BALTIMORE — Several U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday encouraged the Church to boldly share Vatican teachings on a range of hot-button issues, including condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and surgery. gender affirmation.

The prelates acknowledged that their views are often countercultural.

“We have been apologizing for too long,” said Monsignor Robert Barron, a media-savvy cleric who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota. “And we shouldn’t be intimidated by celebrities, etc., who are preaching something that is deeply problematic.”

The remarks were made during the bishops’ annual fall meeting and a presentation on a Vatican statement released in April. “Dignitas Infinita” or “Infinite Dignity” clarifies the teaching of the Church which promotes the dignity of all and the protection of life from its earliest stages until death.

“The goal is to apply the lessons of ‘Dignitas Infinita’ to our American society,” said Barron, who praised the statement for its “distinctly Catholic voice” — one that is neither Democratic nor Republican, liberal or conservative.

The 20-page “Infinite Dignity” was five years in the making and highlights a range of harms, including forced migration and sexual abuse. In it, the Vatican calls gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy violations of human dignity, comparing them to abortion and euthanasia.

Pope Francis has reached out to LGBTQ+ people throughout his pontificate, and the document was a disappointing, if not unexpected, setback for transgender people and their rights advocates. This comes during an election year in the United States where there has been a conservative backlash towards transgender rights.

Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, spoke at the meeting about how Catholic schools can be a vehicle for educating young people about Catholic sexual ethics.

“We want our students to see the Church’s teaching on sexuality as an expression of this deeper understanding of the human person, and not simply as a set of rules that oppose our popular culture,” said Daly.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, who is completing his term as chairman of the USCCB committee on pro-life activities, expressed gratitude to the Vatican and called the statement “incredibly timely.”

“Unfortunately, many states continue to enshrine abortion in their constitutions,” he told the assembly, referring to recent state ballot initiatives. “We know we still have a lot of work to do.”

“Our job is not just to change laws, but to change hearts and minds,” Burbidge added.

Throughout their meeting, the American bishops reaffirmed their anti-abortion commitment, even in the face of electoral defeats.

Voters supported 7 out of 10 abortion rights measures on the state ballot this election. Even in Florida, where the abortion rights amendment failed, 57 percent of voters supported the measure, just shy of the 60 percent needed for it to pass.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City said earlier during an evangelistic debate that the success of abortion rights ballot initiatives should be “a wake-up call to us.” He added that more precise language is needed to help people accept the Church’s teaching on life issues.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, presented a vision of proclaiming the Church’s teaching, even when it is not popular or practical .

“We never turn back or forsake the clear teaching of the gospel. We proclaim it in season and out of season,” Broglio said. “We must insist on the dignity of the human person, from the womb to the tomb, and be unwavering in our commitment. »