Milwaukee, Wis., Dec 7, 2003 / 22:00 pm
A bishop who wrote letters to two Catholic state legislators and one member of Congress, urging them to support pro-life public policy, said he did so not to influence their votes but as the man in charge of their pastoral care, reported the Journal Sentinel.
"I have no regret whatsoever. It was my duty as bishop to write those letters," Bishop Raymond Burke told a news conference Dec. 5.
"The letters address the good of the soul of the legislators and the souls of those who may be scandalized by their votes against the teachings of the Church," said the bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. He was appointed archbishop of St. Louis last week.
Bishop Burke said he was calling on those politicians to be honest to their faith and was not suggesting that they leave the Catholic Church, reported the local newspaper. He said he regretted that the letters had been made public.