Reflections/Catholic Social Teaching

Christmas and the Poor

There’s a Christmas reason to speak always about the poor and about mercy, Pope Francis told a benefit concert Saturday.

“At times someone says to me ‘But Father, you always speak about the poor and about mercy.’ Yes, I say. But this is not a malady. It’s simply the way that God had revealed himself,” the Pope said in a Dec. 17 video message.

“The fact that Christmas is almost upon us reminds us of the way in which God entered the world: born of the Virgin Mary like all children, wrapped in swaddling clothes, picked up, nursed. Not only him, but his mother and Joseph have had to contend with the fact that there was no room for them in the inn,” the Pope continued.

He became a poor baby, one of us…

“The good news, the announcement of this birth, is not delivered to the king and princes, but to shepherds… This is our God: not the wholly other, but totally the neighbor.” His video message was delivered to Paul VI Hall the evening of Francis’ eightieth birthday.

The concert marked the bicentenary of the Vatican Gendarmerie and was headlined by the Italian singer Claudio Baglioni. The concert benefited a pediatric hospital in Bangui in the Central African Republic and also the victims of the major earthquake in central Italy.

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Pope Francis – World Day of Peace 2017

Every day, we hear of issues – such as war, terrorism, or social violence – that affect us and our sisters and brothers around the world. The problems can seem so complex that they can leave us paralyzed, overwhelmed, or even numb. We may wonder, “What can I possibly do?”

In his message for the 50th World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1, 2017, Pope Francis urges us to overcome such challenges by replacing cautiousness with courage and cynicism with hope.

Christian Nonviolence – Politics for Peace

This year Pope Francis has asked Catholics to focus on Christian nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. What can you do to affirm the centrality of active nonviolence in the message of Jesus, the life of the Catholic Church, and to the calling to be part of the healing and reconciling of both people and our earth?

In our families, schools, and institutions, we must learn the things that make for peace. There are effective Christian ways to counter war, terrorism, and social and domestic violence that can be accomplished without resorting to violence or military options. We must reach out to engage in positive encounters with our neighbors, in civil dialogue for the common good, and building skills to address these problems in meaningful ways.

What Can We Do?

St. John XXIII reminds us that violence and war can no longer be considered “a fit instrument with which to repair the violation of justice.” But violations of justice must be addressed. Christian nonviolent practices and strategies are ways to effectively address injustice, while also building peace.

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Manzanar – Our Dark History

In 1942, the U.S. government ordered more than 120,000 men, women and children from their homes and detained them indefinitely in 10 isolated, military-style camps they called “War Relocation Centers.” Manzanar – a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, through the Angeles Forest, the Mojave Desert and the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevadas – was one of them.

A National Historic Site

In 1992, the former camp was designated the Manzanar National Historic Site. Driving in, you still pass the sentry tower where armed guards stood watch. I spent three days there in September, perusing the superbly curated exhibits, wandering the extensive trails through abandoned blocks of barracks, praying in the derelict gardens. The contrast between the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and the misery that had been borne beneath their shadow was stark.

In the wake of the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the military to remove “any and all persons” of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.

A Dark Moment in our History of Human Rights

Notices went up giving Japanese citizens mere weeks or even days to pack up their belongings and report to be transported by armed train to internment camps.

Commercial fishermen who had been out to sea were detained as they stepped off their boats in San Pedro. U.S. citizens with no idea whether they would ever return sold their furniture and appliances for a pittance. Restaurants were closed. Pets were left behind. Prisoners were not allowed to ship personal items or household goods — they could bring only what they were able to carry.

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Haiti and Hurricane Matthew

"We are still waiting for news of our confreres in Jérémie. Until today (October 7, 2016) we have no news. And there is no way to contact or visit them" writes to Fides Fr. Kenol Chery, C.Ss.R., missionary and regional superior of the Redemptorists in Haiti.

"All religious congregations are in the same situation. We see the pictures taken by American soldiers that show the destruction, damage and desolation of the people. But the Haitian authorities cannot intervene. We can only pray and hope".

"Our two parishes of Saint Louis Conzague in Fonfrede (Les Cayes) and Saint Louis Roi de France Château (Les Cayes) are destroyed. The parish church in Chateau and the building that housed the nursery are completely destroyed", added the missionary.

There is not a definite toll of casualties and damage from the authorities after Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean. In Haiti there are now more than 800 deaths, according to the agencies, but the toll becomes more and more dramatic as hours go by. Also Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the families of those who died because of Hurricane Matthew, and he expressed his closeness and affection to the injured and the victims of the catastrophe.

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Killing Isn’t Justice

On the ballot for Nov. 8, 2016, in California was Proposition 62. This proposition would repeal the death penalty in our state and would make life in prison without parole the maximum punishment that could be imposed for crimes of murder.

My brother bishops and I in the California Catholic Conference are supporting this effort. It is time for us to end the death penalty – not only in California but throughout the United States and throughout the world.

The Catholic Church has always taught that legitimate governments have the right to impose the death penalty on those guilty of the most serious crimes. This teaching has been consistent for centuries – in the Scriptures, in the writings of the Church Fathers and in the teachings of the popes.

Every Person has a Dignity

But in recent years, there has been a growing consensus that the use of the death penalty can no longer be accepted. This consensus is reflected in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in the teachings of bishops’ conferences around the world and in the teachings of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis.

On his final visit to our country in 1999, St. John Paul called the death penalty “cruel and unnecessary.” And it is true. The reason is that every life is sacred and every person has a dignity that comes from God. This is true for the innocent and it is true for the guilty. It is true even for those convicted of the most violent crimes.

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Peacemaking in Holy Land

Recently I emailed questions to the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop William Shomali, asking him to share his first-hand insights regarding the many injustices and violent environment in the land of the Prince of Peace. He graciously sent back a recorded audio response upon which this column is based.

Restrictions, Permits and Building, Oh My!

Bishop Shomali said one of the most pressing problems facing Palestinians is Israeli imposed restrictions on movement. For example, he said Palestinians living in Bethlehem or Ramallah need to obtain a permit to go just six miles to Jerusalem. And permits are only given during principle feasts.

He said the ongoing illegal building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the Occupied Territories is an extremely serious roadblock to a peaceful solution.

To correct these and other injustices, Israel needs to participate in good-faith negotiations toward the two-state solution: the establishment of an independent viable Palestinian nation coexisting peacefully with a fully recognized state of Israel. He emphasized the two-state solution continues to be firmly supported by the Holy See.

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Voting – a Privilege and Responsibility

I remember it well. When I was sixteen years of age, my father took me to a government office and I suddenly received my Social Security Card. I asked my dad how long I needed to keep this and he, in a matter-of-fact way, said: “Oh, as long as you are alive!”

Wow! That was a shocker. I had to keep this for my entire life. Nothing I had ever done seemed to have such importance to my daily life as getting this card with my unique number on it. He seemed to be saying to me that every American gets one, so keep it. It’s important.

In this seemingly endless two-year process of preparation for this November’s Presidential Elections, we have been challenged, seduced, and even pressured into becoming interested or at least somewhat involved in our duty as Americans to vote, and to do it responsibly.

Yes, I have found this process sometimes interesting, at other times even excruciating, yet the truth is, I need to take voting quite seriously. 

These United States – 325 million People Strong

I guess this opportunity to vote every few years should remind us that we are part of a very large group of humanity – nearly 325 million people strong – who have certain privileges as well as responsibilities. We need to refresh our memory about what makes us Americans.

It is not our color, race, religion, ethic background or our country of origin. It is our common belief in our “inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” that pushes us on in this endless process of continually growing stronger as a nation.

At the outset, this may sound quite Pollyannaish but it’s true and central to who we are, whether we are aware of this most of the time or not. Even with our recurring efforts to preserve or attain true respect for every American, we must not forget our important and unique place in this, our democracy.

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Visiting Prisoners and Those Socially Excluded

St. Peter’s Square
(Photo: Alberto Luccaroni)Recently Archbishop Rino Fisichella… presented the two main events preceding the conclusion of the Holy Year of Mercy: the Jubilee of Prisoners (Nov. 5-6) and the Jubilee of the Socially Excluded (Nov. 11-13).

During the Jubilee of Prisoners, it will be possible for the first time for many detainees from all over Italy and other countries to be present in St. Peter’s Basilica to take part in their own Jubilee with Pope Francis…

Pope Francis, after the promulgation of the Bull convoking the Jubilee, Misericordiae vultus, wrote a letter for the implementation of the Jubilee program in which he stated,

“My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. 

“May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father Who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom”.

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Protecting Indian Outcasts

New Delhi, India – Violence against Dalits – the "outcasts" or "untouchables" – in India have increased in recent years: say the official data of the National Crime Record Board (NCRB), illustrated in recent days in a public meeting in Delhi which was attended by more than 7000 Dalits from all over the country, promoted by the "Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union Federation" (BKMUF), a network that links different organizations of Indian Dalits.
Bp. Theodore Mascarenhas, Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi, India
"It is a matter of concern to note: since the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been ruling, atrocities on Dalits have increased" says to Fides Jesuit A. Xavier John Bosco, director of the Jesuit Social Centre, based in Secunderabad (Andhra Pradesh), one of the speakers at the event in Delhi, attended by many Christian groups. "It is urgent to carry out a massive campaign across the country on the delicate question of the Dalits", asks Fr. Bosco.

Interviewed by Agenzia Fides, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, General Secretary of the Indian Bishops' Conference, said: "The Church has always given attention to Dalits and tribals, the government has not given the Dalits the attention that the Church has given them, in the field of education, social welfare, development and promotion.

Fighting Against Discrimination

There is a special Commission of Bishops in charge of their social development and the fight against discrimination. Of course, one must counter a widespread mentality which discriminates against them. We also ask Christian Dalits, penalized by the Presidential Ordinance of 1950, to have the same rights enjoyed by non- Christian Dalits".

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Pope Francis to Journalists

Pope Francis. . .met with the Italian National Council of the Order of Journalists, telling them that truth, professionalism and respect for human dignity were essential elements in their work.

The First Draft of History

Meeting with the assembled Italian journalists in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall on Thursday, Pope Francis told them that there were few professions that have “so much influence on society like that of journalism.” He noted that they are usually the ones who are there to record what he called, the "first draft of history”, “the building of the news agenda and introducing people to the interpretation of events.”

He also noted that the journalistic profession was one that was continually adapting to changes in the way people digest news through new forms of media.

In his discourse the Pope stressed three essential elements in the work of a journalist, that he said could serve to “improve the society in which we live”: To love the truth, to embody professionalism and to respect human dignity.

Bearing Witness to the Truth and Professionalism

He said that loving the truth meant not only stating it, but living it and bearing witness to it in their work, adding, even in journalism we must be able to discern between shades of grey surrounding the events that we are called to tell.”

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