Church and political leaders alike expressed alarm over a growing culture of impunity. President Rodrigo Duterte’s frequent tirades against the Catholic Church in the Philippines are believed to have emboldened killers in the recent attacks against priests.
Tens of thousands—including children—may be trapped in illegal employment in U.K. construction, hospitality and agriculture sectors, in domestic service, and, sadly, in prostitution.
“About 40 percent of the people who come here speak English better than Spanish,” Father Murphy says. “They’re all Mexicans, but they got deported after being in the states 30, 40 years. Sometimes they’ll come up and ask, ‘Do you speak English?’”
Many ostensibly patriotic Americans do not know and, if known, do not obey, that federal law prohibits using the flag “as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery,” “embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs" and more.
A decision to deny appeals for asylum in the United States based on claims of domestic abuse or gang violence has been deplored by Catholic leaders from coast to coast.