Mind The Rules

The USCCB is starting to get with the times. It's really trying to come to terms with this Inter-tubes thingy. Why, they even quote Wikipedia and mention Facebook! (Nobody here has ever done that ...)

This week the USCCB Office of Communications released Social Media Guidelines that “ 'church personnel' defined as anyone—priest, deacon, religious, bishop, lay employee, or volunteer — who provides ministry or service or is employed by an entity associated with the Catholic Church", should abide by.

Here is a sample Code of Conduct from the Guidelines:

“All posts and comments should be marked by Christian charity and respect for the truth. They should be on topic and presume the good will of other posters."

It's a good thing to, and none too soon, so as to relieve the confusion of the faithful. We thought the previous rules of behavior were to say: 1) You're stupid! 2) That's not Catholic! 3) You're going to Hell! Ok, maybe not, but it's wild out here on the 'Net.

Still, the Guidelines are a good thing and the Church should have 'em. I should have some too, but as I'm having trouble formulating them, we'll go with the sample Code of Conduct above.

I always have trouble with "goals" and "performance metrics" at work too. I've gotten as far as "Will wear pants every day" and then I bog down ...

Creative Fidelity

This is refreshing; it looks like LA is going to get the pastor they need. Attempts to view the Catholic Church, including morality and social justice, through a primarily political lens leads to bad digestion.

[LA Times] In its most faithful expression, Catholic life and teaching transcends secular polarization, allowing for a wide variety of leanings among its members within the Vatican's boundaries of orthodoxy. [...]

Recently elected to lead the U.S. bishops' efforts on behalf of immigrants, [Abp.] Gomez is a strong supporter of migrant rights. And his ascent is unlikely to give comfort to conservative activists who've called for a "Catholic Tea Party" movement and the dismantling of the church's national body, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. On the other hand, L.A. Catholics dismayed by Masses where Rome's rubrics seem to be viewed more as advice than as rules may see welcome changes in services. And on hot-button moral issues such as abortion and gay marriage, church members can expect a robust defense of the faith's 2,000-year-old teaching. In tone, however, Gomez is likely to be far less strident than the handful of conservative bishops whose interventions have dominated the church's national headlines of late. [...]

[R]ome's choice is no cookie-cutter ideologue. Instead, he embodies the pontiff's vision of a "creative fidelity," with his first allegiance being to the church's prime purpose: the spiritual sustenance of its own and, by extension, the world outside its walls.

Bishop Martino Claims Fatigue Impels Retirement

This update from the AP on the early retirement of Bishop Martino of Scranton.

SCRANTON, Pa. — A Roman Catholic bishop in northeastern Pennsylvania says he is stepping down for health reasons.

Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino says he suffers from insomnia and crippling physical fatigue.

The 63-year-old leader of the Diocese of Scranton is resigning more than a decade before the usual retirement age of 75. He had led the diocese since 2003.

Martino had been heavily criticized by parishioners who felt alienated by his imperious leadership style and staunch defense of Catholic orthodoxy. Supporters say Martino was simply enforcing church doctrine.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Justin Rigali, who leads the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to oversee the Scranton diocese until the Vatican appoints a new bishop.

Something is still screwy and doesn't add up right. This is not normal for a Catholic Bishop. Time will tell; it always does.

Bishop of Scranton Retiring Early?

What in the world is going on in Pennsylvania? For a state dominated by mostly small towns and only a handful of big cities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, and Bethlehem), there seems to be always some kind of foment.

Now the Bishop of Scranton is retiring early?

[AP] SCRANTON, Pa. - A Roman Catholic diocese in northeastern Pennsylvania will hold a news conference next week after media reports that its bishop will be stepping down.

The Times-Tribune reported that workers removed furniture from Bishop Joseph Martino's residence in Scranton this week, ahead of his planned resignation. The diocese refuses to comment, but announced Friday that a news conference will be held at 10 a.m. Monday.

Martino is only 63 years old. It is highly unusual for a bishop to step down ahead of age 75, when the Vatican requires bishops to submit their resignation.

Martino has been a controversial, conservative leader of the diocese that serves 350,000 parishioners. He was installed in 2003.

(Wait. Scranton has its own dialect?)

Anybody in PA know what's going on?

Apostolic Signatura Prefect Fisks Notre Dame

More about Notre Dame's shame, this time from the Vatican.

Because the issue should outlive the event. It was never about the person speaking, but about the Catholic identity and fidelity of the teaching institution of America's pre-eminent University.

Archbishop Raymond Burke delivers the smackdown:

(CNSNews.com) – The University of Notre Dame betrayed its Catholic identity by inviting President Barack Obama to give the commencement speech and receive an honorary degree from the school in May, said Archbishop Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest court at the Vatican.

“We all have witnessed the compromise and, indeed, betrayal of the Catholic identity of Notre Dame University,” said Burke in Rome, during a recent interview with Australian ITV reporter Andrew Rabel. “Thoughtful Catholics cannot help but reflect upon the great danger for a Catholic institution in pursuing a kind of prestige in the secular world, which leads to a betrayal of the sacred aspect of its work, namely the fidelity to Christ and His teaching.”

Read the rest of the article.

German Bishop Gone Rogue

The good folks over at CMR alert us to a post over at CathCon reporting that the Chairman of the German Bishop's Conference has denied that Christ suffered and died for our sins.

Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat" - said the archbishop.

Um, yeah, He did -- that was exactly the point. Don't they teach Biblical theology in Germany? How do you get to be the Chairman of the Bishop's Conference without knowing and teaching that fact? An ignorant country priest in a small province, maybe -- but an Archbishop and Chairman?!

Is this silly season? We just talked about other Bishops who have gone off the reservation. These guys are supposed to be leaders and teachers of the Faithful. Can we really blame the average Catholic for not knowing their moral theology when we have leaders like this?

Throwing Over The Bishopric

Conspiracy theories aside, how do you come to be a Catholic Bishop and then go off your rocker?

The most notorious modern example involves the 2001 case of Emmanuel Milingo, archbishop of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia,who married a woman from Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification church and later attempted to ordain married men as bishops.

Now in the headlines is former Bishop Fernando Lugo who resigned his post in 2006 to campaign for president of Paraguay; Lugo admits to fathering a child while still a consecrated Bishop. Local response appears to be largely apathetic.

"Most people will see it as a private affair," Vera said by telephone. "What's important is that he assumed his responsibility."

"People are more lax in their attitudes here. It shouldn't hurt his personal image much."

Besides Lugo, at least two other recent Latin American presidents - Alejandro Toledo and Alan Garcia, both of Peru - have admitted to fathering children out of wedlock, before they took office.

Reports allege the former Bishop started having sexual relations with the mother when she was as young as 16.

Before Lugo, no priest had been elected president of a Latin American country in living memory, much less one who hewed to the liberation theology of agitating on behalf of the oppressed

Wasn't "liberation theology" widely discredited by Pope John Paul II? 1984 is calling.

I realize that sin is as available to Catholic Bishops as it is to laymen, but being teachers of doctrine usually implies a stricter formation than most. Here, we are not talking about ordinary (or extraordinary) failings of Bishops (a-la sex abuse scandal), but rather the introduction of syncretism in the one case, and the rejection of the office altogether in the other.

In both cases, the persons involved were acting on a desire to be something other than what they were ordained to be. It's not just a job, it's a vocation.

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." Romans 11:29

That is totally odd, and to my mind, incomprehensible. Why would you want to be something you're not called to be? And a Bishop at that -- they're not exactly youths. Midlife crisis? Milingo was 72.

Bishop Dolan Embarks

Incoming Archbishop Dolan of New York is friendly but firm:

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Archbishop-designate Timothy Dolan said Monday, on the eve of his installation, that he will challenge the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is unenlightened because it opposes gay marriage and abortion.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Dolan said he wants to restore pride in being Catholic, especially given the damage the church endured in the clergy sex abuse scandal, which he called a continuing source of shame.

"One would hope that through education and through the joy that we give by our lives that people will begin to see that these fears and this skepticism we have about the church are unwarranted," Dolan said.

He said Catholics also must defend themselves against bias, which he said was still deeply ingrained in American culture.

"Periodically, we Catholics have to stand up and say, `Enough,'" he said. "The church as a whole still calls out to what is noble in us."

Strikes me as a Catholic "speak softly but carry a big stick" kind of guy. Or better yet: "I'm sorry, you're wrong. We can still be freinds, though." May be just what New York needs; time will tell.

Freedom And Conscience Calling

The USCCB has been aggressively encouraging all people of faith to speak out to defend conscience rights in health care. You only have until Thursday, April 9, 2009 to make your voice heard by the Department of Health and Human Services as they consider whether to rescind the conscience protection laws currently in place. Repealing these protections will hit Catholic health care workers particularly hard.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is inviting public comment on a proposal to rescind an important federal regulation issued in December. The regulation implements and enforces three federal laws protecting the conscience rights of health care providers, especially those at risk of being discriminated against because of their moral or religious objection to abortion.

The Catholic community must speak out to protect Catholic doctors, nurses and hospitals.

Our church had a petition signing drive outside of Mass today, so if you can't or don't want to post your comments publicly the good old paper method works just as well. They had us sign it in triplicate (for some unknown bureaucratic reason), but I'd sign it nine times if I thought it would help. I joked that the triplicate was so the Gestapo could find you later; I was joking -- mostly.

Not to sound too alarmist, but this is one of those watershed moments. Speak out before you're told what you can think.

Sebelius Reaping Consequences

Ah, consequences. They eventually catch up with us, yes?

[Washington Times] Already admonished against receiving Communion because of stands she has taken on abortion as governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius now faces even closer scrutiny from the church since she was nominated to serve as secretary of health and human services earlier this month.

Earlier this month, Archbishop Raymond F. Burke - formerly the archbishop of St. Louis but now prefect for the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest court - declared that Mrs. Sebelius should not approach the altar for Communion in the United States.

"After pastoral admonition, she obstinately persists in serious sin," he told CatholicAction.org, a conservative Web site.

Archbishop Naumann, meanwhile, has been in contact with Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of the Washington Diocese to inform him of the Kansas City prelate's discussions with Mrs. Sebelius.

A spokesman for Archbishop Wuerl said church officials in Washington would act in accordance with the admonition from Kansas City.

All we're saying is that if you're not really with us, drop the pretense and the association.

Liberalism, Intolerance, and Despotism

Some days I have the attention span of a gnat, just like the majority of the American political landscape; other times I can dredge up stuff from my personal "wayback" machine with astounding clarity. In this case we're only talking about four months.

Three is a magic number which tends to trip my internal filter mechanism and I say: I've seen this before. The latest instance of this happened when I noticed voices in the Church speaking on the same theme from three different corners of the world: the relationship between liberalism, intolerance, and despotism.

The first instance happened when Pope Benedict XVI was commenting in a letter sent to Italian philosopher and senator Marcello Pera on his latest book Why We Must Call Ourselves Christians: Liberalism, Europe, and Ethics.

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- At the heart of liberalism is the Christian image of God, and rediscovering that is the key to overcoming the current crisis of ethics in Europe and the world, says Benedict XVI.

"With irreproachable logic, you show how liberalism loses its base and destroys itself if it abandons this foundation," he added.

"This has generated what is known as the phenomenon of anti-clericalism, and anti-clericalism has generated another: what in the book I call 'secular equation,' namely, 'liberal equals non-Christian.', [Pera said.]"

The second instance came from the Australian Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell in an address at a conference in Oxford on "Varieties of Intolerance: Religious and Secular."

LONDON, MARCH 12, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Modern liberalism has strong totalitarian tendencies, according to the archbishop of Sydney.

"Some secularists seem to like one way streets," he added. "Their intolerance of Christianity seeks to drive it not only from the public square, but even from the provision of education, health care and welfare services to the wider community. Tolerance has come to mean different things for different groups."

The cardinal noted how particularly in the United States, members of Church organizations are facing more and more legal obstacles when it comes to following their consciences.

Following close on the heels of that, "USCCB President Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, warns that President Obama is moving towards despotism in removing conscience protections from medical providers who choose not to provide abortion services" (H/T: Thoughts of a Regular Guy by Paul, just this guy, you know?:

On Friday afternoon, February 27, the Obama Administration placed on a federal website the news that it intends to remove a conscience protection rule for the Department of Health and Human Services. That rule is one part of the range of legal protections for health care workers—for doctors, nurses and others—who have objections in conscience to being involved in abortion and other killing procedures that are against how they live their faith in God.

As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we are deeply concerned that such an action on the government’s part would be the first step in moving our country from democracy to despotism.

Anybody noticing a trend here?

It may have been obvious from the start or not, but societies tend to follow broad movements; once started, thoughts and attitudes roll on under their own momentum (or constant agitation from a vocal minority) until something radical shifts its course.

Intellectual, political, and religious beliefs have practical consequences in real life. That is why totalitarian regimes shoot the dissidents even for their own private thoughts. Thoughts lead to action.

The fight to legitimize gay "marriage" is not simply a case of civil rights or "live and let live" -- it is about reshaping the entire culture; it would require sweeping changes in law, finance, education, politics, and even impinge on freedom of religion.

The rescission of conscience clauses in public law is a transparent attempt not only to silence the practice of religion in the public sphere but also to compel doctors and health care workers to be complicit in the crime: It is not enough for you to let us kill -- you must pull the trigger, wield the knife.

So it's a fight and make no mistake. And yet to return to the words of our Holy Father: At the heart of liberalism is the Christian image of God, and rediscovering that is the key to overcoming the current crisis.

By ourselves, we are nothing -- but we are not alone. Christ crucified was as alone and abandoned as a man can be: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (Mark 15:33-34,37-39 RSV) Now Christ is resurrected, and we will never need be alone again. So although it may seem that now "there was darkness over the whole land", yet we will persevere.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Cor 1:22-25)

iBishop's Lenten Menu

The USCCB has some cool resources on their web site specifically geared to help the faithful in their observance of Lent, including What We Believe, What We Celebrate, How We Live, and How We Pray.

The Bishops are coming of Internet Age in trying to both reach and teach the Catholic faithful -- even the most wired. Check it out.

	What We Believe In this section, we invite you to discover the beauty of the Catholic faith that is articulated in our Catechism and the writings of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict VXI.
	What We Celebrate Catholics celebrate the Christian mystery through our liturgy and the seven sacraments of the Church. Learn more about the sacraments, especially the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation (Confession) during Lent.
	How We Live Christian living means following the teaching and example of Christ, the Ten Commandments, the precepts of the Catholic Church and its principles of moral life. In this section, learn more about Christian morality and the special emphasis on fasting and charity during Lent.
	How We Pray Through prayer, we raise our hearts and minds to God in thanksgiving and praise. Learn about the types of Christian prayer and the special prayers and devotions of Lent.

The Irish Have It

The AP reports:

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be appointed the next Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, The Associated Press has learned.

The Vatican is expected to announce Dolan's appointment Monday, according to a church official with knowledge of when Vatican appointments are announced. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the selection.[...]

Dolan, 59, has been Milwaukee's archbishop since 2002. He previously served as rector of the North American College in Rome, the elite seminary for U.S. priests, where he had studied for his own ordination years earlier.

[...]Dolan's appointment will continue a chain of Irish-heritage archbishops that was broken only once in two centuries, when a French-born prelate, John Dubois, was appointed to New York in 1826.

Dolan's Wikipedia profile continues:

In the 2008 presidential election, Dolan rebuked Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for "misrepresenting timeless Church doctrine" on abortion, which the Archbishop called the "premier civil rights issue of our day."

The Archbishop is considered to be theologically conservative, but once stated, "Titles of liberal and conservative don't cut much mustard with me."

He is presently chairman of the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he chairs the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee and sits on the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.

The Case of Mr. Casey

Bishop Martino of Scranton, PA has published a letter formally warning Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) that his vote against the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy (prohibiting use of U.S. aid dollars to fund abortions abroad) and support for "family planning", i.e., artificial contraception, has placed him in danger of "persist[ing] formally in cooperating with evil [abortion]".

I recognize and respect the burdens that you bear as a United States Senator; however, I remind you that your responsibilities as a Catholic bound by the faith of the Church exceed even those of your office. Your failure to reverse this vote will regrettably mean that you persist formally in cooperating with the evil brought about by this hideous and unnecessary policy.

As I have done several times before, I offer to make myself available to you to discuss the grave concerns that I raise here.

The language is serious here as it is almost a direct quote of CCC 2272 and the resulting penalty of latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication (CIC 1398).

Now, I don't rejoice at the public chastisement of a public official by his Bishop, although that is the Bishop's right and duty. The language of the letter implies that there have been multiple private overtures aimed at correction that have gone unheeded.

This letter then serves two purposes: i) to make a public and formal notification of persistent grave sin, and ii) to limit the effects of scandal on the rest of the faithful. I think the emphasis here is on the latter, given the public nature of the correction.

In keeping with the obligations of my episcopal office, I called upon my brothers and sisters in faith to be vigilant against the objections to the Church’s teaching on life so prevalent in current political discourse. I vowed to be vigilant in correcting Catholics who are in error with regard to the sanctity of life.

The Bishop is serious. The question is: is Mr. Casey? For his sake, I truly hope so.

Bishops on Track

Contrary to what had been previously reported, CNS confirms that this week's USCCB meeting will NOT drop the topic of abortion in the wake of the Presidential election.

Another bishop who requested anonymity, confirmed to CNA that the bishops will not drop the issue of abortion or hold the conversation behind closed doors. On the contrary, they will discuss it on no less than three occasions: “in our regional groups, in executive session, and in the public session.”

Basically, the Bishops are doing their jobs now, and unlike in recent previous years where they showed a spectacular lack of leadership, they are stepping up and doing the hard work. Extremophiles on both sides of the political spectrum are quick to point out any perceived action or lack of action as confirmation of their views. However, the main job of the Bishops is to teach and to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ in season and out of season. While this does touch on governance in part, it is not the main intent.

Pastoring takes a little time. Let's all breathe deep and let them pastor their flocks.

Bishop of Arlington Speaks

Words from our own Bishop (2004):

The protection of human life is the first principle on which people must base their decision for the upcoming elections, said Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington in a pre-election letter to Catholics.

“It is simply not possible to serve and promote the common good of our nation by voting for a candidate who, once in office, will do nothing to limit or restrict the deliberate destruction of innocent human life,” he wrote.

The bishop added that the protection of human life, from conception to natural death, is more than a Catholic issue. “It is an issue of fundamental morality, rooted in both the natural law and the divine law.”

In the letter, published in today’s issue of the Herald, the bishop said Catholics must follow their conscience when voting, but their conscience must guided by critical principles, which include the protection of human life, the promotion of family life, the pursuit of social justice and the practice of global solidarity.

However, the basis for all these principles is the protection of human life, he said, “since without it the other three would be rendered meaningless.

Missouri and Kansas Bishops Speak

The US Bishops' backbone-growing season continues. The Most Reverend Joseph Naumann and the Most Reverend Robert Finn, Bishops of the Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph (Kansas ~ Missouri) have issued a timely statement regarding our moral responsibility as Catholic citizens.

This excerpt is particularly apt (emphasis added):

Even if we understand the moral dimensions of the full array of social issues and have correctly prioritized those involving intrinsic evils, we still must make prudential judgments in the selection of candidates. In an ideal situation, we may have a choice between two candidates who both oppose public policies that involve intrinsic evils. In such a case, we need to study their approach on all the other issues that involve the promotion of the dignity of the human person and prayerfully choose the best individual.

Limiting Grave Evil
In another circumstance, we may be confronted with a voting choice between two candidates who support abortion, though one may favor some limitations on it, or he or she may oppose public funding for abortion. In such cases, the appropriate judgment would be to select the candidate whose policies regarding this grave evil will do less harm. We have a responsibility to limit evil if it is not possible at the moment to eradicate it completely.

The same principle would be compelling to a conscientious voter who was confronted with two candidates who both supported same-sex unions, but one opposed abortion and destructive embryonic research while the other was permissive in these regards. The voter, who himself or herself opposed these policies, would have insufficient moral justification voting for the more permissive candidate. However, he or she might justify resorting to a write-in vote or abstaining from voting at all in this case, because of a conscientious objection.

In 2004 a group of United States Bishops, acting on behalf of the USCCB and requesting counsel about the responsibilities of Catholic politicians and voters, received a memo from the office of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, which stated: "A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."

Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter's preference for the candidate's positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate's support for legalized abortion? In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Personally, we cannot conceive of such a proportionate reason.