The following came in a Dec. 5 email from the Sacramento diocese.
Bishop Jaime Soto has been elected by his brother bishops to lead the California Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the two archdioceses and 10 dioceses in California. Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy of San Francisco was elected vice president of the CCC, and Bishop Richard Garcia of Monterey was re-elected as treasurer.
Bishop Soto succeeds Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson of Los Angeles, and begins a three-year term as the CCC president.
“The Gospel’s message of the sacredness of life and the dignity of every human often goes unheard in the capital of California while increasing economic disparities and deteriorated social infrastructure underscore a lack of political will to serve the common good,” Bishop Soto said. “Pope Francis has recently reminded us to construct a new culture of encounter, ‘encuentro,’ that defies the prevailing culture of exclusion.’ There is no place for the elderly or for the unwanted child; there is no time for that poor person in the street.'” (Rio de Janeiro, July 27, 2013)
“Gathering together as a conference of bishops helps us address those inequities at the local and state level as well as provide teaching, resources and support to Catholics in California committed to justice,” he said.
Bishop Soto offered special thanks to the outgoing president: “On behalf of the entire conference of bishops, I would like to express our deep gratitude to Bishop Wilkerson for his outstanding leadership as president. His steady guidance and pastoral approach to complicated issues has kept the conference on target, improved its effectiveness and helped both the bishops and California Catholics to make faithful and wise decisions in California policy matters.”
Whatever happened to the primary job of the Bishops – to Save Souls, and to teach ?
CA would not be in such a political mess if Bishops (and their Priests) had been doing their primary jobs for the last 30 years.
Just think no politicians would have been elected who support abortion, sodomy marriage, forcing others to pay for artificial contraception, no money going to pay for the aiding and abeting of child abuse by Priests, etc, etc, etc.
Our Bishops need to rethink their priorities.
Yes, it is distressing what Bishop Soto doesn’t say. It’s a safe time for the Bishops to remain on the social justice bandwagon on behalf of the poor, the immigrants etc. Of course that is not a bad thing. It is not safe to engage in the culture wars, which might require them to have opprobrium heaped on them. Sounds like it’s business as usual, though I hope I am wrong.
Mac is on target. The bishops of California collectively think their priority is to support the goals of the Democrat Party. Bishop Soto fits right in with that agenda. The Sacramento Diocese and the California Catholic Conference have released a statement (actually a one-page flyer) that states “under state law” not Obamacare also?) insurance policies “provide coverage for abortion contraception and sterilization. These procedures are immoral…”. Then the flyer goes on to say how to sign up. What the heck is going on here? The Catholic Conference and the Diocese of Sacramento are saying that Catholics must sign up for this immoral insurance.
The Catholic Church has capitulated to the “Demoncrat” Party. This insurance is being purchased with 30 pieces of silver.
Our Independent priests at Our Lady Help of Christians who have no other means of support except for our little Chapel have already announced that they will go without Insurance rather than submit to those illegal, ammoral conditions of Obamanist Care. What a great example!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founding Director
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc.
Here is another priority for the California Bishops Conference – encourage everyone to pay their own debts. Not paying just debts is stealing.
The State of California is $418 BILLION dollars in debt, and this does not include local governments. Cutting government spending and waste is critical.
CCC: “2411 Contracts are subject to commutative justice which regulates exchanges between persons and between institutions in accordance with a strict respect for their rights.
Commutative justice obliges strictly;
it requires safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted.
Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible.
One distinguishes commutative justice from legal justice which concerns what the citizen owes in fairness to the community,
and from distributive justice which regulates what the community owes its citizens in proportion to their contributions and needs. “
Of course our Bishops commit sin daily by encouraging people to break the law by not paying debts, to illegally apply for state benefits and to illegally crash the border.
Their track record for the past forty years has not been representative of the behavior expected of those who purport to be men of God!
Bella Dodd’s predictions of the impersonators in cleric’s robes have been right on!
First off there is nothing wrong with being poor. No one should ever be hungry or homeless and this is where the church should step in especially in regard to children and the elderly. I was really hoping the Pope would make this the year of the family. The family has been decimated and without strong families there is no church. The bishops should be promoting marriage and all of the other sacraments starting with confession. California politicians continue to abuse their power with misdirected protection for every deviant behavior. And yet the bishops continue to run to them for any morsel that get thrown their way. All anti life Catholics politicians are openly welcomed to mass and even celebrated at the Sacramento cathedral. Who is more worldly the politicians or the bishops?
lisag, I agree with what you are saying. I would only ask you to consider re-thinking your statement, “no one should EVER be hungry or homeless”. We are combatants in the war of ideas, and the end game is for the heart and soul of our Church and country. This war has been particularly difficult to fight because it is mostly being lost by words and the emotions and confusion they create. Jesus CHOSE to be both hungry and homeless at certain times of his life. His followers did and still do the same. I don’t know about you, but when I choose to fast, I am hungry. When it is time for my next meal, again I am hungry. Today, homelessness does not necessarily mean one lacks shelter. A person living in a motel paying weekly rental fees is considered “homeless”.
Authentic Christian charity includes both the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. When we read historical stories about Catholic charities, whether they were carried out by consecrated religious orders or parish apostolates, or Saintly individuals, or even the neighbor nest door, we can clearly see the message of the Gospel being carried out. The majority of us in the Church and country today now widely accept the new “social justice” phraseology. This lingo primarily refers to the “State” directing the needs and activities of all of its citizens. As a result, we now see only remnants of the Catholic charity of the past.
In the USA there is no starvation or homelessness for any US citizen or LEGAL immigrant.
We have Medicaid, Aid to Dependent Children, School breakfast and lunch programs, Food Stamps, Housing vouchers, Section 8 housing, free cell phones, utility bill assistance, etc., etc., etc..
Those who suffer from lack of food and/or homelessness are the mentally ill and those who do not know about all the existing US Government programs, not to mention State and Local programs.
The problem we do have is: the Federal Government interfering in the creating of jobs by the private sector with their numerous laws and regulations and taxing; and the laziness that is taught by free handouts.
St Paul was very clear on those who do not work – – – 2 Thess 3:6-10.
When is the Catholic Church going to preach about the capital sin of SLOTH – laziness?
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate in the US is 14% not the 7% advertised by the Obama White House.
Amen to that Paul.
I am disturbed by this article….it seems like it’s politics all over again, status and title ship. If only these bishops knew the real poverty we are dealing with today.
The lack of morals, common sense and common decency is the real poverty, with the lack of fearing the Lord is the main one of them all!
Expecting the government to help the poor violates the Catholic principle of Subsidiarity.
This is rubbish! Here is what the church teaches: the Encyclical ‘Quadragesimo Anno’, in which the principle of subsidiarity is indicated as a most important principle of “social philosophy”. “Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. Millions of our people cannot find jobs, for any number of reasons. Local parishes cannot, by themselves, provide the funds to help members buy food, pay rent pay insurance, buy gas, etc., etc.. Therefore, those tasks are given to the government, at various levels depending on ability. Perhaps a diocese can help, if they have the funds to support programs. Usually, they can’t. They then seek money from the state or the federal government to help them do what needs to be done. I’m afraid that too many of us don’t understand the depths of the poverty issue in this country. We have all kinds of programs to help the poor and downtrodden, but we do very little to end the state of need. In our town, 800 people a day are fed by Loaves and Fishes. The represent a fraction of the 3,000 people who are homeless or in need of food. Other churches; Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Anglican, and various Temples and Mosques also help hundreds of people daily.
Bob One, you said, ” We have all kinds of programs to help the poor and downtrodden, but we do very little to END the state of need.” Wow, now you are seeing the light! Let me elaborate that there is ZERO intention of ENDING the need! The modern day Democrat party would cease to exist if this ever happened!
In fact the real “downtrodden” of today is the American family!
Downtrodden — Oppressed; tyrannized.
I for one would love the day when the “downtrodden and tyranized” were actually respected within our household.
“Let me elaborate that there is ZERO intention of ENDING the need! ”
Excellent post Tracy!
Once again, the Catholic bishops’ lobby will be rather leaderless, relying on leftist control by Ned Dolesji.
When I heard Bishop Soto was invited to speak at the National Association of Diocesan Gay and Lesbian Ministries meeting in Long Beach in 2008, I commented that the only reason anyone attends this sacrilege is to promote the gay agenda. After I read reports of his heroic speech, I had no choice but to confess the sin of rash judgment. On the 2009 Walk for Life I had the pleasure of relating my story and thanking him. https://www.courageouspriest.com/bishop-soto-ruins-gay-and-lesbian-gathering
Ron,
You congratulated him too soon!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founding Director
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc.
It seemed appropriate at the time coming from “the most gay-friendly diocese in the nation” where instead of condemning, the Bishop hosted the 12th annual conference of the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries. The Bishop even gave the opening talk where x-rated gay porn was sold at some of the exhibits during the conference. The St. Joseph’s Men Society documented this event and facts and forwarded it to the Vatican. The Vatican acknowledged receipt of the documentation. The Bishop is still in good standings.
Bishop Soto quotes Pope Francis, “There is no place for the elderly or for the unwanted child; there is no time for that poor person in the street.”
He further suggest that there is “a lack of POLITICAL will to serve the common good”. I wonder if Bishop Soto has really thought about what he is saying? Let’s use the case of the “unwanted” child. Does he really think that politicians will be the one’s to solve this very real problem? Politicians do vote for policies which govern the lives of abandoned children. These children are given foster homes. They are provided a roof over their heads. They are clothed, fed and provided health care. None of this solves the problem of them being “unwanted”. It is not uncommon for many of these kids to have lived in a dozen foster homes before they are turned out onto the streets when they turn 18.
When the Bishops start preaching the fullness of the Gospel, we will not only have fewer “unwanted” children, but we will also be more likely to have wholesome politicians and judges.
Since California is probably the worst state in support of abortion and since the slaughter of preborn American citizens continues after more than 40 long years, one wonders why the California Catholic Conference doesn’t have a standing committee vigorously fighting for our preborn babies. It seems that our bishops care more about immigration. If so, then why don’t they realize that abortion on demand is the number one killer of immigrants, period! Since immigrants were given amnesty in the mid-1980s about 30 Million have been killed in the womb! Shouldn’t the top priority for the California Catholic Conference be a serious, passionate, fight for preborn immigrants waiting in the womb to be born? What should their priority be? Eleven million plus immigrants living in America waiting for citizenship or the 1.2 million killed every year by abortion? About 27 percent of the immigrants waiting in the womb—nature’s gate—will be blocked from citizenship and from life! I believe that Socrates would ask Present Bishop Soto some serious questions: Why doesn’t the California Catholic Conference have a standing Committee fighting passionately for the immigrants waiting in the womb to be born, every one of them a legal American citizen? Aren’t they greater in number? Don’t they have more to lose? And isn’t the life issue the foundational issue of the Catholic Church? Go figure!
Charles N. Marrelli, Writers for Life
If you didn’t attend their graduation, if you didn’t encourage their church attendance and their purity with a loud message, if you didn’t prevent their homelessness or drug use with programs and homilies that give them confidence in their virtues, if you didn’t applaud them when they were doing good and being honest, if you didn’t visit them while they were studying, if you didn’t encourage them in their purity, in their virtues, in their faith, if you didn’t feed them the word of God consistently, if you didn’t stand up as often as needed for parental rights, for the unborn, if you didn’t speak the word of God in regards to the natural law as often as it is now more needed…….
THEN WHY only be there when they are dependent on welfare, when some cheat the system, when they are in prison, when they continue to have abortions, when they scandalize children etc…..
Does this mean they’ll be more pro-abortion and pro-SSM speakers celebrating in the cathedral for now on?
Bob One, do you understand the principal of subsidiarity that you quoted from Quad Anno (“…so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. “), in attempting to correct John Feeney? I don’t think so. You seem to indicate that a [massive] central authority is the right force to eliminate poverty. Yet trillions of $$$ spent since the “Great Society” programs of the 1960’s-on have only exacerbated social ills, with plans like intergenerational welfare, the break-up of married parents, sky-rise warehousing of the poor in housing projects (now to be succeeded by the bomb for the suburbs called Sec. 8 housing support) —all these big-government ideas contradict your position. You cite wonderful organizations like Loaves and Fishes but that is a local organization: what is happening with the billions spent on assistance by your central government? Why isn’t that curing the problem. You mention homeless shelters, yet the fact is that in nearly every city in California, homeless shelter availability always exceeds demand, because the homeless dont want to have to abide by shelter rules. (I know, I have worked in and with them for years.) In Cent Annus (1991), JP2 said in fact that the social “Welfare State” in fact violates the Cath principle of subsidiarity, and sharply rebuked governmental organizations for intervening directly with and depriving individuals in society of their sense of responsibility; JP2 said this “leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” (n.48) That is what is happening now, where the bishops were sucked into supporting Obamacare, a central control authority that completely violates Catholic principles of freedom and personal action. I don’t think you comprehend the principle, therefore.