Most bishops today get plenty of mail from parishioners – much of which asks or demands that we respond to the latest issue of their concern. Very often in today’s world those issues are directly related to politics and how one political parties’ efforts to enforce or promote their agenda offends our Gospel values and sensitivities. As if that is not challenging enough, in today’s American culture many people have allowed politics to inform their faith, rather than permitting faith to inform political priorities.
Another dynamic, though related to the issue above, is that our society is more and more polarized. Polarization almost by definition leads to a fractured experience of our shared community life. Engaging in behaviors that reinforce one’s polarized position easily leads to treating other people in a manner that fails to respect their human dignity. The more this behavior is ‘normalized’ the less humane our activity becomes.
Once we lose basic respect for the dignity of each human person, the easier it is for individuals to ‘justify’ violent and hateful language and actions. From there it is not much of a leap to not only diminish the dignity of another person or groups of persons, but to justify taking a life. Sadly this deplorable behavior is becoming regular news in the streets of our own country.
As I have read my own mail, seen fissures in the unity of our Church, witnessed the fracturing of our American society and watched in dismay at the escalation of war around the world, I felt compelled to do something.
After reading Pope Leo XIV’s address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See (January 9, 2026) I began to envision a proper response the our present situation. Rather than ‘getting into the weeds’ and speaking to specific, outrageous behaviors of individuals, nations or leaders, the thought came to me to simply speak to what a well-ordered society looks like. Thus, I in a very few short days wrote this pastoral letter on a well-ordered society reflecting on the basic principles and foundations of such a society according to Gospel values, our Catholic Social Doctrine, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Address of Pope Leo XIV to the Diplomatic Corps.
We are created to be one human family. We are created to live in harmony and peace. This is ultimately what every human person longs for. It is time for us to abandon allegiance to agendas and political parties and rediscover basic human decency, truth, integrity and charity. Essentially, we are called, all of us, to serve the common good for the good of each and everyone.
Enough with discord and inhumane actions to coerce and force others to one’s world view. Let us rediscover the building blocks of a well-ordered society and rebuild our world with a strong commitment to truth, justice, charity and peace.
Open the Pastoral Letter or download the PDF.
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