The following comes from a June 11 posting on LifeSiteNews.com.
Much of the opening day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 2014 Spring General Assembly on Wednesday was devoted to the defense and promotion of marriage.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, led the charge by telling his brother bishops: “We are at a critical point in this country as it comes to defense of marriage in the law.”
Archbishop Cordileone outlined the grave situation for the defense of traditional marriage and resulting threats to religious freedom. He noted that if the Supreme Court takes up one of the state marriage amendment cases, by next June 2015 we could have a decision.
“A negative decision by the Supreme Court would undoubtedly have a profound impact on the nation,” he said. The archbishop ended by promoting the March for Marriage in Washington, DC on June 19.
Archbishop Cordileone’s presentation was followed by one from Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, USCCB president, who spoke on the upcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family to take place at the Vatican in October.
Archbishop Kurtz disclosed the general themes of the consultation with Catholic laity that was undertaken as a preparatory measure for the synod….
Next there was a presentation on the World Meeting of Families by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. The week-long meeting will take place in Philadelphia from September 22-27, 2015 with Pope Francis expected to attend the final two days.
“This comes at a time when,” said Archbishop Chaput, there is a great “confusion about the nature of marriage and the family.”
The importance of defending marriage was raised again by Archbishop William E. Lori, who heads the USCCB ad hoc committee for religious liberty. The bishops voted to reappoint him for a second term of three years….
To read entire posting, click here.
Here is the Video Archive Link to the USCCB Spring General Assembly, which directly reflects upon the above article. It is a very good source for All the Faithful to Understand the Church in America and the World at this time.
Particularly relevant is the presentation on Marriage by Arch-Bishop Cordileone starting at 1 hr 36 min, wherein he quoted the Pope from Evangelii Gaudium, and went on to say that as Missionary Disciples We are called to recognize:
“Mothers & Fathers are Different, and Children Thrive when both are involved in their lives” &
“Our Culture has been wounded by the erosion of an Authentic vision of love, sexuality & marriage over several decades.”
He also reminded us that the March for Marriage is set for Washington DC on June 19, and that he will be there and speak – and asks Any and All for Support & Prayers for the event.
An insightful and anticipatory update on the Catechism by Arch-Bishop Blair is at the 1hr 11min point.
https://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/usccb-general-assembly/video-on-demand.cfm
Please understand that the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” (CCC) is not nor can it be changed by ANY Bishops Conference.
(They can only work on their own “local/national) catechisms.)
They at first made a mistake at the Conference which was corrected very shortly afterward.
The HOLY SEE (not any Bishops’ conference) holds the copyright to the CCC that you can find on the copyright page.
https://www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?sku=5-110
https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/index.cfm
It is available in 83 languages.
No changes can be made to this world-wide Church Catechism, without a change by the Pope through the Apostolic Constitution.
Copyright permission by anyone who wishes to duplicate the CCC must be obtained by the Vatican – Amministrazione Del Patrimonio Della Sede Apostolica,
I don’t own the USCCB’s catechisms of which there are several, with the most prominent being “United States Catechism for Catholic Adults” (USCCA).
https://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pages/usccaindex.cfm
Personally I see no need for any Catechism other the than the CCC for literate persons over age 15 in the USA.
I hope Auxiliary Bishop McElroy of San Francisco is now on the same page as Archbishop Cordileone and is supporting him. That has not always been his position.
https://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/a02z_018_McElroy.html
The Bishops are largely silent as the Republic sinks into moral depravity. There is no longer rule of the majority but only of one minority or another. That is communist rule. The people are ignored. In the states where courts are declaring prohibitions against same-sex marriage unconstitutional, the people or their representatives have already voted. that is the majority has ruled on the issue. To let minorities destroy the US will eventually lead to dictatorship, which already has begun with rule by decree from Obama.
Pray for Bishop McElroy. He has a VERY big heart and a beautiful brain that God has given him…..I have experienced it first hand!
Pray for him!!!
Will do. God bless Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone too!
Our post-Vatican II Church is a joke! No leadership! How many bishops support gay “marriage,” and do not care if huge numbers of Catholics “live in sin,” with pre-marital sex and contraception, as well as abortion? Worse, there is no moral nor religious training, in the post-Vatican II Church! And all our leading Catholic academic institutions, are totally against the moral and religious teachings of our Church! They produce so much evil, in their graduates, who end up getting jobs in secular leadership positions that are very high, all over the world! To top it all off– we see our own Pope telling Catholics worldwide, over the phone, who are living in unlawful “marriages,” to go and receive Holy Communion!
Linda Maria … Are you able to name even one US bishop who supports gay marriage?
C&H.. Rembert Weakland….
I can’t find anything where retired Bishop Rembert Weakland supported gay marriage. Can you document your statement?
God bless Archbishop Cordileone. He might wish to print and hand out to his fellow bishops the following well-footnoted expose of homosexuals:
http://www.tinyurl.com/SodomiteMyths
Send him a copy. Plus he is aware of the troubles in the church. Personally, we do not know the headaches that Archbishop Cordileone has to deal with, since he carries that cross in private as he daily reflects and prays for courage to do what is right. His job is not to please everyone, or else he will go crazy trying since many find something wrong with everything he does. What ever effects he tries to do in honor of God, there is certainty someone finding something wrong or is disappointed. There is no pleasing the Judges. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is human just like the rest of us. But personally I have seen him do more for defending the definition of marriage than many. Even if he was to become a martyr for the cause, some won’t even appreciate that, they may even blame him on how he went about it and that is why he was martyred.
Do we know the heart? Certainty not, only God knows. For us to judge based on media articles, well that is just unjust and unreasonable. If we think that one Bishop or Archbishop can change the whole crises facing the church these modern days? Well we are going to be ever so disappointed. What did Jesus command us to do? One thing is to pray. While these brave bishops and or Archbishops do their job(while it seems that they are just a few bunch now a days), we pray so that hearts can be changed toward the right direction. We pray so whatever good efforts they do, so seeds be planted. We pray. If we have no power over those in charge, then who does? Our Lord does, these are His Bishops etc….yes as disappointing as things can get because of sins of humans, it is just a humble reminder to keep us humble. But with that still comes responsibility to admonish with love. Express kindly your disappointments through action, prayer and with follow up in writing to them. Some are gifted too in speech, in writing etc…that if we trust in God, His gifts in us, can move hearts.
Well, Archbishop, I hope that you are strong. Now the Evil Queen herself — Nancy Pelosi — is speaking out against the Washington, D.C. march and events in favor of man-woman marriage (only). Yup, you know that you are on target when the nastiest, most hypocritical woman in Congress (self-professed Catholic that is) steps up and calls you out. Time to jump back at her, Excellency, and at the homosexual sexualists who cry and scream about this and that. Sounds a lot like the demons infesting the innocent victims in the Bible, doesn’t it. Wait, what did the demons ask for, to be permitted to enter into nearby pigs. Well, the swine did not like that one bit, running over a cliff into the sea. Matt. 8:28-32. Please do not relent, Archbishop, go to the media and directly and unequivocally demand that Ms. Pelosi repent of her sins, come to confession, and to avoid communion until she does so. Difficult to do, certainly, but needed. Oh, Ms. Pelosi will not stop branding you as every kind of bigot and unjust person, so best be aggressive here. As my coach often said, you never hit if you never swing; go for the fences, Excellency.
Stop this prideful bickering, what are you doing to help him? Easy for you to “tell” him what to do. As if his excellency is not doing anything. He is fighting this good fight for a while now, keep praying for him. He needs our prayers and support.