When the Capitol erupted in protests over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair bill, religious leaders were among the strongest voices, leading protesters in prayer vigils and lending their moral authority in support of workers’ protections. The daily protests and proclamations have subsided. But that advocacy continues as faith leaders in Wisconsin and across the country work to ensure lawmakers do not balance state and national budgets on the backs of the poor.
Late last month, a coalition of 50 Christian organizations – from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the National Association of Evangelicals – launched what they called the “Circle of Protection” around the poor. They put Congress on notice that they will resist cuts to food, housing, health care and other programs that serve the basic needs of society’s most vulnerable.
In Wisconsin, religious organizations are meeting with lawmakers, and encouraging their members to speak out at legislative hearings and from their pulpits in support of the poor.