Tallahassee, Fla., Nov 8, 2008 / 07:18 am
Bishop John Ricard of the Diocese of Tallahassee-Pensacola has written to vice-President-elect Sen. Joseph Biden regarding his recent attendance at a Sunday Mass in the diocese. Commenting on his support for laws that do not protect the unborn, Bishop Ricard reminded Biden about the need to examine one’s conscience about his fidelity to Church teaching in his personal and public life.
The bishop’s November 4 letter began by thanking Biden for his collaboration with the bishops in legislation beneficial to the poor and the destitute.
“It is as a collaborator for the common good, and as pastor of the Church in Pensacola-Tallahassee that I write to you with similar urgency,” he wrote.
Noting that Sunday Mass provides Catholics with the “nourishment to live in the image of Jesus Christ,” the bishop described Christ’s mission as one “directed to the orphan and the widow, to the poor and the vulnerable.”