With profound sorrow, we offer our prayers to the Christian community of Sri Lanka, and all those devastated by today’s horrific acts of violence, killings carried out while Christians offered their own prayers of gratitude on this great feast of hope, Easter Sunday.

Please join me in praying for the people of Paris, the parishioners of Notre-Dame, the Catholics of the city, their archbishop, and all French people, as we watch this terrible tragedy unfold.

Dear Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río, Last August, I informed you of the accusation against your pastor, Fr. Gary Graf, and that, in keeping with our procedures, he was asked to step aside from his pastoral duties until a thorough investigation and process could be completed. He has fully cooperated with civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicago during these months, even letting you know that you should have confidence in the procedures the archdiocese has in place as part of our safe environment efforts.

I welcome the release today of three important documents by which Pope Francis makes clear that everyone in the Church has a “duty to report abuses (of minors and vulnerable adults) to competent authorities and to cooperate with them in the activities of prevention and response.” This is so, the Holy Father remarks, because “the protection of minors and vulnerable persons is an integral part of the Gospel message that the Church and all her members are called to spread throughout the world.”

With this letter I write to you about a development that should disturb us greatly, both as citizens and as disciples of Jesus, the Lord of life. Recently, two bills have been introduced in the Illinois House and Senate. The first, House Bill 2495 and Senate Bill 1942, both identical pieces of legislation, seeks to strip unborn persons of any protection – or even consideration – under the law and declare abortion to be a “fundamental right” and matter of health care. The end result is that an abortion could be obtained at any stage of pregnancy, including late term, for any reason and without any regulation.

We learned today of yet another terrorist attack on a place of worship, this time at two mosques in New Zealand. I stand with all people of good will in condemning these senseless acts of violence against Muslims, many of whom were immigrants and refugees. Joining Pope Francis, I assure our Muslim brothers and sisters, particularly those in New Zealand, of our prayers to the one, all-Merciful God for healing and comfort.

As we come together this evening for this 24th Annual Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture, I want to use these first words to reassure our Jewish brothers and sisters of my full-throated support at a time when we witness in our time the continued rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts of hatred against Jews. In keeping with my statement this past month, I call on all people of good will to join me in rooting out this hatred from our homes, places of worship and public discourse. We need to work together as partners in combatting this troubling trend which puts Jews at risk while threatening the religious freedom and humanity of all.

A few months ago, I was joined by Rabbi Samuel Gordon, Holocaust survivor Fritchie Fritzshall and others at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center to speak out against Holocaust denial and its harmful effects. Since that time, the continued rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts in Europe and the United States has become more and more troubling. These attempts to dehumanize Jews, making them an object of blame, and sowing irrational fear and anger can have dire consequences, as the Tree of Life massacre painfully reminds us.

The historic meeting on the protection of children convened by the Holy Father this past week set the direction of the entire global Church on the question of child safety. Our firm resolve and the actions we will take were the direct result of our listening to victim survivors throughout the meeting. Their unflinching witness moved the hearts of the participants and the world and led us to commit to a common mission of making the Church a safe place for all, achieved by taking personal responsibility, holding bishops accountable and practicing transparency.

Introduction: From Collegiality to Synodality From what we just heard from Cardinal Gracias, we are to understand our gathering in these days as an exercise in collegiality. We are here, as the universal episcopate in affective and substantive union with the successor of Peter, to discern through spirited dialogue where our ministry as successors of the apostles calls us to confront effectively the scandal of clergy sexual abuse that has wounded so many little ones.