AUGUSTA – Maine’s Roman Catholic bishop Tuesday called on legislators “to place the needs of the poor, the underserved and those least able to speak for themselves above the needs and wants of others” in their budget deliberations.

The Most Rev. Joseph Gerry told the more than 150 guests at the annual diocesan legislative luncheon near the State House that the “principle of the common good” is what lawmakers should use in evaluating how well law and government are working.

He defined the common good as a society that creates the social conditions that allow people more easily to reach their full potential as human beings.

“Faced with significant budget shortfalls,” Gerry said, “you will be in the unenviable position of deciding what remains in the budget and what must be sacrificed in the interest of a balanced budget.

“You cannot begin to sort this out unless you begin with a set of principles, priorities if you will, as your starting point,” he said. “Devoid of a moral, ethical frame of reference to guide you, you will fall victim to the most compelling argument of the moment, but not necessarily the one that is the most just.”

As bishop of the Diocese of Portland, Gerry is the spiritual leader of the state’s 300,000 Catholics.

When the 120th Legislature gathered earlier this month for its second session, projected revenues were short of spending by nearly $250 million. In his proposed supplemental budget, Gov. Angus King will seek to make up for the shortfall with cuts in Medicaid among other programs. He also proposes tapping the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

King has said the state’s revenue picture could improve within weeks, after tax collection trends are restudied.

The diocese supports the Fund for a Healthy Maine, which includes money from the tobacco settlement that might help people to stop smoking by funding healthful-lifestyle education programs. It also supports the expanded Medicaid coverage bill passed last year, which would provide Medicaid coverage to an additional 16,000 Maine residents.

The diocese also supports legislation to increase intervention in and prevention of domestic abuse in Maine, a program King also has targeted for reduced funding.

Gerry’s message Tuesday afternoon and the diocese’s legislative priorities were far different this year from the rosier economic times three years ago. Then, fresh from a visit with Pope John Paul II in St. Louis, the bishop called on legislators to seek a balance between protecting the environment and economic development.

The budget cuts also affect Catholic Charities of Maine, the state’s largest private charity, the bishop told the group. The organization, which has contracts with the state to deliver social services to the poor and elderly, could face reduced services and staff layoffs, he said. Gerry was not specific about how the budget shortfall would affect the organization.

While Gerry, Marc Mutty, the diocesan public policy spokesman, and diocesan staff lobbied lawmakers Tuesday, one former legislator said the bishop has another important role to play in the State House.

Judy Paradis, a former state senator from St. John Valley, attended the luncheon with her husband, Rep. Rosaire Paradis, D-Frenchville. Judy Paradis and other Catholic former legislators lobby their former colleagues on behalf of Catholic Charities.

“The first time the bishop had one of these luncheons more than a decade ago, he said to us, ‘Yours is an uplifting profession,'” recalled the former senator. “It was uplifting to hear that. He ministers to us, and we need that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.