The group of Catholic nuns who launched the Nuns On A Bus tour to shed light on the effects the House Republican budget would have on the poor turned its attention to the GOPs presidential candidate this week, challenging Mitt Romney to join them for a day to learn about the plight of the poor. NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization, issued the call on Wednesday and was joined yesterday by the Franciscan Action Network, an organization of friars and sisters. The nuns have now sent a letter to the Romney campaign, asking the candidate to join them during his current swing through Ohio. The letter again challenges Romneys misleading television ads about welfare reform, which the nuns say demonize the families we serve and reflect a woeful lack of knowledge about the challenges faced by tens of millions of Americans:
We are deeply troubled by your campaigns recent advertisements and statements about welfare, which we believe demonize the families we serve and reflect a woeful lack of knowledge about the challenges faced by tens of millions of Americans. By accepting our invitation, we hope that you will have the opportunity to see firsthand the struggles of those in need and have the compassion to desist your campaigns harsh attacks.
We are all Gods children and equal in Gods eyes. Efforts to divide us by class or score political points at the expense of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters reveal the worst side of our countrys politics. Please accept our invitation to witness and to serve.
The letter is signed by NETWORKs executive director, Sister Simone Campbell, who told ThinkProgress this week that Romney doesnt have a clue about the situation facing Americas poorest citizens or the effect his policies would have on them. He thinks theyre lazy, Campbell said Wednesday. It is hard work to keep things together when youre poor. He doesnt have a clue. Let him talk to them, and maybe theyll touch his heart. And his mind too.
Poster Comment:
Well Bless their biblical hearts, indeed!