His Eminence Edmund Cardinal Szoka, former Archbishop of Detroit and Chairman of the Michigan Catholic Conference Board of Directors from 1981–1990, died last night at the age of 86. "We mourn the loss of a dedicated shepherd," said current Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, who had served as a priest under Cardinal Szoka in the 1980s. "For sixty years Cardinal Szoka gave himself totally to his priestly service of Christ and his Church. He has gone home to the Heavenly Father with our prayers. May the Lord give him the reward of his labors." Cardinal Szoka oversaw the Vatican City State under both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He was made President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State in 1997, and president of the Vatican City State in 2001. Funeral arrangements for Cardinal Szoka are still pending. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Requiescat in pace.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller vs. Alabama ruled mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional. Earlier this year, Michigan lawmakers prohibited the mandatory sentence going forward, but did not address the issue of retroactivity. Today, the Michigan Supreme Court declared that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision does not apply to those currently serving life without parole for a crime committed as a juvenile. Michigan Catholic Conference issued a statement in response, calling for the Legislature to pass a measure that would allow those serving the sentence the chance for a parole hearing during their lives. “Our position is driven by the need to balance compassion and protection for the victims with the opportunity for offenders to rehabilitate their lives, which should be the goal of the corrections system.”
Michigan Catholic Conference made the following statement today after the United States Supreme Court held in the Hobby Lobby case that closely-held corporations cannot be required, under federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act protections, to provide contraceptive coverage in employee health benefit plans: “The impact of the HHS mandate and the administration’s ‘accommodation’ policy, however, still looms large for many Catholic and other religious organizations that do not meet the government test of a ‘religious employer.’ We express hope that non-profit cases related to the HHS mandate, such as that of the Michigan Catholic Conference and Little Sisters of the Poor, secure a favorable outcome from the federal courts in a manner that upholds and protects the first amendment right to religious liberty.”
On behalf of the diocesan Catholic bishops in the state, Michigan Catholic Conference late yesterday filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to defend a 2004 voter-approved amendment to the Michigan constitution that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Michigan Marriage Amendment, which nearly 2.7 million voters supported in 2004, was strongly endorsed by the Michigan bishops. The Michigan Catholic Conference brief was filed in support of the state’s effort to appeal a lower court’s ruling that found the Michigan Marriage Amendment unconstitutional.
Michigan Catholic Conference today is applauding the state Office of Attorney General for continuing to defend the Michigan Marriage Amendment that was found unconstitutional on Friday by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman. After the ruling, a statement was released by the Catholic bishops in the state addressing the importance of one man and one woman in marriage and pledging to support efforts to appeal the judge’s decision. “The Catholic community has made clear its strong support for the 2004 voter approved marriage amendment, and that any legal decision to overturn the amendment should be appealed and overturned,” said Paul A. Long, Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO.
The seven arch/diocesan Catholic bishops in the State of Michigan released a statement today after U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman issued a ruling that overturns the 2004 voter-approved Michigan Marriage Amendment. The bishops write collectively under the name of the Michigan Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state. “Today’s decision from federal district court Judge Bernard Friedman to redefine the institution of marriage by declaring Michigan’s Marriage Amendment unconstitutional strikes at the very essence of family, community and human nature,” the bishops write. “Marriage is and can only ever be a unique relationship solely between one man and one woman, regardless of the decision of a judge or future electoral vote. Nature, the very essence of humanity as understood through historical experience and reason, is the arbiter of marriage, and we uphold this truth for the sake of the common good.“
