Indiana Catholic Conference

In response to Indiana's recent decision to once again pursue the death penalty, the Bishops of Indiana have released the following statement:
https://www.indianacc.org/news/indiana-catholic-conference-opposes-the-resumption-of-state-ex*****ons

The Bishops of Indiana reiterate the Church's teaching against the death penalty, particularly against its use in a society that can adequately prevent criminals from harming the social order after incarceration.

The Bishops ask the Attorney General to "rescind the motion asking the Indiana Supreme Court to set an ex*****on date for Joseph Corcoran".

The Bishops ask the Indiana General Assembly to "legislatively repeal the use of the death penalty in Indiana".

Finally, the Bishops ask the Governor to "remove plans to include a death chamber in the new state prison under construction in Westville, IN".

Indiana Catholic Conference Opposes the Resumption of State Executions — Indiana Catholic Conference July 8, 2024 On behalf of the five Catholic dioceses in the state of Indiana, the Indiana Catholic Conference is strongly opposed to the decision to seek the resumption of ex*****ons in Indiana as recently announced by the Indiana Governor and Attorney General. 

When Alexander Mingus becomes the new leader of the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) next month, 2,000 years of Catholic social teaching will be embodied in a 28-year-old with a deep love for the Church and a gift for bringing its message to the public sphere.

Mingus has had four years to prepare for the role of serving as head of the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana, working directly with Angela Espada, who has served as executive director of the ICC since 2019 and plans to retire at the end of July.

Read more here: https://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2024/06-21/icc.html

Indiana Catholic Conference

"Juneteenth is a time to commemorate the end of slavery, to reflect on the history and legacy of racism in our country, as well as to underscore our commitment as religiously grounded people to do better."
-Bishop Joseph N. Perry

Juneteenth with Bishop Joseph N. Perry As our country marks Juneteenth, Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Chairman of the Subcommittee on African American Affairs discusses the significance of the day an...

"About half of Americans expect there will be violence in
response to future presidential elections results. America can do so much better. There is no good reason to resort to violence to resolve political issues." -Archbishop Gudziak

Discouraging Political Violence, Archbishop Gudziak Encourages Pursuit of Peace Through Dialogue and Justice WASHINGTON – In a statement titled, “‘Pursue What Leads to Peace’: A Christian Response to Rising Threats of Political and Ideological Violence,” A...

Following a history-making tenure as executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC)—the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana—Angela Espada will retire on July 30 and be succeeded by current associate director Alexander Mingus.

The ICC leadership changes were announced on June 7 by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on behalf of the bishops of Indiana.

“We are grateful to Angela for leading the ICC during the past five years. She will be greatly missed,” Archbishop Thompson said.

Read more here: https://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2024/06-07/icc.html

Indiana Catholic Conference

Happy priestly anniversary, Bishop McClory!!

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary

25th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination of Most Rev. Robert J. McClory To learn more about Bishop McClory and the Diocese of Gary, visit dcgary.org

When participating in public life, what does Christ and His Church ask of me?

The Church’s Prophetic Guide for Participating in American Political Life — Indiana Catholic Conference By Alexander Mingus

In this weekend's diocesan newspapers: End of legislative session includes nod to National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.indianacc.org/news/end-of-2024-legislative-session-includes-nod-to-eucharistic-congress

Thanks for authoring or sponsoring the resolution Sen. Liz Brown, Sen. Ed Charbonneau, and Rep. Bob Morris!

If you missed the Indiana Catholic Conference legislative session wrap up, you can find our final update and summary here:

2024 Session Summary — Indiana Catholic Conference The legislature adjourned sine die on March 8, 2024. This update is a list of the ICC’s tracked bills in the 2024 session.  

“You cannot compassionately kill a patient and you cannot care for the patient you are comfortable killing."

Read the latest article from the ICC on assisted su***de.

Indiana Senate resolution condemns physician-assisted su***de — Indiana Catholic Conference By Victoria Arthur After the latest effort to push for physician-assisted su***de in Indiana failed at the Statehouse, some lawmakers took the extra step of issuing a resolution condemning the practice to help ensure it never takes hold here. The Indiana Senate approved the resolution on March 4,

HB1426 now heads to Gov. Holcomb. Read more about it here:

Contraceptive legislation raises moral issues, health concerns — Indiana Catholic Conference

Contraceptive legislation raises moral issues, health concerns — Indiana Catholic Conference By Victoria Arthur A bill aimed at providing low-income women with long-acting contraceptives in the hospital immediately following childbirth has generated numerous concerns for pro-life advocates including the Indiana Catholic Conference. House Bill 1426 would require hospitals to offer a woman

The ICC is grateful for Sen. Tyler Johnson's resolution opposing assisted su***de in Indiana. Read more about it here:

State lawmakers send firm message that Indiana remains 'opposed' to assisted su***de • Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana lawmakers are making clear they’re staunchly opposed to any policy allowing physician-assisted su***de.

The latest from the ICC:

Legislation advancing to protect children from online po*******hy

Legislation advancing to protect children from online po*******hy — Indiana Catholic Conference By Victoria Arthur At the halfway point of the 2024 legislative session, a bill aimed at restricting minors from accessing online po*******hy is among the measures gaining momentum at the Statehouse. Senate Bill 17, authored by Sen. Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores), passed the Senate in a near-un

Gifts to the Church: Angela Espada Angela Espada, Executive Director of the Indiana Catholic Conference and parishioner at Holy Angels, shares about her work at the Conference, what responsibi...

How do I ensure decisions about my healthcare are morally correct, particularly in end-of-life situations?

The ICC has published a guide to help navigate this and related questions since 2007, and recently updated the document after some changes in Indiana's law governing advance directives. Check it out here:

Resource helps guide Catholics on medical, end-of-life decisions — Indiana Catholic Conference By Victoria Arthur, Indiana Catholic Conference freelance writer Illustrated and illuminated by Church teaching, a free resource is now available to help Indiana Catholics express their health care wishes in advance if they are one day unable to do so themselves. A Catholic Guide to an Advance Di

Have you seen the ICC's latest video series on Catholic Social Doctrine?

We invite you to learn about how this body of teaching permeates our policy work and the work of the Church's ministries:

https://www.indianacc.org/catholic-social-doctrine-series

Save the date for the 2024 Indiana March for Life!

USCCB Labor Day Statement 2023: Radical Solidarity with Working Families

A beautiful reminder of the Church's theology of labor and the consistent logic of the Church's social doctrine which unites seemingly disparate causes into a unified whole.

https://www.usccb.org/resources/labor-day-statement-2023

ICC Executive Director, Angela Espada, recently attended the National Black Catholic Congress XIII, a quinquennial gathering of African American Catholics.

Learn more about the NBCC here: https://nbccongress.org/

Next summer, 80,000 Catholics will gather at the feet of Jesus in Indianapolis, boldly anticipating a new Pentecost. The people of God will come from every corner and every parish in our nation to bring the holy fire back to their local community. Your life—and our Church—will never be the same. Don’t miss this historic moment! Get your pass at https://eucharisticcongress.org

Have questions about the latest Choice Scholarship program expansions? Join INPEA Executive Director John Elcesser and IQE President and CEO Betsy Wiley for a webinar to discuss the changes passed in the 2023 Legislative Session. Register for one of two webinars: May 9, 2:00 p.m. ET or May 11, 10:00 a.m. ET.
Register at https://bit.ly/ChoiceExpansion2023

The Indiana General Assembly adjourned for the year last night (this morning) as the clock approached 3am. Our latest ICAN update shows the areas we've been following in the budget this year:

https://www.indianacc.org/icanupdatesnews/ican-update-42823

You can also read about ICC's perspective on the budget in the latest diocesan newspaper coverage:

https://evdiomessage.org/school-choice-mental-health-expansions-top-icc-budget-priorities/

Our top priorities included mental health funding, school choice expansions, pregnancy support, and conservation.

ICAN Update 4.28.23 — Indiana Catholic Conference   The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana regarding state and national matters. To act on these bills via action alert or by directly contacting your legislator, visit our Action Center . Listed below are the bills the ICC is m

+Bishop Doherty, of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, on gun safety:

"I pray for a solution that aims for safety and not dividing people into pro or anti fi****ms camps. No one is against public safety. We will need help from people who are experts in fi****ms usage and ownership—without their expertise, resolutions will lack key information. They rightly have a voice and vote.

At the same time, there should be something we can do about the 40,000 plus annual fatalities related to fi****ms in our country. Those of us whose families suffer, and those who are first responders, emergency department staffs, school administrators, chaplains and clergy who preside at visitations and funerals in the wake of violent acts also insist on a voice and a vote."

Read all of +Bishop Doherty's column below.

Current News Events February 3, 2023 To: All Priests CC: Directors of Operations, Directors of Evangelization, Pastorate Communicators From: Bishop Doherty Subject: March 17, 2023 Dear Priests, In the season of Lent, we seek to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. We do so through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We also prac...

We are in the final days of the 2023 legislative session! The time to stand up for school choice expansion is NOW! Please get in touch with your State Representative and State Senator today and urge them to include choice expansions in the final state budget. Send a personalized message from our Legislative Action Center at https://bit.ly/StateBudgetINPEA2023.

+Archbishop Charles Thompson led the opening prayer for the Indiana State Senate's session today. Thanks to Senator Jean Leising for inviting him!

This morning, I presented my bill (House Bill 1290) to the Senate Tax and Fiscal Committee.

House Bill 1290 is a significant step toward helping Hoosier families break out of generational poverty.

Specifically, this bipartisan legislation expands the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for working low to moderate income Hoosiers. This encourages people to work and earn income rather than rely on government assistance.

The Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, United Way of Central Indiana, Citizens Action Coalition, and the Indiana Catholic Conference testified in support of the bill.

The committee will most likely take a vote on HB 1290 next week.

A potentially historic session could see a major expansion of the school choice program in Indiana. Read more about the proposed expansions:

https://todayscatholic.org/potentially-historic-session-could-see-major-expansion-to-school-choice/