Bishop Cordileone: religious liberty as right to serve

The US bishops from Region XI are here this week for their ad limina visits. Region XI is comprised of the states of Utah, Nevada, California and Hawaii. One of the bishops from Region XI, Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, California, spoke with Vatican Radio about several issues facing the bishops and the Church in the United States. The broad-ranging conversation covered the Year of Faith, the New Evangelization, the right interpretation of the II Vatican Council, and the reform of the Church’s liturgical life. A major area of focus was the broader conversation about the public role of religion underway at present in the US national discourse.

Asked about the bishops’ response to what they have perceived is a serious, multi-pronged threat to religious liberty, Bishop Cordileone said, “I think this is a pivotal moment in the United States, and in the life of the Church in the United States,” adding, “it has very much galvanized the bishops and the people along with them, in recognizing what is happening.” Bishop Cordileone also described a change in the way the bishops seek to engage the public. “I think that, for very many years, the bishops and leaders in the Church were disposed toward recognizing good will. He went on to say that, even when there were policy disagreements, “We presupposed good will and were willing to work as best we could.” The present attempt to use Federal power to force Catholic institutions to pay for contraceptive and abortifacient coverage as part of mandatory employee health plans, however, “has gone way over a boundary that is unacceptable – with the government intruding into the internal life of the Church and dictating to us what our moral conscience should be.” Listen to our extended interview with Bishop Cordileone: