Bishop Flores asks confrères, faithful to exercise verbal self-restraint before election (National Catholic Reporter)

In brief

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, is calling on fellow bishops and all Catholics to practice verbal self-restraint as an upcoming election approaches. The vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in an interview that bishops should lead by example through a generous spirit rather than immediately jumping to criticism or condemnation.

Bishop Flores suggested that people should avoid assuming bad motives or intentions in others. He noted that while it is acceptable to disagree with the statements of different bishops, the Church should not spend excessive time trying to determine which leaders are on the right side of specific issues. He stated that he presumes good will and believes there is an unhealthy focus on catching people in disagreements with one another.