In pastoral letter, Baltimore archbishop calls for renewed political culture

BALTIMORE (OSV News) — In a new pastoral letter released Feb. 9, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore takes the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary to address “a moment of grace and responsibility.”

In the pastoral letter, “In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” the archbishop noted that anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration.

‘Who we are called to be’

“Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal, it calls us to consider not only who we have been, and who we are becoming — but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be,” he said in the letter.

“One of the things that is so evident, painfully evident, is the extreme polarization of our political culture, the seeming inability to come together to find common ground, to work for human dignity and for the common good,” Archbishop Lori said.

“I wrote this not as a political prescription or not to tell anybody how to vote. It’s not about that. It’s about the qualities of mind and heart that we as citizens, believers and leaders ought to be striving to bring to our political culture,” he said.

He made the comments in an interview for “Catholic Review Radio,” a weekly program produced by Catholic Review Media, the publishing arm of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Teachings of Popes Benedict, Francis and Leo

The archbishop’s letter draws on the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI, Francis and Leo XIV, as well as from recent homilies and columns of his own in which he has addressed the toxic thoughts and feelings many people are experiencing these days.

The title of the pastoral also echoes the archbishop’s episcopal motto, “Charity in Truth.”

Noting that the letter comes “From America’s Premiere See,” founded as the first diocese in the United States in 1789, the archbishop writes, “This anniversary can be a moment of grace if embraced also as a moment of responsibility. For while we rightly take pride in the achievements of our nation and the vibrancy of our Catholic faith, we cannot ignore the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life.

“The task before us is not to romanticize the past but to offer a hopeful and credible witness today.”

“In Charity and Truth” is Archbishop Lori’s fifth pastoral letter.

Nation’s blessings and contradictions

In the interview, the archbishop said that while recognizing the enduring ideals that led the founders of the United States to create this new nation, we must acknowledge the blessings and contradictions. He noted that some people have been denied their rights and are suffering in our culture.

“The reason you do this is because you want to make the United States the best possible version of itself. It’s never going to be a utopia. There’s never going to be complete agreement. There’s always going to be a need to strive for justice. It’s called (the American) experiment for a reason. And that’s that we have to keep trying,” he said.

The pastoral is rooted in the current cultural atmosphere in society and in the church, like the air we breathe. “Rarely is it entirely fresh and bracing. All too often it is polluted, even toxic. Such is the political atmosphere in which we find ourselves today. Political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual,” the archbishop writes.

Polarization touches everyone

He further notes that the polarization touches everyone. “At its root, this crisis reflects a wounded understanding of the human person. When we forget that every human being is created in the image of God — body and soul united, destined for communion — we begin to see one another not as brothers and sisters, but as obstacles and threats. Political life then becomes a contest of power rather than a shared pursuit of the common good.”

Recalling Pope Francis’ promotion of synodality as a way of listening, discerning and walking together, Archbishop Lori said the ecclesial model can also be used in civic life.

“A synodal spirit offers a kind of wisdom for civic life: it reminds us that no political goal is worth the cost of a fractured people, and no disagreement justifies forgetting our shared humanity,” the pastoral said.

A way of engaging differences

The letter also said, “Synodality in politics does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles. What it seeks is not forced unity, but a way of engaging differences that honors dignity, practices patience and seeks the common good. It rejects the idea that truth is found in shouting matches or that justice is served by humiliating opponents.”

The letter noted, “From the beginning, Catholics in this country have wrestled with how to live faithfully in a culture that does not always share or support the Gospel. That struggle continues today, especially in a time when many feel politically homeless and unsure where their faith fits within the current landscape,” he writes.

In the interview, the archbishop said that now is not the time for Catholics to disengage from the public sphere.

‘Our faith impels us to go forward’

“That is exactly what we should not do,” he said. “There is nothing in our faith that makes it incompatible for us to labor in the public sphere. Quite the contrary. Our faith impels us to go forward. We are missionaries. Of course, we are evangelizing. … But we are also missionaries to their broader culture, bringing fundamental human values of human dignity and solidarity and human flourishing into the public sphere.”

He called “In Charity and Truth” an invitation to lay aside “all the sound and fury of our current political culture.”

He said the Church can be an “intermediate institution” between government and the people, helping them to develop as persons, “to find our voice, to find our place, to anchor our lives in what really matters. and then to share that with others within the Church and beyond the Church.”

Christopher Gunty is associate publisher and editor of Catholic Review Media, the publishing arm of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. This story was originally published by Catholic Review and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

The post In pastoral letter, Baltimore archbishop calls for renewed political culture first appeared on OSV News.