The work of this year's Legislature has been completed, and the Catholic Church has taken a strong stand on a number of issues that were being considered at the Roundhouse. Several of your readers have expressed concerns about our positions.

The Church has indeed shared its commitment to human life in a wide range of areas. We spoke out strongly against embryonic stem-cell research, the efforts to impose the Freedom of Choice Act on New Mexicans that relate to abortion, assisted suicide and, of course, the death penalty.

Some might wonder why the Church feels so strongly about these issues. Basically, we believe that life is sacred from conception to natural death and anything that threatens these values must be strongly opposed. Chapter 1 of Genesis tells us that we human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. Human life is sacred, and so we oppose abortion, which takes the life of an unborn human being, and we stand up for the dignity of that life. We also oppose embryonic stem-cell research which destroys human life, while at the same time affirming adult stem-cell research, which offers great opportunities for scientific discoveries that will lead to life-giving breakthroughs for medicine. We spoke strongly against the death penalty, and the death penalty was indeed repealed. There are better ways than execution to protect citizens from harmful individuals. Efforts toward assisted suicide we see as threats to the elderly and the sick. There is a consistent respect for life in the decisions that were made by the Legislature, and we affirm their actions.

The Church upholds the dignity of the human being and opposes whatever threatens humanity. We stand up for human life, and we believe that we are making a contribution to our society in this way. We also stand strongly for the traditional marriage and family, which are the oldest institutions of human civilization.

We are aware that there may be many who disagree with some of our positions, but at the same time there are many who agree with much of what the Church has to say on these matters. The Church believes it has an obligation to share its rich 2,000-year tradition of social teaching with others, and the Constitution protects our right to do so. It is not a violation of the separation of church and state to do so! We do not state support for or speak against any political party or politician running for office. We have something to say about the dignity of human life, marriage, care for the sick and needy and many other issues.

The Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan is the archbishop of Santa Fe.