By Judie Brown
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once said, “Far better it is for you to say: ‘I am a sinner,’ than to say: ‘I have no need of religion.’ The empty can be filled, but the self-intoxicated have no room for God.” He truly understood the human condition, even amidst those who denied that his words had credence.
Thankfully Saint John Paul II was among those who appreciated this silver-tongued teacher. According to a biography, “Two months before Archbishop Sheen’s death, Pope John Paul II embraced him in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. In that encounter on October 2, 1979, the Holy Father said to him, ‘You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church!’”
So, when I reflect on this incredible Catholic leader, and because of my own gratitude to him for his wisdom, I am left wondering what in the world has happened to such men and women in our day. I do not mean that the Church is without her spokespeople, but it is challenging to find those who speak with clarity in this time of social dissonance.
For example, on the much-heated discussion of immigrants, we hear this from the USCCB:
Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.
Though it is gratifying to see the bishops defending the human dignity of every person, including the immigrant, it is not nearly sufficient when we consider the people they did not mention, including expectant mothers whose babies deserve the same recognition in law as their mothers. For those babies, we can scarcely find a word of solace on the official USCCB website for 2025. As a matter of fact, on the subject of early-days abortion (contraception) we had to seek out a footnote from the USCCB Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services to find anything remotely resembling the truth: “It is recommended that if an abortifacient intervention is requested by a survivor of a sexual assault the provider advise the woman of the ethical standards that prevent Catholic hospitals from providing any abortifacient interventions.”
Note that these words are addressing a sexual assault victim. Yet they are the only words we can find to alert us to the Catholic teaching that contraception and abortion are “fruits of the same tree.” Saint John Paul II wrote this in 1995, but today in 2025 it would seem that the USCCB’s narrow view has supplanted the teaching of not only Saint John Paul II but the Church as a whole.
Marim Meyer, at student at Brigham Young University-Idaho, seems to have a better grasp on human dignity than some who claim the Catholic faith. In a recent article, she wrote,
Real freedom and justice are only possible when they protect every body, especially the most defenseless and vulnerable.
My great-grandmother, Paula, along with thousands of mentally and physically disabled people, was murdered by the Nazi regime because her society decided she was not “fully human” and was a burden to others.
Paula’s life, though cut short, carries a moral message stronger than any ideology: When we define the dignity and worth of even one person as something less than a valued human being, we endanger the dignity and worth of us all.
It is words like these that should be flowing from the USCCB as well. The most vulnerable persons in our midst deserve the very best we have to offer in every circumstance, including moral, physical, and societal defense and protection.
Every human person is precious; every one of them possesses innate dignity that is not granted by the state, an ideology, or a political talking point. Only God can grant that dignity. We pray that the Catholic bishops will do more to underscore that truth rather than their recent political posturing.
We pray that you will opt for divine truth over ego, dear bishops; shepherd your sheep and take care that not a one of them goes astray because of your departure from the fullness of truth.
Saint John Paul II, pray for us.