Bishop Edward Malesic was among the Ohio Catholic bishops to meet with Gov. Mike DeWine on March 21 in Columbus.
Each year, the bishops gather with the sitting governor to discuss issues of interest. This year the discussion included respect for life, support for mothers, the death penalty, education, immigration and refugees and the work of Catholic Charities. The Eastern rite bishops also updated the governor about the refugee situation and the work of the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe.
In addition to Bishop Malesic, the following bishops also participated: Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma; Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma; Bishop J. Michael Botean of the Romanian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton; Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar; Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr; Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey Monforton and Msgr. Stephan Moloney, diocesan administrator for the Diocese of Columbus. Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas was unable to attend.
The Catholic Conference of Ohio, established in 1945, is the second-oldest state bishops’ conference in the country. It represents the Church’s position before the Ohio General Assembly, various state departments, bureaus, agencies and other organizations. The conference also provides facilitation, coordination and programming for diocesan groups involved in various Church ministries.
Ohio has a population of more than 11.6 million people, with about 1.8 million Catholics, or 16% of the state population.