The Bad Samaritan.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

The response of governments and government agencies at all levels to the twin natural disasters of hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been the subject of much debate.

In the post-mortems that followed, however, one thing is evident: As officialdom fumbled and scrambled, churches and faith-based organizations were in the forefront, aiding and sheltering evacuees in a more efficient and effective manner.

But when the FEMA, at the prodding of Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, proposed using taxpayer dollars to reimburse churches and other religious organizations that have opened their doors to provide shelter, food and supplies, the usual suspects objected, insisting it would shred the U.S. Constitution to reimburse the First Church of Christ or St. Bridget's.

Such groups have performed yeoman service, rushing in after Katrina and Rita to provide emergency services more quickly and efficiently than governments could or did.

The Washington Post reports that relief workers in the stricken states estimate that 500,000 people have taken refuge in facilities run by religious groups.

Reimbursing religious groups for their emergency assistance is not new, and in 1980 Congress passed legislation that allowed groups such as Catholic Charities, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and World Vision to provide refugees in the U.S. with direct financial aid ...