In a letter published in the San Francisco Chronicle April 16, 2015, Catholics appealed to Pope Francis to replace the archbishop with a leader true to Catholic values. In response to the ad, the archbishops’s reply was "The greatest misrepresentation of all is that the signers presume to speak for the Catholic Community of San Francisco...They do not.” We want Pope Francis to know that YES THEY DO speak for us! "Archbishop Cordileone has fostered an atmosphere of division and intolerance." say leaders. "He has forced Archdiocesan high school teachers to accept a mean-spirited morality code that violates individual consciences, as well as California labor laws He supports a pastor at Star of the Sea parish who marginalizes women’s participation in the church by banning girls from altar service, contrary to your desire to expand women’s roles in the Catholic Church. He has isolated himself from our community, and brushes aside advice from his priests. The Archdiocese of San Francisco is threatened and cannot survive, let alone thrive and grow, under Archbishop Cordileone’s supervision." Full text of the letter is available at: http://bit.ly/1b1ZLhm The story has been covered at: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Prominent-Catholics-call-on-pope-to-oust-S-F-6202539.php Get involved by following the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theyspeakforme?fref=nf

Corinthian Colleges Inc. isn’t a school, it's a fraud factory that buried vulnerable students, low income people of colour, veterans, and single mothers in unbearable debt. So why did the Department of Education bail them out while sinking students? Currently there are 107 (and counting) former Corinthian students demanding a full debt discharge not only for themselves but for the half a million other students Corinthian defrauded. As people of faith, our tradition of jubilee reminds us never to accept an economy that isn’t working for the betterment of everyone within their society. The Biblical call to debt forgiveness is more than just an economic safeguard, it is a sacred teaching - a reminder of how human economies drift toward inequity and injustice, and must be routinely checked in the service of all God's children. The fraud perpetrated by Corinthian Colleges Inc. not only represents clear abuses perpetrated against these particular students (which the Department of Education has the clear authority to relieve), it illustrates a much broader problem facing all student borrowers. An entire generation is sinking under the unreasonable burden of predatory lending practices, and the time has come for a fair debt cancellation process for all students. Inspired by the student debt strikers? Donate to their Strike Fund to support future travel and organizing: https://debtcollective.org/studentstrike#donate

Here are a few statistics that might surprise you: - Fewer than 45% of Americans know a single Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, or Hindu - 40% of Americans have negative attitudes toward atheists - Globally, religious tension is at a six-year high We can look at them and say, “Oh well.” Or we can do something about it. On college campuses all across the country, we young people young people are deciding to do something about it! April 14th is Better Together Day, a national day to bring every American - no matter how they orient around religion - together to talk about what inspires them to make the world a better place. *Between now and 4/14, you can take part by having one conversation with someone of another religious or non-religious background and sharing your experience online.* And science backs up our approach! Research shows that when you know just ONE person of a different religious or non-religious background it leads to a more positive view of that whole community. And once you know someone’s beliefs, you can find what values you have in common, and use that as a basis to work together to fix the problems we all share. Imagine if a faith leader, nurse, doctor, lawyer, teacher, entrepreneur, or activist connected with just one new person. The ripple effect could help transform religion, healthcare, education, business, government and so many other systems where our lives connect. And it starts with just one a conversation. Pledge to celebrate Better Together Day and keep an eye in your inbox for some handy materials to help you have your conversation this week. We’ve seen firsthand that having one interfaith conversation can make a big difference. Here’s a story from one of our champions, Wendy Low, a Jewish senior at the University of Denver. “I was in Chicago for a weeklong interfaith leadership training with students from across the country and different religious backgrounds – including my soon-to-be friend Anusha, a Muslim. We were there to learn how to supercharge our interfaith activism back on campus. We were pumped! But there was a problem. Half a world away, the conflict in Gaza was raging. It was a tragic and religiously-charged moment. Anusha and I disagreed on many parts of the conflict – and our different religious identities were a part of that. What helped us get through the conflict – despite our differences, despite the media, and despite the enormous emotions of the time – was that I understood Anusha’s values because we talked about them. I understood that, as a Muslim, Anusha believes in peace and helping others. And she’s passionate about issues that I care about too – including homelessness, hunger, and human trafficking. Our conversation gave us a common ground of shared values to build our friendship and work better together. I hope you’re feeling as inspired as I am to take part in Better Together Day, a project of Interfaith Youth Core.”

It is discriminatory and it is unfair: As one high-ranking Church official put it: “...excluding girls from being altar servers is 'invidious discrimination' and to do this in this day and age in our culture has no justification." http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/san-francisco-priests-council-debates-pr-disaster-parish The decision was based on a flawed interpretation of Church teachings: Serving at mass is not a priestly function, and it is not a recruiting tool for the priesthood. http://cta-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LETTER-for-petition.pdf The ban “discredits the value of girls’ service in the Church”: Every other parish in the archdiocese allows altar girls, and we do not want Fr. Illo’s ban to set a precedent for other parishes. As one priest from a neighboring parish says: "For one San Francisco parish to choose to limit altar servers to males only is just not their business. It hurts us all when it argues archaic theology that discredits the value of girls' service in the Church.” http://www.siprep.org/page.cfm?p=9377 Read more about Star of the Sea Parish and the ban on altar girls at:  http://www.welovestarsf.com/faq.html

The teachings of our respective faiths are steeped in the understanding that we have a communal responsibility to care for the most vulnerable in society. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ensuring that all workers receive a fair wage are not simply policy positions: they are sacred obligations. The People’s Budget would create desperately-needed, good paying jobs, repeal sequester and all Budget Control Act spending caps and end Corporate Inversions that allow U.S. companies to avoid paying taxes. The Budget’s proposals invest in veterans, women, communities of color and their families and K-12 education. It expands the Earned Income Tax Credit and unemployment insurance and enhances the social safety net. It reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and implements comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. In short, The People’s Budget, if passed, would set our nation back on the path toward a fair and healthy economy. These priorities were among those laid out by the Washington DC Interfaith community in releasing our own Faithful Budget, which lays out how government spending could align with these moral priorities: http://bit.ly/faithful-budget The "People's Budget" echoes many of the key proposals outlined in the Faithful Budget, so we're proud to support it. Read more about the "People's Budget" here: http://bit.ly/peoples-budget Our government should serve all of its citizens. By bolstering the social safety net for those who most need it and prioritizing measures that reduce the growing inequality in our nation, The People’s Budget does just that, and it deserves the support of Congress. We urge you to vote for it when it comes to the House Floor.

Jeanette Vizguerra, a Colorado community leader and mother, is facing deportation. Jeanette has led the fight against her own deportation since 2009, part of her secret to success is her die hard community. She needs it again, today! Share this and spread the word. Jeanette has lived in Colorado for twenty years, has 3 small children who are US citizens and has given selflessly as a community activist. She worked for SEIU as a labor organizer and volunteered with her children’s schools, the Aurora Neighborhood Watch Program, Rights for All People, the American Friends Service Committee and contributes to the Romero Troupe. She founded Dreamers Mothers in Action-Colorado. Jeanette has worked hard to build her community in Colorado and has inspired many with her courage and passion. Jeanette’s story exemplifies the brutality of our immigration system that is unjustly separating families and denying many the ability to live with dignity. Although this immigration system has tried to destroy Jeanette’s dignity, she is still fighting to be with her children and she needs our support!! History: Jeanette Vizguerra (A# 089-826-036), came to the US in 1997 with her husband and daughter. They fled after her husband, a bus driver, had been threatened at gun point for the third time. Jeanette worked cleaning office buildings and became a key member of her SEIU local, 105. Eventually she became an organizer, leading the fight for better pay and benefits for all janitors. She also joined a local advocacy group called Rights for All People as one of its founding members. She worked to establish trust and relationship between the immigrant community and the police. She and her husband started a moving and cleaning company and eventually had three more children, all US citizens. Jeanette’s case began in 2009 when she was pulled over for an expired license plate and then arrested for driving without a license (at that time Coloradans couldn't get a license if they couldn't prove status). That traffic stop led to a police officer discovering documents she was going to use to apply for a third job this discovery resulted in a misdemeanor. The economic downturn had impacted the moving company and her husband had taken ill so she was the only breadwinner for her family. In 2013, as she was awaiting an appeal in her case, she received a call from Mexico that her mother was dying. Despite 17 years in the US and thousands of miles, Jeanette and her mother spoke weekly. There are no humanitarian visas or programs available for those circumstances and Jeanette decided she had to be at her mother’s side before she died. She flew to Mexico the next day and, as she was in the air, her mother died. After 7 months of trying to build a life and send for her children, it became clear to Jeanette that at 40 she was too old to get good paying work in Mexico and decided to return to the US. She was detained at the border, and with the help of community, released back to Denver, where she has continued to pick up the threads of her life. This is why Jeanette needs your support. Sign and share this petition widely. http://www.groundswell-mvmt.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Jeanette.png

Decreases in state education aid since the 2008 recession have been devastating for our state's schools, leading to cuts in essential programs and staff in districts all over the state. For poor districts, which were already severely underfunded, the last seven years have been catastrophic. Inequality in our schools is now at an all-time high: our poorest districts get by on $8,733 less per pupil than our wealthiest. This is wrong. At a time when New York State spends $7 billion per year in tax breaks for corporations, we can afford to invest in education. Not only does New York have the resources to adequately fund our schools, it has the constitutional and moral obligation to do so immediately. This money should have no strings attached; it is public money which our schools need and to which they are entitled. To tie needed funding to unproven "reforms" that scapegoat teachers, rather than addressing underlying inequality and poverty, is unconscionable. For the sake of the well-being of our children and our communities, we call on you to prioritize our public schools and give them the additional $2.2 billion they urgently need.

This week the state of Georgia issued a new warrant for Kelly's execution. She is scheduled to be put to death on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 — unless we act now. Kelly's story is one of redemption and transformation. Convicted for her part in planning the 1997 murder of her husband, Doug Gissendaner, Kelly has been transformed during her time in prison. She has accepted full responsibility for her crime and has become a powerful voice for good. While incarcerated, she has been a pastoral presence to many, teaching, preaching, and living a life of purpose. Kelly is a living testament to the possibility of change and the power of hope. She is an extraordinary example of the rehabilitation that the corrections system aims to produce. Despite the testimony of clergy, educators, former inmates, corrections officers, and Kelly’s own children pleading for their mother’s life, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has condemned Kelly to death. Earlier this year, Georgia twice planned to execute Kelly and then postponed, first because of snow, and then because the drugs secretively prepared for her execution were “cloudy.” In August, the courts ruled that Georgia was free to set a new execution date. The Board of Pardons and Paroles’ denial of clemency is an outrageous miscarriage of justice. As people of faith, we hold that all life is sacred. We also believe in mercy. Shaped by these beliefs, we are calling on Governor Nathan Deal's Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Kelly’s sentence from death to life in prison without parole. Time is running out, and we need you to join us in calling on Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to stop the execution of Kelly Gissendaner. For more information: www.kellyonmymind.com

Two years ago, millions of us rose up in a movement to protect the open Internet -- and we won. Net neutrality keeps the Internet an open platform for people of all faiths and backgrounds to communicate, create, and organize online. Today the Internet is a space where all of us -- no matter the content of our beliefs, color of our skin, size of our wallets -- have an equal voice. The Internet has become the prophetic platform of the 21st century. Through online actions, we have protected sons and daughters from deportation, uplifted communities in the aftermath of mass shootings, changed federal policy on hate crimes, told untold stories, and much more. We have showed up for one another, as people of faith and moral fiber, in life-giving ways. But today, President Trump's appointee announced that he will overturn net neutrality rules. We vow to be part of the resistance. In this critical time, we need net neutrality now more than ever to fight and defend the future of our democracy. Our marches, vigils, petitions, and calls to action depend on organizing on an open Internet. So today, we vow to continue to champion faith and moral voices in the fight to protect the open Internet as a moral imperative. We, as people of many faiths and backgrounds, ask lawmakers to do the right thing as a moral imperative. Please sign and share this now.

Early Wednesday morning, students Deah Barakat, aged 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan, 19, were gunned down in their Chapel Hill home by a neighbor. The Muslim community is upset at the tragic loss of innocent life, scared for their children and feeling alone. While the motive for the shooting is still unclear, it is important that we move quickly to show our Muslim-American neighbors and colleagues that we care for them and are equally horrified by this shooting. As people of diverse faith and moral traditions, let our Muslim American friends know that we stand firm with them in this difficult time and reject the hateful actions of this shooter.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has proposed that teachers and staff at Bay Area high schools within the Archdiocese accept “morality clauses” that condemn homosexuality as contrary to “natural law,” contraception as “intrinsically evil,” ordination of female priests as impossible, and use of assisted reproductive technology as a “grave evil.” Every staff member is expected to “conduct their lives so as to not visibly contradict, undermine or deny these truths.” The Archbishop is also attempting to reclassify all Catholic school employees, including teachers, administrative staff, custodial and food service staff, as “ministers,” a move that could eliminate anti-discrimination and other workplace protections for those staff members. Students need a safe space free of judgment and fear. Not only is the move completely out of step with modern Catholic teachings and beliefs, but we could lose some of our best teachers and staff.

The synod would benefit from listening to Catholic representatives from diverse constituencies and from engaging in the dialogue Pope Francis has promoted throughout his papacy. We believe widening the circle will create greater understanding among the synod fathers whose final recommendations to Pope Francis may impact our Church's pastoral practice for years to come. This petition is sponsored by: Aggiornomento, Australia (ACCCR) American Catholic Council Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests Australian Catholic Coalition for Church Renewal (ACCCR) Australian Reforming Catholics ARC (ACCCR) Call to Action Catholic Church Reform International Catholics for ministry CfM, Australia (ACCCR) Catholics for Renewal, Austraiia (ACCCR) Catholic Network for Women's Equality, Canada CORPUS The Cyber Community, Australia (ACCCR) DignityUSA Federation of Christian Ministries/Roman Catholic Faith Community Council Fortunate Families The Friendship Group WA, Australia (ACCCR) FutureChurch Inclusive Catholics, Australia (ACCCR) International Movement of We Are Church Loretto Women's Network National Coalition of American Nuns New Ways Ministry Noi Siamo Chiesa (Italian section of IMWAC) Pfarrei-Initiative, Schweiz Pfarrer-Initiative Austria Parrish Initiative Switzerland RAPPORT Roman Catholic Womenpriests RCWP-USA Sisters of Providence Peace With Justice Committee, St. Mary-of-the-Woods Southeastern Pennsylvania Women's Ordination Conference Vision of Faithful People (Netherlands) Voice of the Faithful We are All Church, South Africa (WAACSA) Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual Women and the Australian Church WATAC (ACCCR) Women's Ordination Conference Women's Ordination Worldwide