Another barrier is sin, he added.
Pierre said that the U.S. Church has been “prophetic in its openness toward those suffering from a humanitarian crisis at the border” and added that “it has been passionate in its defense of the unborn.”
Pierre said that, now that Roe v. Wade is overturned, the U.S. bishops’ pro-life initiative Walking with Moms in Need “takes on new importance in showing forth the maternal tenderness of the Church for all her children, demonstrating that the priority is mercy rather than cold judgment.”
He continued: “Pope Francis, then, is calling us to be a missionary Church that encourages everyone to be an evangelist.”
Pierre noted that in his latest apostolic letter, Desiderio desideravi, Pope Francis calls for “greater liturgical formation, not only of the clergy, but of the laity.”
Pierre added that there is a “brokenness of the human family.”
“The recent synodal report indicates that many of our own people — for varied reasons — have difficulties accepting Church teaching,” he said.
It’s important to teach “in a more attractive and comprehensible way” while also accompanying those in their faith journey, he said. Pierre said that people must be respected, “not by abolishing objective standards of morality” but by helping others recognize the call to holiness.
Pierre said that “the path forward … ultimately requires an adequate anthropological vision. Pope Francis rightly laments the throwaway culture, offering in its place the broader vision of the Gospel, which is truly good news about man and woman, about marriage and family life, and about the human person in relationship to all of creation.”
“We cannot be silent about these fundamental and saving truths,” he said.
“Without imposing a homogeneity, the Church in the United States can integrate the gifts of the People of God through dialogue and with patience, thus living in a creative tension,” he said.
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Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency. Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.