When it comes to Iraq, the concern of most Americans is the ending of our military involvement in the Middle Eastern country and bringing U.S. troops home. This concern is understandable in light of seven years of war, the loss of many lives and the tremendous investment we have made in Iraq to bring about security and to foster democracy.

But as our military involvement in Iraq winds down, there is another issue that needs to be addressed. This is the plight of Christians and other religious minorities — many of whom have fled Iraq over the past seven years because they fear for their lives. 

Fifteen years ago the U.S. Catholic bishops, in a document on political responsibility, made some perceptive comments about the state of American public life that echo with much validity today.

The bishops noted the widespread cynicism and frustration among Americans about public life. Many citizens don’t vote, they said, and many “seem disinterested or disenchanted with politics.” 

A recent preparatory document for an October Synod of Bishops for the Middle East made a forceful appeal to the Christian minority in the region to resist emigration and to openly give witness to the Gospel values of hope, joy, justice and forgiveness in their native communities. 

Comments by the U.S. bishops in a statement on criminal justice establish a rationale for proposed legislation in the 2010 Kentucky General Assembly. 

Vicki Schieber’s message about the death penalty — given recently at three Catholic high schools and one parish in the Archdiocese of Louisville — is a compelling one for Catholics to ponder. It’s a message about living, in personally difficult circumstances, our Catholic teaching about respect for human life and forgiveness.