Geeklog Site

WEST COAST CATHOLIC-MUSLIM DIALOGUE COMPARES SACRED, PIOUS WRITINGS

Eva Andrade — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:20:19 +0000

DATE: June 1, 2010

FROM: Sr. Mary Ann Walsh

O: 202-541-3200

H: 301-587-4762

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEST COAST CATHOLIC-MUSLIM DIALOGUE COMPARES SACRED, PIOUS WRITINGS

WASHNGTON—Catholics and Muslims compared sacred and pious writings at the 11th meeting of the West Coast Catholic-Muslim Dialogue, in Orange, California, May 19-20. The dialogue is co-sponsored by the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Islamic Shura Council of California, with the cooperation of the Islamic Society of Orange County (an affiliate of the Islamic Society of North America) and the Islamic Education Center of Orange County, which is in the Shia tradition of Islam.

[more]

Participants compared the miraculous story of the “Seven Sleepers of Ephesus,” found in early Christian writings, with its correlative reference in Surah 18 of the Qur’an, known as “The Cave.” The story involves seven young men who fled persecution by the Roman Emperor Decius (circa 250 AD) and hid in a cave. Furious, the Emperor had the cave sealed. However, the Lord placed the young men into a miraculous sleep and when the cave was opened generations after the persecution ended, the sleepers awoke thinking they had slept but a few hours. A chapel and a mosque mark the site to this day.

The meeting opened with remarks by Catholic Co-chair, Bishop Carlos Sevilla of Yakima, Washington, and Muslim Co-Chair Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Orange County. Both remarked that Islamophobia continues to be a problem in society as is antipathy towards religion in general. This stands as a problem not only for Catholics and Muslims but also for all people of faith in U.S. society, they indicated.

Dr. Siddiqi led the discussion with a paper titled, “Ashab al-Kahf - The Companions of the Cave.” He spoke first to the historical context of the story as it appears in the Qur’an, and explained that it was first told during the Meccan period when the early Muslim community experienced persecution at the hands of the polytheists. The community eventually had to leave Mecca, many to hide in caves. Thus, the passage holds particular significance for Muslims, and especially offers comfort in times of trial. The tale’s main value, Dr. Siddiqi said, lies not so much in the details of the narrative, but rather in its moral lesson that God has unique ways of helping those who are sincere and faithful. It also provides a strong affirmation of the resurrection of the dead. In the ensuing discussion, many Catholic participants commented on how helpful it was that the story dwelt less on detail, and more on the moral truths inherent in it. Participants also noted the elements of belief in the resurrection from the dead, to which both groups could relate. Other emergent themes included the need for divine help and the support of the believing community in the face of persecution.

The second dialogue session began with a presentation by Father Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who presented a paper entitled “The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus” from an Eastern Christian perspective. He began with a short explanation of how the saints are honored in the Church as witnesses to the faith and are those to whom Christians can turn to for help. He noted that veneration of the saints differs from worship, which is reserved for God alone. Father Smith illustrated how the Seven Sleepers are honored in the Church as martyrs (witnesses) for the faith in the Eastern Churches’ liturgical and devotional life. The Muslim participants saw the Christian story as a manifestation of the power of God, especially in its affirmation of the resurrection. Both groups noted that the two narratives reveal God’s care for the young men who remained faithful.

In addition to the Co-chairs, other Muslim participants included Sherrel Johnson, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) - California; Imam Taha Hassane, Islamic Center of San Diego; Mr. Hussam Ayloush, CAIR - Greater Los Angeles Area; and Saideh Khan and Jerrel Abdul Salaam, active members of the local Muslim community. Catholic participants included Father Smith; Father Al Baca, Diocese of Orange, California; Father Jose Rubio, Diocese of San Jose; Father Michael Kiernan, Diocese of Sacramento; Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, Diocese of San Diego; and Father Leo Walsh, USCCB staff.

The next West Coast Dialogue is scheduled for Orange, May 24 -25, 2011. More information is available on the USCCB Website at http://www.usccb.org/seia.

---

Keywords: interreligious dialogue, Catholic, Muslim, sacred writings, pious writings, legend, Islamophobia

# # # # #

10-109

Sec,DD,CNS,RNS,Crux

...

PETER�S PENCE COLLECTION HELPS NEEDY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

Eva Andrade — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:18:22 +0000

DATE: June 1, 2010

FROM: Don Clemmer

O: 202-541-3206

M: 260-580-1137

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PETER’S PENCE COLLECTION HELPS NEEDY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

WASHINGTON—The Peter’s Pence Collection will be taken up in most Catholic parishes the weekend of June 26 - 27. This year’s theme, “Cast the love of Christ upon the world,” focuses on the relationship between solidarity and love.

[more]

The theme draws from Pope Benedict’s encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate (no. 78) where he says, “God’s love . . . gives us the courage to continue seeking and working for the benefit of all.”

Through this worldwide collection the pope is able to exercise the ministry of charity on behalf of the entire Church. Offerings to the collection support church needs, humanitarian initiatives (such as aid of victims of war, oppression and natural disasters) and other human promotion projects around the world. Assistance to seminaries and institutes of Christian formation in many developing countries, a village for HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya, and the establishment of the Hospital of St. Vincent de Paul in Bosnia are examples of assistance provided by the pope thanks to the generosity of parishioners.

Others works which have recently received assistance through the Peter’s Pence Collection include the Nazareth Boys Townin Mbare, Rwanda, that takes in abandoned orphans who are victims of genocide and civil war, and Casa di accoglienza Giovanni Paolo II Opera Don Orione, a residence that gives free shelter and specializes in helping special-needs pilgrims to travel to Rome. The house was refurbished through assistance provided by collection.

The Peter’s Pence Collection gives U.S. parishioners a chance to unite in solidarity with the Holy Father, the faithful worldwide and those most in need of charitable love. More information about Peter’s Pence and other national collections can be found at www.usccb.org/nationalcollections.

---

Keywords: Peter’s Pence Collection, Benedict XVI, National Collections

# # # # #

10-108

SEC,DD, CatholicPress, CNS, RNS, Crux ...

GENEROSITY, RESILIENCE, EDUCATION, KEY FEATURES OF PERMANENT DEACONS

Eva Andrade — Sat, 29 May 2010 03:46:25 +0000

DATE: May 28, 2010

FROM: Mar Mu�oz-Visoso

O: 202-541-3202

M: 301-646-8616

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GENEROSITY, RESILIENCE, EDUCATION, KEY FEATURES OF PERMANENT DEACONS

Most permanent deacons in active ministry are married

Number of permanent deacons on the rise

WASHINGTON—A national survey of permanent diaconate offices in Catholic dioceses in the United States found that one-quarter of active permanent deacons (28 percent) have a graduate degree. Given that the diaconate is a ministry of service and charity, the vast majority of deacons are not paid for their ministry. Even still, their number continues to rise and they stay active for a very long time.

[more]

The study, which was commissioned by the Secretariat of Clergy and Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.

Some of the findings related to permanent deacons in active ministry include:

Number of deacons:21 arch/dioceses report having more than 200 permanent deacons, with Chicago(646 deacons), Trenton (442 deacons), and Galveston-Houston (383) among the topthree. Deacons currently minister in all but one diocese in the United States, and eight in ten permanent deacons in responding arch/dioceses are active in ministry.It is estimatedthat there are as many as 17,047 permanent deacons in the United States today, of whomapproximately 16,349 are active in ministry.

Demographic characteristics: 92 percent of permanent deacons in active ministry are married, four percent are widowers, and two percent have never been married; more than six in ten permanent deacons are at least 60-years-old, four in ten deacons are 60 to 69, and about a quarter are 70 or older; 81 percent of active deacons are non-Hispanic whites, 14 percent are Hispanic/Latino, two percent are African American and two percent are Asian.

Education: Over one-quarter of active deacons (28 percent) have a graduate degree. Deacons are twice as likely to have a graduate degree in a field not related to the diaconate as to have one in a religious field such as religious studies, theology or Canon Law.

Compensation and formation: Fewer than one in five (18 percent) permanent deacons are financially compensated forministry. Eighty-four percent of responding dioceses require post-ordination formation. One in six dioceses provides post-ordination formation in a language other than English —such as Spanish and American Sign Language— and more than eight in ten dioceses provide formation opportunities for the wives of deacons.

Of the 194 Catholic dioceses contacted, all U.S. dioceses and Eastern Rite eparchies except for the Archdiocese of Military Services, 106 responded to the CARA survey for a 55 percent completion rate. In cases where a non-responding diocese or eparchy had supplied diaconate information in a previous year of data collection, the most recent prior information was used, bringing the total of responding diaconate offices to 180, or 93 percent of all dioceses/eparchies. At the request of the USCCB, CARA has conducted this survey annually since 2005.

The CARA study “A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate 2010” can be found on the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy and Consecrated Life and Vocations’ Web site at http://www.usccb.org/cclv/.

---

Keywords: permanent diaconate, deacons, Secretariat of Clergy and Consecrated Life and Vocations, bishops, USCCB, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

# # # # #

10-107

SEC,DD, CatholicPress, CNS, RNS, Crux

...

2010 CATECHETICAL SUNDAY FOCUSES ON MARRIAGE AS A �SACRAMENT OF ENDURING LOVE�

Eva Andrade — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:48:21 +0000

DATE: May 20, 2010

FROM: Don Clemmer

O: 202-541-3206

M: 260-580-1137

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2010 CATECHETICAL SUNDAY FOCUSES ON MARRIAGE AS A ‘SACRAMENT OF ENDURING LOVE’

Web Site Offers Materials for Couples, Catechists, Pastors

Catechetical Sunday is September 19

WASHINGTON— This year’s Catechetical Sunday theme is “Matrimony: Sacrament of Enduring Love.” Materials for Catechetical Sunday 2010 are now available online at www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday. Among the online materials, parishes participating in Catechetical Sunday can find prayer resources, art, catechist commissioning materials, plans for a catechist in-service, and an array of materials for teachers, pastors, catechists and others working with couples preparing for marriage.

[more]

Also included are a plan for a family and intergenerational retreat on Christian marriage, articles on Church teaching on various aspects of marriage, and resources for adult faith formation. Materials are provided in English and Spanish.

Catechetical Sunday is September 19 this year.

This year’s theme has been chosen to coincide with a variety of new Priority Initiatives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the release of a pastoral letter on marriage and the For Your Marriage Web site (www.foryourmarriage.org), as well as other Conference initiatives intended to strengthen marriage.

All materials are available online for free access and download. The USCCB will also provide, for sale, printed copies of prayer cards, family commitment cards, posters, and certificates in English and Spanish. These can be ordered directly at: http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/catsunquickform.cfm

---

Keywords: Catechesis, catechists, Matrimony, marriage, Catechetical Sunday, resources

# # # # #

10-102

SEC,DD,CNS,RNS,Crux

...

BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT BILL TO REMEDY ABORTION, CONSCIENCE FLAWS IN HEALTH CARE REFORM LAW

Eva Andrade — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:46:20 +0000

DATE: May 20, 2010

FROM: Don Clemmer

O: 202-541-3206

M: 260-580-1137

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BISHOPS URGE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT BILL TO REMEDY ABORTION, CONSCIENCE FLAWS IN HEALTH CARE REFORM LAW

Act Applies Hyde Amendment to New Funds

Fixing Health Care a Legislative Goal of U.S. Bishops

WASHINGTON—Congress should support a bipartisan bill that will remedy the abortion and conscience flaws in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), according to the Chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. In a May 20 letter to Congress, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said PPACA was an important step toward ensuring access to health coverage for all Americans but was “profoundly flawed in its treatment of abortion, conscience rights, and fairness to immigrants.” He urged members to support H.R. 5111, sponsored by Reps. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) with 91 other House members, and added, “Efforts to ensure that our health care system truly serves the life, health and conscience of all will be a legislative goal of the Catholic bishops in the months to come.”

[more]

This legislation, wrote Cardinal DiNardo, “will bring PPACA into line with policies on abortion and conscience rights that have long prevailed in other federal health programs” by ensuring PPACA funds are covered by the Hyde Amendment, along with other provisions.

Cardinal DiNardo said those who believe President Obama’s executive order addressed these concerns should support the new bill, as the legislation would codify and strengthen the order. H.R. 5111 addresses abortion and conscience issues not taken up in the executive order, and remedies its reinforcement of “problematic aspects of the Act, such as its providing federal subsidies for health plans that cover abortions,” he said.

With PPACA now passed into law, Cardinal DiNardo said, “Problems of abortion and conscience in the legislation can be addressed on their own merits, not greeted by false charges that any such effort must be aimed at preventing passage of the Act.” He added, “If these genuine problems are not addressed in their own right, they will be taken up and used as ammunition by those who favor repealing PPACA outright, which would eliminate the positive as well as negative aspects of the new law.”

He also reiterated the bishops’ call for “a reformed health care system that respects the life, health and conscience of all.”

Full text of the letter follows:

May 20, 2010

Dear Member of Congress:

With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), our country took an important step toward ensuring access to health coverage for all Americans. However, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has explained in past letters and analyses, the final Act approved on March 22 was profoundly flawed in its treatment of abortion, conscience rights, and fairness to immigrants (seewww.usccb.org/healthcare). Efforts to ensure that our health care system truly serves the life, health and conscience of all will be a legislative goal of the Catholic bishops in the months to come.

Reps. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) with 91 other House members have made a significant contribution to this important task, by co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation to remedy PPACA’s serious problems on abortion. This legislation (H.R. 5111), based on the health care reform bill approved by the House last fall, will bring PPACA into line with policies on abortion and conscience rights that have long prevailed in other federal health programs.

H.R. 5111 will do the following:

(1) Ensure that all funds authorized or appropriated by PPACA are covered by the longstanding policy of the Hyde amendment against funding abortions except in cases of life endangerment or rape/incest. The Act currently appropriates billions of dollars in new funds for health services without limiting use of these funds for elective abortions.

(2) Prevent federal funds from subsidizing health plans that cover abortions beyond the Hyde exceptions, so PPACA will follow the policy that already governs Medicaid and Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and other programs where federal funds combine with other funds to support health coverage. Like the Stupak amendment approved by the House last fall, this will not prevent anyone from purchasing a health plan covering abortions (or separate coverage for abortion itself) with nonfederal funds.

(3) Restore the conscience provision on abortion approved by the House last November (sec. 259 of H.R. 3962), modeled on the Weldon amendment that has been part of the annual Labor/HHS appropriations bills since 2004. This will ensure that federal, state and local governmental entities receiving federal funds under PPACA may not discriminate against health care providers who decline involvement in abortion. PPACA’s clause allowing states to require provision of services in some cases (sec. 1303(d)) will also be subject to this conscience clause.

(4) Close a loophole in the Act’s non-preemption clause on state laws (sec. 1303(c)(1) of PPACA), so state laws restricting abortion or protecting conscience rights will not be preempted by PPACA. Currently the Act only protects state laws related to abortion coverage or procedural requirements for abortions.

(5) Clarify PPACA’s clause on preserving other federal laws (sec. 1303(c)(2)) so laws restricting abortion or abortion coverage as well as laws on conscience rights are preserved.

Some may assume these goals are already achieved through President Obama’s executive order of March 21 on abortion funding in PPACA. To the extent that this is so, of course, it is not an argument against H.R. 5111, because it would merely codify those elements of the President’s policy. However, the executive order does not address, or claim to address, several of the problems cited above. On other issues it even reinforces problematic aspects of the Act, such as its providing federal subsidies for health plans that cover abortions. Of course the Act’s policy of merely “segregating funds” within such plans violates the federal abortion policy governing every other federal program, and still forces every American who purchases such plans to pay for other people’s abortions.

The executive order also claims to apply the Hyde Amendment to the funds that PPACA authorizes and appropriates for Community Health Centers, although the Act clearly does not apply the Hyde Amendment to these funds. The question here is whether the President has the legal authority to do so, given a long line of federal court decisions construing similar statutes to fund abortion services unless Congresshas explicitly stated otherwise. When courts have handed down such decisions, it has sometimes taken years of litigation and debate to resolve the issue – years during which federal funds were used for hundreds of thousands of abortions a year. Given this history, we should not gamble these lives on a guess as to how a federal judge will respond to the first lawsuit seeking a federally funded abortion at a Community Health Center. This serious problem requires a statutory solution.

With the enactment of PPACA, the task of keeping the federal government out of the abortion business can now be pursued with less distraction from other issues and agendas. Problems of abortion and conscience in the legislation can be addressed on their own merits, not greeted by false charges that any such effort must be aimed at preventing passage of the Act. To the contrary: If these genuine problems are not addressed in their own right, they will be taken up and used as ammunition by those who favor repealing PPACA outright, which would eliminate the positive as well as negative aspects of the new law. In short, to support this legislation, members of Congress need not agree that these changes are essential to make the Act acceptable – though that is our conviction. They need only agree that the changes are worthwhile.

I therefore urge members of both parties who support rights of conscience and the policy of the Hyde amendment to support and co-sponsor H.R. 5111. Please help give us a reformed health care system that respects the life, health and conscience of all.

Sincerely,

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo

Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

---

Keywords: health care reform, USCCB, Pro-Life, abortion, conscience, H.R. 5111, Hyde Amendment, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Pitts, Lipinski

# # # # #

10-103

SEC,DD,CNS,RNS,Crux ...

MID-ATLANTIC CATHOLIC-MUSLIM DIALOGUE DISCUSSES INTERRELIGIOUS EDUCATON, MAKES STATEMENT ON STEREOTYPES

Eva Andrade — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:18:25 +0000

CORRECTED COPY DATE: May 17, 2010

FROM: Sr. Mary Ann Walsh

O: 202-541-3200

H: 301-587-4762

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MID-ATLANTIC CATHOLIC-MUSLIM DIALOGUE DISCUSSES INTERRELIGIOUS EDUCATON, MAKES STATEMENT ON STEREOTYPES

Must understand roots of another’s faith tradition before teaching about it

Agree to root out religious stereotypes that permeate media

WASHINGTON—Interreligious education and the danger of stereotypes were discussed at the 14th annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, in Somerset, NJ, May 5-6.

[more]

Bishop Madden in remarks entitled, “Religious Education as a Path to Mutual Respect and Understanding among Catholics and Muslims,” said Catholic education’s emphasis on the integral formation of the whole person whose final destiny is heaven, and toward the common good of societies.

Dr. Sultan noted Islamic teaching that all humanity springs from a single source and stressed that mutual respect is imperative. He noted that before people teach about other religions, they should use primary sources to correctly understand other faiths.

Christian Brother David Carroll, the Aquinas Chair of Catholic Studies, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, N.Y., Brooklyn, spoke on “The Educational Mission of the Church.” He explained how principles in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical “Redemptoris Missio” are lived out in the work of the Brothers of Christian Schools in Africa and Asia. Even though the original Christian populations for which the schools were founded have moved on, he said, the schools continue to serve the local population and provide a unique opportunity for promoting interreligious dialogue and understanding. This thought was echoed by two of the imams, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Khan from Guyana and Imam Zafeer Ali Hafiz from India, who had attended Catholic schools in their home countries. Both noted what they gained from the Catholic Church through their education, and Rahman Khan recalled that “at no time was I ever asked to convert. I think I am a better Muslim because of my education in Catholic schools.”

On the first evening, the area ICNA chapter and the USCCB co-hosted a dinner for local religious and political leaders, where they explained the work of the dialogue and highlighted the charitable works of ICNA in the United States and abroad through the Helping Hands and ICNA Relief USA.

During the dialogue members voiced concern about negative stereotypes and misrepresentations of Catholics and Muslims found in textbooks, films, internet and print media. Both groups said that the proliferation of negative stereotypes, distorted information and caricatures of both traditions needed to be addressed. They adopted a statement committing themselves to work for mutual understanding between their two faith traditions, to support one another in confronting negative stereotypes in all media, to work with the leaders of their congregations in this effort, and to continue to review educational materials used by their congregations and educational institutions to ensure that each are presenting materials that accurately represent what the other believes.

In addition to the co-chairs, the Muslim representatives at the meeting included ICNA President Dr. Zahid Bukhari; Imam Hamad Ahmad Chebli, Islamic Society of Central New Jersey; Dr. Safaa Zarzour, President of the Islamic Society of North America; Shaykh Abdur Rahman Khan, Resident Scholar, Islamic Foundation Villa Park, Chicago; ImamZafeer Ali Hafiz, ICNA Headquarters; Dr. Naeem Baig,Vice President, ICNA; Moein Khawaja, Council on American-Islamic Relations; and Imam Sohaib Sultan, Muslim Chaplain, Princeton University. Additional Catholic representatives included Al Grindon, Institute on Religion and Civic Values; Rev. Sidney Griffith, Chairman of the Institute of Christian Oriental Research, Catholic University of America: Dr. Pim Valkenberg, PhD, Loyola University, Maryland: Dr. Sandra Keating, PhD, Providence College; Rev. Tom Ryan, CSP, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer, Paulist Fathers; and Rev. Leo Walsh, USCCB staff.

The Mid-Atlantic Dialogue between Catholics and Muslims has been sponsored jointly by the USCCB Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and ICNA since 1996. Its latest statement, Marriage: Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim Perspectives, is due to be published shortly. More information is available on the USCCB Website at http://www.usccb.org/seia/ and at www.whyislam.org.

---

Keywords: Catholic, Muslim, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Islamic Circle of North America, education, stereotyping

# # # # #

10-096

SEC,DD,ECUMEN,CNS,RNS,Crux

...

LEADERS AT CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVOCATION SEND LETTER OF SUPPORT TO ARIZONA BISHOPS ON IMMIGRATION

Eva Andrade — Sat, 08 May 2010 20:29:57 +0000

DATE: May 8, 2010

FROM: Mar Mu�oz-Visoso

O: 202-541-3200 | M: 301-646-8616

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEADERS AT CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVOCATION SEND LETTER OF SUPPORT TO ARIZONA BISHOPS ON IMMIGRATION

NOTRE DAME, Ind.—Catholic leaders from across the United States participating in the Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, on the last day of their meeting, sent an open letter to the Catholic bishops of Arizona, expressing their support for the bishops’ leadership in raising opposition to Arizona Law SB 1070.

[more]

“We write in order to express our solidarity with you and the Catholic community under your care and all the people of Arizona and throughout the United States who have raised their voices in opposition to Arizona Law SB1070,” the letter read. “This is a law which undermines the fabric of society by creating an atmosphere of discrimination against certain members of the community, profiling minorities and creating fear among persons of color regardless of their immigration status.”

In their letter, the leaders also lamented the lack of leadership in both parties at the federal level and called for immediate action on comprehensive immigration reform so that “we may find the way forward so that the rights and dignity of human beings including the undocumented as well as the integrity of our borders will be safeguarded and preserved.”

Participants in the Convocation came from every region in the country and represented the many cultures, races and ethnicities that make up the Catholic Church in the United States, including those of European American, African American, Native American, Asian and Latin origin, as well as refugees, migrants and itinerant peoples.

Full text of letter follows.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF ARIZONA

May 8, 2010

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix

Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson

Most Reverend James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup

Dear Bishops Olmsted, Kicanas and Wall,

We, the undersigned, among more than 300 church leaders attending the Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation at the University of Notre Dame from May 6-8, 2010. We are a cross-section of the entire Catholic Church in the United States coming from every region in the country and representing the many families of cultures, races and ethnicities that make up the Church in the United States including those of European origin.

We are blessed with the presence of nineteen archbishops and bishops, among them Archbishop Pietro Sambi, personal representative of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, together with priests, religious men and women, deacons and hundreds of lay ministers and Catholic professionals.

We write in order to express our solidarity with you and the Catholic community under your care and all the people of Arizona and throughout the United States who have raised their voices in opposition to Arizona Law SB1070. This is a law which undermines the fabric of society by creating an atmosphere of discrimination against certain members of the community, profiling minorities and creating fear among persons of color regardless of their immigration status.

In expressing this concern we realize that all the people of Arizona together with millions of others throughout our country are suffering from a broken immigration system that is in need of immediate, comprehensive reform. We lament that both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government who rightly have jurisdiction in this matter, together with the leadership of both political parties, have shown themselves unwilling to resolve the urgent need for a new and equitable immigration policy. The time for them to face the issue of immigration reform is long past due.

We congratulate you for your courage and leadership in this matter as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for taking a constructive, well-reasoned stand on these controversial matters consistent with Catholic social teaching. You have been stalwart advocates for human dignity and the common good. You and your people have opened doors to immigrants and welcomed them to the table of the Word and of the Eucharist. Through these gestures of solidarity you are a hopeful sign in American society that we are stronger together and you move us closer to the vision of Pentecost as a diverse people of one mind and heart. We pray that working together with all persons of good will we may find the way forward so that the rights and dignity of human beings including the undocumented as well as the integrity of our borders will be safeguarded and preserved.

For our part we pledge our continued prayers and efforts in our local communities to lift up the need for immediate action on immigration reform.

Sincerely yours,

Participants at the Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation 2010

Notre Dame, Indiana

---

Keywords: cultural diversity, immigration, Arizona SB1070, comprehensive immigration reform

# # # # #

10-089

SEC, DD, CNS, RNS, Crux, Immigration, Hispanic, Spanish Diocesan

...

ARCHBISHOP GREGORY: CHRIST THE FOUNDATION OF OUR UNITY, DIVERSITY A GIFT GOD HAS FASHIONED INTO THE HEART OF HUMANITY

Eva Andrade — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:33:23 +0000

DATE: May 7, 2010

FROM: Mar Munoz-Visoso

M: 301-646-8616

O: 202-541-3200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARCHBISHOP GREGORY: CHRIST THE FOUNDATION OF OUR UNITY, DIVERSITY A GIFT GOD HAS FASHIONED INTO THE HEART OF HUMANITY

Atlanta Archbishop delivers homily at Catholic Cultural Diversity Convocation

NOTRE DAME, Ind.—Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta weighed in on the issues of unity and diversity in the Church during the homily, May 7, at a Mass for the Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation at meeting at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

[more]

Archbishop Gregory highlighted the differences between building unity as a nation and in the Church.

“Our efforts at national unity often depend upon bringing peoples’ diversity into something of an artificial harmony that seeks to minimize the uniqueness and distinctiveness of people. The Catholic Church on the contrary focuses upon what we all share in common which is our faith and our oneness in Christ,” Archbishop Gregory said.

“To be a Catholic one need not abandon one’s individuality. In fact, the Catholic Church is most perfectly herself when all of her children display that rich diversity that God has fashioned into the very heart of humanity,” the archbishop said. “We are most Catholic when we reflect our oneness of faith and worship that is achieved in response to our rich mixture of human variety through the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Archbishop Gregory also reminded the congregation that the church’s mission is to go out and evangelize and invite others in.

“The apostolic activity of these early Christians,” he said, “reminds us that even in our beginning the People of God continually welcomed others into their fellowship. The Holy Spirit inspired those first Christians to see beyond the limits of their own ethnicity and religious backgrounds and comfort zones to bring Christ to the entire world.”

And he added, “Those challenges of bringing people together established the rich legacy that we continue even today as peoples from throughout the world find their rightful place around the Lord’s Altar.”

In reference to the work being accomplished at the Cultural Diversity Convocation, Archbishop Gregory said “[t]his conference is but the latest chapter in a long history of reminding all of the members of the Church that we all belong to Christ and in Him we belong to one another through the grace of the Holy Spirit. We need not, indeed, we must not neglect our individuality and the uniqueness of our heritages. Yet these differences must never be barriers that separate us from Christ or one another.”

He concluded by reminding everyone of the conversion story of the Apostle Paul, where Christ identified himself with the very community Paul was persecuting. Finally, he insisted that only Christ can be the foundation of the Church’s unity.

Full text of the homily follows.

Friday 7 May, 2010

Notre Dame University

Sacred Heart Basilica

Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation

╬Wilton D. Gregory,

Archbishop of Atlanta

The Cable History Channel is currently airing a 12 episode series program entitled: America The Story of Us on Sunday evenings. Thus far, personally I have found it to be a fascinating program based upon the parts that I have seen. The series uses many of the wonders of modern day cinematography and a first-class cast of actors and commentators who provide an artistic expression of the enthralling topic of the development and triumph of our common American political legacy.

As the actors and televised scenes tell the narrative of how we became and thrived as a nation, the viewer will find a great many things of which we all ought to be proud of in the wonderful historical heritage of our nation. There are to be sure many other heartrending chapters of our history that are and will be portrayed in future episodes that remind us of the ongoing struggles for justice and equality that still continue to be unfulfilled and are as yet unfinished.

Since the United States of America is a nation comprised of so many peoples of different races and cultures, each representing various economic conditions, diverse sociological categories and ethnic groups, there is always the temptation to draw too close a parallel of our national political struggle for unity in this great country with the challenges that have always faced our Catholic Church – another community which is far older and much richer in diversity and variety of peoples. Because in spite of some obvious similarities there are huge differences between the unity that we struggle to maintain as a nation and the Oneness that is the heritage and indeed a mark of the Catholic Church.

The current conflicts and wrangling around the question of immigration that have long been simmering and have recently flared up are only the latest expression of how this great country of ours continues to struggle with maintaining our national identity and yet continuing our legacy of welcoming the most recent peoples who come to our shores seeking the very same promises that brought countless millions of others here before them. The rhetoric can become hyper- exaggerated and often mean-spirited as conflicting opinions on the topic of immigration face off in this vitally important social concern.

Some people have warned that our very future as a nation is at stake if we don’t defend our borders. Some have suggested that our economic stability will be compromised without more stringent laws to control the numbers of immigrants who come to our nation. Too often, the language employed is only a poorly veiled disguise for xenophobia and racism. We do face significant challenges and we need to take them seriously – but our nation has faced other such moments before – and the series highlights some of these most difficult moments in the history of this great land.

Yet our efforts at national unity often depend upon bringing peoples’ diversity into something of an artificial harmony that seeks to minimize the uniqueness and distinctiveness of people. The Catholic Church on the contrary focuses upon what we all share in common which is our faith and our oneness in Christ. To be a Catholic one need not abandon one’s individuality. In fact, the Catholic Church is most perfectly herself when all of her children display that rich diversity that God has fashioned into the very heart of humanity. We are most Catholic when we reflect our oneness of faith and worship that is achieved in response to our rich mixture of human variety through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Each year during the Easter season, we listen to the story of the development of the Church from those first disciples of Jewish ancestry who reached out to the entire known world and invited all people to come together in Christ. The apostolic activity of these early Christians did not wait until people came to them – they went out to proclaim Christ Crucified and Risen from the dead and to invite every nation to belong to Him. This mesmerizing story reminds us that even in our beginning, the People of God continually welcomed others into their fellowship. The Holy Spirit inspired those first Christians to see beyond the limits of their own ethnicity and religious backgrounds and comfort zones to bring Christ to the entire world. The vibrant stories from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles that so fill the Easter season provide a convincing narrative of how the first disciples grappled with the challenges of becoming a Catholic Church in the most fundamental sense of that title.

In passages such as we heard proclaimed in our first reading today, the infant church began encountering people in communities like Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia including those who may not have been Jewish in their background. Those challenges of bringing people together established the rich legacy that we continue even today as peoples from throughout the world find their rightful place around the Lord’s Altar. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles does not conceal the fact that bringing together people from diverse backgrounds was and remains a challenge and sometimes misunderstandings did and continue to occur. Yet it was always the presence and the grace of the Holy Spirit that led the Church to welcome those new members accommodating their uniqueness as they were incorporated into Christ Jesus.

This conference is but the latest chapter in a long history of reminding all of the members of the Church that we all belong to Christ and in Him we belong to one another through the grace of the Holy Spirit. We need not; indeed, we must not neglect our individuality and the uniqueness of our heritages. Yet these differences must never be barriers that separate us from Christ or one another. For in that same Book of the Acts of the Apostles, when the conversion account of the great Apostle Paul is recounted, Christ identifies Himself with the very community that Paul has been persecuting – Christ wears the face of His people then as well as today.

If the Catholic Church were to have a 12 episode series on our 2,000 year history and the challenges that we have faced and overcome together, it might likely be entitled: The Catholic Church The Story of Him! After all, Jesus is the foundation of our Oneness and He continues to beckon us all to go out into the whole world to bring others – with no attention paid to the diversity of those called to join this One family of Faith. We are who we are because We are the Lord’s.

# # # # #

10-088

SEC,DD,CNS,RNS,Crux ...

BISHOPS THANK CONGRESS FOR WORKING ON EXTENSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF TRADE PREFERENCES FOR HAITI

Eva Andrade — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:59:26 +0000

DATE: May 5, 2010

FROM: Don Clemmer

O: 202-541-3206

M: 260-580-1137

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BISHOPS THANK CONGRESS FOR WORKING ON EXTENSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF TRADE PREFERENCES FOR HAITI

WASHINGTON—By extending and improving trade preferences for Haiti, Congress “willsend a clear signal that the United States is prepared to take the necessary steps to improve the lives of thousands of Haitians both in the short-term and in the long-term,” said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y. In a May 4 letter, Bishop Hubbard, Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, thanked the sponsors of the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 for introducing the bill (HR 5160 and S 3275) and called on the House and Senate to move swiftly to approve the legislation.

[more]

In an earlier letter to the Administration, Bishop Hubbard argued that Haiti should have an integrated strategy to help Haiti recover. International assistance and debt relief are needed, but alone are not enough. “A critically important part of the integrated strategy we recommended was the extension and improvement of the trade preference levels (TPLs) that Haiti was granted through the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Acts (HOPE I and HOPE II), which our Conference strongly supported,” Bishop Hubbard wrote. This bill “will give investors and retailers a clear signal that the United States has a strong commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild, especially the Haitian economy, in the long-term.” Bishop Hubbard added: “The light manufacturing sector was not as damaged as other parts of Port-au-Prince during the earthquake and thus could generate desperately needed employment. Thousands of jobs will be quickly created in Haiti if this legislation passes.”

The letter from Bishop Hubbard can be found online at: www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/2010-05-04-ltr-senate-USCCB-CRS-support-haiti-s3275.pdf

---

Keywords: Haiti, trade, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, International Justice and Peace, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Renewing Hope for Haitian Trade and Investment Act

# # # # #

10-087

Sec,DD,CNS,RNS,Crux

RoT'&pm!~>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BISHOPS THANK CONGRESS FOR WORKING ON EXTENSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF TRADE PREFERENCES FOR HAITI

Hawaii Catholic Conference ACTION!

Eva Andrade — Wed, 05 May 2010 03:19:08 +0000

ACTION ITEM FROM THE HAWAII CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

HB 444 (Civil Unions) Awaiting Decision by Governor

MAY 14, 2010: As you know, HB 444 was passed by the House in last minute maneuvering last week. We ask each of you to take the time to contact the Governor's Office and ask her to VETO HB 444. (Click here to take action).

...