Cardinal Donald Wuerl has told a gathering of religious and labour leaders that solidarity cannot be taken for granted. "It is sometimes avoided or even denied because it brings with itself obligations," the Archbishop of Washington DC said, noting that by the same token there are those who harbour "neglect of and occasional hostility toward solidarity in our social and cultural context". Cardinal Wuerl said: "Solidarity is expressed in works of generosity, forgiveness and reconciliation. Catholic teaching explicitly recognises organised labour as instruments of solidarity and justice. But we cannot take solidarity for granted." The cardinal made his remarks at a conference on "Erroneous Autonomy: A Conversation on Solidarity & Faith", co-sponsored by The Catholic University of America's Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies and the AFL-CIO, which hosted the event at its headquarters building in Washington. "What brings fresh urgency to our new evangelisation mission is just how widespread and profound are forces which neglect basic understandings of right and wrong, the common good, the dignity of the human person and our obligations to one another of genuine solidarity," Cardinal Wuerl said. "People in this room can point out how these factors have also contributed to a dramatic decrease in union membership in recent years."