Sep 27, 2020
State lawmakers are expected to craft clean energy legislation during the spring 2021 legislative session. After celebrating the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis's Laudato Si' encyclical on the environment this past June, our Illinois bishops have looked to the groundbreaking document for specific points that would do well to be included in any legislation. The result is the following statement.
Jun 1, 2020
Several statements have been issued by bishops from across the country and Illinois on the death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that have ensued. Floyd was an African-American resident of Minneapolis who died on Mon., May 25 while handcuffed and lying on a city street during an arrest made by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer. Floyd was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a market.
May 26, 2020
Bishop Richard E. Pates, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet, today called on state corrections officials to ease the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois prisons by releasing some prisoners early, distributing masks and cleaning supplies among inmates and staff, and issuing accurate infection data. He also urged the shuttering of a reopened unit of Stateville Correctional Center.
May 29, 2019
Illinois' six Catholic bishops today issued a statement urging the Illinois Senate to reject the "Reproductive Health Act." The extreme measure that overhauls the state's abortion laws passed the Illinois House yesterday, and is due to go before the Illinois Senate before the end of the legislative session on May 31.
May 28, 2019
The Catholic Conference of Illinois today issued a statement after House passage of the "Reproductive Health Act," which overhauls abortion law in the state and makes the procedure a fundamental right. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.
