Being Faithful

Bishop Blair (Toledo):

"..Over the last 30 years or more there has been a great upheaval in the life of our society. Consensus about fundamental moral issues has broken down, for example, with regard to the protection of unborn life and the very definition of marriage and family.

In the Catholic Church this tidal wave of cultural and social change has given rise to a situation in which some people claim to be Roman Catholic and yet dissent from fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church. Sometimes they do this in a public manner that is scandalous, sometimes out of ignorance of what their own church believes and teaches, and other times not.

Recently, in anticipation of the November elections, we have witnessed the spectacle of certain politicians who say they are Catholic yet publicly misrepresent the history and content of church teaching. Our U.S. Bishops’ Conference, as well as several bishops individually, were compelled to respond to this intrusion of politicians into the teaching office of the church.

Lest anyone be misled, it bears repeating that "since the first century the church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion." (Catechism, no. 2271) The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council defined abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime." (Gaudium et Spes, no. 51) And, "while in past centuries biological knowledge was often inaccurate, modern science leaves no excuse for anyone to deny the humanity of an unborn child. Protection of innocent human life is not an imposition of personal religious conviction but a demand of justice." (USCCB, 9/9/08)

As moral teachers and leaders, what we bishops are calling for is a political engagement by the Catholic people "shaped by the moral convictions of well formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable."

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The Catholic community in America should be greatly encouraged by the forthright and instructive way in which the Bishops are standing up and defending their faith, and the American society as a whole.