WASHINGTON – Following the publication of a national news story on Catholic churches receiving loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, 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:

As Catholics, we bring the richness of our faith to the public square. We draw from both faith and reason as we seek to affirm the dignity of the human person and the common good of all. With renewed hope, we, the Catholic Bishops of the United States, are re-issuing Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, our teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics, which provides guidance for all who seek to exercise their rights and duties as citizens.

In a Letter to the Faithful, Archbishop Coakley announced the implementation of a temporary requirement to wear masks at public Masses and other church gatherings in response to the rapidly rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma. The provision is effective Saturday, July 11.

Crises are accelerators: They take established patterns and speed them up. Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, most parishes and dioceses likely suffered from financial instability. The pandemic exacerbated and accelerated those financial concerns.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City on Thursday announced further precautions for Catholic churches in the archdiocese to address exposure to COVID-19 for church staff members or priests.

En el Evangelio, Jesús nos invita a “Vámonos aparte… y descansarán un poco.” (Mc 6, 31). Este es normalmente un buen tema de verano ya que esta es la temporada en la que muchos de nosotros esperamos un cambio de ritmo en nuestras ocupadas vidas.