In pastoral letter, Archbishop Lori calls for renewed political culture 

In a new pastoral letter released Feb. 9, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore takes the approaching occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary to address “a moment of grace and responsibility” 

The pastoral letter, “In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” notes that anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. “Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal, it calls us to consider not only who we have been, and who we are becoming – but, by God’s grace, who we are called to be,” Archbishop Lori says.

The archbishop’s letter draws on the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI, Francis and Leo XIV, as well as from recent homilies and columns of his own in which he has addressed the toxic thoughts and feelings many people are experiencing these days.

The title of the pastoral also echoes the archbishop’s episcopal motto. 

Noting that the letter comes “From America’s Premiere See,” founded as the first diocese in the United States in 1789, the archbishop writes, “This anniversary can be a moment of grace if embraced also as a moment of responsibility. For while we rightly take pride in the achievements of our nation and the vibrancy of our Catholic faith, we cannot ignore the fractures, wounds, and crises that mark both our national life and, sadly, even at times our ecclesial life. The task before us is not to romanticize the past but to offer a hopeful and credible witness today.”

“In Charity and Truth” is Archbishop Lori’s fifth pastoral letter. A pastoral letter is a significant way for a bishop to exercise his role as primary teacher of the faith in his diocese.

The pastoral is rooted in the current cultural atmosphere in society and in the church, the archbishop says, like the air we breathe. “Rarely is it entirely fresh and bracing. All too often it is polluted, even toxic. Such is the political atmosphere in which we find ourselves today. Political discourse has become more vitriolic than usual,” the archbishop writes.

He further notes that the polarization touches everyone. “At its root, this crisis reflects a wounded understanding of the human person. When we forget that every human being is created in the image of God – body and soul united, destined for communion – we begin to see one another not as brothers and sisters, but as obstacles and threats. Political life then becomes a contest of power rather than a shared pursuit of the common good.”

He reflects on the difference between the ideals and reality of both our country and Church. “Our nation has been, from its founding, a land of possibility. Yet, it has also been a land of profound contradictions,” the letter says. “The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all are created equal, endowed with certain unalienable rights. And yet, as we know, many were excluded from those very rights for generations.

“Similarly, the Church we love has been radiant with holiness and often disfigured by sin. To love one’s homeland and one’s Church is not to ignore their faults, but to commit oneself to their renewal – always in light of the Gospel.”

The letter calls out St. Thomas More, a statesman and martyr, for his “patriotism that loves one’s nation enough to speak the truth and help it become its best self.”

Archbishop Lori emphasizes that synodality – a way of listening, discerning and walking together, modeled by Pope Francis – offers wisdom for secular society as well as the Church. “A synodal spirit offers a kind of wisdom for civic life: it reminds us that no political goal is worth the cost of a fractured people, and no disagreement justifies forgetting our shared humanity,” he says.

The letter also says, “Synodality in politics does not dissolve disagreement. It expects it, because diverse people will inevitably see the world from different angles. What it seeks is not forced unity, but a way of engaging differences that honors dignity, practices patience, and seeks the common good. It rejects the idea that truth is found in shouting matches or that justice is served by humiliating opponents.”

The pastoral frames a new kind of politics rooted in the truth of the human person. “Our world is in desperate need of a new kind of politics – one that begins not with power, but with the truth of the human person revealed in Jesus Christ. … Such a vision is not naïve; it is realistic in the most Christian sense of the word. It recognizes that societies flourish only when people place moral and spiritual commitments above the pursuit of power.”

Archbishop Lori calls unity a first principle and responsibility in Christian citizenship, “united first in faith and service, thereby strengthening the communion of the Church, while simultaneously working for the good of the communities and nation in which we live.”

He said that doesn’t mean ignoring flaws or pretending that civic life is free of moral tension. 

“From the beginning, Catholics in this country have wrestled with how to live faithfully in a culture that does not always share or support the Gospel. That struggle continues today, especially in a time when many feel politically homeless and unsure where their faith fits within the current landscape,” he writes.

“Part of our pastoral challenge is that many of our people instinctively identify as Americans, or as Democrats or Republicans, before they identify as Catholics. When that happens, the Gospel is easily overshadowed by partisanship – or even a rigid ideology that demands more loyalty than the Word of God – and thus our witness becomes fractured. Naming this honestly is not a condemnation but an invitation: an invitation to let our faith shape our civic identity rather than the other way around,” the pastoral letter says.

The letter explores the role of virtue in public life: in the form of prudence, that is, seeing clearly and choosing wisely; justice, respecting rights and responsibilities; fortitude, the courage to pursue the good; and temperance, ordering our passions for peace.

“These cardinal virtues do not stand alone. They support and balance one another. Prudence without justice becomes manipulation. Justice without temperance becomes harshness. Fortitude without prudence becomes recklessness. Temperance without fortitude becomes avoidance,” the archbishop said.

“In Charity and Truth” specifically calls out two Catholic Americans who lived out the necessary virtues: Blessed Father Michael McGiveney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, and St. Frances Cabrini, whom he called a hero and luminous witness.

“As a parish priest serving immigrant families, Blessed McGivney recognized the concrete wounds of his people – economic insecurity, social exclusion, and cultural suspicion. His response was not ideological, but incarnational,” a sidebar in the letter says.

“Mother Cabrini built schools, hospitals and orphanages not because the path was easy, but because she believed that every human person – especially the poor, the sick and the stranger – deserved to experience the tenderness of Christ. Her life reminds us that immigrants have never been merely recipients of charity; they have been builders, healers and saints who have renewed both the Church and the country through their sacrifice and love,” another sidebar says.

The pastoral lays out a path forward and practical commitment for renewing the political culture, including: renewing prayer for the nation, practicing civil dialogue, rejecting hatred and violence, serving the common good, forming consciences and encountering those different from oneself.

In its conclusion, the pastoral notes, “In the midst of political upheaval, the Church does not withdraw from public life, nor does she align herself with any partisan identity. She remains what she has always been: a sacrament of unity, a beacon of hope and a teacher of truth. Her mission is not to win elections, but to form saints. Not to secure power, but to proclaim the Gospel. Not to mirror the divisions of society, but to heal them.”

It adds, “Our nation needs Catholics who embody this mission – women and men whose lives witness to the dignity of every human person, whose love bridges divides, whose courage resists hatred and whose faith insists that despair does not have the final word. The civic landscape may look dark at times, but the Church has lived through darker times and emerged stronger, purified and more faithful. So, too, can our nation.”

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