Reverence for Life
Human Dignity
Restorative Justice
Education
Family Life & Marriage
Religious Liberty

Reverence for Life

We hold life sacred from conception to natural death. We support policies and services that assist pregnant women to make life-affirming choices.
Human Dignity

We believe that each person has a right to access the basic necessities of life. We advocate for food and income security for all and pay special attention to the needs of women and children.
Restorative Justice

We believe that the dignity of the human person applies to both victim and offender. We advocate for restorative justice policies for all impacted by the criminal justice system.
Education

We support—as a matter of justice—access to a high quality education for all children. We affirm that all parents have both the right and the responsibility to be involved in their childrens' education.
Family Life & Marriage

We support and defend the institution of marriage as the basic foundation of society. We advocate for tax, workplace, welfare and divorce policies that enhance family unity
Religious Liberty

We affirm our religious liberty, which is guaranteed in both the U.S. Constitution and the California state constitution.

Appeal for Prayer in Solidarity with Persecuted Christians

. Religious Liberty

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During Christian Unity Week, Bishop Jaime Soto asked Catholics in his diocese to say this prayer throughout the week. Recent attacks on Christians around the world have raised awareness of religious persecution and intolerance. Pope Benedict XVI addressed the issue in his New Year's Message.

We gather in prayer for the unity of all Christians on this first day of Christian Unity Week. Together we profess our faith in Jesus Christ Son of God who died, rose and lives now in His Body, the Church. We rejoice in our common fellowship and in solidarity with the followers of Jesus everywhere.

As Christians we pray for religious freedom for all. The religious conscience of each person should be respected and defended by all faiths.

Assembled in the Lord’s name, we express our common concern for the recent savage attacks on Christians in a number of places throughout the world. We lament the tragic loss of life and the cruel violation of human dignity.

We call on all Christian Churches to renew our pledge to earnestly pray for the unity of the disciples of the Lord Jesus during this difficult time, for as St. Paul reminds us, we are part of the one body of Christ. “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” (I Cor. 12.12-27) The terrible suffering of fellow Christians urges us now to stand in solidarity with them, to pray with them and for them.

We publicly recommit our mutual responsibility to seek the common good of all humanity. We work, hand in hand, with people of every culture and creed for peace that is rooted in justice.

In this way, we make our prayers one with that of Christ himself, “that they may all be one.” (Jn. 17.21)

About

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The California Catholic Conference (CCC) is the official voice of the Catholic community in California's public policy arena. Its mission is to advocate with the legislative, administrative and judicial branches of state government for the Catholic Church's public policy agenda and to facilitate common pastoral efforts in the Catholic community. The CCC also enables ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and action.

Catholic Social Teaching

Every four years the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encourages us to examine our call to be engaged in public policy decisions. Catholics generally take their participation in their communities seriously, but have become just as susceptible to the 30-second sound bite and fear-inducing pundits as the next person.

Read more here.
The newest statement from the California Catholic Conference is In Search of the Common Good: A Moral Framework for Addressing the California Budget Crisis. In the statement, the Bishops examine the moral and ethical questions raised by California's ongoing fiscal crisis and our shared responsibility for each other.

Find statements from the California Bishops here.
Catholic social teaching brings the Gospel message to the issues of our modern world. It is summarized here with introductions to each of the social encyclicals since Rerum Novarum in 1891; seven seven themes used to group the various teaching - starting with the right to life as the most important; and an in-depth look at Charity in Truth, written by Pope Benedict XVI.