My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Now that the 2012 election is over, our nation must come together and pray for our newly re-elected President and other political leaders. The task before them is daunting. It is self-evident that ours is a divided nation. In a Nation of over 350 million, the difference that separated the two candidates was less than three million votes. Because the election was not a landslide, it seems clear the President does not have a mandate to govern. Indeed, he must lead a divided country and government in his role as President of the United States of America.

The road ahead is not an easy one. How can civility be restored to the political process, as well as cooperation between the political parties, for the good of our country? The problems are numerous. Some are endemic, and others are new. The fiscal crisis calls for either spending cuts or increased taxes, or perhaps both. The results of the Arab Spring are inconclusive, the explosive situation continues in Syria and the threat from Iran to become a nuclear power is a real international crisis.

Moreover, what can be done to make the Affordable Healthcare Act acceptable to the majority of the population? Will there be resolution to inadequate immigration laws and the presence of so many undocumented people in our Nation?

In my recent weekly articles for the seven weeks leading up to the election, I tried to bring to the attention of the people of our own diocese here in Brooklyn and Queens what the issues were for Catholics to consider as they cast their vote.

Some have already analyzed the “Catholic vote” reflecting on the futility of the Church’s leadership advising the faithful regarding moral responsibilities. As Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “God hasn’t called me to be successful. He’s called me to be faithful.”

What is required of bishops and priests is to proclaim the Gospel and teach the truths of our faith. Ultimately, every individual must stand before God to give an account how he or she has lived according to their own conscience.

While there are many issues that still face us as Catholics in the public forum, we must continually advocate by action and ballot for the life issues which hold primacy in our political responsibility; abortion, euthanasia and contraception are issues that are of primary importance, as well as same-sex marriage.

I have repeatedly made clear how important to all of us is the issue of immigration reform. In the Scriptures, both the New and the Old Testament, the just treatment of the alien in our midst is what separated the righteous from all others. Moreover, the entirety of the Gospel is focused on the healing ministry of Christ. The Church in the U.S. and around the world has been a vocal supporter of universal health care.

It is unfortunate that the rights of religious liberty so clearly involved in the issue of universal health care coverage were not respected by the current administration nor seen as important by the majority of Catholic people.

Undoubtedly, the proliferation of media outlets and a 24-hour news cycle, as well as the vast amounts of money spent on these political campaigns, is what primarily formed public opinion. The statements or columns of bishops was but a whisper in the midst of a great deal of noise.

I take this as a challenge to redouble our efforts to continue to be meaningfully engaged in the public square, whether it be in traditional or new media. Only in this way can we announce the truth of our faith and live up to our responsibility to be a Church that teaches that truth handed down to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Our country truly has put out into the deep of the newly elected administration and Congress, which, hopefully, will respond to the real needs of the people of our Nation while always respecting the rights of the minority. We all look for leadership that brings about unity and produces the progress in employment and economic development so desperately needed. Only by respect in religious freedom in our society will healing and unification be possible.

Our prayers go with our newly re-elected President Barack Obama, since the task before him has such profound consequences for us all. Let us pray together that the United States of America can look to the future as one Nation under God.