The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the governing and unifying body of American Catholics, providing moral, spiritual, theological, public policy, and pastoral guidance to American Catholics and policymakers. Strategically located in Washington, DC, the USCCB interacts directly with legislators and federal agencies on issues that align with Catholic teaching. As the central organization representing the Catholic Church in the United States, the USCCB also coordinates with the Vatican ambassador to the United States, known as the Papal Nuncio, or the official representative of the Holy See’s ecclesiastical authority. In other words, the USCCB exerts significant influence in the United States through its advocacy efforts, engagement with high-level government leaders, and mobilization of grassroots initiatives through parishes and diocesan networks.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gathered for their annual fall meeting from November 11-14, 2024, in Baltimore, and called for all to honor the Sunday Sabbath and to turn to the sacrament of the Eucharist for the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. The Rome-based news agency Aleteia published the following:
• “US Bishops’ Conference discusses plans for 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation.” [1]
• “Catholics would do well – and the environment would benefit – by paying greater attention to certain ‘pauses’ in their everyday lives, including a more faithful observance of Friday abstinence from meat and the Sabbath rest. [1]
• “That was the suggestion of a bishop who chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.” [1]
• “Archbishop Borys Gudziak, together with Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, addressed the bishops’ conference’s annual fall meeting in Baltimore November 13 on implementing Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for creation, Laudato Si’.” [1]
• “Because creation is connected to everything human, our efforts around Laudato Si’ need not be weighed down by many new programs and tasks. Rather, Laudato Si’ can be integrated into our core mission of evangelization.” [1]
• “We live in a world of constant work and stimulation, with ever-present phones, screens and gadgets. In essence, our world does not rest and struggles with leisure.” [1]
• “Christian care for creation is nourished by the Sabbath precept of rest for the land, forgiveness, restoration, festivity, and freedom … Our hyperactive world yearns for the Sabbath, which is expressed in the Sunday Eucharist when the Lord makes ‘all things new.’” [1]
The movement to reestablish Sunday as a universal day of rest is a multi-faceted effort involving Protestants, Catholics, labor unions, social groups, media networks, business leaders, and others, each with distinct motivations but overlapping goals. Religious organizations often lead the charge, emphasizing Sunday as a sacred day for worship and family, rooted in biblical traditions and historical observance. Labor unions and worker advocacy groups champion the cause as a way to combat overwork and promote employee well-being, arguing that Sunday is the collective day of rest. Social and community leaders also support the initiative, seeing it as a means to strengthen family bonds and to counter the relentless pace of modern life. Business leaders sometimes advocate for Sunday rest in order to increase productivity and job satisfaction during the workweek. Together, these diverse actors form a coalition that appeals to both spiritual values and secular ideals of rest and community.
Rome is no exception. They will play a major role in advocating for Sunday rest. The restoration of Sunday in society will be promoted by both Protestants and Catholics. Even in Protestant America, Rome is helping to achieve this and will no doubt be one of the “leading churches” directing the campaign for Sunday laws:
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the State to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” (Great Controversy, p. 445).
“These records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome toward the true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she employs to honor the institution of her creating. The Word of God teaches that these scenes are to be repeated as papists and Protestants shall unite for the exaltation of the Sunday” (Great Controversy, p. 578).
“Under one head—the papal power—the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate. While he seeks to unite his agents in warring against the truth” (Testimonies, Vol. 7, p. 182).
Sources
[1] https://aleteia.org/2024/11/15/archbishop-no-meat-fridays-sunday-rest-good-for-planet
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