The NY Times Gets the (Social) Gospel: The editors of The New York Times bring attention to the Ash Wednesday sermon of Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal Roger Mahony, who urged his priests and lay Catholics to prepare for a massive act of civil disobedience against the government, should Congress pass H.R. 4437, a bill making the sheltering and aiding of illegal immigrants a felony that already passed the House in December. The LA Archdiocese, the Times notes, provides a vast network of social services to immigrants, and should not be made into an arm of the immigration police by having to choose between providing services and staying within the bounds of the law. The protests of religious and other charity groups since the bill moved through the House last year indicates that these types of objections to government interference with religious groups will make up another layer of the complicated relations between faith-based groups, which walk a fine line when it comes to following federal law, and the state.