“The Catholic bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by you and your administration to strengthen marriage and the family. We cannot be silent, however, when federal steps harmful to marriage, the laws defending it and religious freedom continue apace.”
— Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, in a Sept. 20 letter to President Barack Obama criticizing his administration’s fight against the Defense of Marriage Act

“The Gospel that Christians proclaim is a Gospel of mercy, love and forgiveness. We believe that the death penalty is not compatible with the Gospel. The common good and public security can be achieved in other ways. The Gospel calls us to proclaim the sacredness of human life under all circumstances.”
— Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta and retired Bishop Kevin Boland of Savannah, in a letter to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the Sept. 21 execution of Troy Davis, who was put to death for his conviction in the 1989 murder of an off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer

“We live in the richest country in the world, even with our deficit challenges, and yet the vast majority of the country is content to go to bed at night without thought for the one out of every six Americans who are struggling simply to get by. That has to change. And it’s up to us to change it.”
— Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, speaking at a national Poverty Summit held Sept. 18-19 in Fort Worth, Texas.that would make assisted suicide legal in the commonwealth