US bishops' new leaders commit to protecting human dignity
November 15, 2013 - The incoming leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States
voiced a commitment to reaching out in love to defend human life and dignity wherever
it is threatened in the modern culture. “We’re responding to where the need is,”
said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the president-elect of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops, USCCB. Soon after his election on Tuesday, Nov. 12 during
the U.S. bishops’ annual fall gathering in Baltimore, Archbishop Kurtz held a press
conference emphasizing that the nation’s bishops must respond to “what is going on
in our culture,” and where the needs and energies of the Church are at a given moment
in time. The archbishop responded to an earlier message delivered on behalf of the
Pope by papal nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, which he characterized as “primarily
a call to be pastoral.” Archbishop Kurtz said Pope Francis is challenging the U.S.
Church to “warm hearts and heal wounds,” while serving the needs of the pre-born,
elderly, migrants and others who are “voiceless and vulnerable,” particularly in the
American “culture of indifference.” The incoming bishops’ president stressed that
he “would be reluctant to fit us into a category,” or any political or ideological
camp, adding that issues of immigration, defense of marriage, a robust religious freedom,
and protection of human life are all part of the Church’s response to threats against
human dignity in society. The archbishop stated that the American Catholics “are
very much in solidarity with Pope Francis,” on addressing poverty. The new USCCB
head He noted that the bishops’ conference “has been a steady stream of funding programs
that are lifting people up from poverty,” as well as “finding ways to change structures
that hold them back.” Of particular focus, the Archbishop Kurtz said, is effort to
“look at the disintegration of the family” and find ways to help strengthen marriage
and family life in an effort to alleviate poverty. He noted that “one out of every
five children are in poverty,” nationwide, and there are several studies linking poverty
to a decline in “the solidity of the family.” Upcoming synods on pastoral care and
the family, scheduled for 2014 and 2015, will allow for a “robust consultation” on
these topics, he explained. The archbishop also addressed the Church’s efforts to
defend religious freedom, saying that this is an essential part of the bishops’ “effort
to support the dignity of the human person.” “We know that faith enriches public
life,” he explained. “Our effort is to have a robust expression of religious freedom
in a way that acknowledges how important that is not only to the believer, but to
and the good of our nation.” He said that every effort “ to speak on behalf of the
voiceless and vulnerable puts us in a position to potentially” open the door to a
“good and healthy relationship” with the Obama Administration and other branches and
levels of government. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, vice president-elect
of the bishops’ conference, added that the Church “will never stand down from our
defense of human person, particularly at the beginning and end of life, and at the
end of life. That’s non-negotiable.” At the same time, the U.S. Church will continue
its “persistent” focus on fighting “the causes of poverty at the local levels,” and
work to aid immigrants, he said. On the topic of immigration, the cardinal explained
that while there are those “on both sides of the aisle,” the ongoing question is based
on “a significant aspect of our respect for the human person.” He added that because
“the tempo and interaction on this issue has picked up,” there will likely be a more
visible emphasis on immigration within the next several years. “The resolve of all
of our bishops is clear on the role of the immigrant,” said Archbishop Kurtz. “It’s
really a question of human dignity.” He added that the bishops’ conference will be
expanding its efforts to educate the laity on “the reason for our interest in immigration.”
Archbishop Kurtz highlighted this work, in addition to peace efforts in the Holy Land
and around the world, as additional ways in which the Church works to promote and
defend human dignity in its teaching and actions. In carrying out these activities
Cardinal DiNardo pointed to the Pope’s writings, speeches and actions during the Year
of Faith, saying that they have placed an emphasis on “the credibility of faith, the
encouragement of faith and the illumination that faith gives.” “To my mind that’s
something that the conference wants to see happening in all places,” he said, encouraging
his fellow bishops to emphasize “good teaching, good witnessing and good pastoring.”
Archbishop Kurtz and Cardinal DiNardo were elected by the body of bishops on Nov.
12. Their three-year terms officially begin at the conclusion of the bishops’ meeting
on Nov. 14. (Source: CNA)