Archbishop John Wester, Bishop John Stowe and other Catholic leaders declared, “We, Bishops, religious and lay leaders of the Roman Catholic Church join with the Human Rights Campaign in calling for an end to the epidemic of violence against transgender individuals.”

Austria's Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said he cannot deny same-sex couples a blessing if they request one and that he was "not happy" with the Vatican's mid-March statement on same-sex unions.

The U.S. bishops’ conference has made defeating the Equality Act a priority, citing concerns over religious freedom.

“Jesus thought we were worth dying for,” the retired archbishop of Philadelphia said. ”There must be a lot of things that we ought to think are worth living and dying for.”

A second Catholic cardinal has questioned the legitimacy of a recent decree by the Vatican to restrict the celebration of the old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and forbid private Masses in its side chapels.

“There’s no need for us to be at odds,” Archbishop Aymond said of the relationship between the archdiocese and SNAP. “We want the same thing, and reconciliation has happened.”