The Bishop of Peoria, Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, has jump-started the canonization process for Fulton J. Sheen. Jenky took a pause in the case when Archbishop Timothy Dolan indicated that he wanted to keep Sheen's body in the crypt at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and to see the process to completion. Not a good thing, for sure. The halting of the case happened in November, as you recall.
In his letter to the priests of the Archdiocese of New York on the founding of the new Pro-Life Commission, Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan said,
"These professional men and women, from a variety of backgrounds, fields, and
areas of expertise have generously offered their time and talent to engage in
research, writing, coordination of events, and so much more on behalf of
life. For this I am most grateful, and look forward to working with
them over the years that lie ahead."Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan's letter to Members of the 112th Congress speaks for itself. As he notes, US Catholics are the largest religious body in the USA. 68 million, 22% of the US population. There are 195 archdioceses and dioceses with one apostolic exarchate. Other interesting statistics can be found here.
Dear Member of Congress,
As a new Congress begins, I write to congratulate you and to outline principles and priorities that guide the public policy efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). As President of the Bishops' Conference, I assure you of our prayers and hopes that this newly elected Congress will advance the common good and defend the life and dignity of all, especially vulnerable and poor persons whose needs are critical in this time of difficult economic and policy choices. We continue to seek ways to work constructively with the Administration and the new Congress and others of good will to pursue policies which respect the dignity of all human life and bring greater justice to our nation and peace to our world.
As bishops, of course we approach public policy not as politicians but as pastors and teachers. Our moral principles have always guided our everyday experience in caring for the hungry and homeless, offering health care and housing, educating children and reaching out to those in need. We lead the largest community of faith in the United States, one that serves every part of our nation and is present in almost every place on earth. From our experience and our tradition, we offer a distinctive, constructive and principled contribution to the national dialogue on how to defend human life and dignity, promote and protect marriage and family life, lift up those who experience economic turmoil and suffering, and promote peace in a world troubled by war and violence.
