Washington, DC – As Pope Francis prepares to release an encyclical on climate change this summer, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) this week to host a meeting on Capitol Hill with representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops met privately with Whitehouse, Collins, and other Senators to discuss the forthcoming encyclical, the Church’s views on climate change, and the importance of protecting our natural environment.
“As we continue working to make progress on climate change in Congress, the engagement of the Catholic Church is extremely welcome,” Whitehouse said. “Pope Francis and the bishops are a powerful voice in speaking to the moral urgency of addressing this issue. I was honored to host the bishops in the Senate, and I am grateful for their efforts.”
Whitehouse, who represents the most heavily Catholic state in America, has regularly quoted Pope Francis in his speeches about climate change.
The participating bishops were Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, FL, and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; and Bishop Stephen Blaire, Bishop of Stockton California, and former Chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Social Development.
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