‘Circle of Protection’ fights budget cuts

Catholic, evangelical, mainline Prot­estant, black and Latino
Christian leaders have formed a "Circle of Protection" against U.S. cuts
to poverty-fighting programs, gearing up for a high-stakes budget
battle as Congress reconvenes.

While recognizing the need for
"fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice," the 50 leaders argue that
Christian values require them "to resist budget cuts that undermine the
lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people."

"Every
budget decision has to be assessed on whether it protects or threatens
human life or dignity," said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton,
Cal­ifornia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops'
domestic policy committee. "The central moral measure of any budget
proposal is how it affects the least of our brothers and sisters, the
needs of those who are hungry or homeless, those who are without work,
those who live in poverty."