Free to Serve (USCCB, October 2018)

Non datur libertas sine veritate. Vol. IV, No. 9 Dear brothers and sisters,   May the peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you!   In recent weeks, I have enjoyed frank and edifying conversations with Catholics who love the Church, who are deeply engaged in mission, and who care about the freedom of the Church to serve. Right now, we bishops are being called to act decisively on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse and to ensure that any future abuse is confronted swiftly and justly.  During this time of crisis, I am encouraged by those of you who continue to love and serve the Lord with all your heart. You help me to grow in my own relationship with Christ. Please pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you.   Thank you for the work you do to promote religious freedom!   With prayerful best wishes, I am                                                                 Sincerely yours in the Lord,                                                               Most Reverend Joseph Kurtz                                                               Archbishop of Louisville                                                               Chair, Committee for Religious Liberty (CNS Photo/Bob Roller) Archbishop Kurtz Speaks to Thomas More Society of America The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty told a Washington audience Sept. 12 he is concerned about a "steady movement" in the U.S. away from religious institutions and an erosion in the view that religious liberty must be valued. Read more. Watch the Video! Louisville Archbishop: Religious Liberty Allows Faith in the Public Square Archbishop Kurtz spoke with Crux during the Encuentro - a major summit of Hispanic Catholics that took place in Texas last week - on a range of issues, including the connection between immigration and religious liberty, the sexual abuse crisis, and his friendly advice to the current leadership of the USCCB as they attempt to weather the current storms facing the U.S. Church. Read more. New Website Offers Resources on Freedom for Faith Based Adoption and Foster Care Services Hundreds of adoption agencies and foster care providers across the country are founded on Christian beliefs and operate according to those beliefs. But a current effort is underway to target these faith-based providers and force them to abandon their beliefs or shut them down.  Check out KeepKidsFirst.com! U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Committee Statement on Sex Abuse Scandals; Committee Releases Actions to be Taken Within Its Authority (CNS Photo/Bob Roller) The USCCB Administrative Committee issued a statement  in response to the recent sex abuse scandals. In the statement, the bishops say they pledge to "heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us." Read more. God's Servant First Blog: Restoring the Church's Credibility By Aaron Matthew Weldon Whether you work for the Church, in government, or are simply a Catholic citizen living out the vocation to "renew and constantly perfect the temporal order," you know that bearing witness to our Catholic faith in public life is exceedingly difficult when the institutional Church has lost so much of her credibility. Read more. Follow us on Twitter! For up-to-date religious freedom news, follow @USCCBFreedom today! www.usccb.org/freedom