Bishops’ Statements on Current Issues

Illinois’ six diocesan bishops occasionally make statements on current issues important to the Church, either as a group or as individuals. When the statement is issued as a group, it reflects the view of the Church statewide. Individual bishops may choose to make a statement on issues of specific interest to their dioceses.

Statement on Parents Matter Coalition

The Bishops of Illinois share the following statement on the Parents Matter Coalition. A PDF copy of the statement can also be found HERE.

Statement on Parents Matter Coalition

January 29, 2024

The family is the central, basic cell of society and our government should be supporting families and assisting parents in the care of their children, not undermining them.  “Following the principle of subsidiarity, larger communities should take care not to usurp the family’s prerogatives or interfere in its life.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 2209

Around Illinois, a growing number of parents are increasingly concerned about their parental rights being stripped away by governmental overreach.  In an effort to raise awareness, the Parents Matter Coalition was recently formed and is currently collecting signatures on petitions for an advisory question to affirm parental rights, particularly with regards to the medical care of their children.  If the required number of signatures are collected, the non-binding advisory question has an opportunity to be placed on the November 2024 election ballot. 

The Bishops of Illinois support the goals of this initiative, but we ask our parishes to respect the Church as the center of worship and not become a means of petition-gathering. The Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) is the public policy voice of the Illinois bishops and lay Catholics. It interacts with the state legislature, the governor’s office and all elements of state government to promote and defend the interests of the Church. Parishioners are encouraged to sign up for our Illinois Catholic Advocacy Network (I-CAN) to stay informed on issues affecting the Church and make their views known to government officials. Go to https://www.ilcatholic.org/take-action/join-i-can/

More information on this initiative can be found at parentsmattercoalition.org

Illinois Catholic Bishops Share “A Catholic Vision for Restorative Justice in Illinois”

Illinois Catholic Bishops Share “A Catholic Vision for Restorative Justice in Illinois”

Illinois Catholic Bishops Share “A Catholic Vision for Restorative Justice in Illinois”

Download the .pdf document HERE.

The approaching season of Lent is an opportunity for us to reflect on how our sins have broken our relationship with God and with others and yet also gives us a chance to be accountable for our actions, to both give and receive mercy and forgiveness, to restore those relationships, and to experience our own spiritual renewal. Restorative justice similarly offers this opportunity within our criminal justice system by bringing together those who have harmed and those who have been harmed, including families and communities, to participate in the healing processes of accountability and forgiveness so relationships broken by wrongdoing can be restored.

Therefore, as we prepare for the Lenten season, the Illinois Catholic bishops are pleased to share the document “A Catholic Vision for Restorative Justice in Illinois,” which is inspired by the experiences of our Illinois Catholic Prison and Jail Ministry Network – a statewide network of priests, deacons, religious, and lay people among all six of our dioceses who minister to those incarcerated as well as victims of crime, families, and communities. In this document, we explore how we can renew our criminal justice system, so it is focused not only on punishment but truly recognizes and respects the human dignity of all by being more rehabilitative, restorative, and healing and providing more opportunities for reentry. Transforming our criminal justice system to be more restorative advances the common good by helping to create safer communities and to heal all those affected by wrongdoing so they may have more hopeful futures.

We encourage all to read and reflect on “A Catholic Vision for Restorative Justice in Illinois.” Alongside all people of good faith in our state, the Catholic Church in Illinois is committed to work with the state to bring this vision to fruition.

We offer special thanks to Emily Cortina of Kolbe House of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Brian Hickey (formerly of the Office for Human Dignity of the Diocese of Joliet), and all the members of the Catholic Conference of Illinois’ Prison and Jail Ministry Committee, for their assistance in developing this document.

Illinois bishops join U.S. bishops’ statement on COVID-19 vaccines

Illinois bishops join U.S. bishops’ statement on COVID-19 vaccines

Our Illinois bishops today issued a statement on the moral permissibility of COVID-19 vaccines that have been in recent news. The statement may also be found in PDF format in English, Español and Polskie.

Illinois bishops join U.S. bishops’ statement on COVID-19 vaccines

Recent days have brought hopeful news to the global fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by federal regulators, shipped across the country and used to inoculate front-line health care workers. Authorization of another vaccine appears imminent.

As a faith community concerned about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, we realize that many may be questioning the moral permissibility of these vaccines. We, the Catholic bishops of Illinois, join entirely the document released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines.”[1] The document offers a detailed analysis of the origin of current vaccines and concludes that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are morally acceptable. We urge all Catholics to read this document.

We thank the dedicated health care workers who have tended to and comforted those afflicted by the coronavirus, as well as their families. We express our gratitude to the resourceful scientists who have produced vaccines in record time and offer encouragement to those pursuing additional remedies. And we pray for all affected by this global health crisis, be it from the death of a loved one, illness from the virus, financial hardship or isolation from families and friends. 


[1] “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines” may be found here: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines

Los obispos de Illinois se unen a la declaración

de los obispos de Estados Unidos sobre las vacunas contra el COVID-19

Los últimos días han traído noticias esperanzadoras a la lucha mundial contra la actual pandemia de coronavirus. Una vacuna contra el COVID-19 ha sido aprobada por los reguladores federales, enviada a todo el país y utilizada para inocular a los trabajadores sanitarios de primera línea. La autorización de otra vacuna parece inminente.

Como comunidad de fe preocupada por la santidad de la vida humana desde la concepción hasta la muerte natural, nos damos cuenta de que muchos pueden estar cuestionando la permisibilidad moral de estas vacunas. Nosotros, los obispos católicos de Illinois, nos unimos por completo al documento publicado por la Conferencia Estadounidense de los Obispos Católicos, “Consideraciones morales con respecto a las nuevas vacunas contra el COVID-19”.[1] El documento ofrece un análisis detallado del origen de las vacunas actuales y concluye que las vacunas Moderna y Pfizer son moralmente aceptables. Instamos a todos los católicos a leer este documento.

Damos las gracias a los dedicados trabajadores de la salud que han atendido y consolado a los afectados por el coronavirus, así como a sus familias. Expresamos nuestra gratitud a los ingeniosos científicos que han producido vacunas en un tiempo récord y ofrecemos aliento a quienes buscan remedios adicionales. Y oramos por todos los afectados por esta crisis de salud global, ya sea por la muerte de un ser querido, enfermedad por el virus, dificultades financieras o aislamiento de familias y amigos. 


[1] Las “Consideraciones morales con respecto a las nuevas vacunas contra el COVID-19” se pueden encontrar aquí (en inglés): https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines

18 grudnia 2020 r. 

Oświadczenie Katolickiej Konferencji Biskupów Stanu Illinois 
o szczepionce przeciw COVID-19

Ostatnie dni przyniosły pełne nadziei wiadomości dotyczące globalnej walki z trwającą pandemią koronawirusa. Szczepionka przeciw COVID-19 została zatwierdzona przez odpowiednie organy władzy na poziomie federalnym, wysłana do różnych miejsc w całym kraju i wykorzystywana jest do szczepień pracowników służby zdrowia pracujących na pierwszej linii pomocy. Wydaje się, że wkrótce otrzymamy zezwolenie na kolejną partię szczepionki. 

Jako wspólnota wierzących, zatroskana o poszanowanie świętości ludzkiego życia od poczęcia do naturalnej śmierci, zdajemy sobie sprawę, że wiele osób może kwestionować moralną dopuszczalność tych szczepionek. My, katoliccy biskupi stanu Illinois, w całości przyłączamy się do dokumentu opublikowanego przez Konferencję Biskupów Katolickich Stanów Zjednoczonych „Względy moralne dotyczące nowych szczepionek przeciw COVID-19” [1]. Dokument zawiera szczegółową analizę pochodzenia obecnych szczepionek i stwierdza, że ​​szczepionki Moderna i  Pfizer są moralnie dopuszczalne. Apelujemy do wszystkich katolików o przeczytanie tego dokumentu.


Dziękujemy zaangażowanym i oddanym pracownikom służby zdrowia, którzy opiekowali się i troszczyli się o osoby dotknięte koronawirusem oraz o ich rodziny. Wyrażamy naszą wdzięczność kreatywnym naukowcom, którzy w rekordowym czasie wyprodukowali szczepionki i zachęcamy do dalszych działań tych, którzy szukają dodatkowych środków leczniczych. Modlimy się za wszystkich dotkniętych globalnym kryzysem zdrowotnym, którzy cierpią z powodu śmierci bliskich osób lub choroby spowodowanej wirusem, borykają się z trudnościami finansowymi lub odczuwają skutki izolacji od rodziny bądź przyjaciół.


[1] “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines” may be found here: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines