Attached to the bottom of this post, in both English and Spanish, you will find three separate letters from the Bishops of the Archdiocese of Denver, Diocese of Colorado Springs, and Diocese of Pueblo, requesting the people affiliated with “Colorado Life Initiative” stop making misleading statements and stop disrupting parish life, immediately. On legislative issues, including pro-life protection and stopping abortion, the Colorado Catholic Conference, as the united voice of the Bishops, is charged by all three Colorado dioceses to implement the Bishops’ instructions.
All four Bishops in Colorado are united on the right approach to the pro-life cause, and they have serious concerns about the actions of an organization called the Colorado Life Initiative. The implications of the statements and actions of people affiliated with Colorado Life Initiative carry Catholic canon law and civil law issues of serious concern.
Pease see the attached aligned letters:
- The Archdiocese of Denver Direct Request to those affiliated with Colorado Life Initiative
- Letter from the Diocese of Colorado Springs
- Letter from the Diocese of Pueblo
Given the four extreme abortion legislation enacted in Colorado in 2022 and 2023, the pro-life movement in Colorado is in a critical juncture. The Bishops want the Faithful to stay united and execute a prudential strategy for long-term success and preservation of human life. States such as Ohio have proven that the most well-intentioned abortion ban, when not strategically executed, can result in codification of abortion. This tragically happened in Ohio in their 2023 election, and Ohio is a state with a majority of pro-life lawmakers. Ohio taught an important lesson to everyone who fights for sanctity of life of preborn children in post-Roe America. Colorado’s battle is even more difficult, and therefore necessitates a united pro-life community and strategic plan.
The four Catholic Bishops in their November 2023 letter, along with a broad coalition of other organizations in the pro-life community, outlined the united effort in 2024 to defeat the “Right to Abortion” ballot initiative. This terrible legislation will make abortion a “fundamental right” in the state constitution and remove Colorado’s constitutional ban on tax-payer-funded abortion. If “Right to Abortion” is successful, then Colorado will become the most pro-abortion state in America. The Bishops’ serious concern, expressed in the attached letters, is that even if well-intentioned, the efforts of the Colorado Life Initiative and its volunteers could backfire and result in the passage of the “Right to Abortion” constitutional amendment – resulting in the deaths of millions more Colorado children.
As a member of the first-ever large Colorado coalition for pro-life efforts, Pro-Life Colorado, and at the express direction of all four Bishops, the Catholic Conference asks the people affiliated with Colorado Life Initiative to unite with us, not divide us. The Bishops’ expectations and directions are clear.