Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this past Tuesday, once again, we were made painfully aware of another horrific act of violence and the tragic loss of innocent human life that followed. The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas repeated an all too familiar scene that pours salt in a wound that never seems to heal. As we pray for all the victims, especially the 19 children and 2 teachers who were killed, we must constantly pray for their families that will never be the same and for healing in our country that desperately needs the peace that comes from God.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., has issued the following statement in response to the recent mass shootings: The disciples of Jesus that form the Archdiocese of Newark join our hearts and prayers for the anguished families of Uvalde, Buffalo and many other communities across this country, including Newark, the city in which I live and love. The slaughter of children and teachers yesterday in Texas, and the surge of violence in communities nationwide, cannot be easily explained but must not be dismissed as a perverse “new normal.”
Lifting up in prayer the souls of the children and teachers killed Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and united in grief with their parents and families, the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel account of the massacre of the holy innocents in Bethlehem come to my mind:
WASHINGTON - In response to the news of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas reported this afternoon, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, director of public affairs.
To parents, caregivers, and families, The Murphy Administration is currently assessing steps to address the nationwide shortage of infant formula and remains committed to ensuring that New Jersey’s families can access the nutritional support and resources needed to care for their infants.
The Catholic Bishops of New Jersey join to express our disappointment and outrage over Governor Murphy’s announcement regarding proposed legislation to expand access to abortion in New Jersey, an act that by its very nature terminates human life. If enacted, this legislation would mandate health insurance coverage for abortions, codify regulations that permit non-physicians to perform abortions; and create a public fund that dedicates taxpayer money to pay for abortions.
The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) alerted the New Jersey Catholic Conference today that for the second time this year, the United States Senate is attempting to pass a bill that would enshrine abortion on demand in federal law through the “Women’s Health Protection Act,” S. 4132. Tentatively, the vote will be held next Wednesday (May 11).
WASHINGTON—In response to the leak of a draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following call to prayer: