During the weekend following the deeply contentious overturning of Roe v Wade, 49-year-old Indian American Bishop Earl Fernandes expressed his support for the Supreme Court ruling to 500 campers and their families at the Damascus Catholic Mission Campus in Ohio, as well as in an official statement, according to the National Catholic Register.
In a statement via the Church’s YouTube channel, he said "We in the Diocese of Columbus are thankful for the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Healthcare Organization."
He also re-affirmed the Supreme Court ruling and denounced abortion hours after the verdict in his homily, referring to the procedure as “the killing of children in the womb.”
He said “Sadly, in January 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalised the killing of children in the womb. I have lived every day of my life waiting to see that injustice overturned.”
Bishop Earl Fernandes is newly ordained, on 31 May 2022, and also the first Indian American bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Columbus.
He has been very well-received by the Church, with the Church videographer and studio manager Abby Pitones saying, “I think he is going to bring such great revival within the Catholic Church in Columbus. He is an incredible shepherd, and we’re going to experience a lot of growth.”
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