Last year alone the Sunshine State executed 19 death row inmates, and this year the number is already at 12, with three more to go. This trend alarms Florida's bishops and it should stir the consciences of all Catholics.
The event was another step by religious and political extremists intent on destroying the wall that separates church and state as well as the constitutional guarantees of freedom of – and from — religion.
The Catholic Church is not a static entity fully and perfectly formed, but our hope is that it doesn't take another 500 years to acknowledge the realities of the LGBTQ+ community.
No straight path exists to sort the way through Catholic-Jewish tensions when Israel's resort to violence raises objections in many quarters. Yet we can show the world examples of love that overcome fear and division.
We should not be surprised if Catholics are asked to pay a price for what their leaders are compelled to do in service of the Gospel. Sometimes the Gospel requires that we bear a burden.
We are encouraged by the bishops who have spoken out against the Trump administration's assault on human dignity. But to those bishops who have remained silent, we ask one simple question: What are you waiting for?
