Catholic Conference Legislative Agenda

The New York State Catholic Conference has posted its 2010 Legislative Agenda here. The following selection is from the introduction:

In his new encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”), Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them.”

One of the ways we as Bishops attempt to fulfill this requirement is through the work of the New York State Catholic Conference, which exists for the very purpose of pursuing justice by working within the legislative arena. The Conference helps to shape public policies that protect and enhance the dignity of all people, from the very beginning of life until the natural end. Such work must not be left to the Catholic Conference alone; all Catholics have a duty to be engaged in the public square and to put the common good ahead of party politics. Catholic teaching cannot be labeled or dismissed as simply conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. In all things, we must ask, “Does this policy enhance the dignity of the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, the elderly, children, the imprisoned, those least among us?” For as our Lord taught us, what we do to these, we do to Him.

While policy issues can often be complex, our guiding principles are not. Thankfully, the Church has outlined seven easy-to-understand principles of Catholic Social Teaching that guide us in the formation of our positions on public policy matters. They are:

Respect for the Life and Dignity of the Human Person
A Call to Family, Community and Participation
Recognition of Human Rights and Responsibilities
Special Concern for the Poor and Vulnerable
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Solidarity With Our Brothers and Sisters
Care for God’s Creation

Examining issues through the lens of these principles provides clarity in what can often be an overwhelming, bewildering and contentious process. In a very real way, we give glory to God when we put these principles to work in our society. The Catholic community brings an important voice to the policy arena, speaking for those who are frequently voiceless. Our methods of advocacy must be characterized by civility and respect, and we call upon all involved in shaping policy to put aside petty differences and party politics to work together to address the genuine needs of the people of our state.

Nuclear Abolition

Dr. Lawrence S. Wittner will discuss The Necessity of Nuclear Abolition at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 35 Adams Place in Delmar. The program is sponsored by the parish chapter of Pax Christi.

Dr. Wittner is an award-winning American historian who has written extensively on peace movements and American foreign policy. He is the editor, or co-editor of four books and the author of seven other books and about 200 articles and book reviews. He also is a Steering Committee member of Upper Hudson Peace Action and serves on the National Board of Peace Action.

Work of Human Hands

The Diocesan Commission on Peace and Justice is now working with local churches to present the annual Work of Human Hands sale. All of the items being sold are “fairly traded,” which means that we participate in a system that not only aims to pay fair wages, but also creates long-term, direct trading relationships with farmers and artisans around the world based on dialogue, transparency, equity and respect. Fair trade is not about charity; it uses a fair system of exchange to empower producers to develop their own businesses and to foster sustainable development. We follow a set of internationally-accepted fair trade principles and practices that are designed to improve the livelihood of low-income people through alternative trade, including:

Commitment to fair pay for labor

Equal opportunity for women

Concern for the environment

Respect for cultural identity

Reasonable working conditions

No child exploitation

Here is the schedule of sales for the rest of the year:

Work of Human Hands 2009 Schedule

Oct. 17 & 18 -- St. Joseph’s Greenwich (open to the public)

Oct. 24 & 25 -- St. Clare’s, Colonie
St. Joseph’s, Schenectady

Oct 26 & 27 -- Pastoral Center

Oct. 31 & Nov. 1 -- Immaculate Conception, Glenville
Our Lady of Grace, Ballston Lake
St. Henry’s, Averill Park

Nov. 7 & 8 -- Our Lady of Fatima, Niskayuna
Holy Spirit, East Greenbush
Assumption/St. Paul, Mechanicville
St. Michael’s, Troy

Nov. 14 & 15 -- St. Edward’s, Clifton Park
St. Joseph’s, Scotia
St. Catherine of Siena, Albany
Our Lady of Fatima, Delanson

Nov. 21 & 22 -- St. Therese, Gansevoort
St. Clement’s, Saratoga Springs
Sacred Heart, Castleton

Dec. 5 & 6 -- St. Vincent de Paul, Albany
St. John the Baptist, Valatie
St. Matthew’s, Voorheesville

Dec. 10 & 11 -- Pastoral Center

Dec. 12 & 13 -- St. Thomas the Apostle, Delmar
St. John’s/St. Ann’s, Albany

Dec. 19 & 20 -- St. Peter’s, Saratoga Springs

Global economy imperils Earth, humanity

Last spring, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns invited Maryknoll missioners, affiliate groups and others to take part in a reflection process on the connections between our faith, ecology and the global economy. The thoughtful reflections from around the world have been crafted into a new statement entitled “Global economy imperils Earth, humanity,” which begins:

With nearly 100 years experience in joining our lives with communities and people throughout the world, Maryknoll missioners discovered something that others were able to realize only after seeing Earth photographs that astronauts took from space. We are one humanity interconnected with all matter on a tiny planet within a vast, expansive universe. We are challenged now to act quickly to rescue Earth and its inhabitants from destruction and extinction.

At the heart of the current global social and ecological crises is an economic system that tries to lock interconnected societies into unsustainable patterns of production, over-consumption and waste generation, all driven by the mandate to grow. To date this growth-driven economic model has proven to promote overgrowth in some areas while leaving vulnerable populations with no benefits of development.

Therefore, the Maryknoll community respectfully urges that:

You will have to go here to discover those recommendations.

Cafeteria Catholics

Over at The American Conservative magazine, John Schwenkler writes about Cafeteria Catholics:

Joe Carter asks how Catholics determine whether and to what extent they’re obligated to concur with papal encyclicals. If I may be permitted a moment of deepest cynicism, the obvious answer is that it depends on how nicely the relevant teachings comport with their partisan political affiliations and other preexisting biases, which is how we end up with the oh-so-unsurprising spectacles of predominantly Republican frequent churchgoers being among the most prominent supporters of torture, left-liberal Catholics preaching about the “seamless garment” as a way to justify prioritizing health insurance mandates over laws protecting the unborn, and alleged conservatives who were openly dismissive of Vatican condemnations of the Iraq war going on about Ex Corde and Evangelium Vitae while approaching papal articulations of Catholic social teaching – which seems as good a candidate as any for the second conjunct of the “faith and morals” criterion – with a hermeneutic of suspicion and a deconstructionist’s bicolored pen. (“[S]pinning so fast … I would be surprised if they haven’t fallen over a few times already” was Caleb Stegall’s apt description of the recent antics from the FT crowd; I would just add that simply watching the twirling is going to leave me motion-sick.) It’s a sad, sorry excuse for humility and prophetic witness, and while I’d love to see the Vatican attempt to combat it by issuing some strongly-worded official statements on the spiritual dangers of excessive partisan identification, the problem of course is that no one would bother to listen.

The rest of the entry, and the comments, can be read here.

Former papal theologian praises Obama's 'realism,'

John L. Allen, Jr., writing in National Catholic Reporter, reports that "an influential cardinal and Vatican adviser has praised Obama’s 'humble realism' and compared the president’s approach to abortion to the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas and early Christian tradition about framing laws in a pluralistic society."

We might ask, "Who saw that coming?"

The full article is here. Here is an excerpt:

Swiss Cardinal George Cottier, 87, former theologian of the papal household under Pope John Paul II, laid out those views in a cover essay in the current issue of 30 Giorni, perhaps the most widely read journal of Catholic affairs in Italy.

Styled as an analysis of two Obama speeches – his May 17 commencement address at the University of Notre Dame and his June 4 speech to the Islamic world in Cairo – Cottier’s essay was overwhelmingly positive, repeatedly arguing that Obama’s “realism”, as well as his commitment to finding “common ground”, resonate with Christian tradition and the social teaching of the Catholic church.

Seen through American eyes, perhaps the most striking element was Cottier’s analysis of what Obama had to say at Notre Dame. The university’s decision to invite Obama, and to award him an honorary degree, were widely criticized in Catholic circles in the States, given Obama’s positions on abortion, embryonic stem cell research and other life issues. More than 80 bishops publicly objected to the event.

Cottier, however, compared Obama’s Notre Dame address to Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, in its accent on dialogue and common ground, and to the document Dignitatis Humanae of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) on conducting the search for truth in a pluralistic society. Christians, Cottier wrote, “can be in agreement” with Obama’s “way of framing the search for solutions.”

Climate change

First of all, thanks to those who inquired about our absence from the scene. We are back now and ready to continue.

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is a lay Catholic organization that promotes increased awareness of Catholic Social Teaching through the media and provides opportunities for Catholics and citizens of good will to advance the common good in the public square. They send along the following:

What does climate change have to do with the common good? A lot. The current environmental crisis affects us all, but especially those enduring poverty. Whether our neighbors here and around the world live in lands subject to erosion, can only afford to inhabit polluted areas or do not have the economic means to protect themselves from ecological calamities, the most vulnerable among us are profoundly affected by the global environmental crisis.

As people of faith called to be good stewards of God's creation, we must ensure that our elected officials make political and economic choices that reflect proper care for the earth and respect the dignity of all people.

Help make a difference. Learn more about how you can take action to protect the environment and give voice to the particular needs of "the least among us." Check out the links to the following organizations and start making your voice heard. And be sure to share this email with 10 of your friends!

Franciscan Campaign on Climate Change is organizing Franciscan and Franciscan-hearted persons (people who are inspired by the witness and example of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi) to participate in the Catholic Climate Covenant. Right now they are organizing Congressional visits over the Memorial Day Recess. All are welcome to participate.

Catholic Climate Covenant is an effort supported by more than a dozen Catholic organizations to increase the visibility of the Church in addressing climate change. They are encouraging organizations, parishes, families and individuals to take the St. Francis Pledge to pray, learn, assess, act and advocate.

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns is working to raise greater awareness about the connections between our economic choices and environmental consequences. Maryknoll is taking action to bring sustainability to both areas of our life with a particular emphasis on caring for persons who are poor.