The Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) shared some thoughts in The Word from Lansing column on the role of the Church in times of strife.

“In the midst of a devastating pandemic, communities are navigating how to safely reopen buildings, how to help families facing difficult economic conditions, how to meet the educational needs of all children, and how to ensure people’s voices are heard during a national census and a presidential election,” MCC President and CEO Paul Long said in the column.

The MCC is still working hard to provide the much-needed public policy voice for the Church— a need that has been exacerbated by the current state of events.

If anything, the state of the world, nation and on a local level, the state of Michigan, need this advocacy even more, given the onslaught of injustice and fear.

“In July, the Michigan Values Life petition effort came to an end, which would have brought legislation before lawmakers to ban dismemberment abortion in this state,” Long said. “Sadly, the petition drive was deemed by the Bureau of Elections to have an insufficient number of valid signatures from registered Michigan voters.”

MCC, however, is grateful to see that the commitment of those advocating for the lives of the unborn is strong. The first step in this process is becoming educated about the very nature of what dismemberment abortion is and helping society begin to see that abortion is a lowly response to the difficulty of unplanned pregnancies.

MCC has been pushing for fair federal funding for nonpublic schools in the aftermath of COVID-19 and has also been speaking out against the practice of payday lending, which preys on those who do not have easy access to the funds needed for necessities in life.

“As summer turns into fall, and as other challenges arise, the Catholic Church in Michigan will continue to remain focused on the common good of all," Long said. "It is MCC’s hope that through our work, we may remain faithful and open to His fruit in all we do."