A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of California
on Caring for those who Suffer from Mental Illness
Addressed to All Catholics and People of Goodwill
California Bishops Statements
(En Español) Roman Catholic Bishops from dioceses located on the United States and Mexico border recently issued a statement (https://tinyurl.com/border-statement) expressing their “deep concern” about the militarization of the border. Bishop Jaime Soto, from Sacramento and president of the California Catholic Conference, issued the following statement in solidarity with border bishops’ sentiments and the plight immigrants face in the nation today:
The Catholic Bishops of California fervently appeal to each of you, as the elected Senators and Representatives of our California Congressional delegation: Please step up now to protect the “Dreamers,” our young sisters and brothers from deportation. Provide them a path to citizenship. Maintain existing protections for families and unaccompanied minors.
The Public Policy Committee of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops has released the following statement regarding Dreamers and the urgent need to participate in "National Catholic Call-In Day:"
The Catholic Bishops of California fervently appeal to each of you, as the elected Senators and Representatives of our California Congressional delegation: Please step up now to protect the “Dreamers,” our young sisters and brothers from deportation. Provide them a path to citizenship. Maintain existing protections for families and unaccompanied minors.
(En Español) During this week of Mother’s Day celebrations in the United States and Mexico, the enduring bonds of family will light up social media, overload telephone lines, and overflow many dining tables as children text, call, FaceTime, present home-made cards, feast, offer bouquets, and thank their mothers for their lifetime of labor and love. The wisdom of the fourth commandment, to honor thy father and mother, is on display as children use all means of transportation and communication to be close to the ones who gave them life.
Sacramento, CA - (En Español) Today marks the beginning of the Lenten Season, a time when Christian people devote ourselves more intentionally to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in an earnest effort to reform our lives in the image of Jesus Christ.
All Life Is Sacred – Innocent or Flawed
Bishops Also Oppose Prop 66 to Speed up Executions
SACRAMENTO, CA - During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we, the Catholic Bishops of California support Proposition 62 which would end the use of the death penalty in California. Our commitment to halt the practice of capital punishment is rooted both in the Catholic faith and our pastoral experience.
All life is sacred – innocent or flawed – just as Jesus Christ taught us and demonstrated repeatedly throughout His ministry. This focus on the preciousness of human life is fundamental to Christianity and most eloquently expressed in the two great commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk. 12.30-31) Jesus makes clear that to love God we must love our neighbor. Each of us holds an inherent worth derived from being created in God’s own image. Each of us has a duty to love this divine image imprinted on every person. “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (I Jn. 4.20)