Cardinal Michael Czerny of the Vatican criticized the Trump administration's cuts to USAID funding and aggressive immigration enforcement, highlighting their impact on church-run humanitarian programs and vulnerable communities. In a decisive move affecting global aid, the Trump administration, with Elon Musk's support, froze USAID's $40 billion budget. The freeze jeopardized major programs and caused alarm at Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Internationalis. A federal judge temporarily halted plans to pull thousands of USAID staff off the job, but funding cuts already disrupted many initiatives.
Czerny, Pope Francis' migration advocate, urged reflection on Christian values and warned against dismantling aid commitments. He said: "There are programs underway and expectations ... to break commitments is a serious thing." On the subject of the more than 8,000 arrests in immigration enforcement actions since the inauguration, Czerny said, "A crackdown is a terrible way to administer affairs and much less to administer justice."
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a stern warning against policies negatively impacting immigrants and vulnerable groups. Though US aid is a tiny fraction of GDP (far less than a biblical tithe of 10%, as Czerny noted), the cuts sparked urgent calls for alternative funding. Czerny cited Francis' ethos to "welcome the stranger." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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