How should bishops conduct themselves in the public square?
The question is especially urgent today when so many divisive issues, including contraception mandates and same-sex marriage, complicate the nation’s politics. Economic concerns still dominate the public’s interest, but it is these hot-button issues that get people’s blood pressure rising.
The question is urgent for another reason, too. As John Allen demonstrates in his article, the recent appointments of three gung-ho new archbishops — Baltimore’s William Lori, Denver’s Samuel Aquila and San Francisco’s Salvatore Cordileone — could signal a trend in episcopal appointments. “In the teeth of a perceived war on religion in America, the church is sending clear signals that it has no intention of backing down,” Allen writes.
NCR does not believe the church should “back down.” The church’s involvement in the public square is vital. The church’s voice has been raised consistently on behalf of the poor and the marginalized, the undocumented and the unborn. The question is whether the “culture-warrior” model of the new trio of archbishops is the right model for such involvement.
Recently, three other American bishops evidenced a different approach. Continue reading
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