Priests planning hunger strike at Hastert's office

Priests from the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Rockford Diocese say they will begin a hunger strike at U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert's downtown Batavia office today in support of a federal immigration bill.

The Rev. Larry Dowling, pastor of Chicago's St. Denis Church, said he will be joined by three dozen members of Priests for Justice, including some from Aurora. A handful of priests will not eat until Hastert agrees to meet with them and accept 150,000 postcards in favor of the McCain/Kennedy legislation that supports a gradual path to citizenship for immigrants who work in the United States.

"It's not a free pass," Dowling said of the bill being debated in the Senate. "We're not advocating an open border by any means."

Dowling said the cards were gathered from parishioners all over the Archdiocese of Chicago.

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