Statement by Patrick R. Brannigan, Executive Director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference on President Trump’s May 4, 2017 Executive Order on free speech and religious liberty.
The New Jersey Catholic Conference agrees with Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), that the President’s Executive Order begins an important process. As Cardinal DiNardo writes: “Religious freedom is a fundamental right that should be upheld by all branches of government and not subject to political whims.”
In the days ahead, the Catholic Church in New Jersey will continue its mission to teach the importance of individuals having well-formed consciences focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable. The Church will continue to advance the common good by defending the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death.
The Catholic Church acknowledges our moral imperative to respond to the needs of our neighbors – basic needs such as food, shelter, health care, education, meaningful work, a living wage and protecting the environment. Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means. In the application of principles into laws or policies, people of good will may differ, but the principles themselves remain above impeachment.
Indeed, we will continue to preach the Good News of the Gospel.