Given the “somber” realities imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, for companies to put profits over safety is “unjust,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in the U.S. bishops’ annual Labor Day statement.
The U.S. bishops will conduct their annual fall general meeting virtually in November rather than meet in person as has been the bishops’ practice.
When Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, prayed for the dead on the first anniversary in early August of the mass shooting at a Walmart in his city, he made that solemn tribute in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has kept much of the U.S. public in social-distancing mode.
Kamala Harris’s campaign positions on immigration reform, aid to refugees, and poverty, align with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But some Catholics won’t approve of her stance on abortion. Some advocates of religious freedom claim Harris has been openly hostile to their beliefs.
As the national spotlight landed on his city and its ongoing protests, Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample July 24 made a plea for citizens to leave violence behind and return to a campaign for racial justice.
The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ domestic policy committee said the federal emergency “bridge loans” that dioceses, parishes and other Catholic entities applied for provided a lifeline, allowing “our essential ministries to continue to function in a time of national emergency.”
Pointing to the late Sister Thea Bowman as an “icon of hope,” the bishops of both Mississippi dioceses have pledged to “liberate the Church from the evil of racism that severely compromises our mission.”
It was an elongated production schedule that would have rivaled any James Cameron epic, but the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, has finally issued a pair of “Civilize It” videos with more than 30 Catholics in the diocese taking part in the civility pledge to have an open mind, open ears and a civil tongue this election season.
The chairmen of three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees have called for “better practices for formation and accountability for police” in a joint letter to all members of Congress.
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami has been appointed the acting chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty.
