Washington D.C., May 21, 2011 / 15:41 pm
U.S. bishops’ conference president Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has praised Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) attention to Catholic social teaching in the federal budget debate, but he emphasized the need for “special consideration” for the poor.
“In any transition that seeks to bring new proposals to current problems in order to build a better future, care must be taken that those currently in need not be left to suffer,” Archbishop Dolan said in a May 19 letter. While the bishops appreciate assurances that the budget will be attentive to these concerns, their duty as pastors will motivate their “close attention” to the reality of the House’s proposed budget.
Rep. Ryan had sent a four-page April 29 letter to Archbishop Dolan defending the proposal.
“Catholic Americans are blessed to have the social teaching of the Church as moral guidance as we consider legislative proposals such as the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget,” the congressman wrote. He said there was a moral obligation “implicit” in Catholic social teaching to address “difficult basic problems before they explode into social crisis.”