{"id":77563,"date":"2026-04-05T04:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=77563"},"modified":"2026-04-05T04:16:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:16:55","slug":"archbishop-lori-issues-pastoral-letter-on-political-life-in-honor-of-250th-anniversary-of-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/archbishop-lori-issues-pastoral-letter-on-political-life-in-honor-of-250th-anniversary-of-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop Lori issues pastoral letter on political life in honor of 250th anniversary of the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,\u201d<\/a> released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections<\/a> Lori has written as archbishop of Baltimore. The Feb. 9 letter explored how the anniversary can be \u201ca moment of grace\u201d and one of \u201cresponsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. can both take pride in its achievements and \u201cthe vibrancy of our Catholic faith\u201d while also recognizing \u201cthe fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life,\u201d Lori wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound reflection and renewal,\u201d Lori said. \u201cAnniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal; it calls us to consider not only who we have been and who we are becoming \u2014 but, by God\u2019s grace, who we are called to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter draws on teachings from the popes, the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution, and the lives of the saints.<\/p>\n

Addressing political discourse from a Catholic view<\/h2>\n

The letter highlighted the U.S. political atmosphere, noting that \u201cpolitical discourse has become more vitriolic than usual.\u201d Lori called for synodal listening, civic virtue, and patriotic charity \u2014 as exemplified by Blessed Michael McGivney<\/a> \u2014 to renew public life with truth, responsibility, and hope.<\/p>\n

McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, served immigrant families and addressed their economic insecurity and exclusion. Lori said genuine charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotic love should guide how Catholics engage with migrants and support their dignity and inclusion.<\/p>\n

\n \"Father
Father Michael McGivney. | Credit: John Tierney\/Father McGivney Guild<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lori said ideological and cultural polarization \u201chas produced an epidemic of loneliness and isolation \u2014 an aching sense of being unmoored, misunderstood, or unheard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lori wrote: \u201cSynodality is, at its heart, a commitment to listening with humility, speaking with honesty, and discerning with the Holy Spirit \u2014 all while walking together, not apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch unity does not mean uniformity, nor does it eliminate disagreement,\u201d Lori said. \u201cRather, it reflects a deeper truth. Our communion in Christ precedes our differences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Synodality \u201cdoes not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles,\u201d Lori said. The letter detailed what \u201csynodality in politics looks like,\u201d including a renewed willingness to listen, a refusal to demonize, a commitment to discernment, and a shared journey.<\/p>\n

Our world also needs \u201ca new kind of politics \u2014 one that begins not with power but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ,\u201d Lori said. \u201cChrist, in his incarnation, affirms the goodness of the human body and the meaning of human history.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lori, this new type of politics includes resisting the idolatry of ideology. It must also honor the inherent dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, engage in dialogue rather than accusation, and place the common good above partisan loyalty.<\/p>\n

A \u201cmature Catholic political presence will\u201d always defend human life in all its stages, advocate for the poor and the vulnerable, insist on racial and social justice, promote peace and reject violence, and uphold religious freedom for all, Lori said.<\/p>\n

In order to build a better political culture, \u201cwe must learn once more how to encounter, by stepping outside our ideological comfort zones, seeking out conversations with those on the margins or those with differing points of view, healing the wounds that divide us, committing ourselves to forgiveness,\u201d Lori said.<\/p>\n

Virtue in public life<\/h2>\n

Lori called on U.S. citizens to employ the cardinal virtues in public life to create a \u201chealthy political engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

People can use prudence by \u201cevaluating policies not by slogans or emotional appeal but by their actual impact on human dignity,\u201d Lori said. The virtue \u201chelps us to see clearly, to judge wisely, and to act firmly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justice \u201cis foundational to political life,\u201d Lori said. \u201cIt is the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every human person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortitude \u201cstrengthens us to pursue what is right despite fear, intimidation, or difficulty,\u201d Lori said. \u201cIt empowers each of us to resist the pressure to conform to divisive rhetoric, to endure criticism when standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is politically inconvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, temperance \u201cmoderates our impulses and helps us resist the allure of excess,\u201d Lori said. \u201cIn political culture, temperance is perhaps the virtue most needed today. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline the desire to \u2018win\u2019 at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renewal<\/h2>\n

Lori called for renewal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. He invited all Catholics and all people of goodwill to commit themselves to a renewed political culture and to answer the call of hope.<\/p>\n

The letter concluded by detailing \u201ca path forward\u201d on how to renew political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences, and encountering those different from oneself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity,\u201d Lori said. \u201cShe remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope, and a teacher of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer mission is not to win elections but to form saints. Not to secure power but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society but to heal them,\u201d Lori said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur nation needs Catholics who embody this mission \u2014 women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred, and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified, and more faithful. So, too, can our nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ewtnnews.com\/world\/us\/archbishop-lori-issues-pastoral-letter-on-political-life-in-honor-of-250th-anniversary-of-the-u<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore urged Catholics to foster a political culture grounded in Christ by prioritizing human dignity and genuine encounter amid partisan divisions. \u201cIn Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,\u201d released in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is among the nine pastoral letters and reflections Lori [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":84570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-77563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Archbishop-Lori-issues-pastoral-letter-on-political-life-in-honor-of-250th-anniversary-of-the-U.S.jpg?fit=900%2C599&quality=80&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77563"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=77563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}