Welcome Budget Cuts for the US Bishops’ Justice-and-Peace Office, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, Jun 28, 2024

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org.

This week the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced cuts in the staff of their Justice, Peace & Human Development office. Although the USCCB did not disclose exactly how many staffers would be laid off, insiders said that the cuts would be deep: perhaps half of the entire justice-and-peace staff.

The announcement caused deep consternation among liberal Catholics, who saw the move as almost a repudiation of the leadership of Pope Francis, if not an outright rejection of Catholic social teaching. John Carr, who had been director of that USCCB office for years, asked: “Why in a world at war, a nation with pervasive poverty, are the leaders of the conference minimizing the Conference’ commitments to overcome poverty, work for justice and pursue peace?” …

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