“When we bishops propose moral principles…. we get both blessed and cursed.
One side usually blesses us when we preach the virtue of fiscal responsibility, the civil rights of the unborn, the danger of government-tampering with the definition of marriage, and the principle of subsidiarity – that is, that the smaller units in our society, such as family, neighborhood, Church, and volunteer organizations, are usually preferable to big government in solving social ills.
Yet this same side then often cringes when we defend workers, speak on behalf of the rights of the undocumented immigrant, and remind government of the moral imperative to protect the poor.
The other side enjoys quoting us when we extol universal health care, question the death penalty, demand that every budget and program be assessed on whether it will help or hurt those in need, encourage international aid, and promote the principle of solidarity, namely, society’s shared duties to one another, especially the poor and struggling…. and then these same follks bristle when we defend the rights of parents in education, those of the baby in the womb and grandma on her death bed, insist that America is at ther best when people of faith have a respected voice in the public square, defend traditional marriage, and remind government that it has no right to intrude in Church affairs, but does have the obligation to protect ther rights of conscience.
So we bishops get both blessed and blasted…”
Read Archbishop Dolan’s comments in their entirety at: The Gospel in the Digital Age.
I might add as an aside, not only bishops, but priests and deacons are also blessed and cursed in similar fashion — yes, all witness to the fullness of the Gospel. To withstand this, we all must burn with the love of God and Church.
