Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has withdrawn from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, citing the group’s “expanded and broadened agenda.” In announcing the withdrawal on May 19, Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., right, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Peace, pointed to the rights group’s support of the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court as the most recent example of how the concerns of the two organizations have diverged. The civil rights conference, said Bishop Murphy, “has moved beyond advocacy of traditional civil rights to advocacy of positions which do not reflect the principles and policies of the bishops’ conference.” Traditionally, the bishops have been neutral on court nominees, said Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M., who is director of media relations for the bishops’ conference. Kagan, now the U.S. solicitor general, was nominated by President Obama on May 10 to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinNovember 27, 2024
How realistic is “Conclave”? A canon lawyer weighs in.
Colleen DulleNovember 27, 2024
Anti-euthanasia protesters demonstrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London in July 2017.  (CNS photo/Neil Hall, Reuters)
U.K. faith leaders oppose the assisted dying bill: “We believe that a truly compassionate response to the end of life lies in the provision of high-quality palliative care services to all who need them.”
Kevin ClarkeNovember 27, 2024
Since launching a campaign within the Labour Party against legalized suicide, I’ve been met with the refrain, “Your only allies are the Tories.”
Ciaron TobinNovember 27, 2024