BISHOP WENSKI CALLS FOR PRIORITY FOR THE POOR
IN SENATE CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE
WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee
on International Justice and Peace declared “a central moral measure of climate
change legislation is how it touches the poor and vulnerable.” Speaking at a
press briefing that included the sponsors of Senate climate change legislation
(S. 2191) and interreligious leaders, Bishop Thomas Wenski said, “The real
‘inconvenient truth’ is that those who contribute least to climate change will
be affected the most and have the least capacity to cope or escape. The poor and
vulnerable are most likely to pay the price of inaction or unwise actions. We
know from our everyday experience their lives, homes, children, and work are
most at risk.”
“As Catholic bishops, we are not here to endorse the many details of this or any
other legislation,” said Bishop Wenski, “but we welcome and support leadership
in lifting up and seriously addressing how climate change will
disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable in our country and around the
world.”
Bishop Wenski’s complete statement follows:
“Seven years ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops adopted a major statement on the
moral dimensions of climate change, A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the
Common Good. Pope Benedict XVI is making caring for creation and climate
change central themes of his global leadership. The U.S. Catholic bishops insist
that responding to climate change raises fundamental questions of morality and
justice, fairness and shared sacrifice. As bishops, we lead a Church, not an
interest group. We are not ‘the environmental movement at prayer.’ Rather we
lead communities of faith that have been called to care for God’s creation and
the poor since Genesis.
“We have called for principled, constructive, realistic and civil discussion on
climate change. This essential and long overdue national debate is moving
forward. For this, we can especially thank Senators Boxer, Lieberman and Warner
who have exercised strong leadership and introduced this groundbreaking
legislation. As Catholic bishops, we are not here to endorse the many details of
this or any other legislation, but we welcome and support their leadership in
lifting up and seriously addressing how climate change will disproportionately
affect the poor and vulnerable in our country and around the world. This
represents a significant advance on previous proposals. We are grateful for the
hard work and renewed commitment this represents.
“As our Bishops’ Conference testified before Senator Boxer’s
Committee,
‘The real “inconvenient truth” is that those who contribute least to climate
change will be affected the most and have the least capacity to cope or escape.
The poor and vulnerable are most likely to pay the price of inaction or unwise
actions. We know from our everyday experience their lives, homes, children, and
work are most at risk.’
“We have been working with our religious partners and with these Senate leaders
to make clear that a central moral measure of climate change legislation is how
it touches the poor and vulnerable. We particularly welcome the essential
provisions which offer substantial resources and other much needed assistance to
poor persons and poor countries for adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
We will continue to work with these Senate leaders and others to build on and
strengthen these essential commitmentsand to assure that those with the greatest
needs receive the most help through effective, targeted and workable allocations
and programs.
“As religious leaders we make a plea for strong, bi-partisan action on climate
change which reflects the old-fashioned virtue of prudence and a genuine
commitment to the common good. Protecting God’s creation and “the least of
these” requires urgent, wise and bold action. We join our religious partners in
working to advance this essential moral, national and global priority.”
BISHOPS TO VOTE ON EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH
STATEMENT AT SPRING MEETING
WASHINGTON—U.S. Catholic bishops, convening June 12-14 in Orlando, Florida
at their semi-annual spring meeting, will vote on a proposed statement
concerning embryonic stem cell research. If approved, this statement will be the
first formal statement issued by the bishops devoted exclusively to this issue.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been prominent
in the national debate on stem cell research for many years. Conference
officials have offered public statements, testimony and letters to Congress on
the issue and many individual bishops and state conferences of bishops have
spoken out, especially in the context of state legislation and ballot
initiatives. The Catholic Church’s moral position against destroying human
embryos for research is also stated briefly in other documents by the full body
of bishops (e.g., Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship in
November 2007).
The statement on embryonic stem cell research is devoted to the
question whether researchers, with or without government funds, are ethically
justified in destroying human embryos to obtain stem cells for research and
possible future treatments. The bishops firmly answer this question in the
negative, respond to several arguments used in the public debate to justify such
destruction, and explain how an initial decision to destroy so-called “spare”
embryos for this research leads to far broader ethical abuses, including new
risks to women of child-bearing age.
Approval of this statement requires support by two-thirds of the
USCCB’s members.
The bishops’ spring meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Grand
Cypress hotel in Orlando, Florida. To request media credentials or information,
contact the USCCB Department of Communications at 202-541-3200.
CATHOLICS, ORTHODOX EXAMINE MEANS OF EXPRESSING
AUTHORITY, SACRAMENTAL NATURE OF THE CHURCH
WASHINGTON—The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
examined how the two church bodies understand ecclesial authority and the
sacramental nature of the Church at their 74th meeting at Hellenic College/Holy
Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, from June 2
to 4. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati and Metropolitan Maximos of
Pittsburgh chaired the meeting.
At the first theological session, Father Paul McPartlan of The
Catholic University of America analyzed the October 2007 document of the
international Orthodox-Catholic theological dialogue, “Ecclesiological and
Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial
Communion, Conciliarity and Authority.” Also known as “The Ravenna Document,”
this text examines the canonical practices and structures that shape the
community (koinonia) of the Church at the local, regional and world-wide
levels. Father McPartlan is himself a member of the international dialogue. A
Catholic reaction to the document was then presented by Father John Galvin and
an Orthodox reaction by Robert Haddad, Ph.D.
At the second session, Father Joseph Komonchak, from Catholic
University, presented a select bibliography on synodality and commented on a
number of the sources. Jesuit Father Brian Daley of the University of Notre
Dame, presented an overview and commentary of the Cyprus Agreed Statement, the
2006 document of the Anglican-Orthodox theological dialogue, titled “The Church
of the Triune God.” This was followed by brief presentations by Father David
Petras and Father McPartlan on how the two churches might function were there
reestablishment of full communion.
At the third session, Metropolitan Maximos presented the paper, “Will the
Ecclesiology of Cardinal Ratzinger Influence the Pontificate of Pope Benedict
XVI?” A discussion of the Consultation’s efforts exploring primacy and
synodality so far followed. The discussion continued at the fourth session.
While at Holy Cross, the members attended Vespers Monday evening and
a celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the chapel Tuesday morning, presided over
by Metropolitan Maximos.
Father John Erickson of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological
Seminary, who had been an Orthodox member before he was named seminary dean in
2002, was welcomed back to the Consultation. He takes the place of Dr. John
Barnet, also of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. The next meeting is slated for
October 23-25, in Montreal, Quebec. It will be sponsored by the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has been an official participant in the
North American Consultation since 1997.
In addition to the co-chairs, the Consultation include Orthodox
representatives Father Thomas FitzGerald (Secretary), Father Nicholas Apostola,
Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Ph.D., Father James Dutko, Paul Meyendorff, Ph.D., Father
Alexander Golitzin, Robert Haddad, Ph.D., Father Paul Schnierla, Father Robert
Stephanopoulos, Father John Erickson, Father Theodore Pulcini, and Father Mark
Arey, General Secretary of SCOBA (staff).
The additional Catholic members are Jesuit Father Brian Daley
(Secretary), Thomas Bird, Ph.D., Holy Cross Father Lucien Coutu, Father Peter
Galadza, Chorbishop John D. Faris, Father John Galvin, Father Sidney Griffith,
Father Joseph Komonchak, Father Paul McPartlan, Father David Petras, Sister
Susan K. Wood, Vito Nicastro, Ph.D., and Paulist Father Ronald Roberson, who
serves as staff.
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation is
sponsored jointly by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in
the Americas (SCOBA), the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious
Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and the
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since its establishment in 1965, the
Consultation has issued 22 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts
are now available on the USCCB Website at
http://www.usccb.org/seia
and the SCOBA website at
http://www.scoba.us/resources
BISHOPS’ COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE PRAISES
RUSSERT’S WITNESS TO CATHOLICISM
WASHINGTON—NBC newsman and political commentator Tim Russert, who was slated
for burial June 18 after a funeral Mass in Washington, unabashedly witnessed to
his Catholic faith, said Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco,
chairman of the U.S. bishops' Communications Committee.
“Russert was valued by Americans for his tremendous command of the
political and electoral process and his commitment to discovering each aspect of
the story that contributed to people having a better awareness of the issues of
public life and candidates for political office," he said.
“But those of us who shared his Catholic faith and his deep love for
it appreciated his sharing of the story of his own faith and his loyalty to the
life of the Catholic Church in this country and the many charities to which he
contributed his time and talent," he said.
Archbishop Niederauer also praised NBC News for asking Cardinal
Theodore McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, to come to their studio
for their staff, hours after Russert’s death.
“Tim Russert was not shy about telling people to turn to prayer and
promising to pray for them in their time of need,” he said. “That the network
thought of his staff and followed his example speaks well of them.”
He noted that over the weekend, the newsman’s broadcast friends
described Russert’s devotion to his family and church. His producer noted that
there were two things Tim never missed: Mass and an event for his son Luke.
“Russert in his public life was loyal to journalism,” said
Archbishop Niederauer. “In his private life he was faithful to his family,
fatherhood and faith. That’s a wonderful measure of a man.”
POPE NAMES MINNESOTA PASTOR BISHOP OF NEW ULM, MINNESOTA
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict
XVI named Father John M. LeVoir, 62, pastor of St. Michael Church, Stillwater,
Minnesota, in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of New Ulm,
Minnesota.
The appointment was announced in Washington, July 14, by Msgr.
Martin Krebs, Charge d/Affaires at the apostolic nunciature of the United
States.
Bishop-elect LeVoir succeeds Archbishop John Nienstedt who was
bishop of New Ulm until April 2007, when he was named co-adjutor archbishop and
eventual Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
John M. LeVoir was born February 7, 1946, in Minneapolis. He
graduated from De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, and attended the
University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, the University of Minnesota and the
University of Dallas, where he attained a degree in accounting.
After working several years as an accountant, he entered St. Paul
Seminary and was ordained a priest May 30, 1981, at the age of 35.
His pastoral assignment included associate pastor of St. Charles
Borromeo Parish, in St. Anthony, Minnesota; and pastor of Most Holy Trinity
Parish, South St. Paul, from 1992 to 2004; St. Augustine Parish in South St.
Paul, from 2000-2004; and pastor of St. Michael and St. Mary parishes in
Stillwater, from 2004 to 2008.
The New Ulm Diocese includes 9,863 square miles. The total
population of the diocese is estimated at 285,000 people, with 67,000 of them
Catholic.