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Recently, Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge made headlines when he required all priests in the Diocese of Arlington to read a letter instead of the homily, explaining to parishioners why they had a duty to vote ‘no’ on two ballot initiatives in the upcoming Virginia elections. I live in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington (encompassing the northern third of Virginia), have attended several of its churches over the summer, and have been impressed by the determination of the Catholics Vote No Campaign and the seriousness with which they have taken the upcoming elections. Two separate Constitutional Amendments are opposed by the Diocese. Question 1 would write abortion into Virginia’s State Constitution and make difficult any legislative effort to restrict it. The amendment does allow for some restrictions in the third trimester but makes exceptions to this for the broad category of “health of the mother.” Question 2 would remove the current traditional definition of marriage in Virginia’s Constitution (adopted by voters in 2006) and require the state to recognize all marriages regardless of the gender of the partners involved. Both initiatives stand at odds with Catholic social teaching, which affirms the dignity and value of life from conception until natural death and believes that marriage by its nature can only take place between one man and one woman. Often Christians speak about the need to uphold these beliefs, but it has been inspiring to see the Church boldly act to uphold them. Not once have I attended a Sunday service in recent months where the Catholics Vote No Campaign has not been extolled, and each church has played their own role in its promotion. They have held voter registration drives, poster campaigns, lectures and more. The passion displayed has made clear that, while Burbidge has led the charge, both priests and laity have been devoted to the effort as well. Recently, Burbidge took the highly unusual step of requesting that all priests read a letter in place of the Sunday homily. The letter was effective and garnered attention from both local news and national pro-life leaders including, journalist Mary Margaret Olohan and activist Lila Rose. His letter is direct and well articulates the ballot measures’ potential ramifications. The impacts, as the bishop and others make clear, are sweeping, and it is important for all Christians to understand the negative results they will have if they become law. Question 1, Burbidge states, “proposes an extreme and vague change to the Virginia Constitution that would create a legal right to unregulated abortions, performed by unlicensed abortion practitioners at any time during pregnancy. This threatens the health and safety of mothers and would allow for abortions targeting healthy babies all the way up to birth…The proposed amendment is extreme. It is unnecessary. And it is wrong.” He goes on to explain that, along with removing almost all legal barriers to abortion for adult women, the amendment is so extreme that it would mean the end for parental notification regarding abortions performed on their minor daughters. He’s not alone in these concerns for minors. Susan B. Anthony List highlighted this section of the letter, and the editors of National Review also put out a statement urging people to vote no for similar reasons. It is important for readers to take in the extremity of this amendment. It would endanger women, as the bishop notes, allowing them to be put under the care of “unlicensed” and “unregulated” abortionists. And the removal of parental consent is even more extreme, Burbidge warns. Readers should understand that minor girls will make decisions that irrevocably alter the trajectory of their lives without the advice or knowledge of the persons who love them most. It will mean the possibility of underage girls going home after surgery, suffering complications with parents unaware that a medical procedure was even performed on their daughterIt will mean that young girls, whom the state deems not old enough to drive, will be able to receive abortifacient pills. They will go home, take them, not fully understanding what they are doing until, depending on how far along they are in the pregnancy, they will see their dead baby, and the reality of their decision, now unalterable, will be all too real to them. And in all of these cases, and in every case when an abortion takes place, there will be a dead baby, who is unrepeatable, made in the image and likeness of God. Question 2, the Bishop writes, “would remove from our state constitution the truth, as Jesus taught, that marriage is between one man and one woman. It would also enshrine gender ideology by falsely separating the reality of one’s sex and gender, obscuring the truth that we are created in the image and likeness of God.” The bishop, of course, is correct that this fundamentally undermines the institution of marriage, which is not an institution of the state but a sacrament and gift from God designed with a specific function and purpose. As the bishop also notes, it would put into the Virginia Constitution a permanent distinction between sex and gender. This, of course, would have significant ramifications beyond the initial attempt by the state to redefine marriage. The bishop’s letter goes on to ask Catholics to do four things. First, he urges Catholics to go to catholicsvoteno.com and sign the pledge to vote ‘no’. The campaign is a joint effort with the Diocese of Richmond and Bishop Barry C. Knestout, with whom Bishop Burbidge released an additional letter in August. It provides helpful information regarding the ballot initiatives, posters that can be printed, information on how to register to vote and host registration drives, and other ways for parishioners to be involved. The letter asked that Catholics register to vote. Finally, Burbidge asks them to be involved in the effort to encourage others to vote ‘no’. This is essential; Catholics must be intentional about discussing this issue with friends and family. Ultimately, elections are won by getting people to the polls. Powerfully, he went on to write, “Our baptismal promises call us to fulfill our sacred duty to participate in public life with a prayerfully and factually informed conscience.” Bishop Burbidge’s message was moving and powerful. In total, it was read to over 125,0000 of Arlington’s weekly Mass-attending Catholics. The diocese has 301 priests,431,100 registered parishioners, 80 places of worship, and covers 21 counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In the weeks following the letter, Bishop Burbidge released a new statement calling on Catholics within the Arlington Diocese to fast and pray. Specifically, he asks that each Friday leading up till the election, parishioners only eat one full meal, abstain from meat, and pray the Stations of the Cross. On Sundays, they should fast from social media for several hours and pray the rosary. The day after his statement, I promptly received communications from churches ensuring that congregants were informed of the bishop’s request. Defeating the amendments will certainly be an uphill battle. We still have about a month before we know the results, but the work of both laity and clergy in the diocese has been more than admirable, and I hope it will continue past this election. Until we know the results, Bishop Burbage reminds us, “Yet, with God’s grace, there is always hope!” **More from IRD** : The Challenge of Fidelity to Catholic Faith by Catholic Institutions Abortion archived articles The post Virginia Bishops Campaign ‘Catholics Vote No’ appeared first on Juicy Ecumenism.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, is urging the faithful to pray, fast and vote "no" on enshrining abortion and same-sex marriage in that state.

Robert Burbidge -Winter Lockstep Remix (Instrumental) Artem Stan - Kerala Trip (Ambience) Dr Dunks ft. Zopelar - 88 Lights Blue Azure - Fade Away (Refracted) Warriors of the Dystotheque & Friends -

In Memory Of Maisie Iris Burbidge 1924 - 2017

Robert Burbidge -Winter Lockstep Remix (Instrumental) Artem Stan - Kerala Trip (Ambience) Dr Dunks ft. Zopelar - 88 Lights BlueAzure - Fade Away (Refracted) Warriors of the Dystotheque & Friends - S

Bishop Michael Burbidge calls on Virginia Catholics to unite against constitutional amendments on abortion and marriage ahead of the upcoming election.

Sub-Audits Breakdown: - Diocese Messaging: COND (0.8, 0.5) — Frames legal rights as moral crisis. - Ballot Measures: PASS (-0.4, -0.3) — Codifies standard reproductive access.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Arlington diocese of Virginia is urging Catholics in the state to vote no on a constitutional amendment regarding abortion, describing it as "extreme" and "unnecessary." The post Virginia Bishop Urges Catholics to Vote No on Abortion Amendment appeared first on Breitbart.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Arlington diocese of Virginia is urging Catholics in the state to vote no on a constitutional amendment regarding abortion, describing it as "extreme" and "unnecessary." The post Virginia Bishop Urges Catholics to Vote No on Abortion Amendment appeared first on Breitbart.

Screenshot from Arlington Catholic Herald On Sunday, all churches in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington were asked to read a letter from Bishop Michael Burbidge urging the Catholic faithful to turn out and vote No on two state constitutional amendments in the midterm elections: one insisting on a fundamental right to abortion, and one to "affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race."Bishop Burbidge proclaimed "The Church is not partisan. The Church never advocates for or against specific candidates or parties. At the same time, the Church, in fidelity to the Gospel and her mission, always speaks clearly, faithfully and truthfully concerning matters of faith and morals in public life."Last month, Burbidge and Barry Knestout, the Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, issued a joint statement opposing these amendments. Has The Washington Post noticed this campaign? We can't find it. One might expect the Post to be upset at this blurring of "separation of church and state" when it comes to opposing Democrats. We know they have no objection to Democrats campaigning in liberal churches, but theocracy is afoot when the social conservative cause gets organized. 🚨A RARE MOVE by a Virginia Bishop Ahead of Election Day "Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge says he has never before asked every priest in his diocese to do what he requested this weekend: read a letter at Mass urging Catholics to oppose two Virginia constitutional amendments on… pic.twitter.com/FI8LOZRIyv— Virginia News Vanguard (@VaNewsVanguard) September 14, 2026 In fact, a search of WashingtonPost.com for "Michael Burbidge" turns up only 16 results -- and Burbidge has been the Bishop of Arlington for almost ten years now. The latest one is from January 2024.Compare that to a search of the Post for the Archbishop of Washington, Robert McElroy, appointed last year. His oppositional stances to President Trump thrill them. A search of "Robert McElroy" turns up 244 results. (It's an A.I. search, so it looks like not every article is a match.) Abp. McElroy draws happy headlines, such this 2025 story by Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein: "Pro-immigrant archbishop takes over D.C. church amid Trump crackdown." There’s also “D.C. archbishop calls U.S. immigration crackdown a ‘governmental assault’” and “D.C. archbishop calls out suffering caused by ICE.” More recently, it was “To criticize an American-led war, an American pope turns to allies.”The Post could still arrive on this story in its backyard. It's not like they're not covering Catholics. On Friday, Boorstein put together this story: “DHS hires Catholic theologian who defended Trump on birthright citizenship.” Chad Pecknold of Catholic University is identified with a “post-liberal” movement, and Boorstein pounced: “Critics say post-liberalism has reactionary or authoritarian leanings.”

🚨A RARE MOVE by a Virginia Bishop Ahead of Election Day "Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge says he has never before asked every priest in his diocese to do what he requested this weekend: read a lett...

Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge urges priests to read letter opposing abortion and marriage amendments in Virginia during Mass.