US bishops to respond to papal encyclical on environment Thursday, June 18

Shortly after Pope Francis releases his encyclical on the environment on Thursday, June 18, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington,D.C., will provide reaction from a U.S. Catholic perspective at a Newsmakers news conference in the Bloomberg room at 8:30 a.m.

The Pope’s encyclical is expected to be a wide-ranging document that helps provide moral guidance on the responsibility to care both for our natural world and for those who suffer disproportionately from negative environmental impacts, especially the poor. It will also likely highlight the distinctive voice that the Catholic Church brings to this conversation, with its experience in communities around the world and its longstanding teachings regarding care for creation and care for those who are vulnerable.

Like all Newsmaker events, this news conference is open to credentialed media and National Press Club members, free of charge. No advance registration is required.