The battle for religious freedom is only now heating up. The 16th archbishop of Baltimore, William E. Lori, is the spokesman for matters pertaining to religious freedom viz. the Catholic Church in the USA. However, one could claim with seriousness that he is not only speaking for the Catholics, but for people of faith. Gave a keynote address tonight in Washington that you ought to read. The full text is here: Lori on Religious Freedom May 24 2012.pdf
Tag: William Lori
The Jesus mandate vs. Obama’s mandate –the challenge of religious freedom
William Edward Lori’s essay, “The Jesus mandate vs. Obama’s mandate” was published this afternoon in The Washington Post. Lori is the 4th bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport and the chairman of the US Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.
Two paragraphs of Bishop Lori’s essay follow, but the full text is noted here:
Last year alone, Catholic Charities served more than
10 million of the poor, the needy, and the suffering throughout our nation.
Catholic Charities doesn’t know how many of those served were not
Catholic, because they simply never ask. Our faith compels us to serve, not the
faith of those we help.
10 million of the poor, the needy, and the suffering throughout our nation.
Catholic Charities doesn’t know how many of those served were not
Catholic, because they simply never ask. Our faith compels us to serve, not the
faith of those we help.
Catholic ministries for the needy are as blind to race,
creed, class, and gender as Jesus Christ, their founder. That any one of them,
much less all of them, should be forced to choose between the Gospel mandate
and the U.S. government’s health care mandate strikes at the very heart of the
right to religious liberty on which our country was founded.
creed, class, and gender as Jesus Christ, their founder. That any one of them,
much less all of them, should be forced to choose between the Gospel mandate
and the U.S. government’s health care mandate strikes at the very heart of the
right to religious liberty on which our country was founded.
USCCB Religious Liberty committee and consultants finalized
The USCCB Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty headed up by Bishop William Edward Lori announces the bishops and consultants:
Ten bishops and 10 consultants were named to the committee in early November.
New members are Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pa.; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia; Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas; Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta; Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and
Minneapolis; Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix; Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Ill.; Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Ala.; Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle; and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington.
Consultants include Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus; attorneys Kevin Baine, Philip Lacovara and L. Martin Nussbaum; Father Raymond J. de Souza, a columnist and priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario;
Richard Garnett, associate dean and professor of law and political science at the University of Notre Dame; John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America; Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School professor; Judge Michael
McConnell, Stanford University Law School professor; and Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference.
Lori said we need to have “a new appreciation for religious liberty and a renewed determination to defend it.”
As mere commentary, the lay members of this committee are impressive.
USCCB’s Committee on Religious Liberty detailed
Since its establishment there’s been little concrete news on the make up of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty. The President of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, established the committee to address the concerns surrounding the reduction of religious freedom in a variety of arenas, not least government and culture. Dolan named Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori as the chairman, the member bishops and consulters have yet to be named. A group of bishops will meet, however, Sunday, 13 November, in advance of the annual general assembly of the US bishops.
Lori told CNA that the goal “…is first of all to lift the whole area of religious freedom, beginning with the teaching of the Church in Dignitatis Humanae [1965]– the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on religious freedom” and the exposition of “…the vision of the Founding Fathers of the United States.”
Meeting the Pope, Connecticut and Rhode Island bishops
Pope Benedict XVI met Nov. 5 with U.S. bishops from northeastern states on their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses. From left are Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, R.I.; retired Auxiliary Bishop Peter A. Rosazza of Hartford.; Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford; Pope Benedict XVI; Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport; Bishop Michael R. Cote of Norwhich; Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans of Providence, R.I. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)
Clarifying the meaning of religious freedom
A timely piece to think seriously about daily is the notion of religious freedom not only around the globe, but also and significantly here in the USA. Today, the Most Reverend William E. Lori addressed the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on the Constitution. Here are a few paragraphs (the link to the full text is noted below):
Religious
liberty is not merely one right among others, but enjoys a certain primacy. As
the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI recently explained: “It is indeed the first
of human rights, not only because it was historically the first to be
recognized but also because it touches the constitutive dimension of man, his
relation with his Creator.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Diplomatic Corps,
10 Jan. 2011.) The late
Pope John Paul II taught that “the most fundamental human freedom [is] that of
practicing one’s faith openly, which for human beings is their reason for
living.” (Pope John Paul II, Address to Diplomatic Corps, 13 Jan. 1996, No. 9.) Not coincidentally, religious
liberty is first on the list in the Bill of Rights, the charter of our Nation’s
most cherished and fundamental freedoms. The First Amendment begins: “Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof….” It is commonly, and with justice, called our “First
Freedom.”
Continue reading Clarifying the meaning of religious freedom
Bishop William E. Lori observes 15 years as bishop
God, eternal shepherd, You tend Your Church in many ways, and rule us with love. Help Your chosen servant William as pastor for Christ, to watch over Your flock. Help him to be a faithful teacher, a wise administrator, and a holy priest.
Bishop William Edward Lori, the 4th bishop of Bridgeport, observes his 15th anniversary of consecration as bishop today.
In 1995, James Aloysius Cardinal Hickey with William Wakefield Cardinal Baum and Bishop William George Curlin, consecrated Father William Lori to the order of bishop. He served the Archdiocese of Washington as auxiliary bishop and titular bishop of Bulla.
In 2001, Bishop Lori was translated to the Bridgeport Diocese succeeding Archbishop Egan.
Lori serves not only the local Church but the Church in the USA by being a member of several committees on the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, as Supreme Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus and various civic boards.
On May 14 Bishop Lori will celebrate 33 years a priest.
We grateful to God for the person of Bishop Lori. May God grant him many years!
Looking at Benedict through another lens –truth
The picture one is getting in the press today of Pope Benedict is that of an out-of-touch old man in 3000 miles away. Somehow from what is commonly known and personally experienced of Benedict XVI, I don’t quite think the editors of the NY Times and other press agencies have it right, much less some scheming lawyers trying to make as much money off the sexual abuse crisis. I sometimes wonder if the newspapers and legal profession comprehend reality as it is presented or if fiction is the only genre worth digesting in their diets.
Bishop William Lori offers another view of the Pope, and he outlines some interesting facts of the clergy sex abuse industry and what the Church actually did in an article titled, “The Holy Father I Know.”