American National Catholic Church Speaks Out Against "Big Beautiful Bill" on Independence Day

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — As the nation paused to celebrate Independence Day, the American National Catholic Church (ANCC), whose Cathedral parish of St. Francis of Assisi is located in Glen Ridge, added its voice to a growing chorus of religious leaders denouncing the passage of the federal "Big Beautiful Bill," calling it a moral failure that betrays the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
In a powerful pastoral letter released on July 4th, the Most Reverend George R. Lucey, FCM, Presiding Bishop of the ANCC, issued a stinging critique of the bill, asserting that it "threatens to inflict the greatest harm on those who are most vulnerable and most in need of the support our government can—and should—provide."
“The denial of such care,” Bishop Lucey wrote, “in the interest of protecting the wealth of the few, is not only a moral failing but stands in direct contradiction to the teachings of Christ and the core values of human dignity and mutual respect found at the heart of our Catholic tradition.”
Framing the message in both theological and civic terms, Bishop Lucey invoked the American founders’ belief in natural law and universal rights. He drew on Gaudium et Spes, a key Catholic document from the Second Vatican Council, to argue that governments exist for the common good and must offer all citizens full and active participation in society—especially those on the margins.
“On this Independence Day,” the bishop wrote, “we are reminded again of our Christian call to be a people who bind up the wounded, heal the sick, welcome the stranger, and bring home the lost.”
The pastoral letter also took direct aim at modern political rhetoric that vilifies immigrants and stigmatizes minorities. Bishop Lucey decried the co-opting of Christian language by what he called “false prophets of our time” who distort the Gospel message to justify discrimination and greed.
“We know our voice is small,” he acknowledged, “but we must be relentless in opposing the tide of greed and corruption that betrays the Gospel. We proclaim not the rule of empire or personal wealth, but the reign of the One True King, whose Kingdom is built on love, justice, and the common good.”
In closing, Bishop Lucey evoked the Statue of Liberty’s iconic inscription from Emma Lazarus: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” He lamented that today’s national policies often run contrary to that promise.
“The task before us as Christians,” he concluded, “is to stand in the breach and remind our sisters and brothers of our call to serve the mission of the One King who came to love us all.”
The full letter is available at www.TheANCC.org and was shared with parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi American National Catholic Church in Glen Ridge as part of their Independence Day reflections. #BloomfieldNJ#GlenRidgeNJ#StFrancisANCC#ANCCCathedralParish#CommunityFaithVoices