Pittsburgh’s templed hills have long provided refuge to persons of diverse heritages and faiths whose virtues tempered our city of steel. The Catholic Sisters Leadership Council of Western Pennsylvania wishes to join Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in welcoming vulnerable migrants and refugees seeking asylum from violence, injustice and other life-threatening conditions.

Comprehensive immigration reform — including humane treatment of migrants — has long been a priority for Catholic sisters. Our faith teaches us that all people possess inherent dignity and have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families. While sovereign nations have the right to control their borders, we cannot ignore the human situation of violence, extreme poverty and oppressive living conditions that force people to flee their homes. We have a strong moral obligation to provide refuge to the most vulnerable among us.

Catholic sisters have been blessed to accompany and serve migrant, refugee and immigrant communities in Western Pennsylvania for hundreds of years. Our faith calls us to love, and we will continue to welcome all seeking compassion and mercy. As women of faith, we also continue to pray for all our leaders, regardless of political party. May you always act justly, mercifully and courageously.

Sister Janet Gardner

Sister Maria Kruszweski

Castle Shannon

The writers are co-chairs of the Catholic Sisters Leadership Council of Western Pennsylvania.

Obama vs. Trump

To better understand how we descended into this era of hate politics and partisan warfare, it is telling to compare the last two American presidents.

One was likable, charismatic; the other outspoken, abrasive. One, a smooth-talking politician; the other, a direct-speaking businessman.

One, the media’s darling; the other, the media’s target.

One’s policies favored big government and socialism; the other, individual opportunity and capitalism.

One, in eight years, was a well-liked but ineffective president; the other, a highly ridiculed but very effective president (in three years, he reduced taxes, created record employment and a dynamic economy, and improved security).

All these differences have led to this era of hate politics, sparked by the loss of the presidential election, loss of power and dislike of the president.

Whatever happened to our balanced, objective news media and the inclusive Democratic Party of Jack Kennedy? Today’s Democrats spend all their time and energy investigating and trying to impeach President Trump, and proposing all kinds of politically advantageous but economically destructive, socialistic give-away programs that our country can’t afford.

Look at Venezuela, with its once oil-rich economy. About 40,000 Venezuelans, under their socialistic regime, are leaving by foot each day to neighboring Colombia because they lack food, jobs, medicine and safety.

Democrats should get over their hate for Trump and start working with him for the good of the country. And our biased, liberal media should present all sides of political issues.

Ron Raymond, Buffalo Township

Christian leaders and Trump

Wherefore art thou, Christian leaders? Who are these wolves in sheep’s clothing that are pretending to be you?

Our president has committed multiple acts of adultery, yet you say, “He gets a mulligan!” He has lied thousands of times (and counting) to the American people, yet your voices are silent. He demonizes anyone who stands up to him, yet you say, “We knew what we were getting.” He sows the seeds of hate at every campaign rally, yet you deem him a godly man.

Do you not care anymore, or do you now just preach from redacted Bibles? Evangelical leaders think they resurrected King Cyrus, but in reality they resurrected the golden calf. Are you so arrogant that you forgot that Satan will give you what you want as long as he gets what he wants? Do you think you can lead people to God by being hypocrites?

It truly appears that Second Thessalonians, Chapter 2, has come to be. We can only hope that the new Christian leaders who graduate will be able to remain true to God and follow the Bible’s teachings, because the mess that you will have left them won’t be easy to clean up.

Dwayne Kiger, Brighton Heights

Peduto and the Pennsylvania Senate gun bill

A few things stand out in Mayors Bill Peduto and Jim Kenney’s op-ed “Bill Peduto, Philly mayor: Why we oppose Pa. Senate gun bill.”

One, it states incorrectly that Senate Bill 531 would pre-empt local jurisdictions from enacting firearms laws. Current state law already pre-empts local jurisdictions from enacting firearms laws. Bill 531 just imposes consequences to local jurisdictions that violate state law and offers compensation to unjustly persecuted citizens.

Two, it states that we need uniform laws at the state and federal levels. This statement contradicts their own position where they want to allow local jurisdictions to create local firearms laws.

Three, it attempts to mislead and use the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions to affirm the ability of local jurisdictions to apply local solutions. Both constitutions do not “bestow certain powers upon the government closest to the issue,” so this statement is also incorrect. Both constitutions affirm the right to keep and bear arms and that this right shall not be infringed or questioned, especially by grandstanding local politicians.

Finally, the op-ed states that they would like the Pennsylvania General Assembly to “address the proliferation of both legal and illegal guns in Pennsylvania.” I appreciate their honesty in admitting their desire to attack legally owned firearms and their owners instead of just the criminals who violate firearms laws.

It’s unfortunate that our political leadership is more interested in control than upholding their sworn oath to the constitutions and protecting our unalienable rights.

Michael Sivack, Murrysville

Trump’s plans for farmers

The article “Western Pa. farmers prefer free market trade to tariff-compensation handout” makes one dramatically aware of one of the domestic economic problems caused by our chaotic Trump tariff “policy.”

Our United States agricultual export business has grown successfuly for many years with China as our largest customer for the major crop of soybeans. Brazilian and other soybean farmers are now very happy to take that business away from our farmers.

To placate our domestic farmers, President Trump has now waved his magic wand and plans to bestow upon them a “gift” of $15 billion to ease their pain.

Question: Where will that $15 billion come from?

Answer: Not from the Chinese. It will come directly from U.S. taxpayers.

Charles Henry, Greensburg

‘Taking care of’ the babies

Letter-writer Robin Hammonds (“With abortion outlawed, who will take care of the babies?” asks, “… who’s going to take care of all the unwanted babies?” Apparently her answer, like the others who advocate aborting perfectly normal fetuses, is to “take care” of them by killing them.

I pose five questions for Ms. Hammonds:

• Did you ever think that the people who helped to make the babies might take care of them?

• Can you not propose a better solution to “unwanted babies” (your term, not mine) than killing them?

• Do you think that you would be better off had your mother aborted you?

• Do you think that the world would be a better place had your mother aborted you?

• And finally, do you think your mother would be proud of you?

Wayne Baughman, Salem

Why should Trump release his taxes?

With thousands of people illegally crossing our southern border daily to manipulate our asylum laws, and the national debt approaching $22 trillion, President Trump is trying to find solutions to both — he has repeatedly proposed cutting wasteful spending from the budget and controlling the flood of illegals crossing the border. Democrats refuse to do any of this.

Instead, Democrats demand to see the president’s tax returns, as if obsessed with them.

A trip down memory lane to the 2012 elections: Then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) said of presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) — “So the word is out that he (Romney) has not paid any taxes for 10 years. Let him prove he has paid taxes, because he has not.”

Reid’s claim was repeated widely on social media and became accepted as “fact.” The claim was also broadcast on TV news networks, even though Reid provided no evidence of his claim. Romney released his tax returns that showed he paid $6.2 million in taxes over two years.

By Reid’s liar math, $6.2 million in taxes paid = “none.”

Romney lost the election. When Reid was later asked about his peddling of a false claim, he replied (with a smirk) — “Romney didn’t win, did he?”

In the past two years, Democrats have repeatedly slandered Trump as “a Russian agent” without a shred of evidence to support their claim.

Why on earth would anyone hand over their tax returns to professional liars?

C. Colpo, Burgettstown

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