MCC is responding with profound disappointment and offense taken to a video the Governor appeared in that appears to mock the posture and gestures of Catholics receiving the Holy Eucharist, and is calling for a return to a level of public respect, civility, and appreciation for those who have found peace and fulfillment in life by worshiping God and serving their neighbor.
MCC said the state budget, which was signed into law today, is a moral statement and one that indicates the priorities state officials are willing to support with public tax dollars. Inspired by Christ’s teaching to care for ‘the least of these,’ MCC believes that taking care of the poor and vulnerable is and should remain among the top public spending priorities, and was encouraged to see that critical programs that provide for pregnant mothers in need, families experiencing homelessness, and foster children were preserved or increased.
Upon the Governor signing the latest education budget into law, MCC issued a statement indicating that state lawmakers could have provided more support to ensure all Michigan students are safe and secure at school and have access to healthy meals, regardless of the schools they attend. Lawmakers in recent years have identified school security upgrades and ensuring all students have access to free meals at school as public priorities, but the new budget fell short of making adequate investment into these areas for all students.
State lawmakers failed to consider the totality of concerns present with paid surrogacy contracts, concerns that include protecting vulnerable women from exploitation and human trafficking, along with how the practice minimizes the dignity of motherhood and childbirth into a sale and delivery mechanism for the gain of others, Michigan Catholic Conference said in response to the signing of bills allowing the practice in Michigan.
Allowing individuals to enter compensated contracts for the creation of children puts vulnerable surrogate mothers at greater risk of exploitation, MCC said in opposition to legislation that passed a state Senate committee, which would allow for compensated surrogacy contracts in the state and also make Michigan an outlier among the international community, which largely views surrogacy as a human rights violation.
Lansing Update publishes on Fridays when the Michigan Legislature is in session and chronicles legislative activity of interest to Michigan Catholic Conference.
As the election draws closer, MCC encourages all Catholics to form their consciences according to Church teaching and to vote accordingly. This week’s update provides a rundown on the major issues and how they relate to Catholic social doctrine.
Part two in a four-part series on the Catholic approach to voting makes the case that faith is meant to be the center of a person's life, including how a person votes. Also this week, MCC advocated for the unborn in tragic scenarios related to life-sustaining treatment. Plus, read other updates on policies to help vulnerable older adults and students.
To continue advancing the message of faithful citizenship before the election, MCC presents the first of a four-part series on voting. Also this week, read a column reflecting on two important life issues to consider during Respect Life Month, and see what the U.S. bishops are asking the faithful to do in response to threats of political violence.
The Legislature convened this week to pass a bill with school safety funding, but nonpublic schools were left behind. Find out what you can do next to continue advocating for enhanced school safety for all students in this week’s Lansing Update.
As the election approaches, MCC is inviting Catholic Advocacy Network members to a webinar on faithful citizenship and how to approach voting with a Catholic perspective. Also this week, grassroots advocates were urged to contact their lawmakers to approve more student safety funding.
The Word from Lansing is a regular column written by Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) staff for Catholic news outlets. Through these columns, MCC outlines current advocacy issues of importance to the Conference and discusses the Catholic position and role in the political process. This publication complements the more regular updates provided by Michigan Catholic Conference’s Catholic Advocacy Network.
Among the Church’s social teachings, there is none more important than protecting human life and dignity, which is highlighted every year in October during Respect Life month. This column focuses on two specific life issues due to their continued presence and discussion in the public square among legislators, candidates, media, and the general public.
Catholic voters are invited to begin their approach to the election by forming their consciences according to the teachings of the Church, which along with praying for insight and acting on this process of formation is at the crux of MCC’s newest edition of Focus, which is now available in print and online.
Beyond public speeches and campaign rhetoric, the state budget represents the priorities and people that state lawmakers are willing to support with the public’s tax dollars. With that in mind, MCC offers commentary on what the latest budget prioritizes, and what it doesn’t.
That each human person is endowed by God with infinite dignity was the subject of a recent Vatican document, and the truth of human dignity also forms the basis of MCC’s public policy work. Read about how upholding human dignity serves as the common link for the Church’s approach to abortion, surrogacy, serving the poor, and caring for the migrant and refugee.
Pope Francis has challenged Catholics to be a Church that goes to the margins of society and to seek out those who have been forgotten or cast off by the rest of the world, and that’s a principle that MCC articulates in advocating for or against public policy at the state Capitol. Read a recent example about how two different policies that MCC took positions on shared the same theme of looking out for the vulnerable.
Focus is MCC’s quarterly publication that examines a social or public policy issue through the lens of Catholic social teaching. Focus has a mailing list of 4,200 and typically distributes 50,000–75,000 copies to Catholic institutions across the state.
Catholics can be a light to this state and the nation by allowing the truths of the faith to inform their voting decisions. This edition of Focus is intended to help Catholics in Michigan embrace the vocation of a faithful citizen in the 2024 election and beyond by putting on “the mind of Christ” before voting.
The Catholic Church calls for honoring and protecting the dignity of human life at all stages until natural death, which makes assisted suicide a direct contrast to the respect for life. It not only threatens the lives of the sick and dying, but also the lives of other vulnerable people. As efforts to legalize or expand assisted suicide continue to surface both in Michigan and elsewhere, this edition of Focus addresses why assisted suicide should be opposed and shows what true compassion for the suffering and dying looks like.
The latest edition of MCC’s Focus publication shares how the Catholic Church in Michigan works to protect children and prevent abuse. In this edition, meet the dedicated professionals working for the Church who oversee safe environment programs for parishes and schools, as well as the victim assistance coordinators who serve abuse survivors and assist them with the resources they need to heal. Read and watch this edition of Focus to learn how the Church is working to heal from the clergy abuse scandal and about the progress that has been made.
Amidst the ongoing news of mass shootings and gun deaths across the country, the latest edition of Focus explores the issue of gun violence and offers a Catholic response as public policymakers continue to propose and enact gun safety legislation, including here in Michigan. The intention behind this Focus is to demonstrate why gun violence is an issue of public concern, inform Catholics about the Church's stances on gun policies, and to invite Catholics to look at gun violence from the perspective of the Church’s social principles.
The Advocacy Reports are published at the conclusion of each two-year legislative session and summarize MCC’s public policy and communication advocacy work across the nine advocacy principles that guide MCC’s involvement in legislative issues.
Over the course of the 2019–2020 state legislative session, Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) worked diligently with lawmakers and legislative staff of both political parties to advance the common good. In a February report, MCC details its advocacy work from the past two years and highlights critical legislative achievements for Michiganders, especially those that recognize the dignity of the human person and address the needs of the vulnerable.
