The Catholic vision of social justice is rooted in building a society in which people love and take care of one another, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez said in his keynote address April 15 at Catholics at the Capitol in St. Paul.
Pope Francis lays out that vision in his most recent encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” which in its call for human dignity and living as sisters and brothers also calls for action, Archbishop Gomez said at the Cathedral of St. Paul, where the daylong event was sponsored by the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
“Friends, our task in this moment is to bring this beautiful vision to our public discourse, to awaken this awareness of God’s love in the hearts of our brothers and sisters,” he said. “We also have, in this moment, an important duty to be peacemakers and reconcilers. We need to help bring people together and help them realize our common humanity.”
About 800 people registered for the online event, which included students from several area Catholic high schools. In addition to Archbishop Gomez, participants heard an address from Obianuju Ekeocha, founder of Culture of Life Africa, and received issue briefings on a few legislative priorities identified by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in the state.
