The following letter written by Archbishop Schnurr was originally published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday, April 23, 2023. 

God created humans as social beings. We are all dependent upon each other for mutual survival and for the recognition of our common human dignity. There are times when this dependency is most acute, especially in circumstances of vulnerability and poverty.

An expectant mother can face many challenges, including lack of support from the father, financial strains, concerns about her own health and that of her child, and pressures from family and friends. Every woman should be able to depend upon a community of support. That is why Catholic social service agencies, in collaboration with many other faith-based and secular organizations, assist pregnant women in need with material resources and personal accompaniment, both during pregnancy and after their child is born. (For a listing of the many resources available for pregnant women in need in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, please go to https://catholicaoc.org/forlife.) A woman should never feel that she must abandon her dreams due to an unexpected pregnancy, whether she ultimately decides to raise the child herself or place the child for adoption.

The Catholic Church, in Ohio and nationwide, also engages in public policy advocacy for access to quality pre- and post-natal health care, paid parental leave laws, affordable childcare options, preferential housing options for women and young children, and robust child tax credits.

Dependency on others for life and recognition of dignity is equally the case for those still growing in the womb. From the moment of conception, a unique human person exists. Science shows us this. The Catholic Church and many other faiths proclaim this. We might say that, from that point forward, a person’s life stages can be distinguished simply by how much he or she has grown and how dependent upon the actions of others that person is for survival. For example, an unborn child is entirely dependent upon his/her mother to be introduced into the rest of the world; a young child cannot flourish without being raised by others; and an elderly person may depend upon his/her children to make it through the day. Ultimately, we are all dependent upon each other.

At no point should any person, inside or outside the womb, be deemed less of a life because someone else says so. To think otherwise is to objectify that life. Society must never claim for itself the “right” to determine the value, worthiness or dignity of another person for any reason whatsoever, including whether or not that person is wanted. Yet, today, our culture suggests that some humans are more important than others, and those less-important humans might actually be expendable. Pope Francis has lamented, “The throwaway culture says, ‘I use you as much as I need you. When I am not interested in you anymore, or you are in my way, I throw you out.’ It is especially the weakest who are treated this way – unborn children, the elderly, the needy, the disadvantaged.”

We are currently facing an extraordinary threat to the dignity of life right here in Ohio: an amendment (deceptively named “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety”) to the Ohio constitution that would enshrine the “right” to take the lives of innocent children in the womb and harm mothers in the process is being proposed to voters for the November 2023 ballot. This amendment also would remove existing parental notification laws and basic safety standards and enable abortion based solely on a preborn child’s disability diagnosis. Innocent children in the womb would be lost, and their mothers would be both wounded in the moment and emotionally scarred for years to come. Ohio does not need a constitutional amendment that only perpetuates violence and a culture of death.

God alone is the Author and Lord of life. Therefore, the intentional taking of innocent human life, no matter the circumstances, is intrinsically evil and must always be opposed. Any position to the contrary is inconsistent with the constant teaching of the Catholic Church because it is inconsistent with the nature of life itself.

In the name of the one Lord of Life, we must vigorously oppose any suggestion that there exists a “right” to take the life of an unborn child in the womb. Instead, let us all engage in prayer and a joyful outpouring of love and support for pregnant women, especially those most in need. No woman should feel so alone, coerced or hopeless that she chooses to end her child’s life through abortion. I urge everyone throughout Ohio to both pray for and actively assist all expectant mothers. Together, let us redouble our commitment to caring for women, children and families so that abortion is not only illegal, but unthinkable.

 

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). And, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, they did just that. The disciples went out from Jerusalem and carried the message of the Gospel to all corners of the earth. The Church continues to follow Jesus’ command, and God calls each of us to share in that same mission.

The work of evangelization is not a responsibility belonging only to clergy or consecrated women and men. From the beginning, the Gospel has spread from person to person. Each of us has the opportunity to bring others to know Jesus and the Good News of our salvation through Him. In baptism we become partakers in God’s own divine life. Because of this, every aspect of our lives has the potential to be an avenue through which God’s grace can reach others. This means that we not only evangelize through our words; rather, all our actions and the decisions we make can also speak to the truths of the Gospel.

A life which radiates the Gospel is built upon prayer and virtue. We strive to follow the example of Jesus, staying united to the Father in the Holy Spirit and seeking to act as He did, fostering the qualities, attitudes and habits which He exemplified for His disciples. Jesus taught His disciples, and they took what they learned from Him and then went out and taught others. The disciples also brought their friends to Jesus so they could hear Him speak or, perhaps, be healed by Him. It was a work in which many took part.

The same is true today: evangelization happens through the prayers, work and sacrifices of many. I want to take advantage of this moment to reflect on the great gift the Center for the New Evangelization (CNE) is for our archdiocese. The many gifted individuals who form the CNE team assist parish leaders in fostering deeper communion and discernment of a renewed mission to bring the Gospel to all. They also seek to find ways to reach the lost, those who have drifted from Christ or perhaps have never known Him, and invite them to an encounter with the God who loves them. The CNE team provides spiritual resources and practical training in various areas of evangelization and discipleship: youth ministry, faith formation for adults of all ages, marriage and family life, and Hispanic ministry. In doing so, they assist people throughout our archdiocese and beyond its borders in learning to live a life which radiates the Gospel. Many of our parishes have benefited greatly from the retreats, workshops, conferences and one-on-one assistance the CNE team members provide. Through the guidance and resources of the CNE, parish ministries become more effective in forming disciples of Jesus Christ. This is made possible by your generous support of the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA), for which I am deeply grateful.

None of us can reach heaven alone; we need each other. This is why Christ gives us the Church. Together we can bring more people to know, love and follow Jesus Christ, but that work begins with our own discipleship. We must first be with the Lord through prayer and virtuous living, and then go out and tell others what we have seen and heard (cf. Lk. 7:22).

February 28, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace be with you! As Catholics, we are committed to protecting the sanctity of human life no matter the circumstances or stage of development. We live this out by, among other things, accompanying the poor and needy, refugees and immigrants, prisoners on death row, young mothers, and children.

In Ohio, the dignity of life in its earliest stages is threatened by groups proposing an amendment to Ohio’s Constitution for the November 2023 ballot that would enshrine and expand abortion at the expense of protections for preborn children and women. The Church must not be silent and cannot remain on the sidelines when confronted with such a clear threat to human life. This proposal demands a response, and we strongly encourage Catholics and all people of good will in Ohio to work against including the proposed amendment for the November ballot and, if it appears on the ballot, vote against the amendment to prevent countless deaths of preborn, innocent children.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis reminds us that “Our defense of the innocent unborn … needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development” (Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 101). Our commitment to protecting and promoting life includes providing resources and accompanying women during and after pregnancy through our numerous social service agencies, schools, and parishes. This commitment also includes rejecting abortion expansion, which only perpetuates a throwaway culture that does not value human life.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio will be collaborating with statewide organizations, and diocesan respect life offices will be seeking volunteers to help coordinate a campaign at every parish. More information and materials will become available as we mobilize to oppose the proposed amendment on the November 2023 ballot.

We, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio, stand with you, our faithful, in our commitment in the name of the Lord of Life, to each human person from conception to natural death. Let us unite in fasting and offering this prayer:

God our loving Father, grant wisdom to those who govern us, compassion and courage to those who work to defend human life, and safety and care to every human being. For you alone who formed us in our mothers’ wombs, and who call us home to heaven, are God, for ever and ever. Amen.

With you in Christ Jesus,

Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic Diocese of Cleveland

Most Rev. Michael G. Woost Diocese of Cleveland

Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas Diocese of Toledo

Most Rev. Jeffrey M. Monforton Diocese of Steubenville

Most Rev. Earl K. Fernandes Diocese of Columbus

Most Rev. David J. Bonnar Diocese of Youngstown

Most Rev. J. Michael Botean Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton

Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma

 

PDF of Letter available here: Ohio Bishops’ Letter on Ballot Amendment