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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has withdrawn from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, citing the group’s “expanded and broadened agenda.”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

As I sit sore and tired, I cannot also help but think that the N.Y.C. Marathon for me is a thin space, a space where I can easily see God’s presence in the world.
Robert McCarthyNovember 04, 2024
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples has been named as one of the prelates Pope Francis will make a cardinal on December 7th.
“I will not vote for president this year,” Monica Brent writes. “I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, for many reasons. However, Kamala Harris’s stance on abortion makes her a no-go for me, as well. ”
Our readersNovember 04, 2024
Pope Francis, your encyclical on the Sacred Heart, “Dilexit Nos,” is beautiful and heartwarming. And for Catholics in the United States, the timing was perfect.
Joe Laramie, S.J.November 04, 2024