WASHINGTON—Three chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have written in public opposition to the Equality Act (H.R. 5 / S. 788), which was introduced in Congress on March 13, 2019. The Act would add the new terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the definition of “sex” in federal civil rights laws, which has wide-reaching impacts on health care, women and girls’ legal protections, charitable services to needful populations, schools, personal privacy, athletics, free speech, religious liberties, and potentially parental rights.

WASHINGTON—After historic flooding brought devastation to parts of the Midwest, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida and Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, expressed grief over the lives lost and threatened by the floods and offered prayers for recovery.

The full statement follows:

WASHINGTON— The annual Catholic Relief Services Collection will be held in many dioceses across the country on Laetare Sunday, March 31.

The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports the work of several Catholic organizations serving some of the most marginalized communities in the world. Programs include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for people in poverty; pastoral services for rural workers and legal support services for poor immigrants in the United States; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence and religious persecution; and advocacy on behalf of the powerless.