Arlington, Va., Apr 5, 2009 / 12:37 pm
On a cool and rainy afternoon last week, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde visited Virginia’s Democratic Sens. James Webb and Mark Warner to demonstrate Catholic opposition to the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and any similar legislation. The bishop was accompanied by Father Richard Mullins, Arlington diocesan director of Multicultural Ministries, and Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Sister Clare Hunter, director of the Respect Life Office.
They brought 189,000 postcards that were the result of participation in a nationwide campaign by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to prevent the passage of FOCA. The local effort was coordinated by the diocesan Respect Life Office. The two senators received approximately 63,000 cards each while U.S. Reps. Gerald Connolly, Jim Moran, Frank Wolf, Bob Goodlatte, Eric Cantor and Rob Wittman will split the remaining 63,000.