NATION - controversial Vatican prohibition on Sister Jeannine Gramick's work with homosexuals; Bishop John M. D'Arcy advocates bishop-university dialogue; court voids partial-birth abortion ban in Rhode Island; other religious news

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 17, 1999

Charged with Gardner was Kurt Chione, 41, a church organist from Aurora, Ill., who pleaded not guilty Aug. 31 and was freed on $1,000 bail. A preliminary hearing in his case was set for Sept. 30.

Under terms of Gardner's plea agreement, half of his 180-day sentence will be suspended if he undergoes psychological assessment, makes the necessary restitution and writes a letter of apology to the two churches.

Fr. Timothy Svea, U.S. superior for the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, said that Gardner is currently fulfilling no priestly responsibilities and, prior to his imprisonment, was living with members of a family who are friends of the community. After fulfilling the civil penalties that await him, Svea said Gardner will face discipline from the Institute of Christ the King and probably be reassigned overseas.

Study finds poverty driven by immigration policy

U.S. poverty increasingly is being driven by U.S. immigration policy, according to a study released Sept. 2 on Capitol Hill.

Titled "Importing Poverty: Immigration's Impact on the Size and Growth of the Poor Population in the United States," the report was written by Steven A. Camarota, research director at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.

The study found that the number of people in immigrant households living in poverty nearly tripled from 2.7 million in 1979 to 7.7 million in 1997.

It also said the gap between immigrant and native poverty widened significantly.

The report's executive summary stated: "The poverty rate for persons living in immigrant households grew dramatically from 15.5 percent in 1979 to 18.8 percent in 1989 and to 21.8 percent in 1997."

Over the same period, the poverty rate for people in native households stayed relatively constant at about 12 percent.

The study said that, between 1979 and 1997, immigrant-headed households increased by 68 percent, but their share of the total poor population increased by 123 percent.

The findings are based on data from the 1980 and 1990 federal censuses and from the March 1998 Current Population Survey.

"What this means overall," Camarota said Sept. 2, "is that immigration has become a determining factor in the size and growth of poverty in this country.

"In the 1990s alone, the growth in immigrant-related poverty accounted for 75 percent or 3 million of the total increase in the size of the poor population between '89 and '97," he said.

Michigan kicks off campaign for better school choice

The campaign to allow Michigan voters to expand school choice for every student has drawn praise from church leaders.

"I wholeheartedly support the petition effort by the `Kids First! Yes!' campaign. This is all about choice," Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit said Aug. 31.

The "Kids First! Yes!" campaign was kicked off Aug. 26 with a series of press conferences in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids. The group will have 180 days from Sept. 1 to gather at least 302,711 signatures of registered voters in order to place the issue on the November 2000 ballot.