Bishops' leader says growing 'coarseness' in society affects church

Published: 2006-11-13

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- A growing "coarseness" in U.S. society has had its impact on the Catholic Church, Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., warned the U.S. bishops as they began their fall national meeting Nov. 13 in Baltimore. Bishop Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the country has had a long history of vigorous, free exchange of ideas, but "there is a difference between spirited debate and debasing personal attacks. Today vulgarity is common, hardly noticed. Even the name of God is disrespected in everyday speech," he said. "We confront this coarseness on a daily basis in the newspapers, on television and on the radio," he said. "I would suggest to you that the phenomenon is symptomatic of a growing failure in our society: the lack of respect for one another, to see each other as being made in the image and likeness of God."

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