senate. "We're not advocating an open border by any means."

Dowling said the cards were gathered from parishioners all over the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The hunger strike would last until 3 p.m. April 14 — Good Friday — if necessary, Dowling said.
According to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, priests and allies will keep continuous watch until Hastert schedules a meeting.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/politics/congress/3_1_EL05_A3PRIESTS_S1.html

[Greeby]

1. If anyone needed to stop eating, it'd be Hastert

:eyes:

[saltpoint]

3. LOL! Love it!

[saltpoint]

2. I agree with the priests who feel that compassion is an enduring

value worthy of allegiance, and I support them in their hunger strike.

I also love it that they've decided to camp outside of Dennis Hastert's office. What a clueless dweller he is in the House of Status Quo and onto whose weather-beaten old wooden door new theses should be nailed.

Three cheers for those priests.

[Ian David]

4. "Send us more little Mexican boys!" n/t

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

5. Excuse me, but that comment is totally and completely disgusting..

I know Fr. Dowling personally and he's a good priest and a decent human being. He is completely sincere in every way. You should be ashamed of yourself... :mad: :mad:

[Ian David]

8. Yes, I should

My apologies to Fr. Dowling.

I enjoyed his TV show, by the way.

But ya know what?

The Catholic Church has brought it down upon themselves.

Convey my sincere apologies to Fr. Dowling, along with my heartfelt sentiment that he find a more honorable religious organization to associate with if he's truly concerned about the welfare of children.

Ask him if he's looked into Unitarianism or perhaps even The Universal Church of Christ? Those are nice churches that don't try to impose theocracy from behind a facade of "religion."

The Catholic Church should probably get out of the business of caring for children, and they should certainly get the fuck out of the business of telling us how to care for ours.

[pocket]

6. LOL!

hey, if the shoe fits.

[me b zola]

7. I want to believe that they are sincere...

But where is their national voice and clout when someone is sentenced to death in this country? Did they threaten hunger strike if we invaded Iraq? Where is the church's voice on these issues.

In the end they are doing the right thing on this issue, but I can't help but believe their motivation is to increase their parish membership$.







edited because I still don't know how to spell.