|
The mission of the New York State Catholic Conference is to identify, formulate and implement the public policy objectives of the Catholic Bishops of New York State. As one body, the Conference provides a unified voice and the means for joint action through which the eight Catholic dioceses in the 58-county state can impact the development of public policies in the areas of health, education, welfare, human and civil rights.
The Conference seeks to fulfill the vision of the Vatican Council II, which called on the Church to be more involved in the world, and the call of Pope John Paul II in Centesimus Annus for Catholics to become personally involved in and committed to transforming the public policy process to better serve the needy and vulnerable.
The primary objective of the Conference is to reaffirm the sacredness of human life, demonstrating that "the human person is central, the clearest reflection of God among us" (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). Thus the policies pursued by the Conference seek to enhance human dignity, foster the common good, and provide for the fulfillment of individual potential from conception to natural death.
With the Gospels and the social teachings of the Church as its foundation, the New York State Catholic Conference offers a specifically Catholic contribution to state and federal public policy debates. It achieves this by:
-
working with the three branches of government to fashion laws, regulations and policies which respect human life, meet human needs, and serve the common good;
-
speaking officially for the Church before government bodies and private organizations;
- providing a forum for Church personnel to meet, exchange information, deliberate and recommend policies or actions to the Bishops ;
- studying all aspects of pressing social and moral questions and fostering public understanding of the Church’s teachings;
- highlighting the moral dimensions of critical public issues;
- encouraging Catholic citizens to communicate with their elected representatives regarding the Church’s concerns;
- working in cooperation with other faith groups and advocacy organizations to ensure that the needs of all New Yorkers are met.
|
Mercury Web Solutions