Boston, Mass., Feb 11, 2011 / 04:04 am
Massachusetts politicians must remember the vulnerable in their spending cuts planned to remedy a $1.2 billion budget gap, the state’s Catholic bishops said.
“In the devastation of shrinking city and state budgets across the country, all face excruciating choices,” they commented in a Feb. 9 statement. They cautioned against the “temptation” to “turn away from the growing social needs confronting our cities and towns.”
Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston and Bishops George W. Coleman of Fall River, Timothy A. McDonnell of Springfield and Robert J. McManus of Springfield signed the statement.
“For many residents--a great many--the reality of the financial crisis, its initial impact and its continuing turmoil, is all too evident,” they said. “From our pastors and most poignantly from our social service agencies, we see and hear of the recession’s impact on families, and especially on the children.”