In 1941, mere months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, our alumnus Venerable Fulton J. Sheen published A Declaration of Dependence. A professor here at Catholic University, Sheen was keenly aware of the crises facing our nation and the world at that time.
In his brief book, he set out to call his fellow Americans to rediscover the foundations of the freedoms they enjoyed.
“The State is not autonomous, but subject to a higher law. … Democracy will rest on this divine foundation, or it will be laid to rest,” he wrote. “There are no rights of man without duties to God, and if we doubt it, then point to any Totalitarian system which denies the rights of man and I will show you they also deny duties to God. Democracy, the value of a person, liberty, and like, are fruits that grow on the tree of belief in God.”
With prophetic clarity, Sheen’s Declaration helps us see that the founders’ claims about the “self-evident” fact that we have all been created by God rests upon a tradition that preceded them by 18 centuries.
This role is one our Church has continuously played in the American drama. For more than a quarter of a millennium, Catholic leaders like Archbishop Sheen have shone the light of faith on our American political and moral culture. They have reminded those in power that all our worldly projects will ultimately pass away — that our struggle to secure the common good in this “earthly city” is noble and necessary, but only insofar as it helps men and women on their way to the city of God.
In this vein, I commend to you highly the words of a more recent alumnus of our University: Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. In this issue, you will find excerpts from his pastoral letter, “In Charity and Truth,” illuminated by commentary from members of our faculty (see the main feature, pp. 34–40).
Like Sheen before him, Archbishop Lori invites us to examine our consciences and take personal responsibility for the health of our nation by offering our own concrete acts of love for God and neighbor. I can think of no more fitting tribute to the country we love, and I hope you will join me and our University community as, by the grace of God, we help one another along the path toward true freedom.
Peter Kilpatrick, President
The Catholic University of America
