The Maryland Catholic Conference was created by the bishops of Maryland to advance the mutual public-policy and pastoral interests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Archdiocese of Washington, and the Diocese of Wilmington.

Positions on public policy developed by the departments and adopted by the Conference's Board of Governors are advocated in Maryland and the Nation's Capital. Here in the State, Conference representatives work in Annapolis with members of the General Assembly, the Governor and state agencies. In Washington, the primary focus of the Conference's advocacy efforts in Maryland's 10-member delegation to the U.S. Congress.

THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE POLITICAL ORDER

Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors extends beyond individual relationships to the entire human community. He came to "bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, give new sight to the blind and set the downtrodden free" (Luke 4:18). He calls upon us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked care for the sick and comfort the victims of injustice (Matt. 25). His example and his words invite individual acts of charity from each of us. They also encourage understanding and action on a broader scale, one that necessarily involves the institutions and structures of society, the economy and politics.

Involvement in this broader, pastoral realm of understanding and action means involvement in the affirmation and promotion of human rights and in the denunciation and condemnation of human rights violations. It encourages us, as a community of faith, to call attention to the moral and religious dimensions of secular issues, to keep alive the values of the Gospel as norms for social and political life, and to advocate for peace and justice. Such a ministry inevitably touches upon public affairs and involves political consequences.