Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores, representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), released a joint statement on Wednesday in response to a declaration by 31 Catholic members of Congress affirming their support for abortion based on their faith. 

“Members of Congress who recently invoked teachings of the Catholic faith itself as justifying abortion or supporting a supposed right to abortion grievously distort the faith,” they said in their letter. “It is wrong and incoherent to claim that the taking of innocent human life at its most vulnerable stage can ever be consistent with the values of supporting the dignity and wellbeing of those in need.” 

The bishops strongly criticized the lawmakers' statement, which had been released on June 24, the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the USCCB said.

"As Catholics, we believe all individuals are free to make their own personal decisions about their bodies, families, and futures," the lawmakers' statement said, according to a press release. "The role of informed conscience is at the very core of our faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church plainly states that ‘A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his [or her] conscience. If he [or she] were deliberately to act against it, he [or she] would condemn himself [or herself].’ We regard conscience as both a sacred gift and a responsibility: we are called to follow our conscience.” 

The congressional statement asserted that a majority of Catholics support abortion, citing statistics such as "68 percent supporting the legal protections for abortion access enshrined in Roe" and "63 percent believing abortion should be legal in all or most cases." 

The USCCB statement argued that such statistics do not justify killing the preborn.

“Conscience rightly enjoys a special regard both in Church teaching and in the public sphere," the bishops said in their letter to Congress. "And policymakers should support the freedom of Catholics and of others to serve the common good in accord with their beliefs in a wide range of areas – from services and assistance to recently arrived migrants, to offering health care and social services. Nevertheless, conscience is not a license to commit evil and take innocent lives. Conscience cannot and does not justify the act or support of abortion.” 

Broglio, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, is president of the USCCB; Burbidge is bishop of the Diocese of Arlington and is the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Flores, bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville, is the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine. 

Burbidge released a statement in celebration of the one year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade, according to the USCCB.