"Here in America this is a political issue, and bishops are speaking about it and politicians are speaking about it and this is a great value that you have," he said. "And you should scream not only in America, but your voice should be heard outside America."
The Church in the United States is thriving under this freedom and seems to be coming out of the vocational crisis that countries around the world experienced after Vatican II, he noted.
"I see the North American College in Rome, packed with seminarians who come to the Angelicum where I'm still teaching," he said. "And I see these boys, they're really honest, they're really serious."
"And I see in this the fruits of a very wise policy in the appointment of bishops under John Paul II that your Church has changed, and it has a new vitality."
The flourishing orders of religious sisters in the United States are another sign that the Church in America is thriving and has a chance to re-evangelize not only herself but the world, Fr. Giertych said.
"This is a sign of optimism for countries like Holland, where the Dominicans from Nashville have a house," he said.
"They're going to countries where there...is dismal thinking; parishes are being closed, churches being sold...suddenly the Dominican sisters come and they're joyful and smiling and devout and serious in their formation and free within, as mature persons," he said.
"This is a great gift that America has, so you have to re-evangelize not only America, but also afar."
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Mary Farrow worked as a staff writer for Catholic News Agency until 2020. She has a degree in journalism and English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.