U.S. Bishops’ Domestic Policy Chairman Commends Congressional Efforts to Address Gun Violence
WASHINGTON - Over the weekend, twenty senators announced a bipartisan proposal to address gun violence. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the following statement in response:
“I am deeply grateful that members of Congress have undertaken bipartisan negotiations to address the plague of gun violence in our nation. I commend their recent announcement of a framework to help prevent senseless violence, which includes reasonable gun safety measures. This willingness to engage in dialogue and commitment to the common good is an example of the ‘better kind of politics’ that Pope Francis champions in his encyclical Fratelli tutti, ‘For when the good of others is at stake, good intentions are not enough. Concrete efforts must be made to bring about whatever they and their nations need for the sake of their development.’ I encourage Congress to continue these important efforts which will help build a culture of life. It is imperative this Congress passes into law new protections for the American people.”