Life, justice supporters can find common ground, says USCCB official

Cheri Perkins Mantz reported in our Catholic Herald on the Social Action Summer Institute at Marquette University the week of July 15. Our Archdiocese's blurb noted that among the sponsors were

Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, [and] Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Despite that, not all the seminar sessions [4 pp. pdf] were on climate change. Joan Rosenhauer, special projects coordinator for the Department of Social Development and World Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on the topic of "Bringing Pro-Life and Pro-Justice Communities Together in an Election Year".

She opened her presentation by stating, "There is no good way to talk about this."

There isn't? What kind of people was she talking to?

Her audience included men and women from around the country who lead social action groups in their dioceses, and parish members from across the United States.

All dedicated to living up to stereotypes about them.

Attendees wondered how they could assure healthy, productive dialogue between pro-life or anti-abortion supporters and those who are pro-justice, or choose to fight for issues such as immigration.

Crack a book?

Concerning the "methods" for practising responsible procreation, the first to be rejected as morally illicit are sterilization and abortion. The latter in particular is a horrendous crime and constitutes a particularly serious moral disorder; far from being a right, it is a sad phenomenon that contributes seriously to spreading a mentality against life, representing a dangerous threat to a just and democratic social coexistence. [footnotes omitted]
--Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 233.