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Bishops Reaffirm Faithful Citizenship
Universal Access to Medical Care
VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2011 (VIS) – On May 18, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care spoke at the 64th World Health Assembly underway in Geneva, Switzerland, from 16 to 24 May. His address was dedicated to the theme “Guaranteeing Universal Access to Medical Care.”
“The World Health Report 2010,” he said, “emphasizes health system financing as the conduit to the much desired universal coverage in health service provision. It also notes with concern that despite the progress made in some countries, on the whole, we are still a long way from universal coverage. This sad fact highlights the need for a true global solidarity, in which high income countries do not only promise, but effectively meet their commitments on development assistance.”
Then, citing the papal encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, he noted that in it Pope Benedict XVI asserted that “more economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this regard.”
Remembering César Chávez
Editor’s note: Cesar Chavez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) came to visit the La Salette Shrine in Ipswich, MA, in the late 1960’s. He spoke to our seminarians to encourage them since they were volunteering in Roxbury, MA and marching for the rights of those the Chicano farm workers in the area.
César Chávez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993), leader of the Farmworker’s Movement
Archbishop José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los AngelesThe César Chávez we remember was not only a labor leader who helped improve the lives of millions of farm workers (although, of course, this is absolutely true, and we give thanks for his heroic defense of human dignity). Yet at the same time we remember that he was a Mexican-American Catholic who testified to Christ and was a model of faithful citizenship who worked for social justice.
I never had the honor of meeting César Chávez. Many who worked with him believed he was a saint. And his life has an iconic quality and heroic spirituality that reminds me of the lives of the saints. There is also something truly American about his story.
Putting a Human Face on the Immigrant
When he turns 75 late next month, Cardinal Roger Mahony will step down as the leader of America's largest Roman Catholic diocese.
But he's still vigorous and plans to remain very much engaged, not only as a priest but also as an influential voice in the debates over an issue that has preoccupied him throughout his ministry: Immigration. In a statement to be distributed throughout the archdiocese this week, Mahony outlines his plans in a deeply personal document headed, “STANDING with the ELEVEN MILLION: Welcoming the Strangers in Our Midst.”
The title is a reference to the estimated 11 million immigrants currently making a life in the United States without legal documents. And in a conversation this week, I asked Mahony – the first native-born Angeleno to serve as archbishop – why this issue, among all others, so animates him.
Religious Freedom: a Weapon of Peace
In his annual message for the 2011 World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Religious freedom is an authentic weapon of peace,” which fosters the human qualities and potentials that “can change the world and make it better.”
Pope Benedict's message, which was delivered to world leaders by Vatican ambassadors, was released at the Vatican Dec. 16. The message, entitled “Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace,” begins by stating that
“Religious freedom expresses what is unique about the human person… to eclipse the public role of religion is to create a society which is unjust, inasmuch as it fails to take account of the true nature of the human person; it is to stifle the growth of the authentic and lasting peace of the whole human family” (#1).
Catholics and Human Dignity
Most of us would readily state that we are good Catholics. But how much do we know about the powerful area of Catholic Social Teaching. Here is a quick “catch-up” for your reflection:
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong.
Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
Bishop Murphy Labor Day Statement
WASHINGTON - With millions unemployed and U.S. workers experiencing tragedies such as mining deaths in West Virginia and the oil rig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans must seek to protect the life and dignity of each worker in a renewed and robust economy, said Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York. Bishop Murphy addressed these issues in the 2010 Labor Day Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), entitled A New Social Contract for Today's New Things, which can be found online in English and Spanish
Bishop Murphy, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, compared the challenges faced by today's workers to the changing society of the Industrial Revolution addressed by Pope Leo XIII in the 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum (Of New Things).
Immigration Issues in Arizona
Bishop Kicanas of Tucson Explains Immigration Issues in Arizona
One of Emma Lazarus’ famous poems is written on a tablet within the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty stands. It says in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Unfortunately many of our tired and poor are only becoming more tired and poor partially due to our lack of a comprehensive immigration policy. In a landmark pastoral letter issued by the Catholic bishops of Mexico and the United States in 2003, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, the bishops acknowledge that the current immigration system is badly in need of reform and that a comprehensive approach to fixing it is required.
Cultivating Peace
As a child of the 50’s and a teen of the 60’s, I remember the phrase “Give Peace a Chance.” It was emblazoned everywhere, even made into a popular song. Those were interesting but turbulent times. There are some days even now when I’d like to be back in first grade again, where life seemed to be simpler. However, even there, life is not so simple.
A few weeks ago, I was visiting some friends and we began discussing Sally, their first grade daughter. She was having her difficulties with a taller classmate who insisted on physically pushing Sally around. Every day the taller girl would find some occasion to shove their daughter, baiting her, showing her “who’s boss.” However Sally was taught well at home that “you need to play nice”. If someone pushes you, talk with them; if they won’t listen, talk with the teacher. Their child did all of this and the pushing and taunting continued. As good parents, they went to talk with the teacher. No matter what the teacher said or did, the taller girl continued her show of force.
Ministering to the Little Ones
Ministering to
the "Little Ones"
I have been living and ministering at the La Salette Shrine and Ministerial Center in Altamont, NY for the past four years with Fr. Jeff L’Arche, M.S., and Bro. Anthony Casso, M.S. Our shrine is directly across the street from what was our Major Seminary from the early 1920’s, housed in the old Helderberg Inn and eventually replaced by a newer structure, used for about thirty years.