HARRISBURG, Pa. – Bishop Ronald W. Gainer released the following statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as the 46th President of the United States of America:
I join with my fellow Catholic bishops today in praying that God will grant our new President and those in his administration the grace to lead our great nation in truth and justice. President Biden is the first Chief Executive of the U.S. to profess the Catholic faith in 60 years.
I welcome all opportunities for collaboration and support where the new administration enacts policies that are truly in accord with our Catholic moral teaching. These areas include opposition to the death penalty; and an economy and a health care system that truly serve the authentic needs of the human person.
At the same time, as Archbishop Jose Gomez, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has indicated, I will unrelentingly speak the truths of the Gospel and the preeminent teaching of our Church regarding the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, the protection of religious freedom and the true nature of human sexuality and marriage. These principles are consistent with a well-formed Catholic conscience.
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