At Catholic prayer breakfast, bishop urges battling moral relativism

Published: 2006-04-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- From commonly used language to societal priorities, the "moral relativism" decried by Pope Benedict XVI often seems to be the only way to cope with modern times, said Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wis., urging participants at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast April 7 to work against that tide. In a program that also included remarks by President George W. Bush, the Vatican's representative in Washington and the priest who is supervising the reconstruction of Catholic schools in New Orleans, Bishop Morlino's keynote address warned about the "dictatorship of relativism" and described what he said are the "members of the junta" and the enforcement mechanisms they employ in maintaining that dictatorship. He said the mass media and "those who pander to polls" keep society focused on relativism. They employ inconsistency between civil laws and practices and the use of language which hides the true meaning of certain activities to keep people from applying the moral standards of natural law to everyday life, he said.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .