Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic bishops and faithful promote life, justice and peace at Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day
April 5, 2011
Nine Catholic Bishops and hundreds of Catholic faithful will be advocating for the Catholic Bishops’ legislative priorities at the Catholic Faith in Action: Promoting Life, Justice, and Peace Advocacy Day tomorrow, April 6, 2011.
The bishops will be addressing a broad range of diverse issues including the state budget, sonogram access, payday lending, immigration, an education tax credit program, human trafficking, and the death penalty.
Bishops participating in the day include:
• Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller & (Archdiocese of San Antonio)
• Bishop Oscar Cantú (Archdiocese of San Antonio)
• Bishop Daniel Flores (Diocese of Brownsville)
• Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey (Diocese of Corpus Christi)
• Bishop Plácido Rodríguez (Diocese of Lubbock)
• Bishop Mark Seitz (Diocese of Dallas)
• Bishop Kevin Vann (Diocese of Fort Worth)
• Bishop Joe Vásquez (Diocese of Austin)
In the Catholic moral tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue and participation in the political process is a moral obligation. All believers are called to faithful citizenship — to become informed, active, and responsible participants in the political process.
“Why do we advocate?” asked Cardinal Daniel DiNardo at the Texas Bishops’ General Assembly. “Because religion is part of the public square.”
The day will begin with a 9 a.m. rally and press conference on the South Steps of the Capitol. At the conference, the Bishops will release an interfaith statement on the state budget. “The state budget is a moral document that reflects the priorities and values of our state,” the faith leaders explain. “We urge our state leaders to look at these choices from the ‘bottom-up,’ by protecting and defending the life and dignity of the poorest and most vulnerable who have little legislative presence or representation.”
After the press conference on the Capitol South Steps, several bishops will be recognized in the House and Bishop Flores (Diocese of Brownsville) will offer the opening prayer in the Senate. The advocates will then make visits to every office at the Capitol.
The Texas Bishops have a broad legislative agenda that includes 49 policy priorities. The Texas Catholic Conference (TCC), which is the public policy voice for the Bishops of Texas, is tracking over 500 bills pertaining to Catholic moral and social teachings. The Conference encourages all Catholics to be faithful citizens and engage in advocacy during and after the legislative session. Find the TCC on Facebook and on Twitter.