In a rare display of division, several bishops criticised the decision by the executive committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to halve the staff of its Justice, Peace and Human Development department.
A USCCB spokesperson said: “The reorganisation will allow the conference to align resources more closely with recent funding trends.”
Writing last week in the Jesuit journal America, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe questioned the decision to cut back on the Church’s social ministry.
“I have been proud of the way the bishops of the United States have carried out our mission by standing with the poor, working for justice and pursuing peace,” he wrote.
“We have done so by sharing and applying the teaching of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as pastors, teachers and leaders in our Catholic community of faith. Unfortunately, with all due respect to the leadership, I believe the USCCB is quietly taking extraordinary actions that curtail our sacred social mission.”
Wester also criticised the lack of consultation and questioned the stated reason for the cuts. “Most of my brother bishops and I have received no financial justification for the cuts,” he said.
“After my 26 years as a bishop, I am appalled that the USCCB would undermine a vital function without a process involving consultation and transparency.”
Other bishops seconded Wester’s concerns. “We are on the cusp of acrimonious elections. We are facing armed world conflict, incidents of noxious racism, extreme abortion proposals, congressional gridlock regarding immigration reform, and a host of other troubling societal issues affecting our people,” said Archbishop George Thomas of Las Vegas told The Tablet.
“Now, more than ever before, we need episcopal leadership informed by Catholic Social Teaching to serve as a lodestar as we pass through these turbulent waters. I hope that the budgetary cutbacks and staff reductions in the arena of justice, peace and human development will be prayerfully reconsidered.”
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