The Anchor - February 17, 2020

Page 1

Volume 93/Issue XVI

THE

February 17th, 2020

ANCHOR

Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928

West Warwick priest claims abortion is worse than pedophilia

Alexis Rapoza

Opinions Editor Just days after the 47th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade a local priest spoke out against recent legislation introduced by Rhode Island lawmakers that would move to codify a woman’s right to choose into state law should it be overturned at the national level. Rev. Richard Bucci of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick published an editorial in the church’s weekend bulletin which identified every Rhode Island lawmaker who voted for the Repro-

ductive Privacy Act in 2019 and supports the passing of the recently proposed Equity in Abortion Act by name. Rev. Bucci stated in the editorial that these lawmakers would be refused communion, prohibited from witnessing marriages and not allowed to serve as godparents. Rev. Bucci told NBC 10: “We are not talking about any other moral issue, where some may make it a comparison between pedophilia and abortion. Pedophilia does not kill anyone, and this does.” He then went on to state that more children have been killed by abortions than have been abused. The West Warwick priest’s comments have drawn both local and national attention. State Rep. Julie Casimiro, who voted for the passage of

RPA, stated on her Facebook page that Rhode Island General Assembly should follow Bucci’s lead and publish flier naming all the priests accused of sexual assault and not allow them in the statehouse. Another State Rep. who voted in favor of RPA, Rep. Carol McEntee, has a history with the Sacred Heart Church. Rep. McEntee’s older sister had previously testified that she was abused by a former priest at the West Warwick church. Rep. McEntee also claims that she was forced to leave a relatives funeral and forbidden from giving a eulogy. She told NBC 10, “If he wants to weigh the heinous crime that his predecessor committed on my sister, compared to what he believes I did wrong by voting

According to the DOJ, lawsuits have been filed against the states of California and New Jersey and Washington State. The reasoning behind these lawsuits are that these cities go against the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution, which states that federal laws are the “Supreme law of the land.” However, this interpretation of the clause is disputed by constitutional scholars. Barr announced his intentions in a speech last Tuesday. “When we are talking about sanctuary cities, we are talking about policies that are designed to allow criminal aliens to escape.” The DOJ went on to state that the federal government has the sole authority to make and enforce laws regarding immigration. This has been challenged by several state governments,

who have ordered their police departments to not cooperate or share information with federal agents. Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle, one of the cities under fire by these lawsuits, issued her own response to this move my Barr, “When the DOJ

previously wasted resources and tried to take on the City of Seattle, they lost, and I’m confident they’ll lose again.” This has the potential to set a new precedent for immigration enforcement in America. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the DOJ it could

affect sanctuary cities, and by proxy, undocumented immigrants. One such sanctuary is Providence, which has been a sanctuary for migrants since 2017. Mayor Jorge Elorza has since kept quiet on the situation, but that may not last much longer. Photo by Thomas Crudale

News RIC alumnus Ron McLarty dies at 72 pg. 3

Opinions Big Brother is watching, and he’s a racist pg. 10

Arts & Entertainment Artist Spotlight: Analise Madriaga pg. 9

Sports Anchorwomen take out number one ranked Warriors pg. 13

for what I believe is right for the people of the state of Rhode Island, I don’t think they even compare.” In a statement to “The Washington Post”, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Providence, Carolyn Cronin, refused to say whether the Diocese supported Rev. Bucci’s decision. Instead, she stated, “Because the Church

entrusts to each pastor the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and governing his parish, the daily pastoral and administrative decisions are made at the local parish level.” Cronin further goes on to say that priests are allowed to decide whether or not to adhere to norms set by the Diocese. Graphic courtesy of CNN

Attorney General Barr sues sanctuary cities

Sean Richer News Editor As immigration remains a key issue for the Trump Administration, Attorney General Barr has made a move against several “Sanctuary Cities” across the nation. A Sanctuary City refers to a municipality that does not prosecute or deport undocumented immigrants who settle in that city. The Federal Government and ICE still have the power in theory, to prosecute such people, although state authorities refuse to help, making the process much more difficult.

Inside this week:

The Anchor Newspaper

@TheAnchorRIC

@RICTheAnchor

www.TheAnchor.news


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.