USCCB Chairmen Concerned about Reported Executive Order
WASHINGTON—The Chairman for the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, the Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of Miami, the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Lib
WASHINGTON—The Chairman for the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, the Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of Miami, the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, and the, Chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, Archbishop John Nienstedt, of Minneapolis issued the following statement:
“The enduring commitment of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to uphold the dignity of each and every human person impels us to oppose unjust discrimination, to proclaim the truth about marriage, and to protect religious freedom. Therefore, we view with great concern the reported intention of the President of the United States to issue an executive order forbidding what the Administration considers “discrimination” based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” Because we do not know how the executive order will define these critically important terms, or if it will provide sufficient (or any) religious freedom protection, we cannot provide substantive comment on the order. On the other hand, when the U.S. Senate recently passed legislation on the same topic, we raised detailed objections to that legislation, and we would refer interested parties to those resources to identify the applicable principles. We say again now, as we said in connection with the Senate bill and have said many times before, that we oppose any unjust discrimination against any person on any grounds. We intend to review the details of the executive order carefully once it is available, in order to assess whether it serves the dignity of the human person and the common good.”
For previous statements and background on ENDA, visit:
ENDA letter (July 9, 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/joint-letter-on-enda-senate-help-2013-07-09.pdf
ENDA letter (Oct 31, 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/joint-letter-senate-enda-2013-10-31.pdf
ENDA backgrounder (Oct 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/enda-backgrounder-2013.pdf”
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MEDIA CONTACT ONLY:
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
O: 202-541-3200
Email
“The enduring commitment of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to uphold the dignity of each and every human person impels us to oppose unjust discrimination, to proclaim the truth about marriage, and to protect religious freedom. Therefore, we view with great concern the reported intention of the President of the United States to issue an executive order forbidding what the Administration considers “discrimination” based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” Because we do not know how the executive order will define these critically important terms, or if it will provide sufficient (or any) religious freedom protection, we cannot provide substantive comment on the order. On the other hand, when the U.S. Senate recently passed legislation on the same topic, we raised detailed objections to that legislation, and we would refer interested parties to those resources to identify the applicable principles. We say again now, as we said in connection with the Senate bill and have said many times before, that we oppose any unjust discrimination against any person on any grounds. We intend to review the details of the executive order carefully once it is available, in order to assess whether it serves the dignity of the human person and the common good.”
For previous statements and background on ENDA, visit:
ENDA letter (July 9, 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/joint-letter-on-enda-senate-help-2013-07-09.pdf
ENDA letter (Oct 31, 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/joint-letter-senate-enda-2013-10-31.pdf
ENDA backgrounder (Oct 2013): https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/enda-backgrounder-2013.pdf”
# # # # #
MEDIA CONTACT ONLY:
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
O: 202-541-3200
