"Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites Shew me the tribute money." And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, "Whose is this image and superscription?" They say unto him, "Caesar's." "Then," saith he unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, ch. xxii
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For many years, the United States Government was a major funder of the "charitable" actions of the charitable institutions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Catholic dioceses. The recent actions of the current U.S. administration to reduce immigration and refugee programs has meant a considerable reduction of the transfers of this government money.
The USCCB even went to court to get the government to keep giving it money -- but has lost so far. It's a situation that has caused great scandal to the faithful, and, as in all such cases, much of the taxpayers' money was being used merely for administrative purposes, and no truly charitable ends.
So it is not a bad consequence that the USCCB has at last decided to return to the teachings of the Lord. This entanglement had gone on for far too long:
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Monday that it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and children, saying the “heartbreaking” decision follows the Trump administration’s abrupt halt to funding for refugee resettlement.
The break will inevitably result in fewer services than what Catholic agencies were able to offer in the past to the needy, the bishops said.
“As a national effort, we simply cannot sustain the work on our own at current levels or in current form,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB. “We will work to identify alternative means of support for the people the federal government has already admitted to these programs. We ask your prayers for the many staff and refugees impacted.” [source]
