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The Florida Catholic Conference is an agency of the Catholic
bishops of Florida, established on February 1, 1969. The founders
were Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll, Bishop Paul F. Tanner,
Bishop William D. Borders, Bishop Charles B. McLaughlin, and
Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick.
The Conference speaks
for the Church in matters of public policy and serves as
liaison to the executive, legislative and judicial branches
of government. The archbishop and bishops of the seven (arch)dioceses in
Florida constitute its board of directors.
Catholic Conferences have been established in recognition
of the natural community within a state's boundaries and the
shift of power from federal to state governments. Archbishop
Michael J. Sheehan, in his doctoral dissertation on the State Catholic Conference, stated that in establishing
state conferences, the Church is putting into practice three
"very basic teachings of Vatican Council II ...cooperation
between bishops of a region, participation of laity in the
Mission of the Church and involvement of the Church in the
community."
The
Conference works with the state and federal
legislatures and administrative agencies, as well as other
non-Catholic groups. It has acted in many policy areas,
including social and welfare matters, such as migrants,
housing, health care, criminal justice reform; educational
matters, including parochial and public schools; right to
life issues, including abortion and euthanasia; and in
matters affecting human sexuality, marriage and the family
unit.
The
bishops have established the following
policy/advocacy committees:
State Pro
Life Coordinating Committee; Committee Against the Death
Penalty; Prison Ministry Committee; Farmworker Justice
Committee; Immigration Committee; Schools Executive
Committee; Accreditation Committee; Catholic Health
Executives; and Committee on End-of-Life Care. |
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