Passage of bill will help the Haitian economy create much needed jobs and reduce poverty
U.S. bishops have called on the Senate to support the extension of favorable trade status for Haitian-made garments.
In a letter to senators, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, called for passage of the Renewing Hope for Haiti Act, S. 2978, which would renew existing trade protections set to expire in September. 
Lent is "an invitation to the conversion of our lives and to doing appropriate acts of penitence," the pope said.
The Lenten call to conversion is not an attempt to make people feel bad about themselves but to promote their true good, which is eternal life, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Celebrating Mass March 7 at St. John of the Cross parish in Rome, the pope focused on the day’s Gospel story in which Jesus tells his followers they must convert or they will perish.
Nancy Frazier O'Brien
U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders urge political leaders to adopt reform that is affordable
As Democratic and Republican leaders gathered in Washington last week for a health care summit convened by President Barack Obama, the U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders urged all parties to commit themselves to health care reform that is affordable, accessible and protects the life and dignity of every person.
The Archdiocese 
