Press Releases & Statements

The current pandemic has highlighted our interdependence: we are all linked to each other, for better or for worse. Therefore, to come out of this crisis better than before, we have to do so together, all of us, in solidarity. –Pope Francis, General Audience, September 2, 2020

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The “Guiding Principles for Catholic Schools and Religious Education Concerning Human Sexuality and Sexual Identity” were enumerated to provide a measure of clarity on questions of sexual identity that are emerging in Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries, as well as in the wider society.

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Statement from Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) Executive Director Jason Adkins in Response to Misleading Article Appearing at ChurchMilitant.com

December 2, 2019

We were disappointed to read Church Militant’s misleading and agenda-driven posting about our educational resource, “Minnesota, Our Common Home.” Unfortunately, the post seeks to scandalize and cause division, needlessly attacking the bishops of Minnesota. Instead of informing readers about what the initiative seeks to accomplish, which has been well documented in numerous outlets (Crux, Catholic Ecology, Catholic News Agency), it merely spreads disinformation.

Church Militant did not reach out to MCC staff for comment, nor is it clear that they read fully the materials.

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Congress should pass a final tax bill only if it assists the poor and vulnerable, as well as working families.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, encouraged Minnesota’s congressional delegation to pass a final tax bill only if it meets key moral considerations. According to Congress’ own nonpartisan analysis, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” bills recently passed by the House and the Senate raise the tax burden on low-income Americans and cut taxes for the wealthiest, which violates basic principles of distributive justice.

“The House and Senate tax plans, while premised on the hope of a long-term job and economic growth, disproportionately benefit businesses and wealthy Americans instead of working families,” said Jason Adkins, MCC executive director.  “Tax policy should serve the common good and create shared prosperity, not just the hope that long-term economic growth will eventually create jobs, or that corporate profits will eventually redound to the benefit of workers.”

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Statement from the Most Reverend Paul Sirba, Bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, August 17, 2017:

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Delivered to Members of the Minnesota State House of Representatives

God of all Creation,
The majestic beauty of our State reminds us that you are the source of all blessings.
At the beginning of this new year and of this legislative session,
we humbly ask for your blessing
on our legislators and on all who collaborate in their work.
Bestow on them an abundant share of your wisdom
and a deep desire to serve the common good.

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Session is over and a budget has been created for the next biennium. Here’s how key MCC legislation fared:

• Opportunity Scholarships left out.

For the second year in a row, the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program was cut from the final tax bill during negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor. If passed, these tax credits would’ve helped create scholarships for low and middle income students to attend non-public schools, and would’ve given parents more freedom and flexibility in choosing the education for their children.

Although this set-back is disappointing, Opportunity Scholarships made it further than they ever have before in Minnesota, and the importance of parental choice in education was a constant theme of discussion at the Capitol. We look forward to building off this momentum as we work to help more kids have access to a quality education that is consistent with their faith and values.

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One evening a couple of weeks ago, I was filling up my car at a gas station and a man whom I did not know came up to me and said, “Father, I hope you are praying for our country!” I said that I am praying, and I hoped he was, too. His sentiment captured what many of us feel about our country, especially regarding the upcoming election. For conscientious Christians, many of us find our nation in a state of crisis.

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