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FOUR U.S. CATHOLIC PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING
OSV NEWSWEEKLY, ISSUE JOINT EDITORIAL IN SOLIDARITY WITH U.S. BISHOPS AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY | PAGE 19
christian persecution
... and what to do about it
MARCH 15, 2015
Curbing the religious education ‘drift’
Maronite Catholics respond to needs of Middle East Christians through fundraising, prayer and solidarity.
Between receiving the sacraments of first Communion and confirmation, the number of children in faith formation classes declines, but stressing a relationship with Christ and engaging them in unique activities can help stem the tide. >> NEWS ANALYSIS, PAGE 4
>> NEWS ANALYSIS, PAGE 5
In the spotlight: The Church and the news media Russell Shaw provides a historical tour of the relationship between the Vatican and the press up to the present day. >> IN FOCUS, PAGES 9-12
VOLUME 103, NO. 46 • $3.00
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Emulating St. Joseph
As we celebrate his feast on March 19, Christ’s earthly father provides a stunning example of strength, humility and selflessness for all to follow. >> FAITH, PAGES 14-15
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IN THIS ISSUE
MARCH 15, 2015
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
OPENERS | GRETCHEN R. CROWE
Two new family saints, and a stand on the death penalty A
s if anticipation for October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family Part II wasn’t already going to be momentous enough, the ante was upped with the unofficial announcement that Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin will be canonized at the Vatican during the same time frame. According to a March 3 report by Zenit News Agency, Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for
the Causes of Saints, made the statement while at a gathering discussing saints and family holiness. As of press time, neither the Vatican press office — nor Pope Francis — has confirmed this development, but in many ways it would make sense. Parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the most beloved saints of modern time, Louis and Zélie would be the first married couple to be canonized jointly in the history of the Church. The move is both a fitting nod to the blessings and sanctity that can be honed through that beautiful sacrament of unity, and also a strong statement on marriage to make during the family synod.
During their married life, Louis and Zélie had nine children, four of whom died at a young age. Working in harmony, they lived lives rich in spirituality and constantly practiced the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The publication of Thérèse’s autobiography, “Story of a Soul,” brought universal attention to her parents’ lives of great holiness and fidelity. The couple was declared blessed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and on the day of the Oct. 19, 2008, beatification, the Holy Father made a direct connection between Louis and Zélie and the role of the family in today’s society. “In thinking of the beatifica-
tion of the Martin couple,” he said, “I am keen to recall another intention very dear to my heart: the family, whose role in teaching children a universal outlook that is both responsible and open to the world and its problems is fundamental, as it also is in the formation of vocations to missionary life. ... With their life as an exemplary couple they proclaimed Christ’s Gospel. They lived their faith ardently and passed it on to their family and those around them. May their common prayer be a source of joy and hope for all parents and all families.” *** I’d like to particularly draw your attention this week to the
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Page 19 Editorial on capital punishment. Drafted and approved as a joint venture of America magazine, the National Catholic Reporter, the National Catholic Register and Our Sunday Visitor, it stands as a strong, united and pro-life statement against the U.S. death penalty. Such a combined effort is not unprecedented, but it is rare, and as such, we hope that it contributes to the national debate. Our Sunday Visitor has long been opposed to capital punishment, and we are proud to stand side-by-side with our fellow national Catholic publications. [emailprotected].
SAINT OF THE WEEK ST. PATRICK
Captured and taken to Ireland at the age of 16, Patrick underwent a profound religious transformation. After escaping, undergoing spiritual training and being consecrated a bishop, Patrick returned to Ireland, serving as a missionary for 29 years and winning the conversion of virtually the whole of the Irish people. His feast day is March 17.
ON THE COVER: A woman attends a Mass in Damascus, Syria, on March 1 in solidarity with Assyrians abducted by Islamic State fighters. Newscom photo
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THIS WEEK
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
IN PHOTOS
MARCH 15, 2015
IN BRIEF Notre Dame’s Father Hesburgh, 97, dies
Holy Cross Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, who led the University of Notre Dame through a period of dramatic growth during his 35 years as president and held sway with political and civil rights leaders, died Feb. 26 at the age of 97. The university did not cite a specific cause. “We mourn today a great man and faithful priest who transformed the University of Notre Dame and touched the lives of many,” Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s current president, said in a statement. Father Hesburgh held 16 presidential appointments over the years, served four popes and earned 150 honorary degrees. Vatican finances
COMMUTERS: Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on Feb. 27 as they sit in a bus following a five-day Lenten retreat with members of the Roman Curia in Ariccia, Italy.
The Vatican March 3 published on its website new rules governing the guidance, oversight and control of its financial and administrative activities. The new guidelines include the power to levy sanctions and take “civil or criminal action” in cases of “damage to assets,” as well as providing protection for whistleblowers raising red flags about “anomalous activity.”
Marriage ruling
After a March 2 decision striking down Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage, the state’s three Catholic bishops said the ruling “presumes to nullify what God has written on human hearts — that marriage is between a man and a woman.” The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in April on whether states can ban same-sex marriages. A ruling is expected in late June.
Cardinal hospitalized PRAYER: Iraqi Christians attend Mass at Mar George Chaldean Church in Baghdad on March 1. Christians in Iraq continue to struggle amid violence and persecution.
BY THE NUMBERS RELIGIOUS RESTRICTIONS The Pew Research Center Feb. 26 released a study detailing religious restrictions due to governmental regulations or social hostilities around the world in 2013. Here is a sample of the data:
Countries where levels of restrictions on religion are high or very high:
39 %
Pew Research Center, CNS, News.va, Shutterstock
Global population living where levels of restrictions on religion are high or very high:
77 %
According to a March 3 news release, Cardinal Francis E. George, retired archbishop of Chicago, was admitted to Loyola University Medical Center on March 1 to undergo several days of tests to evaluate his condition since he stopped treatment for cancer in late January. “The cardinal continues to count on the prayers of so many who have written to wish him God’s blessings,” said the statement.
Papal schedule
The Vatican on March 3 released Pope Francis’ itinerary for his one-day visit to Pompeii and Naples, Italy, on March 21. Included will be a visit to the Shrine of Pompeii and a celebration of Mass
MILESTONES San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy was named to head the Diocese of San Diego by Pope Francis on March 3. Bishop McElroy, 61, is a native of San Francisco who has spent most of his life in the Bay Area. He has been an auxiliary bishop since 2010. He succeeds Bishop Cirilo B. Flores, who died Sept. 6. Father Roger Landry, former pastor of St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River, Massachusetts, has been assigned to work with the Vatican’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. The 44-year-old priest began the four-year commitment March 3. Brother Paul O’Donnell, a Franciscan Brother of Peace and a nationally regarded pro-life advocate and speaker, died Feb. 20 at his community’s residence in St. Paul. He was 55. in Naples’ central Piazza del Plebiscito.
Congolese priest killed
Father Jean-Paul Kakule Kyalembera, a diocesan priest in Congo, was shot and killed Feb. 25 in an apparent attempted robbery. The victim served at a parish in Mweso, situated in North Kivu province. Three suspects were arrested and interrogated by police.
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IN QUOTES “Yes, but who am I to judge if I am capable of doing worse things?” — Pope Francis, on the need to recognize one’s own faults, during his homily on March 2.
“Even as pontiff, he has remained a priest who does not want to lose contact with his flock.” — Domenico Giani, the commander of armed Vatican guards and Pope Francis’ chief bodyguard, on the pope’s pastoral style, in the March issue of the magazine for the Italian state police.
“If Reader’s Digest asked me to write about the most amazing person I’ve ever met in my life, my answer would be, without a doubt, Father Hesburgh.” — Lou Holtz, former University of Notre Dame football coach, on the Feb. 26 passing of university president Father Theodore M. Hesburgh.
“[He was] a man who appeared to be alone, but who never felt alone because God’s grace was present in him.” — Msgr. Americo Ciani, a canon at St. Peter’s Basilica, on Willy Herteleer, a homeless man who died and was buried in a Vatican cemetery.
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NEWS ANALYSIS
MARCH 15, 2015
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The struggle to retain post-Communion youth Engaging activities, a personal encounter with Jesus are essential to retaining young people who otherwise may drift from the Faith By Joseph R. LaPlante
A robust class of 30 second-graders made its first Communion at St. Matthew the Apostle Church in Indianapolis in the spring of 2014. But when the parish resumed faith-formation classes for third-graders in the fall, only seven returned, according to Aaron Haag, pastoral associate for the parish. That anecdote illustrates a larger reality acknowledged by parish leaders and catechists throughout the United States: Many young people who receive their first Communion won’t return to religious education classes until it’s time for confirmation, if they return at all. “There seems to be a drift,” said Danielle Ehlenbeck, director of religious education at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Kiel, Wisconsin, who noted that after second-grade faith formation classes, only some 25 percent of students return as third-graders. “After fourth and fifth grade, we lose some more,” she said. “That is the age where we lose them.”
The reasons why
children. “We have more dual-income families who are busy on the weekends with the ‘religion’ of sports and activities; and we have more single parents who are spent by the weekend from work and family responsibilities, and they don’t want to think about it,” she said. Yet another factor in the drifting of children from religious education, cautioned Haag, could also be how the parents of the so-called “drifters” perceive they are being treated. “I think (the Church) treats [socalled] ‘hoop-jumpers’ with frustration that they have pulled away after the sacrament, and (the parents) pick up on that, and they don’t feel welcome to return,” he said. There is also a tendency for directors of religious education and catechists to focus too much on the students who aren’t in class as opposed to those who are, Haag added. “It is important to temper those concerns and focus on the kids who come,” he said. “For every one of those kids who are not here, there are kids who are coming to me to share Christ with them.”
Father Andrew Kurz, pastor of three churches in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said part of the problem has to do with some parents viewing reli- Stemming the tide According to several catechists ingious education as “jumping through terviewed, fifth-graders are the most hoops.” “‘Here is first Communion, let’s get challenging age group to retain. Rosann that done,’ and then they are gone until Halick, director of religious education the next hoop, confirmation,” he said, at St. Bonaventure Church in Concord, California, said engaging those students describing the sometimes-mentality. The emphasis on sacraments-only in church activities is essential when it religious education could stem in part comes to keeping them. To this end, on some holy days of obfrom parents wanting to please their children’s oftentimes more religious ligation, Halick invites the fifth-graders grandparents in order to avoid a per- to participate in the Mass as the lecceived social stigma that comes with not tors, the hospitality team, ushers and altar servers. Halick also said her parreceiving the sacraments. ish’s summer Bible “[This] is an incamp attracts young teresting phenomDID YOU KNOW? people in the key enon that we are age group of third seeing across the On average, about through fifth grade country,” said Patti in big numbers. Collyer, coordinator “If I could capture of youth and young the interest, involveadult ministry for people are confirmed ment and enthusithe Diocese of Oakthan receive first asm of Bible camp land, California. “I Communion each year. throughout the year, think this generawe would stop the tion of parents does — Source: Center for Applied drift,” she said. not have a real comResearch in the Apostolate St. Matthew’s fort level talking in Indianapolis atabout their relationship with God. I do see a lot of grand- tempts to involve elementary students parents who are actively supporting the with its Christ And My Peeps (ChAMPs) formation of their grandchildren, and I program. Like many parishes, St. Matthew’s ofsee that as very positive.” Collyer also contends that two ends fers programs for middle-schoolers and of the economic spectrum are playing a older teens, Haag said, but ChAMPs is part in the erosion of faith formation for directed primarily at third- through
25 % fewer
Once children have completed preparation for their first Communion, catechists say many tend to stop attending faith formation classes. CNS photo fifth-graders. “ChAMPs is a great time for all pre-middle-school kids to meet with their friends while learning about a faith theme,” Haag said. “They use interesting opening activities, interactive games and/or sciencelike connections, fun age-appropriate music and other activities like acting out, making commercials or playing board games. They end with a prayerful connection to the theme of the night.”
Rosary Camp
Father Kurz, whose duties extend to St. Joseph Church in Champion, Wisconsin, and the neighboring parishes of St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Killian, has received an enthusiastic response from young people to Rosary Camp, an overnight lock-in held four times a year. In a school gymnasium, artificial Christmas trees are brought in to create a campout atmosphere, and the youth, all third-, fourth- and fifth-graders, set up tents for their overnight stay. “On Friday night after they all set up their tents, I explain what a meditation is ... The prayers are the soundtrack to back up the movie going on in your head as you meditate on the Good News, the mysteries of the Rosary,” Father Kurz said. “I tell them that praying the Rosary is like tapping your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. They seem to just eat it up.” The campers watch a movie about the Fatima apparitions, and Father Kurz repeats the earlier lesson about the Rosary before Friday night concludes with pray-
ing the Rosary and a campfire. On Saturday, the young people have breakfast, go to confession and work on arts and crafts. During one retreat when there was a 20-minute gap between the end of camp activities and attending Saturday afternoon Mass, a little boy made Father Kurz’s day when he asked the priest, “‘Why don’t we pray another rosary?’ All the kids said, ‘OK, yeah, let’s pray the Rosary again,’” Father Kurz said. Doreen Thorp is the mother of two boys who are in third and sixth grades. Her boys attended the Rosary Camp, and she saw an increased interest in their prayer life. Her third-grade son, Jack, “invited his Catholic friends to a Rosary party, and we prayed the Rosary and had craft activities related to the Rosary. He has been wanting go to church earlier so he can pray the Rosary before Mass.” With that experience in mind, Father Kurz contends the children in third, fourth and fifth grades are the most receptive to encountering Jesus. And it’s this encounter that’s essential to facilitate and build on when it comes to retaining that demographic who might otherwise drift away from the Church. “The older they get, the more they get wrapped up in the world,” Father Kurz said. “The younger students are more influenced and have an innocence and a desire for spiritual things.” Joseph R. LaPlante writes from Rhode Island.
NEWS ANALYSIS
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
MARCH 15, 2015
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MIDDLE EAST
Maronite Catholics in U.S. assist those abroad By Susan Klemond
Like many Catholics, Anthony and Pierrette Hazkial were shocked by news reports about the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians. From their families in Lebanon, they learned more about the estimated 1.5 million refugees who have fled to that country to escape war and persecution in Syria and Iraq. The 20-something couple who live in Milwaukee and belong to the Maronite Church wanted to help but didn’t know how. “We don’t have pull in Washington, and we don’t have enough money to donate ourselves to make a difference,” Pierrette said. “A lot of people feel that way. They are aware but didn’t know where or how to donate.” The Hazkials did think of something they could do. On Jan. 31, they held a banquet fundraiser near Chicago, and with the proceeds donated $40,000 to Catholic Near East Welfare Association, a papal agency that was founded in 1926 by Pope Pius XI and “works for, through and with the Eastern Catholic churches to identify needs P. Hazkial and implement solutions,” according to its website. The couple’s faith led them to support fellow Christians with similar ancestral roots. As Jesus was persecuted 2,000 years ago, his body, the Church, is suffering today, Anthony said. “One thing that helped Jesus endure was acts of love along the way of the cross,” he said. “Our effort, together with all those who donated, A. Hazkial was an act of love toward Middle Eastern Christians, and we hope it helps them persevere in their faith until the end.”
‘Part of the Church’
The current crisis in the Middle East is especially real for the Hazkials and members of their Eastern Catholic church based in Lebanon. Many members are sympathetic toward refugees entering that country and concerned for family members living there. At the same time, they’re making room for Middle Eastern Christian refugees entering the United States who often join their congregations from other Eastern churches. The Maronite liturgy, which includes prayers in the language spoken by Christ, is distinct from that of the Roman Catholic Church, but Maronite
leaders point out that the two rites — along with the other Eastern rites of the Catholic Church — have much in common. (Many of the estimated 220 Assyrian Christians recently held hostage by the self-proclaimed Islamic State belong to another Eastern Catholic rite — the Chaldean Church. See sidebar.) “We are part of the Catholic Church,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles eparchy (similar to a diocese), one of two U.S. Maronite eparchies. “We were not something added later on. This is our heritage. This is our life. We don’t want to forget our brothers and sisters in the Middle East — all the Christians in the Middle East.” With nearly 160,000 members in North America, the Maronite rite possesses a rich history, according to clergy members. Founded in Syria in the fifth century by followers of St. Maron, the church has been based in Lebanon since the seventh century. The Maronite and all Catholic churches share a common creed, sacraments and allegiance to the pope, said Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron Catholic Church in Minneapolis. In January, he was elevated to the position of chorbishop, similar to an auxiliary bishop in the Latin rite. He is one of five chorbishops serving in the Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles eparchy covering 34 western states.
Aiding refugees
As refugees, especially from neighboring Syria, have swelled Lebanon’s population in recent years, Maronite and other Eastern churches are helping them, said Father Tony Massad, pastor of St. Rafka Maronite Catholic Church in Livonia, Michigan. Still, many Christians have left the Middle East, Bishop Zaidan said. “We [must] create some kind of awareness of the importance of the Christians in the Middle East,” he said. “We want them to stay there. We want to do whatever we can to help them in any way.” Because the majority of American Maronites are of Lebanese descent, and many send financial support to family members in Lebanon, they are aware of what’s happening there and want to do more, Father Massad said.
CHRISTIANS IN DANGER; POPE SEEKS PRAYERS On March 1, the day Pope Francis again spoke out against the violence facing Christians in the Middle East, the region celebrated the release of nearly 20 Assyrian Christians abducted by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria, but expressed concern that more than 200 others remained in captivity after they were captured during Feb. 23 attacks. “I can confirm the release of 19 persons (17 men and 2 women) who were captured by the Islamic State in the Khabur region,” said Father Emanuel Youkhana, who heads the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq. “We pray and hope for the others to be released,” he added. After praying the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square on March 1, the pope underlined his dismay over the ongoing “dramatic” events unfolding in the area — the “violence, kidnappings and oppression to the detriment of Christians and other groups.” He said the Church has not forgotten about the minorities and their plight and said Catholics were “praying urgently that the intolerable brutality” they are suffering “may end as soon as possible.” “I ask everyone, according to their means, to work to alleviate the suffering of all those who are afflicted, often just because of their faith,” the pontiff said. Around the country, efforts to provide aid have included a blanket drive and donations to orphanages, he said. Like the Hazkials, people in the pews are doing what they can to help their brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Parish collections for the Middle East also have raised much more than normal collections, according to Chorbishop Michael Thomas, who is also vicar general for the St. Maron of Brooklyn eparchy covering the eastern United States, as well as pastor of Heart of Jesus Catholic Church Maronite Rite in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Along with helping refugees in the Middle East, Maronite congregations are also assisting those coming to the United States and welcoming them into their parishes. Churches in cities seeing the largest influx of Middle Eastern refugees, including Detroit, Houston and Los Angeles, try to help them settle and find jobs, Bishop Zaidan said. Each week new families come to Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church in Houston, which has grown from 20 families in 1990 to 700, said pastor Father Milad Yaghi. According to the Houston Chronicle, U.S. State Department officials expect about 2,000 Syrian refugees to arrive in Houston this year with as many as 10,000 by the end of 2016.
‘What are we doing?’
The secular media and governmental bodies are not focusing enough on the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, Chorbishop Thomas said. While aid is available for members of other religions displaced by the Islamic State, Christians aren’t receiving as much assistance, he said. U.S. Catholics
CNS
Milwaukee couple hold fundraiser as ‘act of love,’ while clergy urge the faithful to help Christians suffering in war-torn region
need to pray but also go a step beyond to help. “There are over 1 billion Catholics in the world,” Chorbishop Thomas said. “Have we raised our voices? What are we doing to help Christians?” He urged Catholics to give financial support and ask their elected officials to take action to end the conflict. Chorbishop Thomas recommended donating to Catholic Near East Welfare Association or to Caritas Lebanon, part of the Caritas International humanitarian organization. The Hazkials donated the money they raised to CNEWA because they wanted to help Middle Eastern Christians, but the event was also held because they wanted to encourage people in the United States to continue talking about the crisis. Planning the event while working full-time and without a lot of help was challenging, said the couple, who promoted the event at seven parishes during the month before the fundraiser. Islamic State militants have “already set their sights on Lebanon; they have stated that’s where they’re going to go next,” Pierrette Hazkial said. “It keeps getting worse, and it’s so shocking to us that there’s nothing being done by the international community to really stop them, other than airstrikes.” The Hazkials plan to visit their families in Lebanon next month. It will be their first trip there together, but they fear it also could be their last if ISIS moves into the country, Anthony said.“We hope that it’s not, but we think that there’s a very real possibility that this could be the last trip that we could make safely.” Susan Klemond writes from Minnesota.
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Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Loyola House Retreat and Training Centre, 5420 Hwy 6, North, Ontario, Canada N1H 6J2 Phone: (519)824-1250 ext 266 Fax: (519)767-0994 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.loyolahouse.com Loyola House is a world renowned retreat centre situated on 600 acres of beautiful and tranquil land. We offer eight day retreats, Pilgrimages, Ecology Retreats, 40 Day Spiritual Exercises Institute, 4-Phase Training Program, Spiritual Director Training and much more!
CALIFORNIA
Shrine of Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, 544 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-6147 Phone: (831)457-1868 Fax: (831)457-1317 Rev. Paul A. McDonnell, O.S.J., Provincial Superior & Shrine Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.osjusa.org Beautifully located across from Santa Cruz Bay, provides a serene, prayerful setting. Masses held daily at 11:00am, daily confessions at 10:30am & upon request. Bookstore/Giftshop open daily. Facilities can accommodate one-day retreats, meetings & conferences. Guided by the Oblates of Saint Joseph.
CONNECTICUT
St. Edmund’s Retreat, Enders Island, PO Box 399, Mystic, CT 06355 Phone: (860)536-0565 Fax: (860)572-7655 Rev. Thomas F.X. Hoar, SSE, Ph.D, President E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.endersisland.com On a private island: Mystic, CT. Enders Island offers a peaceful, prayerful, serene ocean setting, gardens, 1930’s mansion, good food. We offer a Catholic B&B in Enders House, private, directed, guided retreats, sacred art courses, hosting groups up to 70 persons. Code: OSV
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC 20017-1566 Phone: (202)526-8300 Fax: (202)526-8313
E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.nationalshrine.com Located in the nation’s capital, this preeminent Marian shrine is dedicated to the patroness of the United States, the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Immaculate Conception. With over 70 chapels and oratories, this National Sanctuary of Prayer and Pilgrimage is the largest Catholic church in North America and is one of the ten largest churches in the world. Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa are among those who have graced this magnificent Basilica that welcomes nearly one million pilgrims annually. Open Daily with Masses, Confessions, Devotions, Guided Tours, Giftshop, Bookstore, Cafeteria, Free Parking and more.
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, 1400 Quincy St., NE, Washington, DC 20017 Phone: (202)526-6800 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.myfranciscan.org This year, see the Holy Land, only 15 minutes from the Washington Monument and 5 minutes from the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The stunning Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America features replicas of significant Holy Land Shrines, 42 acres of beautiful gardens, replicas of catacombs and a hermitage retreat, where anyone is welcome to book a night away from the world.Tours:Daily 10 and 11 a.m., 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Sundays 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Groups should make a reservation in advance. Gift Shop:Open daily 10 am - 4:45 p.m. except Mondays. Retreat/Conference space available: For more information, contact Carolyn at 202-526-6800.Pilgrimages to the Holy Land: Visit www.holylandpilgrimages.org E-mail Fr. David Wathen, OFM, at [emailprotected], or call George’s International at 1-800-566-7499.
ILLINOIS
Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, 420 W. County Line Rd., Barrington, IL 60010 Phone: (847)381-1261 Fax: (847)381-4695 Fr. Paul Macke, S.J., Executive Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.jesuitretreat.org
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Located on 80 acres of rolling meadows and wooded countryside, Bellarmine specializes in silent retreats for men and women adapted from the Ignatian Exercises. Types of retreats available: Men, Women, Directed/Private. Schedule of retreats: days, weeks, weekends. Schedules and brochures are available. Capacity: 72.
or Sister Ann Gill, FSJB E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.cdopmuseums.org The Diocesan Historical Museum and Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum features: Individual or guided tours of the museum and St. Mary Cathedral located just a block away, a selection of Fulton Sheen memorabilia; and a religious gift shop.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 442 S. De Mazenod Dr., Belleville, IL 62223 Phone: (800)682-2879 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.snows.org Located only 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, this Marian Shrine is one of the largest in North America. Masses and Confessions daily. Hotel and restaurant on grounds. Call or write for a free brochure.
INDIANA
National Shrine of St. Jude, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 3200 East 91st Street, Chicago, IL (US 41 to 91st, west three blocks.) Phone: (312)236-7782 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.shrineofstjude.org Founded by the Claretians in 1929, the original shrine of devotion to St. Jude in the U.S. Open daily 8am8pm; Sundays until 7pm; Weekly Devotion Services each Wednesday at 5:30pm (English) & 8pm (Spanish). Solemn Novena services at 5:30pm & 8pm on April 25th - May 3rd, 2015. National Shrine of St Peregrine Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica 3121 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60612 Phone: (773)638-5800 ext 19 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.stperegrine.org Dedicated 1993 by Cardinal Bernardin in honor of St. Peregrine, Servite friar and patron of those suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses. Healing Masses and blessings with relic celebrated monthly on second (Spanish) and third (English) Saturday, 11 AM. Peoria Diocese Historical Museum and Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum, 419 NE Madison Ave., Peoria, IL 61603 Phone: (309)671-1550 Fax: (309)671-1595 Contact:Sister Lea Stefancova, FSJB
Diocese of Lafayette, John XXIII Retreat Center 407 W McDonald St., Hartford City, IN 47348 Phone: (888)882-1391 Fax: (765)348-5819 Sr. Joetta Huelsmann, PHJC, Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.john23rdretreatcenter.com/ Men’s Spring Retreat, April 2426.Led by Fr. Keith Hosey, Rick Wilson, and Dave Jolliff.Continuing the theme of St. Francis with the topic: Integrity & Community.What is our role and how do we integrate mind, spirit and action in the service of God?Registration: April 20. Find us on Facebook:JohnXXIIIRetreatCenter National Our Lady of Providence Shrine at Providence Center, Sisters of Providence, 1 Sisters of Providence, St Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 Phone: (812)535-2925 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.ProvCenter.org In May 1925, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods established the National Our Lady of Providence Shrine in the United States. Each morning, Sisters of Providence and others gather to pray for the many intentions sent daily. For information, call Sister Jan Craven, director of shrines. Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, Sisters of Providence, 1 Sisters of Providence, St Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 Phone: (812)535-2925 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.SaintMotherTheodore.org Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence, was canonized the eighth U.S. saint in 2006. Her new shrine is now open to the public from 7am to 5pm daily. Group tours and pil-
grimages are welcome. Information: Contact Sister Jan Craven, director of shrines. The Shrine of Christ’s Passion, 10630 Wicker Ave. (US 41), St. John, IN 46373 Phone: (219)365-6010 Toll-Free: (855)277-SHRINE (7474) Fax: (219)365-5236 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.shrineofchristspassion.org Experience as never before The Passion of Christ on a beautifully landscaped half mile walking pathway that begins with The Last Supper and The Garden of Gethsemane. There are 40 life-size bronze statues, each an exquisite work of art. Magnificent Gift Shoppe.
IOWA
The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, PO Box 376, West Bend, IA 50597 Phone: (515)887-2371 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.westbendgrotto.com Sacred Grotto of the Redemption, the world’s LARGEST grotto, now 100 years old. Comprised of 9 grottoes it is sometimes called “The 8th Wonder of the World” with semiprecious stones & 65 carrerra marble statues from Italy www.westbendgrotto.com & FACEBOOK
LOUISIANA
National Shrine of Blessed Francis Seelos, 919 Josephine St., New Orleans, LA 70130 Phone: (504)525-2495 Fax: (504)581-9181 Fr. B. Miller, Executive Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.seelos.org Located one block away from the vibrant Magazine Street dining and shopping corridor, this popular, prayerful pilgrimage site to a saintly favorite is a sanctuary of hospitality, hope and healing. Free tours; Museum; Gift Shop and Visitor Center. Wheelchair accessible.
MARYLAND
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cathedral & Mulberry Streets, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: (410)727-3565
For assistance in contacting any of these retreats, shrines or basilicas please call Donna Geese at 1-800-348-2440 x2526.
Don’t miss these popular retreats, shrines & basilicas! Fax: (410)539-0407 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.baltimorebasilica.org First Catholic Cathedral built in the United States, designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe (America’s first architect and Architect of the Capitol) under the guidance of America’s first Bishop, John Carroll. National Shrine, Marian Shrine, Co-Cathedral, National Historic Landmark. Visited by Pope John Paul II; Mother Teresa; and over 20 saints or potential saints. Reopened in November 2006 after a major restoration. Crypt of John Carroll and other first bishops; Museum; Gift Shop; and more! National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, 16330 Grotto Rd., Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Phone: (301)447-5318 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.msmgrotto.org Be inspired by Our Mother Mary at the nation’s oldest replica of the Lourdes Shrine during Holy Week. Full schedule of Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. St. Bernadette’s Shoppe (open daily 10 am to 4:30 pm). Shrine of Saint John Vianney 11555 Saint Marys Church Road Charlotte Hall, MD 20622 Phone: (301)934-8825 Fax: (240)837-7745 E-mail: stmary.charlottehall.md @adwparish.org Website: www.stmarychurchnewport.org America’s first shrine to the Curé of Ars, established 1931. For decades pilgrims flocked to this country setting, seeking inspiration from and intercessions of Saint John. Mass and Confessions daily. Retreats available. Novena every year, July 27 to August 4.
MICHIGAN
The Solanus Casey Center, 1780 Mount Elliott Street, Detroit, MI 48207 Phone: (313)579-2100 Fax: (313)579-5365 Fr. Lawrence Webber, Director E-mail:[emailprotected] Website: www.SolanusCenter.org Award winning Solanus Casey Center, inspired by the holiness of Venerable Solanus Casey, is a place of pilgrimage, healing, reconciliation and peace. A sacred space filled with God’s grace. Thousands visit yearly. Open daily 9am-5pm.
Closed on major holidays. www. SolanusCenter.org 313.579.2100
MISSOURI
National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, 176 Marian Drive - Highway 5, Lake of the Ozarks, Laurie, MO 65038 Phone: (573)374-MARY (6279) Fax: (573)374-0627 E-mail: mothersshrine@shrineof stpatrick.com Website: www.mothershrine.org Enjoy the sights and sounds, the 100+ flags blowing in the breeze, the flowing fountains, and the Carillon bells. Look for friends and add your name to the Mothers’ Wall of Life. Open Memorial through Labor Day. The Black Madonna of Czestochowa Shrine and Grottos, 100 Saint Joseph’s Hill Road, Pacific, MO 63069 Phone: (636)938-5361 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.FranciscanCaring.org Inspirational rock grottos built by a single Franciscan Brotherhonoring Poland’s Queen of Peace and Mercy, Our Lady of Czestochowa. Located in the beautiful foothills of the Ozarks, 35 miles west of downtown St. Louis. A shining example of what one man with faith can achieve. The ConceptionAbbey Guest Center, 37174 State Highway VV, Conception, MO 64433 Phone: (660)944-2809 Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB, Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.conceptionabbey.org/guests We invite youto stayin our brand new St. Gabriel Guesthouse and welcome your group small or large. Whether you come for a personal retreat, directed retreat, workshop, or just to get away we hope that after one visit, you’ll never be a stranger.
NEW JERSEY
Loyola Jesuit Center, Living as Companions of Jesus 161 James St., Morristown, NJ 07960 Phone: (973)539-0740 Fax: (973)898-9839 Renee R. Owens, Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.loyola.org Staffed by Jesuit priests, lay men and women. We have 90 private
rooms on 33 acres of lawns and woods, plus a newly renovated sunken garden. Well-stocked library. Quiet, prayerful environment. Groups welcome. Please visit our website.
NEW YORK
Christ the King Retreat House & Conference Center, 500 Brookford Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224 Phone: (315)446-2680 Fax: (315)446-2689 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.ctkretreat.com Offering private, directed and preached retreats. Directed retreat weekend July 10-12. Five or seven day directed July 12-19. Priests’ Retreat June 22-26. Preached retreat for religious and laity June 28 – July 3. Spiritual Directors’ Institute July 12-17. Women’s Discipleship Retreat with Dr. Anthony Gittins August 9-14. National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima, 1023 Swann Rd., Lewiston, NY. Mailing address: PO Box 167, Youngstown, NY 14174-0167 Phone: (716)754-7489 ext 202 Fax: (716)754-9130 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.fatimashrine.com Fifteen acres of gardens highlighted by an awe-inspiring glass Dome Basilica topped by a thirteen foot statue of Our Lady of Fatima with over 100 life size statues and a heart shaped Rosary Pool. An oasis of peace and prayer. Free Admission. (NIAGARA FALLS AREA) Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center 4421 Lower River Road (10 miles from Niagara Falls) Stella Niagara, NY 14144 (Town of Lewiston) Phone: (716) 754-7376 Fax: (716) 754-1223 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.center-of-renewal.org Come to Niagara Falls; stay with us for private, family, group retreats. Reserve now for unique “PILGRIMAGE RETREATWORKSHOP” based on WAY OF ST. JAMES (el Camino de Santiago) led by internationally-known presenter James Gehrke of Utah, September 25-27, 2015.
OHIO
Basilica & National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation, 315 Clay Street,
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Carey, OH 43316-1498 Phone: (419)396-7107 Fax: (419)396-3355 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.olcshrine.com Established 1875. The Basilica is always open for reflection and prayer. Masses offered daily by the Conventual Franciscans. Devotions every Sunday with an outdoor rosary procession May-October. The Shrine offers a thirty-acre park, Cafeteria, Gift Shop and retreat house with overnight accommodations. Individual and group pilgrimages welcomed. Your journey to faith, hope and healing. Sorrowful Mother Shrine 4106 State Route 269 Bellevue, OH 44811-9793 Phone: (419)483-3435 Fax: (419)483-6400 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.sorrowfulmothershrine.org 120 acres of wooded paradise, paved walking paths and over 40 points of interest. Our gift shop is now open! Daily Confession & Mass. Outdoor Weekend Masses. Cafeteria is open on Special Sundays. Visit our website for times & dates of upcoming Special Events!
OKLAHOMA
National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague, 304 Jim Thorpe Blvd., PO Box 488, Prague, OK 74864 Phone: (405)567-3080 Fax: (405)567-0364 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.shrineofinfantjesus.com Open daily 7 am to 7 pm. Gift shop open M-F 9 am to 4:30 pm; Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. Novena Prayers every month 17th through 25th. Pilgrimage each month on Sunday between 17th and 25th includes Mass at 11 am.
OREGON
The Grotto, The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, NE 85th and Sandy Blvd., PO Box 20008, Portland, OR 97294-0008 Phone: (503)254-7371 Fax: (503)254-7948 Website: www.thegrotto.org Established by Servite Friars in 1924, we’re a place of solitude, peace, and prayer. Dramatic cliffsides, towering fir trees, sculptured
religious art, reflection ponds, set among 62 acres of botanical gardens. Gift shop open daily. Group tours available. Mass daily.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bethany Retreat Center, PO Box 129 Frenchville, PA16836 Phone: (814)263-4855 Fax: (814)263-7106 Nicole Fedder - Program Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.bethanyretreatcenter.org Quiet, peaceful, and prayerful setting on 140 acres. Daily Mass, home-cooked meals, bookstore, outdoor Labyrinth, Stations of the Cross, Marian Grotto, and walking paths. Retreats and personal nondirected retreats offered throughout the year. Visit website for retreat calendar.
VERMONT
Saint Anne’s Shrine, 92 St. Anne’s Rd., PO Box 280, Isle La Motte, VT 05463 Phone: (802)928-3362 Fax: (802) 928-3305 Rev. Brian J. Cummings, S.S.E., Spiritual Director E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.saintannesshrine.org Nestled on the shores of Lake Champlain. Chapel, Open-air pavilion, Gifts and Books, History Room, Café, Picnic, Way of Cross, Grottos, Beach. Site of Fort St. Anne, Vermont’s oldest settlement. Daily Devotions, Parish and overnight Group Retreats. May thru October.
WISCONSIN
Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians Holy Hill, 1525 Carmel Road, Hubertus, WI 53033 Phone: (262)628-1838 Open daily. Food, guest house, gifts. Group tours available. Call or write for daily schedule. St. Anthony Spirituality Center, 300 East Fourth Street, Marathon, WI 54448 Phone: (715)443-2236 E-mail: [emailprotected] Website: www.sarcenter.com June 5-7: Serenity Retreat for Recovering Alcoholics. June 21-26: Fr. Albert Haase Preached Retreat “The Art and Heart of the Spiritual Life”. July 12-18: Directed Retreats.
IN FOCUS
MASS MEDIA
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
COMMUNICATIONS
MARCH 15, 2015
Examining the relationship between the Church and the press From the First Vatican Council to the present day, the history of the Church and modern media has been long and, at times, fraught with tension.
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MARCH 15, 2015
By Russell Shaw
Abraham Lincoln was no media darling, and he knew it. Lincoln once remarked that no one, whether “private citizen or president of the United States,” could “successfully carry on a controversy with a great newspaper and escape destruction.” And then he added, “Unless he owns a newspaper equally great, with a circulation in the same neighborhood.” Over the years, many people have probably found reason to share Lincoln’s jaundiced view. Prominent and not so prominent figures in government and politics, business and industry, the military, sports, entertainment and the arts — all have felt the lash of news media scourging them for real or imagined faults. So have figures prominent and not so prominent in the Catholic Church. In recent decades, no religious institution in America has received such prolonged, probing journalistic scrutiny as the Church. Some of it has been excessive, even unfair, but often it’s been beneficial, albeit painful for Church leaders. A case in point: the investigative reporting that blew the lid off the sex abuse cover-up. And although the media and Pope Francis have enjoyed a honeymoon up to now, suspicion and hostility often sour the relationship between the Church and news media elsewhere. Why is that? Does it have to be that way? Each side tends to blame the other. Churchmen accuse newspeople of sensationalism and bias. Journalists say the Church is secretive and heavyhanded in supplying information about itself. Is it possible both sides are right?
Seeking secrecy
A fundamental cause of tension may be failure to grasp that journalists have to be skeptics to do their job. On the basis of long experience, newspeople believe the public interest is best served when they adopt a more or less adversarial stance toward institutions and individuals they cover. That includes institutions and individuals of the Catholic Church. Skepticism can be carried too far of course. But even when it’s not, those who are its targets may take it personally. They shouldn’t. Besides arguably unavoidable sources of misunderstanding and conflict like this, a complex variety of factors at work have
paper called L’Univers known for its pro-papal views. In a way, the dueling leaks gave both sides what they wanted. Acton shaped the view of the council held by sophisticated secular opinion. Veuillot did the same for loyal French and Italian clergy and laity. But the outcome was a confused version of Vatican I that still influences histories of the council. Official Church thinking about the media then had helped set the stage for what happened at Vatican I. In an 1832 encyclical, Pope Gregory XVI deplored the “monstrous doctrines and prodigious errors” spread by the press. In 1864, Pius IX denounced “pestilential books, pamphlets and newspapers” as “bitter enemies of our religion.” Considering the anti-clericalism and anti-Catholicism common in the news organs of those times, the two popes had a point.
Breaking the silence Pope John XXIII convokes Vatican II in 1961, which marked a turning point in the relationship between the Church and media. CNS been at work in the evolving relationship of news media and the Church during the last two centuries. Here several key episodes stand out. The Catholic Church’s first face-to-face encounter with media in something like their modern form occurred at the First Vatican Council of 1869-70. Vatican I was the council that defined the doctrine of papal infallibility as a dogma of faith. Media interest naturally was high, and an international press corps gathered in Rome to cover the event. But covering the council, journalists found, was easier said than done. Strict secrecy was the order of the day at the Vatican. Historian Owen Chadwick says the people in charge took the view that “as all proceedings were confidential no one ought to be told anything.” But this was an illusion. Says Chadwick: “The Curia did not realize the elementary truth that an assembly of 600 to 700 people could not hide what it did if it was in any way controversial.” The breakdown of secrecy began with a young Englishman, Lord John Acton, a well-born liberal Catholic historian and journalist who opposed the definition of infallibility. Using his contacts in Roman political and social circles and among French, German and English bishops, he wrote a series of “Letters from
Rome” that he sent to a contact in Munich who edited and published them under a pseudonym. The dispatches gave a picture of Vatican I from the perspective of the council minority’s most extreme wing. Perceiving a problem, Blessed Pope Pius IX resolved to do some leaking of his own. He directed that inside information about the proceedings be fed to Louis Veuillot, editor of a French news-
Gradually, though, a different story took shape, with Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) in the lead. In 1888, he wrote that even though demanding unconditional freedom of speech and publication as natural rights was “quite unlawful,” these freedoms could nevertheless be tolerated. The big breakthrough came with Pope Pius XII (1939-1958). A grandson of the co-founder of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, he often spoke about the news media and praised their contributions to society. He also recognized the
PACEM IN TERRIS
On April 11, 1963, Pope St. Joh cal “on establishing universal p and liberty.” Here is an excerpt “Moreover, man has a natural right to be respected. He has a right to his good name. He has a right to freedom in investigating the truth, and — within the limits of the moral order and the common good — to freedom of speech and publication, and to freedom to pursue whatever profession he may choose. He has the right, also, to be accurately informed about public events.” need for public opinion in the Church, declaring in 1950 that without it, “something would be lacking,” with both clergy and laity to blame. Against this background, it’s no surprise that in 1963, shortly before his death, Pope St. John XXIII in the encyclical Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”) declared “freedom of speech and publication” to be human rights. One of the best surveys of these events is “Secrecy in the Church: A Reporter’s Case for the Christian’s Right to Know,” a book published in 1974 by Richard N. Ostling, an evangelical Christian who later became religion editor of Time magazine. Ostling saw the “outlines of a theology of social communication” in this series of papal statements. “Information is essential in
Satellite trucks and a riser for TV journalists are seen on the road leading to the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2013 — the day after Pope Benedict XVI announced his plan to resign the papacy. CNS photo
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OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
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hn XXIII published his encyclipeace in truth, justice, charity, t:
modern society because it enables the citizen to understand situations and to make responsible decisions. Access to information is justified, because it improves individuals and the community, but to do this information must be ethical, sensitive to the nature of man, true, factual and objective. Sin and untruth can be caused by omission as well as by commission. ... “Information should not be degraded into propaganda, appeal to man’s passions, or arouse one group against another. Information must stop short of harming a person’s right to good reputation and to legitimate secrecy in his private life. Not all information is good for all people — youth in particular should be protected — so the common good must be respected.” This was roughly the point that the Church’s official thinking about news and information had reached by the 1960s. Then came Vatican Council II.
Leaks in Vatican II
A year before it opened, Pope John XXIII, addressing an audience of newspeople, spoke of the “precious service” media would perform by making Vatican II widely known and understood. He promised that reporters would receive all the information they’d need to do that. But when the council opened in October 1962, that didn’t happen. The 900 journalists accredited to cover the event were provided with a large, well-equipped pressroom near St. Peter’s Basilica where the bishops met — and with a virtual blackout of information. A typical press bulletin read: “Of the fathers who asked to speak, 20 intervened this morning, some to defend the
Bishops of the world line the nave of St. Peter’s Basilica during the opening session of the Second Vatican Council on Oct. 11, 1962. Around 900 journalists were accredited to cover the event. CNS photo schema, others to attack it.” Stop the presses. As had happened at Vatican I, the change started with leaks. Early in the council’s first session, the French Catholic newspaper La Croix began publishing reports so detailed that everyone assumed the paper had an inside source. As indeed it did, thanks to the directions of the French hierarchy. Soon the leak became a flood. Helpful in bringing this about were more than a dozen centers of information and documentation established by national hierarchies and religious institutions. Also significant in the United States was the series of insider reports in The New Yorker magazine by Xavier Rynne — pseudonym of an American Redemptorist priest named Francis X. Murphy — that reported what was happening with a liberal slant. The official rules on council information were relaxed in reaction to all this, and by the time the second session began in October 1963, the large and growing press corps was receiving a copious flow of detailed information from sources both official and unofficial.
Necessary information
Besides practicing communication, Vatican II also spoke about it in its Decree on the Means of Social Communication, Inter Mirifica, which was adopted with a surprisingly large negative vote of 503 opposed, with 1,598 in favor. More than objections to what the document says, this apparently reflected disappointment at its lack of a forward-looking vision of media.
But the decree did call for a more detailed treatment of the subject after the council. That project was taken up by a newly established Pontifical Commission (later, Council) for Social Communications. The result, seven and a half years later, was Communio et Progressio (“Communion and Progress”), a “pastoral instruction” that takes a highly positive view of the media and the Church’s relationship with them. Especially significant is what it says about news and information, for instance, this affirmation of the public service rendered by responsible journalism: “Modern man cannot do without information that is full, consistent, accurate and true. ... Only in this way can he assume a responsible and active role in his community and be a part of its economic, political, cultural and religious life” (No. 34). After considering the media in general, the pastoral instruction then speaks about media and the Church. Here it advocates openness — what today would be called transparency — in making information public: “Since the development of public opinion within the Church is essential [Pope Pius XII had said that a half-century earlier], individual Catholics have the right to all the information they need to play their active role in the life of the Church” (No. 119).
U.S. bishops
Back in the United States, relations between the Church and the news media were strained at the time the pastoral instruction came out. Much of the conflict focused on the bishops and their
general meetings. Before Vatican II, bishops’ meetings in the United States had been closed affairs attracting little attention from the press. But the council created unprecedented journalistic interest in the Catholic Church. Now much of that interest was concentrated on the bishops as they labored to create and operate a national episcopal conference according to the council’s prescriptions while also coping with the new phenomenon of public dissent in the Church. The bishops responded to the new media interest by inviting reporters to cover their twiceyearly general assemblies and providing them with a pressroom and occasional briefings. What they didn’t provide was access to the meeting itself. Instead, they met behind closed doors, while reporters fumed in their pressroom or roamed the
halls seeking stray members of the hierarchy willing to serve as anonymous sources. Eventually good sense prevailed, with Communio et Progressio’s strong endorsem*nt of openness helping produce that result. At their meeting in November 1971, the bishops approved admitting designated observers by a vote of 169-76 and gave the nod to reporters by the narrower margin of 144-106. The new system went into effect the following April at their spring general meeting in Atlanta. Richard Ostling, reporting for Time, called the scene there “extraordinary.” He wrote: “This had never been permitted in the U.S., or hardly anywhere else, in modern times. The U.S. bishops’ move to an open-door policy was the end of an era in which secrecy was virtually an unquestioned fact in policy formulation.”
FURTHER READING Published in 1974 by author Richard N. Ostling, “Secrecy in the Church” remains one of the best studies on the information policies and practices of the Catholic Church and other churches. Ostling, an evangelical Christian, was to become religion editor of Time magazine and then chief religion writer of The Associated Press. In the book’s introduction he writes: “Freedom of information is part of democratic theory, and the Catholic Church makes no claims to being a democracy. Even so, it has a vital stake in this freedom. “For one thing, there is a strong Christian tradition in favor of open information. For another, Catholic philosophy traditionally puts great confidence in the reason of the individual human being, and a closed-door culture is an admission that Church leaders look upon Christians as children rather that as fully responsible members of the body of Christ. ... “The secular culture may become more open, or more secretive, and thus affect the Church, but the Church must first of all be true to itself, to its own teachings and traditions.”
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IN FOCUS
MARCH 15, 2015
VATICAN DOCUMENT ON MODERN MEDIA To mark the 20th anniversary of the post-Vatican II pastoral instruction on social communications, Communio et Progressio (“Communion and Progress”), the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in early 1992 published an updated pastoral instruction called Aetatis Novae (“A New Era”). It still stands as the Church’s most recent comprehensive overview of modern media. Under the heading “Media at the Service of Ecclesial Communion,” Aetatis Novae stresses the importance of effective internal communication in building and sustaining community in the Church. It says, in part: “Partly this is a matter of maintaining and enhancing the Church’s credibility and effectiveness. But, more fundamentally, it is one of the ways of realizing in a concrete manner the Church’s character as communion ... Among the members of the community of persons who make up the Church, there is a radical equality in dignity and mission which arises from baptism and underlies hierarchical structure and diversity of office and function; and this equality necessarily will express itself in an honest and respectful sharing of information and opinions” (No. 10).
Ongoing issues
The open-door policy remained in place in the United States for the next 20 years. For the most part, it served reporters, bishops and the public reasonably well. But for unknown reasons, change again set in during the mid-1990s. From the start, the bishops had insisted on holding one session of each general meeting,
usually an afternoon, behind closed doors. Now, without explanation, more and more time began to be devoted to secret sessions. In Baltimore last November, a full day of the threeand-a-half day assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops took place in executive session. So far as is known, the principal topic of the bishops’ closed-
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
Nothing better illustrates the dangers of systematic secrecy than the cover-up of clergy sex abuse. That a small number of priests were offenders had been public knowledge since the mid-1980s, but it wasn’t until January 2002, starting with reports in the Boston Globe and continuing in news media elsewhere in the months that followed, that the facts of the cover-up by Church authorities
came to light. Since then, virtually every American diocese has taken steps to deal with abuse and prevent it from happening again. The bishops have promised transparency. But the failures of the past, shielded so long from public knowledge by systematic concealment, unquestionably have done serious and lasting harm to the Church’s credibility. And now? In the last two years, Pope Francis’ success with the media has done a lot to improve the Church’s image. Reporters like Pope Francis because he’s good copy — a straight shooter who says interesting, sometimes controversial things, especially when he talks off the top of his head. Now, though, questions are starting to be raised. In an interview with The New York Times, even Cardinal Francis George, recently retired as Archbishop of Chicago, noted the “wonderful things” the pope says but added that he “doesn’t put them together all the time, so you’re left at times puzzling over what his intention is.” On top of that, some loyal Catholics were dismayed by views on divorce and hom*osexuality expressed at last fall’s synod. Actions seemingly intended
to manipulate news coverage were no help. In a throwback to the early days of Vatican II, official bulletins reporting the debate left out speakers’ names. Reports submitted to the synod office by bishops’ conferences were withheld from the press. The same thing was attempted with small group reports, although the synod fathers themselves said no to that. A committee appointed by Pope Francis and headed by former British government official Chris Patten currently is studying Vatican communications. (Our Sunday Visitor’s president and publisher, Greg Erlandson, is a member.) It’s expected to make its recommendations later this year. Glitches and false steps at the synod underline a need to go beyond structures and budgets and tackle fundamental matters of policy and vision regarding news and information — not just at the Vatican but in official Church circles everywhere. Considering the key role played by news and information in today’s world and today’s Church, how the Church relates to news media is too important to ignore.
today’s 24/7 media market, coordination between varieties of media (print, digital, radio, etc.) is of critical importance. All major secular media organizations from Rupert Murdoch’s empire to Time Warner understand this to be so. For the Vatican, its media empire starts with its daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, founded in 1861. It also publishes weekly editions in seven languages. For decades, it has published the many texts of the pope as well as covered both Italian domestic and foreign events. Under the stewardship of Giovanni Maria Vian, a member of the Vatican Media Committee, the articles — particularly in the culture section — have grown more interesting and topical, and the paper has become less Italian-centric and more international. Vatican Radio broadcasts in more than 40 languages in short- and medium-range formats. It was established in 1931 with the help of Guglielmo Marconi, often credited as the father of the radio because of
his scientific work. The Vatican has long been proud of its ability to broadcast around the world, including in countries where Catholics are often severely persecuted and the Church is restricted in its presence. The Vatican publishing house (Libreria Editrice Vaticana or LEV) was founded in 1926. It publishes official documents as well as a wide variety of trade books, and today it owns three bookshops as well. The Vatican also has a photography service and a printing press operation capable of producing both books and newspapers. The Vatican Internet office is responsible for Vatican.va and some dozens of other websites, while the Vatican TV office provides video coverage of all significant Vatican events. In the 21st century arrived new media channels, including a widely popular Pope App and a Vatican aggregator site known as News.va, both developed by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In terms of social media, the Twitter ac-
count of Pope Francis (@Pontifex) has more than 19 million followers. Finally, there is the Vatican press office, headed by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi. While social media allows the pope direct access to millions of Catholics and non-Catholics, the press office handles formal media queries, press briefings and conferences, and plays an important facilitating role for the world’s media during such major Vatican events as conclaves and synods. For any organization as bound by tradition as the Vatican, the status quo responds slowly to change. But for any media organization in the 21st century, change is the only constant. The challenge facing the Vatican is how its vast media efforts and the hardworking and committed staff who serve them will function in the multichannel, multiformat 24/7 media environment of the 21st century.
door deliberations last fall was the Synod of Bishops on the family, held in Rome a month earlier. Since the American bishops’ views on this sometimes controversial synod were what concerned Catholics most wanted to know, imposing secrecy on this discussion meant cutting off a significant portion of the Catholic public from information it had a legitimate, urgent interest in. Forty-three years earlier, the pastoral instruction on communications said secrecy in the Church should be limited to “matters that involve the good name of individuals, or that touch upon the rights of people” (Communio et Progressio, No. 121). The USCCB, following its usual practice, gave no explanation for its closed doors.
Illuminating issues
Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.
GREG ERLANDSON
Vatican’s vast media
The Holy See boasts many platforms — new and old — designed to get the pope’s message to the masses
W
hile the Church’s relationship with the media has a long and, at times, tense history, what is often less noticed is the Vatican’s own significant and long-standing presence in a wide variety of communications media. As a member of the Vatican Media Committee appointed by the Council of Cardinals in 2014, I have a deep appreciation for the range and depth of the Vatican’s media efforts, which stretches from print and radio to video, the Internet and social media. It is, in fact, this extensive range of communications efforts that prompted the cre-
ation of the media committee. In his statement announcing the appointment of the committee’s six “international” and three Italian members, Cardinal George Pell of Australia charged it with three tasks: “The objectives are to adapt the Holy See media to changing media consumption trends, enhance coordination and achieve progressively and sensitively substantial financial savings. Building on the recent positive experiences with initiatives such as the pope app and the Holy Father’s Twitter account, digital channels will be strengthened to ensure the Holy Father’s messages reach more of the faithful around the world, especially young people.” The statement makes clear that the Vatican recognizes the impact of the digital revolution. It also recognized that in
Greg Erlandson is OSV’s president and publisher.
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MARCH 15, 2015
OPENING THE WORD | CARL OLSON
Finding Christ’s light
We are free to deny Jesus and to live in darkness or proclaim his divinity and receive everlasting life to Jerusalem to build a new Temple. By the time of Jesus, the Temple had been rebuilt, but there was, once again, corruption within its walls. Darkness had been falling for quite some time upon the chosen oday’s readings open with people, and once again God a description of sin and the sent a messenger. That messenworship of false gods and con- ger, the Son, was the “true light, clude with Jesus’ words, “But which enlightens everyone ...” whoever lives the truth comes (Jn 1:9). to the light, so that his works Not everyone was attracted may be clearly seen as done in to the light, and Jesus was unGod.” The contrast between the der suspicion from the start of extremes of darkness and light, his ministry, which is one reaidolatry and faithfulness, pride son the Pharisee, Nicodemus, and humility, is a reminder came at night to see Jesus. In of the possibiliJohn’s Gospel, the ties faced by every MARCH 15, 2015 night often symperson: separation FOURTH SUNDAY bolizes the spirifrom God or shar- OF LENT tual darkness in ing in the very life 2 CHR 36:14-16, which man dwells of God. apart from God (Jn 19-23 Such starkness 1:4-5). But Nicodeis not very popular PS 137:1-2,3,4-5,6 mus, a “ruler of the in the current age, EPH 2:4-10 Jews” (Jn 3:1), realwhich is marked JN 3:14-21 ized his need for by a constant outspiritual light and pouring of both sophistry and confessed his belief that Jesus distraction. The sophistry seeks was “a teacher who has come to justify evils by denying the from God” (Jn 3:2). He must reality of objective truth and have been deeply challenged by transcendent goodness; the dis- Jesus’ declaration that “whoevtractions are many and varied, er lives the truth comes to the distorting reality and truth in light, so that his works may be word and image. clearly seen as done in God.” Chronicles presents a hisThe challenge to know, love tory of the Davidic Kingdom and worship God had been a (established around 1010 B.C.) constant struggle for the Jewish rooted in a rich theological people. So how did Nicodemus understanding of worship, the respond to it? The answer is not Temple, and the role of the given right away, for Nicodekings, especially David and mus seems to have simply faded Solomon. There was constant into the night; there is a sense conflict within Israel over the in which each reader is placed worship of gods, a conflict before Jesus in quiet darkness, that David resolved for a while hearing the same astounding through his steadfast loyalty to words: “Just as Moses lifted up God and his desire to build the the serpent in the desert, so Temple in Jerusalem. But Da- must the Son of Man be lifted vid’s son, Solomon, after begin- up, so that everyone who bening strongly as a king, eventu- lieves in him may have eternal ally succumbed to the worship life.” Later, after the Crucifixof false gods, and most of the subsequent rulers did the same. ion, we see Nicodemus again, God sent messengers and “bringing a mixture of myrrh prophets, but they were ig- and aloes weighing about 100 nored, and the Temple was fi- pounds” for the burial (Jn nally destroyed and the people 19:39). He had stepped out into taken into exile and slavery in the light, having accepted faithfulness and goodness, embracBabylon. But, 70 years later, hope ar- ing the one who is the way, the rived in an unusual form: truth, and the life (cf. Jn 14:6). Cyrus, the king of Persia, acCarl E. Olson is the editor of knowledged the true God and Catholic World Report. allowed the Israelites to return
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OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
FEAST DAY
St. Joseph: A humble model for all fathers
Despite playing a critical role in the life of Jesus, St. Joseph is silent in Scripture — but it’s precisely his lack of words that speaks volumes
T
Because of his selflessness, St. Joseph was able to provide a nurturing home for Jesus. Shutterstock By John Cavadini
One of St. Joseph’s most devoted followers, St. Peter Julian Eymard, recommends we use the March 19 feast of St. Joseph as an opportunity to seal a devotion to him, saying: “I consecrate myself to you, good St. Joseph, as my spiritual father; I choose you to rule my soul and to teach me the interior life, the life hidden away with Jesus, Mary and yourself.” St. Peter Julian is following the recommendation of a faithful devotee of St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, who says, “If a person cannot find anyone to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint for his guide, and he will not lose his way.” But what could this possibly mean? No teaching of St. Joseph is recorded. He is silent in Scripture.
Finding St. Joseph
The journey to find the answer to that question has been
a personal one. After years of overlooking him, I discovered St. Joseph later in life by, ironically, noticing he was not being noticed. In our church, there are side altars to the Blessed Virgin, to the Sacred Heart and to St. Joseph. After Mass one Sunday, I noticed that while the first two always had many votive lights burning, there were usually far fewer before St. Joseph. The inequity of this struck me. After all, St. Joseph was head of the Holy Family! True, his wife was the Mother of God, and his son was God Incarnate — but still, I thought, he was the dad, responsible for his wife and her child, whom he had welcomed as his own, securing their safety, earning their livelihood. He seemed to deserve more respect. I’m a dad, too — was this all projection out of a moment of selfpity? Whatever the reason, I went to light a candle at his altar so there would at least be
one more. Thus, almost accidentally, began my devotion to “this glorious saint.” About A.D. 112, the martyr Ignatius of Antioch wrote: “Mary’s virginity was hidden from the prince of this world; so was her giving birth; and so was the death of the Lord. All these three secrets, to be revealed at the appropriate time, were brought to pass in the deep silence of God.” Origen of Alexandria, in the next century, commented on this passage from Ignatius, explaining that it was primarily the presence of Joseph that preserved these three secrets until Jesus’ “hour” had come. Although the Annunciation was only to Mary, it was to Mary as betrothed to Joseph.
Faith in God
Now we are ready to see the true depths of the mystery of St. Joseph, who, Scripture says, is “just.” He is not an unthinking stage prop just taking
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A strong father
A mosaic of St. Joseph, commissioned by Pope St. John XXIII and placed over the side altar in St. Peter’s Basilica where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, uniquely depicts the warmth and beauty of this saint. In the picture, Joseph is outside, holding the child Jesus in his right arm. Jesus looks about 2 years old. This gives Joseph’s figure a look of
Dear St. Joseph, you were an ordinary man, a humble carpenter. But you were a prayerful, holy soul, the foster father of Jesus, a model for us all. Please guide me in my own journey through life, and help me be aware of God’s specific call to me. Help me to see that in my own life God is calling me to greater things for his glory. Please pray to the Blessed Trinity for me to be granted the graces that I need most. I pray that I can be faithful to my state of life, totally trusting in God’s divine providence for me. St. Joseph, pray for all who invoke your aid. If it is in God’s holy will, please grant me (here mention your request). Amen.
Punishment of Cain
While it isn’t clear why God rejected his offering, we can assume Cain held back his ‘first fruits’
— From “Catholic Saints Prayer Book: Moments of Inspiration from Your Favorite Saints,” (OSV, $7.95). immense strength, because he manages to hold such a big, active child in one arm with no trouble. In his left hand, he holds his identifying iconic sign, the staff blooming with the lilies of purity. He holds it a little stiffly, as though a neighbor had chanced upon him and asked him to pose for a picture with his son, insisting Joseph hold the staff, too. He is in the middle of taking care of his 2-year-old and someone has asked him to pose. But he tolerantly obliges, picks up the baby and looks at the “camera.” His face is calm but hardly grave; rather, even though posing for an annoying family picture, his face seems to take it in stride and seems to radiate happiness. It’s a face familiar to any dad. Here is the hiddenness of St. Joseph, who accepts the utterly common lot of a dad holding his child, without fanfare, though he is holding the Word Incarnate, and could claim glory and fame. Jesus does not pay any attention to the imaginary photographer, but rather seems wholly delighted with his dad, for what on St. Joseph’s side is the continuous immolation of self-gift, is on Jesus’ side the brilliant radiance, comfort and charity of paternal love, that cloak of invisibility that gives even the Word of God a genuine childhood and keeps him hidden from the Prince of Darkness until it is time for him to confront him alone, armed only with the love he had learned, in part, from his earthly dad. It is as though he was learning, in a truly human way, from his true and legal human dad, St.
15
PASTORAL ANSWERS | MSGR. CHARLES POPE
PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH
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Shutterstock
up space to make things look normal. He was betrothed to Mary, and, perhaps against his better judgment but in obedience to a vision that tells him the babe in Mary’s womb is conceived by the Holy Spirit, he took Mary into his home as his wife, giving up his own chance at natural paternity to be the father of a child about whose very existence he was not even consulted. In other words, the economy of the virginal conception and birth of Jesus, and even his death, are “hidden” in the loving generosity of St. Joseph — hidden from the prince of this world by the only thing he can’t see — self-giving love — because he doesn’t believe in it. The generous obedience of St. Joseph to the vision of God is astonishing. No one asked him how he felt about his wife’s being consulted on an intimate matter affecting their whole married life, or about raising someone else’s child and giving up his own natural paternity for good. But his sacrifice in generous obedience to the will of God became a home in this world for Jesus, his legal son, and Mary, his wife, both treasures of divine initiative. This act submerges Joseph in the profound “silence of God,” as Ignatius calls it. St. Paul says in Colossians, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). There is something intrinsically “hidden” about the Christian life, and we see the form of this revealed in St. Joseph. His life, by its very structure, cannot provide an accounting of itself without undoing itself. Joseph has no one to tell his story to, and he exercises a prudential silence about himself. St. Peter Julian writes: “St. Joseph stands out as one of the great men of silence. He observed ... the silence of fidelity in keeping strictly secret the divine mystery of which he was the confidant. Nothing could make him break this secret of God.”
MARCH 15, 2015
Joseph, the dimensions of the generosity of the Eternal One he will later call his Father in a wholly unique way. After all, just like the eternal Father, Joseph “loves the Son and has given everything over to him” (Jn 3:35).
Model of selflessness
Here is St. Teresa again: “I took for my patron and lord the glorious St. Joseph, and recommended myself earnestly to him. ... I cannot call to mind that I have ever asked him at any time for anything which he has not granted.” I believe that I can say the same thing, though in some cases I have had to grow up a little in order to see it. But isn’t that the job of a dad, to help his kids grow up by seeing beyond their childish concerns, even as those concerns are warmly received and not dismissed as merely childish? Devotion to St. Joseph has shown me why he has so few, comparatively speaking, candles at his altar. It is because he wills it. He has always willed his family to shine beyond himself, deflecting attention from himself to them. Devotion to St. Joseph means that, as the genuine mystery of his person is revealed to us little by little, we grow up to accept the form of the Christian life as, in baptism, a hidden one, a death to the noise of the world and a life in the silence of God that is nothing other than his eternal love. Thank you, St. Joseph! John Cavadini is director of the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
Q
uestion: Why did the Lord not look favorably on Cain’s offering in Genesis 4? — Kirk Heaton Topeka, Kansas
A
nswer: At one level, the answer to your question is mysterious, since God’s approval of Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s is not fully spelled out. However, many today go beyond puzzlement and regard God’s action as arbitrary or perhaps unfair. This is because we often presume that the times in Genesis were primitive and next to nothing was known about God or how the human person was to relate to God or worship him. But elsewhere, the Scriptures say: “By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this he was attested to be righteous” (Heb 11:4). So, it was “by faith” that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice. Now, faith comes by hearing. Thus, God must have given a word, not recorded in the Genesis account, regarding sacrifices, which Abel could hear and heed but Cain did not, at least wholeheartedly. The text also indicates another matter that may be lacking in Cain’s offering. While Abel offered the “first fruits” (literally, the firstborn) of his flock, it is not indicated that Cain offered the first fruits of his harvest. Thus, Cain erred by not presenting first fruits, and God did not regard his offering. And thus, while speculative, we can conclude that Abel’s offering was favored by God not in a merely arbitrary way. To some degree, it would seem that Cain knew better and did not offer sacrifice wholeheartedly but that Abel did. But God does not reject Cain. He urges Cain to learn rather than be bitter. Sadly, as we know, Cain gave way to bitterness and envy, murdering his brother.
uestion: Why do priests never have a homily on the text that begins with Romans 1:18. And why is this part of Romans never read at any Mass? — Robert Tisovich Ely, Minnesota
A
nswer: For readers unfamiliar with the content of Romans 1:18 (and later), the passage amounts to a description of the wrath of God that comes down upon the disobedient who suppress the truth that God exists and is to be obeyed. Their darkness and experience of God’s wrath is further described as an attachment to hom*osexual practices and a large number of other social ills described. The description is vivid and certainly describes modern times. To some degree, your first question is answered by your second. Priests tend to use the readings selected by the Church as the basis for homilies. However, your second statement is not wholly true. While not read on Sunday, the passage you describe is read on Tuesday of the 28th Week of Ordinary Time. To be fair, many passages from the Bible are not included. Perhaps at the time the Lectionary was compiled, largely in the 1960s, the issues covered were not as critical as they are today. All that said, I use the passage a lot in homilies and talks. Nothing is to prevent a priest from referring to it. It is most certainly a prophetic description of our times and firmly indicates the central problem as being the suppression of the truth that people plainly know in their hearts and that is set forth in the natural law of the “book” of creation. If the Lectionary is revised, such a passage should be more prominent. Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C., and writes for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., blog at blog.adw.org. Send questions to Pastoral Answers, Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750 or to [emailprotected]. Letters must be signed, but anonymity may be requested.
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MARCH 15, 2015
EYE ON CULTURE | TERESA TOMEO
Arm yourselves
As Pope Francis has stressed, studying Scripture is the best defense against the evils of today’s world
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17
ears ago, shortly after my husband and I returned to the Catholic Church, we heard a great Lenten message from our pastor, who told parishioners to think of the word “Bible” as an acronym: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It caught our attention, and I am sure the attention of others in the pews. It made a lot of sense. He explained how important it was to be in God’s word every day so we could not only learn more about Scripture and our faith but also put our faith into better practice. The word of God, when read daily, he insisted, could help us discern and decipher good versus evil and truth versus fiction. He mentioned in the same presentation how reading the Bible was for everyone, not just religious or Scripture scholars; it was accessible and understandable for the average Catholic. As he explained, we didn’t have to worry about picking and choosing or trying to summarize or understand the Scripture verses on our own; the Church was there to guide us. His comments made such an impression that my husband and I began to set aside time each morning before heading off to work, usually reciting the daily Mass readings from our favorite Catholic devotional — another suggestion from our pastor. That was more than 20 years ago, and to this day, we rarely miss our daily Scripture and reflection time. The practice has done exactly what our now late pastor had promised it would do — and then some. That’s why I’m hoping more Catholics will follow the sage advice of another shepherd, Pope Francis. I have lost count how many times since he began his pontificate two years ago that the Holy Father has encouraged his sheep to read Scripture every day. Just recently, after a Sunday Angelus message, he encouraged Scripture reading once again. He stressed it was
particularly important to be in God’s word during the Lenten season, which he referred to as a time of “spiritual combat.” “Always have the Gospel in hand,” he said. “The Lenten desert helps us to say ‘no’ to worldliness, to the ‘idols’; it helps us to make courageous choices in accordance with the Gospel and to strengthen solidarity among the brothers.” The pope went on to show pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the first Sunday of Lent just how serious he was about Catholics taking full advantage of all we have in the Church, saying we need God’s word to help us through the challenges of Lent and beyond. He had a group of pilgrims hand out 50,000 free copies of a special prayer booklet entitled “Custodisci il cuore” or “Guard Your Heart.” The booklet contains writings on the Ten Commandments, the sacraments, gifts of the Holy Spirit and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. “Each one of you take a booklet and carry it with you as a help for spiritual conversion and growth that always starts from the heart — the place where the match of daily choices between good and evil are played, between worldliness and the Gospel, between indifference and sharing. Humanity is in need of justice, of peace, love, and will have it only by returning with their whole heart to God, who is the source.” Pope Francis reminds us that during Lent, we are not only crossing through a spiritual desert, but we are entering into a spiritual combat zone; we are not talking about a carefree stroll here. Christ engaged in close combat and was victorious. If spiritual victory is our goal, then, like Christ, we need to be prepared for engagement. So, man those battle stations by picking up your best weapon: the Bible (or, the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). Teresa Tomeo is the host of “Catholic Connection,” produced by Ave Maria Radio and heard daily on EWTN Global Catholic Radio and Sirius Channel 130.
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PERSPECTIVES
MARCH 15, 2015
SPECTATOR | GREG ERLANDSON
Postcard from Ireland
SOMETHING TO SAY?
Wish to comment or respond to an editorial, article or letter you’ve read in OSV? Email us at osvletters@osv. com (put “Letters to the Editor” in subject line) or write to Letters to the Editor, Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750. Letters must be concise and are subject to editing (maximum 300 words). Sender’s name, address and telephone number must be included, although anonymity may be requested.
While a more secularist population has emerged in a country once staunchly Catholic, hope remains
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lthough I have a Moriarty in my family tree, I’ve never thought of myself as particularly Irish. Growing up in Southern California, the cult of Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish was foreign to me. We did have one fierce Irish pastor, but he was better at putting the fear of the Lord in us than a love for Ireland. So when I made my first trip to Ireland to visit my daughter who was studying there, I was surprised at how familiar it felt. The most striking first impression was that all the Irish looked ... so American. I kept seeing faces that reminded me of faces back home. Small wonder, since more than 1 in 10 Americans are of Irish stock. The accents I heard reminded me of so many priests and nuns I’ve known — another aspect of the vast Irish migration to America that has spanned the past 150 years. If the faces reminded me of America, so also did the shops, at least in Dublin. I think Dublin center has as many Starbucks as New York. At one point, there was a Starbucks north, west, south and east of where we stood on O’Connell Street, and they were surrounded by a host of other U.S. chains. It was quite a different Ireland I saw during a quick trip to Sligo on the country’s west coast. Rain-soaked and perpetually under a gray sky, we sought out the grave of William Butler Yeats, an early 20th century Irish poet I particularly like. Although he was a man of the world beyond western Ireland, he had roots in Sligo, and the town has thoroughly embraced his legacy. His poetry adorns on the sides of buildings and coffee shop walls, and he commands everything from shelves of books to refrigerator magnets in a local bookshop. Yeats is buried in a simple grave beside a small Protestant church that had been the site of a Catholic monastery. As the mountain of Ben-
bulben loomed over us, its flat peak shrouded in mist, we read Yeats’ gravestone: “Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman pass by!” This austere parting verse of such a passionate and romantic poet seems puzzling at first, until read amid the austere beauty of its setting. Of course, even on vacation I was doing work of sorts, for I was curious about the state of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Whether out of want or in an abundance of fervor, the Irish have been leaving Ireland and evangelizing the world for centuries. At home, Catholic Ireland was persecuted and ostracized by the British, and the Church became a symbol of resistance. Following independence, Church and state were even more entwined. But in recent decades, the Irish Catholic Church has fallen on hard times. Many resented the Church’s influence. Growing economic success and what appears to have been a long period of poor catechesis allowed people to wander away from the Church. The clerical sexual abuse crisis and the weak response to it more recently fueled an angrier rejection. What I saw was an indifference that was jarringly at odds with my naïve American notion of Ireland as a quintessentially Catholic country. The system of Catholic catechesis in statesupported schools seems to be collapsing. Children are undercatechized, and parents are under-evangelized. Vocations have taken a terrible hit. There are signs of hope, however. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has provided forthright leadership in confronting the abuse crisis. The papal nuncio, an American named Archbishop Charles Brown, has been making his mark as well. The faith survives, and it is far too early to write any sort of obituary for Irish Catholicism. To steal a phrase from the Protestant Yeats, we pray it will not be long before we once again praise the Catholic zeal of “the indomitable Irishry.” Greg Erlandson is OSV’s president and publisher.
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
OSV CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 “___, Father, all things are possible to you” (Mk 14:36) 5 Three-masted ship of the Mediterranean 10 Bit of pond vegetation 14 Metric unit of mass 15 Cardinal Dulles 16 Apostle to the Gentiles 17 Microwave 18 Fare 19 Nordic saint, king, martyr 20 Equipment 22 South American ruminant 23 Shawls 24 Agape ___ 26 Hebrew for “son of” 27 ___ works of mercy 31 They say there is no God (Ps 53:2) 34 Greek writer of fables 35 A mark of the Church 36 “We ___ to say, Our Father ...” 37 Patron saint of young girls 38 Site of first miracle 39 A finish for Canaan 40 Crucifix 41 Backed 42 Pool addition 44 OT prophetic book 45 ___ of Christ 46 Taoist houses of worship 50 St. Juan Diego, for example 53 Drink 54 Coconut husk 55 Eighth letter of the Greek alphabet
57 “___ instant ...” 58 Commotion 59 Broaden 60 Israeli semiautomatic weapons 61 Type of gun 62 Mozart work 63 Lion or horse trait
DOWN 1 ___ Dei 2 Beast 3 Joseph’s prison mate 4 Agreeable 5 Patron of Australia, St. Francis ___ 6 Sins SOLUTION FROM LAST WEEK 7 Opie’s aunt, and namesakes 8 Sea eagle 9 Dancer Charisse 10 Ancient Greek god 11 Refrain syllables 12 Largest of the Marianas 13 “A” in code 21 Vacation sites 22 Scandinavian
24 Brother of Aaron 25 Greek god of love 27 Perfume the altar 28 ___ to Emmaus 29 St. ___ de Beaupre 30 Superman can’t see through this 31 Bank letters 32 Vow 33 Hershisher of the diamond 34 ___ in the Garden 37 Dry 38 Container for the consecrated bread 40 Gator 41 Herb of the mint family 43 King of the fairies 44 Archdiocese in Cuba 46 Chief apostle 47 Catholic actor Tony ___ 48 Another time 49 Sight or taste, for example 50 Bible book about the early Christians 51 Suit associated with riots 52 Bold competitor 53 Monk called “The Father of English History” 55 Number of each animal Noah took in the ark 56 Jacob was struck on this socket (Gn 32:26)
PERSPECTIVES
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Parenting research applauded
Re: “‘No differences’ theory countered in new study” (News Analysis, March 1). Five blue ribbons to Father Paul Sullins for his professional, mathematical and scientific analysis of thestatistical evidence for children in homes with same-sex parents experiencing greater mental health problem than children with opposite-sex parents. The Catholic University professor’s use of the advanced mathematical regression analysis removes the difficulty ofpresenting a comparison of oranges to oranges! Greatthat Father Sullins’ use of excellent, accurate regression analysis is receivingduerecognition. Histype of comparisons usually receive virtual silence at best. Kudos to OSV for publicizing the important research.
— Lynn Edwards
Jefferson City, Missouri Vaccinations
Re: “The common good” (Spectator, Feb. 15). A discussion of common good from a Catholic perspective is a good thing, but we must keep in mind that legislators, government agencies and vaccine manufacturers will all have financial gain if vaccines are mandated and cannot be objective in analyzing what will actually best promote the common good of a world free of contagious diseases. We must make certain that intended actions actually promote real common good, because health care professionals and the government often have an understanding of common good that is very different from Catholic teaching. In the case of vaccines, there is a great deal of evidence to demonstrate that vaccinating more people will not further the common good of protecting us all from contagious diseases. How can we say, for example, that our children are protected when they’re vaccinated andalso say that our children are not protected because some nonvaccinated child can make themsick? The only way an unvaccinated child can be a threat to a vaccinated child is the one wayvaccine advocates claim is impossible: if vaccination provides no real immunity! Vaccine-induced immunity is not permanent. A recent analysis found that most vaccines lose their effectiveness after two to 10 years, and boosters last for two yearsor less. Also,
individuals vaccinated with live virus vaccines canshed the virus for many weeks afterward and infect the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. The vaccine-induced herd immunity that public health officials hope to achieve by mandating vaccinations is a myth. Herd immunity originally meant that people who contracted the infections naturally protected the population at large, because only naturally acquired immunity lasts for a lifetime. If we allow the government to mandate vaccines at present, we also set precedent that allows drugs and procedures to be mandated. — Diane Royal via email
Archbishop Romero
Re: “Slain Archbishop Romero to be beatified” (News Analysis, Feb. 22). Ever since Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated in El Salvador, the secular media has mocked us by simply burying and avoiding the reasons why Archbishop Romero should be beatified and canonized into the Calendar of the Saints. In addition to what the Catholic media and masses have done tirelessly for the coming beatification of Archbishop Romero, we Catholics should continue to push Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause forward so that his Catholic blood and virtue and example can be remembered forever in the Calendar of the Saints. — Julio Nelson Ventura Amarillo, Texas
MARCH 15, 2015
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EDITORIAL
National Catholic journals unite: ‘Capital punishment must end’
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ext month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Glossip v. Gross, a case out of Oklahoma that challenges the most widely used lethal injection protocol as being cruel and unusual punishment. The court took up the case in January after a year of three high-profile, problematic executions in three states. The court will likely issue a ruling by June. Our hope is that it will hasten the end of the death penalty in the United States. Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of Miami, and chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, praised the decision saying, “... the use of the death penalty We, the editors of devalues human life and diminishes four Catholic respect for human journals — America, dignity. We bishops continue to say, we National Catholic cannot teach killing Register, National is wrong by killCatholic Reporter ing.” The chair of the Pro-Life Acand Our Sunday tivities committee, Visitor — urge Boston Cardinal Seán O’Malley, also the readers of our praised the court’s diverse publications decision to hear the and the whole U.S. case. “Society can protect itself in ways Catholic commuother than the use of nity and all people the death penalty,” Cardinal O’Malley of faith to stand said. “We pray that with us. the Court’s review of these protocols will lead to the recognition that institutionalized practices of violence against any person erode reverence for the sanctity of every human life. Capital punishment must end.” We, the editors of four Catholic journals — America, National Catholic Register, National Catholic Reporter and Our Sunday Visitor — urge the readers of our diverse publications and the whole U.S. Catholic community and all people of faith to stand with us and say, “Capital punishment must end.” The Catholic Church in this country has fought against the death penalty for decades. Pope St. John Paul II amended the universal Catechism of the Catholic Church to include a de facto prohibition against capital punishment. Last year, Pope Francis called on all Catholics “to fight ... for the abolition of the death penalty.” The practice is abhorrent and unnecessary. It is also insanely expensive as court battles soak up resources better deployed in preventing crime in the first place and working toward restorative justice for those who commit less heinous crimes. Admirably, Florida has halted executions
until the Supreme Court rules, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has postponed all seven executions in the state scheduled for 2015 pending further study. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf declared a moratorium on the death penalty until he has received and reviewed a task force’s report on capital punishment, which he called “a flawed system ... ineffective, unjust, and expensive.” Both governors also cited the growing number of death row inmates who have been exonerated nationwide in recent years. In a statement thanking Wolf, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said: “Turning away from capital punishment does not diminish our support for the families of murder victims. ... But killing the guilty does not honor the dead nor does it ennoble the living. When we take a guilty person’s life we only add to the violence in an already violent culture and we demean our own dignity in the process.” Archbishop Chaput reminds us that when considering the death penalty, we cannot forget that it is we, acting through our government, who are the moral agents in an execution. The prisoner has committed his crime and has answered for it in this life just as he shall answer for it before God. But, it is the government, acting in our name, that orders and perpetrates lethal injection. It is we who add to, instead of heal, the violence. Advocates of the death penalty often claim that it brings closure to a victim’s family. But advocates who walk with the families of victims, like Mercy Sister Camille D’Arienzo, tell a different story. “I think of mothers who attend our annual service for Families and Friends of Murder Victims,” a program the Mercy sisters have sponsored for 18 years. “Asked what they want for their children’s killers, no one asks for the death penalty,” she said. “Their reason: ‘I wouldn’t want another mother to suffer what I have suffered.’ Their hearts, though broken, are undivided in their humanity.” The facts of the case in Oklahoma — which echo reports from Ohio and Arizona — were especially egregious. Last April, the drug protocol failed in the execution of Clayton Lockett. Lockett moaned in pain before authorities suspended the execution; he would die of a heart attack later that night. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said at the time, “The execution of Clayton Lockett really highlights the brutality of the death penalty, and I hope it leads us to consider whether we should adopt a moratorium on the death penalty or even abolish it altogether.” The Supreme Court has agreed with Archbishop Coakley and will consider the issue. We join our bishops in hoping the Court will reach the conclusion that it is time for our nation to embody its commitment to the right-to-life by abolishing the death penalty once and for all.
Joint editorial approved by OSV Editorial Board: Greg Erlandson, publisher; Msgr. Owen F. Campion, associate publisher; Beth McNamara, editorial director; Gretchen R. Crowe, editor
BE TRANSFORMED BY THE CROSS ♦ THE NOONDAY DEVIL — Jean-Charles Nault, O.S.B.
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