BOSTON – Sanctuary city defenders from current and ex-state lawmakers to faith leaders, immigrant-rights advocates, a pediatrician and former American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts leader all lined up Thursday to deliver impassioned remarks in opposition to the latest version of a bill that seeks to penalize these communities by stripping them of state aid.
"I have rarely seen a more vague or problematic piece of legislation as H 1856," said John Roberts, the former executive director of the state ACLU, referring to the bill introduced by Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica). "What federal immigration laws are local authorities required or even legally allowed to enforce?"
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has said that Catholics should witness to their faith but not undertake organized efforts to convert Jews, a significant step forward in the once tense relations between the two faiths.
The document released on Thursday (Dec. 10) by the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews also pushed for greater efforts to fight anti-Semitism.
