Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory joins the U.S. bishops in congratulating
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. "I
offer my prayerful good wishes on this historic occasion. The election
of the first African-American President of the United States shows the
degree of maturity reached by Americans and, I hope, is a definitive
sign of reconciliation," said Archbishop Gregory.
On the important issues facing the United States after the election,
Archbishop Gregory stated, "The Catholic Church will continue to
challenge and urge the country's leaders to enact laws that respect
human life at each stage of its existence. Far longer than the
Declaration of Independence, the Catholic Church has placed life first
among our rights that are described as inalienable. Our social teaching
also supports the just care of the poor, the rights of workers, the
dignity of people who immigrate to a new nation, the conservation of the
environment; we must assess the very complex economic issues, seek to
provide affordable health care for people who do not enjoy that
security, and foster the more humane treatment of those who are
imprisoned, to list only some of the issues that we now face. We will
also speak up for other concerns that cannot be ignored or dismissed
because they flow from the very human dignity that we all enjoy as God's
children."
From
Archbishop Gregory