WASHINGTON—In advance of the 2012 elections, the U.S. bishops reaffirmed their 2007 document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in this coming election cycle and beyond, as the “continuing teaching of our Bishops’ Conference and our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy.”

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), joined the chairs of nine USCCB committees in offering an Introductory Note to the document. The bishops discussed this action at their June meeting and authorized it at the September meeting of the USCCB Administrative Committee. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship was approved overwhelmingly by the U.S. bishops in 2007.

“We urge our Catholic pastors and people to continue to use this important statement to help them form their consciences, to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue, and to shape their choices in the coming election in the light of Catholic teaching,” the bishops wrote. “It does not offer a voter’s guide, scorecard of issues or direction on how to vote. It applies Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues and warns against misguided appeals to ‘conscience’ to ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological or personal interests.”

The Introductory Note does not modify or interpret the document itself and emphasizes the importance of religious freedom. It raises six “current and fundamental problems, some involving opposition to intrinsic evils and others raising serious moral questions.” These are: abortion and threats to the lives and dignity of the vulnerable, sick or unwanted; threats to Catholic ministries, including health care, education and social services, to violate their consciences or stop serving those in need; intensifying efforts to redefine marriage; unemployment, poverty and debt; immigration; and wars, terror and violence, particularly in the Middle East.

The USCCB is launching a new website for Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. It will offer a wide range of web-based and written materials and tools to assist pastors, parishes, Catholic organizations and individuals. The document with the new Introductory Note will be available in print by the end of October and is already available online.

The USCCB committee chairmen who signed the Introductory Note with Archbishop Dolan were: Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, International Justice and Peace; Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Doctrine; Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Pro-Life Activities; Bishop Thomas J. Curry, Catholic Education; Bishop Gabino Zavala, Communications; Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Bishop Jaime Soto, Cultural Diversity in the Church; and Archbishop José H. Gomez, Migration.

Dear Brother Bishops,

The Administrative Committee urged me to write you on an important matter for our Church and nation. During our recent meeting, it was reported that 46 million people (15%) now live in poverty in the United States. This report follows dismal unemployment figures in recent months. For us as bishops, these numbers are not statistics, but people suffering and wounded in their human dignity. They are parents who cannot feed their children, families that have lost their homes and jobless workers who have lost not only income, but also a sense of their place in society. For us, each of these persons is a child of God with innate human dignity and rights that deserve respect. These numbers bring home to us the human costs and moral consequences of a broken economy that cannot fully utilize the talents, energy and work of all our people. We know the terrible toll the current economic turmoil is taking on families and communities. In our own Catholic dioceses we are struggling to match scarce resources with growing needs and have had to make very difficult financial, personnel and organizational choices.

We discussed how best to respond to this urgent pastoral challenge. The Administrative Committee wanted something more than a public statement. Instead, they asked me to write to all the bishops and ask you to continue do all you can to lift up the human, moral and spiritual dimensions of the ongoing economic crisis. Widespread unemployment, underemployment and pervasive poverty are diminishing human lives, undermining human dignity, and hurting children and families. I hope we can use our opportunities as pastors, teachers, and leaders to focus public attention and priority on the scandal of so much poverty and so many without work in our society. In order to assist you in these ongoing efforts, the Administrative Committee has asked the bishops’ conference to provide you, diocesan staffs and other leaders with resources and materials for preaching, educating the faithful and advocating on behalf of the poor and jobless. You can already find some materials that can be helpful in these tasks on the “Unemployment and Poverty” page of the USCCB website. This page will be updated periodically and additional resources will be available shortly. Please share with the bishops’ conference your own statements, resources or actions that you have taken to address these issues (please email or fax to 202-541-3339).
The best way out of poverty is to work at a living wage. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, ‘Being out of work or dependent on public or private assistance for a prolonged period undermines the freedom and creativity of the person and his family and social relationships, causing great psychological and spiritual suffering’ (Caritas in Veritate, no. 25). The common good will not advance; economic security will not be achieved; and individual initiative will be weakened when so many live without the dignity of work and bear the crushing burden of poverty. These economic failures have fundamental institutional and systemic elements that have either been ignored or made worse by political and economic behaviors, which have undermined trust and confidence. However, this is not time to make excuses or place blame. It is a time for everyone to accept their own personal and institutional responsibility to help create jobs and to overcome poverty, each in accord with their own abilities and opportunities. Individuals and families, faith-based and community groups, businesses and labor, government at every level, all must work together and find effective ways to promote the common good in national and economic life.

Sixteen million of our children (almost one out of four) are growing up poor. It is especially disheartening that African-Americans and Hispanics live with unemployment and poverty at far higher rates than others. Immigrant workers are especially vulnerable to exploitation and unfair treatment. These realities contradict our national pledge of “liberty and justice for all.” They also contradict the consistent teaching of our Church. Our Catholic tradition begins with respect for the life and dignity of all, requires a priority concern for poor and vulnerable people, reflects the ties and bonds of solidarity, respects the mutual relationships of subsidiarity, and promotes the dignity of work and protection for workers.

As bishops, we lead communities that include many of those who lack sufficient work or resources to live a decent life. Every day, we serve ‘the least of these’ in our midst. In our Catholic parishes, schools, charities, hospitals and other ministries, the poor, the underemployed and the unemployed are not issues, but people with names and faces. It is an essential part of our work as Catholics to build a more just society and economy. We feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, educate the young, welcome refugees and care for the sick and vulnerable. Our Church serves and stands in solidarity with those who are poor and jobless, helping them break the cycle of poverty and act on behalf of their own families and communities. Our Conference will continue to urge our leaders to assist and protect the poor and jobless as they seek to promote economic growth and fiscal responsibility. The Catholic community will strengthen our work with others to address the economic, family, social and other factors which contribute to widespread poverty.

In these tough economic times, we turn to the God who loves us. We pray for those who need work. We lift up the poor and suffering. We ask God’s guidance for our nation. This is not a time to give into discouragement. It is a time for faith, hope and love. Faith offers us moral principles to guide us in the days ahead. Christian hope gives us strength. Christ’s love calls us to care for those left behind in this broken economy.

Thank you my brothers for your pastoral leadership in preaching the Gospel and standing strong for the Church’s moral and social teaching in these difficult days.

Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan

Archbishop of New York
President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
www.usccb.org

Minnesota’s Catholic Bishops Ask Legislature and Governor to Put the Common Good First in Budget Negotiations

St. Paul, Minn—Minnesota’s Catholic bishops have been watching the State’s budget negotiations unfold with great concern, and hope Gov. Dayton and legislative leaders overcome their differences and achieve a just solution soon. 

“As pastors of the over 1.1 million Catholics in Minnesota who operate and labor in small and large businesses; who teach in our Catholic and public schools; who work on farms; who staff government offices; and who are unemployed, it is our responsibility to encourage elected officials to make budget decisions and enact policies that prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable, as well as promote human dignity and the common good,” said the Most. Rev. John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.    

“We do not endorse any particular plan,” he explained.  “Rather, we propose an ethical and moral framework based on Catholic social teaching in the hope of moving the discussion in the right direction.”   

In particular, the bishops are concerned that spending cuts needed to balance the budget will fall disproportionately on the backs of the poor and vulnerable—particularly children, the elderly, and disabled.   

The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, has opposed cuts to the State’s General Assistance program—the primary safety net for those who have disabilities and are unable to work—as well as the Minnesota Family Investment Program, which provides cash and food assistance to low-income families with children.  Various budget proposals have not provided funding levels that meet projected needs. 

“Ensuring the welfare of all Minnesotans is a core function of government,” said Jason Adkins, MCC executive director. “Although controlling spending and putting the state on sound fiscal footing are important goals, those with limited means should not be shouldering that responsibility, especially as politicians continue to load budgets with tax loopholes, subsidies, and spending projects that serve narrow special interests.” 

Similarly, Minnesota’s bishops have been discouraged by the view in some quarters that human services spending is out of control because churches have failed in their responsibility to help those in need.  It is indeed the primary responsibility of families, churches, non-profits, and charities to address the “root causes” of poverty and alleviate its effects, but it is unrealistic to expect them to do it alone.  Government can and does subsidize the work of private charity. 

“Our churches and affiliated institutions such as Catholic Charities provide social and health services where the effects of cuts in government support have a real and devastating impact,” said the Most Rev. John M. LeVoir, Bishop of New Ulm.  “The Church, of course, has a fundamental imperative from her Lord to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless.  But the state should, when necessary, support the work of upholding the dignity of her citizens, thereby assuring the common good.  In Minnesota, churches and non-profits have a long and fruitful history of collaborating with government to provide support to Minnesotans in need.”

In addition to concern about shortfalls in essential services, MCC has lobbied, on behalf of Minnesota’s bishops, for the following pieces of budget-related legislation:

• An end to taxpayer funding of abortions for women receiving State medical assistance
• Bans on human cloning and State funding for cloning research
• A tuition tax credit for parents of children attending non-public schools
• Opportunity scholarships for students in underperforming public schools to attend private schools

“These policies should be a part of any final budget agreement because they promote both the sanctity of life and educational opportunity for parents and students who could not otherwise afford it,” said Adkins.  “Protecting human life from conception to natural death, as well as supporting parental choice in education, has been and will remain priorities for Minnesota’s Catholic bishops.” 

The Bishop of Crookston, the Most Rev. Michael J. Hoeppner, summarized the bishops’ perspective when he stated, “The pursuit of the common good demands that power not dominate over justice, that the interests of partisanship not threaten the good of society as a whole, that the basic interests of the poor and most vulnerable not be ignored.  We sincerely hope that all parties in the budget negotiations will use all tools at their disposal—spending reductions, program delivery reform, and increased revenue—to meet Minnesota’s budgetary needs and work for the well-being of all Minnesotans.”

Budgeting with the common good in mind

As I sit down to write this article, our state House and Senate stand ready to pass a budget for next year that the governor is sure to veto.  The same kind of impasse is also being experienced in Washington, D.C., with no less willingness on the part of legislators to reach agreement on the fiscal year 2012 federal budget.

Obviously, both sides of the aisle face very difficult choices about how to balance needs and resources as well as how to allocate burdens and sacrifices. It is absolutely necessary for our nation to address the long-term impact of deficits on the health and stability of the economy, but how we do that is equally important.

Principles to follow

The “common good” would include such considerations as: fulfilling the demands of justice and moral obligations to future generations, controlling future debt and deficits, and protecting the lives and dignity of those who are poor and vulnerable.

Catholic moral teachings inspire the following principles that should serve as a guide for our input in discussing difficult budgetary decisions:

1) Human life and dignity: Every budget decision should be assessed as to whether or not it protects or threatens human life and the dignity of persons;

2) Priority for the poor: A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” brothers and sisters (Matthew 25). The needs of the hungry, the homeless, the disabled and the unemployed should be primary in our considerations;

3) The common good: Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all members of our society, especially families who struggle to live with dignity during difficult economic times.

Armed with these principles, we must seek to find a just framework for a budget that does not rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons.  Those of us who are able must be willing to make shared sacrifices, including the raising of adequate revenues to pay our bills, eliminating unnecessary military expenses, and addressing in a fair, effective and realistic way the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs.

On the other hand, those who receive benefits from the commonwealth must not forget their responsibility to society in return.

Doing better

I encourage our readers to study the present issues in light of the principles set forth by our Catholic faith, and then to contact their elected representatives on both the state and federal levels, encouraging them to craft budgets that are just and fair, especially to the most vulnerable among us.

In a meeting this week with Tim Marx, our new archdiocesan CEO of Catholic Charities, I learned of another compelling reason for not fixing the budget on the backs of the poor — which is that habitual and widespread poverty is bad fiscal policy and bad economic policy.

A failure to address the basic needs in housing, food, health care as well as the need for children to begin life with a healthy start will, in the long-run, require more costs in services as well as result in reduced productivity.

I know we can do better. I pray that all parties can come together to make the right decisions to steer us on a course, as a state and as a nation, of which we can all be proud.

God love you!

Subsidiarity and Solidarity

Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth testified May 2 before the House Civil Law Committee in support of a bill (HF 1613) that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012 to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

“Based on God’s Word given in divine revelation, we believe that marriage creates a sacred bond between spouses,” said Bishop Sirba, speaking for the Catholic bishops of Minnesota. “We hold this to be true not only for ourselves, but for all humanity.”

The church’s convictions about marriage “find ample support in principles which can be discovered by human reason and which have been reflected throughout human history,” he said.

The House bill, introduced by Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud), was approved by the Civil Law Committee by a 10-7 vote. A companion bill in the Senate (SF 1308), authored by Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), was passed April 29 in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Bishop John Quinn of Winona testified in support of the measure.

If both houses pass the measure, a question would be placed on the ballot in November 2012 asking voters: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?”

Bishop Sirba was the third of seven people to testify on behalf of the House bill. Hundreds of people were directed to a lower-level room to watch the proceedings via live broadcast, as only ticketed participants were allowed into the packed hearing room.

Testimony in support of the bill was also given by representatives from four other faith groups, University of St. Thomas School of Law professor Teresa Collett and Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute, a project of the National Organization for Marriage. Amendment opponents also testified.

Bishop Sirba said “the committed relationship between one man and one woman calls forth the best of the spouses, not only for their own sake, but also for the well-being of their children and for the advancement of the common good.”

In defending the institution of marriage, he emphasized that “persons with same-sex attractions are our sisters and brothers, and should not be deprived of their authentic human rights, including the most fundamental rights of all — the right to life and the right to love.”

The Catholic Church opposes discrimination against any person based on a same-sex attraction, he said. “At the same time,” he added, “meeting authentic human needs does not require changing society’s definition of marriage.”

Bishop Sirba said the bishops believe the amendment is needed because several legislative proposals in the past few years have sought to “transform marriage from an institution focused on the needs of children into a totally new legal entity centered on the happiness of adults.”

-Article from The Catholic Spirit

Roman  Catholic Bishops Support Marriage Amendment

Minnesotans Should  Decide the Future of Marriage in their  State

St. Paul, Minn.-Marriage between one man and one woman sustains our civil society and promotes the common good.

That is the view of Minnesota’s Roman Catholic bishops, who were encouraged today by the introduction of legislation in the Minnesota Senate that, if passed by both houses, would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November 2012.  If approved by the people, the Minnesota Constitution would declare that only the union  of one man and one woman shall be considered “marriage” in Minnesota.

According to Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference-the Church’s  public policy voice-the purpose of marriage is to ensure the well-being of children and, as a result, properly nurture the next generation of society.  ”Reason, science, and experience all show that children need a mother and a father,” he said.

In a 2010 Joint Pastoral Statement on Marriage, Minnesota’s  bishops declared:  ”Our own State’s  constant recognition of marriage is based on the evident fact that only the sexual union of a man and a woman has the natural capability to bring forth new life with the bearing of children. Both faith and reason agree, then, that marriage is an institution central to the life of human society, and touches profoundly on the common good. This committed relationship between one man and one woman calls forth the best of the spouses, not only for their own sake, but also for the well-being of their children and the community. It is neither possible for us to change the definition of marriage nor wise to attempt to do so.”

“Over the last few years, there have been a number of bills introduced in the legislature, as well as a lawsuit, aimed at changing the definition of marriage in Minnesota,” said Adkins.  ”The people of Minnesota should have the opportunity to preserve an institution that pre-dates government and has been the bedrock of society for thousands of years.”

“Let the people vote.”

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On Tuesday, February 15, over 300 Catholic Social Ministry leaders went to Capitol Hill to speak out for the protection of human life and dignity. Join your voice with theirs by contacting your senators and representative with this message:

• Do not make disproportionate cuts in programs that serve the most vulnerable. It is morally unacceptable for our nation to balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and abroad.

1.  
   1. In a time of economic crisis, the poor and vulnerable in our nation are in greater need of assistance, not less. Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.
   2. Preserve poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance.  In the FY 2011 President’s request, poverty-focused international assistance totals $20.25 billion, only 0.6% of the federal budget and only one-third of all U.S. international assistance to the developing world; the House Continuing Resolution cuts these programs by 26%.

• Ensure that health care protects the life, dignity, consciences and health of all by supporting The Protect Life Act (H.R. 358).

Take action now! Or, continue reading for more detailed information!

To read Cardinal DiNardo’s letter to Congree about HR 358, read here.

To read “A Catholic Message for Congress” from the 2011 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering regarding the poor and the dignity of life, read here.

To read a letter to Congress from Bishop Stephen Blair regarding the budget, read here.

To read a letter to Congress regarding international relief from Bishop Howard Hubbard and Ken Hackett, President of CRS, read here.