Soon after the US presidential race was called for Donald Trump, Archbishop Timothy Broglio sat down for an interview with Vatican News to discuss the election. The Archbishop of Military Services USA expressed the Bishops Conference’s prayers for all newly elected officials of 2024.
As President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Broglio began by reiterating the Catholic Church’s position in the US political landscape: that the Church is “not aligned with any political party." He made it clear that the USCCB is determined to work with federal, state, and local politicians regardless of political affiliation “for the common good.”
“As Christians and as Americans,” the archbishop said, “we have a duty to treat each other with charity, respect, and civility, even if we may disagree on how to carry out matters of public policy.”
When asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, Archbishop Broglio congratulated him and praised the democratic process of the US. He emphasized the bishops’ belief in America’s ability to transfer power peacefully. Noting the Christian obligation “to treat each other with charity, respect, and civility,” the archbishop reminded that Church teaching remains unchanged no matter who sits in the White House.
Policy
Vatican News next asked the archbishop which policies the US Bishops felt were most pressing to address in the next four years. He placed preeminent concern on protections for “the dignity of the human person,” noting that as a creation of God all humans are deserving of such consideration “from womb to tomb.”
The next biggest concern of the USCCB is poverty in the United States. Pointing to the immense wealth of the country, he expressed distress regarding the number of homeless people without shelter in major US cities. He expressed the conference’s confidence that the US has the ability to "alleviate some of those problems at the root cause.”
Finally, he indicated the need for immigration reform, which the US bishops have been advocating for decades. He described the current immigration system as “broken” and expressed the need for the system to be “more responsive to the needs of the people.” He considered how many who come to the US flee “poverty and other difficult situations,” suggesting that “probably the most productive way to change that would be to help those countries better their own lot.”
Abortion amendments
In its last question, Vatican News asked about the bishops’ perspective on the states that voted on issues related to abortion. Ten states had abortion on the ballot, and of those, seven voted to advance abortion. Only South Dakota, Florida, and Nebraska voted to uphold restrictions on abortion.
Archbishop Broglio noted that the USCCB has been committed to advocating for limits to “this threat to human life.” He said that the conference feels the best way to do this is “to try and convince people of the right of the unborn to life and not to be suppressed.” He lamented that seven states chose to broaden the availability of abortions, which he said “represents a challenge” to the US bishops “to keep this dignity of the human person at the forefront.”
“When we look at the violence in our society, I don't think it's unrelated to the fact that people suggest that you can decide who can live, or when someone can die. I think that also cheapens the dignity of the human person. And so, we have a responsibility to educate people and to try and convince them to see the light of the Gospel.”
Read the full interview with Archbishop Broglio at Vatican News.
