Resist moves to 'bleach out God' from public life, archbishop says

Published: 2007-03-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- America must "look again at the place of religion and Gospel values in our efforts to build the common good," Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said March 8 in a talk for the Presidential Leadership Lecture Series sponsored by Mount St. Mary's University. The nation's second-oldest Catholic university, founded in Emmitsburg, Md., in 1808, will celebrate its bicentennial next year. The lecture series, held at the University Club of Washington, explores the concept of leadership in today's society. Speaking on "Religious Faith and American Political Life" to a luncheon crowd that included Mount St. Mary's officials, alumni and guests, Archbishop Wuerl expressed concern about the "current effort to bleach out God from our public life." He noted that "until very recently in our public civil life, mention of God was taken for granted and prayer inspired by belief in God was a routine part of public, government-sponsored programs and activities." Now, he said, many consider such things unacceptable, and that poses a great risk for society.

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