Choose Life

Delighted to see James E. Briner’s letter to the editor in today’s Cumberland Times-News, in which he cites the contradictions of some prominent Catholic politicians and says:

“The church (teaches) that a human being is created at the moment of conception
and its willful destruction is nothing short of murder.”

The prophet in Deuteronomy 30:19 says of the choice between misery and happiness – evil and death, good and life: "Choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” Literal or mystical, choosing life in God's light and in our option-filled world is the Catholic way; and it's the simplistic and holistic way to spiritual health for us and for those who live with us. Got to admire the courage of those devout young Catholics who make their message of survival clear: “You can’t be Catholic and pro-choice.”

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-11-08

Sexism is alive -- and well?

"Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life -- social, economic, cultural, artistic and political." Pope John Paul II

Sexism is alive and well; but one might argue that quoting Scripture to justify it is short-sighted, at best. Relying on his sole interpretation of a single Scripture verse from the prophet Isaiah, David Biser in his September 10 commentary in the Cumberland Times-News equates women with children in their ability to lead and says women in politics do not follow guidelines for a biblical life.

In a June 29, 1995 “Letter to Women” on the advent of the Fourth World Conference on Women of the United Nations, Pope John Paul II says, “I wish to consider the essential issue of the dignity and rights of women, as seen in the light of the word of God. ... Gospel contains an ever relevant message which goes back to the attitude of Jesus Christ himself. Transcending the established norms of his own culture, Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance and tenderness. In this way he honoured the dignity which women have always possessed according to God's plan and in his love."

JPII thanks God for women; and he thanks women for being wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and consecrated to the church. And he states in his letter: “Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life-social, economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this way you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to the sense of ‘mystery,’ to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more worthy of humanity.”

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-10-08

Religion, immigrants both have their place in U.S.

Published in Cumberland Times-News Letters on September 9, 2008

"The church aims to educate and encourage those who are in power to respect and protect the dignity of those who are vulnerable – to remain conscious of immigrants as people who have a right to migrate to improve their lives and to ensure that conditions for enforcing regulations and laws are humane and promote the common good."

To the Editor:

Religion has a place in politics. And immigrants have a place in society.

Hopefully, Judith Weller (“Church has lost its way on immigration issue,” Sept. 4) read Charles Haynes’ column (“We tire of faith-based politics,” Sept. 5), in which the senior scholar at the First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C., acknowledges “the mixture of God and politics in America can be a volatile brew.” He continues: “But for most Christians and for many others, faith by definition requires political involvement of some kind. Contrary to the freedom-from-religion crowd, the First Amendment doesn’t bar religion from politics. It protects the right of houses of worship to speak out on the public-policy issues of the day.”

It’s a good response to Dr. Weller’s letter, in which she goes astray in her interpretation of the first amendment and in her (lack of) understanding of the purpose and place of faith and social action in society today – and in the past and future.

Regarding immigration, the Catholic Church doesn’t attempt to be involved in determining legal status or deciding what is best for the state, as Dr. Weller implies it does. The church urges the state to do what is best for everyone; and it is interested in protecting the dignity of immigrants and attending to their human needs.

In a piece titled “The Economics of Immigration,” the Maryland Catholic Conference states: “It is reasonable to ask what impact immigrants, including those who are undocumented, have on the economy, public benefits, and native-born workers. The answer is largely positive. Research shows that immigrants – documented and undocumented alike – work hard, pay taxes and help grow the economy.” The article cites such sources as the Council of Economic Advisers (established by the Employment Act of 1946 to provide objective economic analysis and advice to the President of the United States), the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (which studies the economic impact of entrepreneurship), the Social Security Advisory Board, the General Accounting Office and more.

Politics of managing who may enter the country or not and how; and legalities of deciding who is detained or deported and why, are up to the state. The church aims to educate and encourage those who are in power to respect and protect the dignity of those who are vulnerable – to remain conscious of immigrants as people who have a right to migrate to improve their lives and to ensure that conditions for enforcing regulations and laws are humane and promote the common good.

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-09-08

What Is Church's Teaching on Immigration?

Published in Cumberland Times-News Letters and picked up by Catholic Relief Services blog on August 29, 2008.

"...people have a right to migrate to improve their lives, while countries have a right to defend their borders."

To the Editor:

Eileen Steele’s commentary (“Some things need discussing,” August 26), in which she says “the Catholic Church has a wrong-headed approach to the illegals,” though she gives no elucidation as to what offends her, caused me, a cradle Catholic, to wonder: What is the crux of the Church’s teaching on immigration; and how does it fit into the political debate?

Probably the best source I found to answer questions is the Maryland Catholic Conference , informed by bishops O’Brien, Wuerl and Saltarelli of Baltimore, Washington and Wilmington, respectively, to advocate for public policy and pastoral interests in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill. The MCC, the site summarizes, aims to keep before our legislators “moral and religious dimensions of secular issues” and “values of the Gospel as norms for social and political life” and to promote “peace and justice.”

“Undocumented immigrants are persons with dignity,” the bishops state in their document titled “Where All Find a Home;” and they call us to learn about the immigration system, reasons people migrate, and needs of immigrants and their families: “Our American ideals call us to participate in the public debate; our Catholic faith urges us to do so with charity.”

Basically, the Church advances the position that people have a right to migrate to improve their lives, while countries have a right to defend their borders. When the two ideals conflict, citizens of the “receiving nation,” if capable, should respond with generosity to meet basic individual needs and keep families together. The church’s position separates legal questions surrounding entry into the U.S. from social questions of dignified treatment for immigrants.

The bishops cite organized Catholic outreaches to immigrants: “Catholic Relief Services, headquartered in Baltimore, assists 80 million people worldwide, including many who have been displaced by war, genocide and the threat of starvation. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops works for a just federal immigration policy and promotes economic initiatives that help people stay in their homelands. In Maryland, immigrants are served through the good work of organizations like the Hispanic Apostolate in Baltimore, the Spanish Catholic Center in Langley Park, and the Seton Center in Princess Anne.”

The bishops urge Catholics to educate themselves – and the site posts informational pieces about the process, history, economics and root causes for immigration – and to thoughtfully discuss the issues toward finding “local solutions to local challenges.” We are reminded that the Holy Family were immigrants who found shelter in a foreign land and that our first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini, was an Italian immigrant.

Our individual political beliefs are our own – and contrary to what Dr. Steele would lead readers to believe, “political speeches” are not made in Catholic churches; and no “political agenda” is “pushed down (anyone’s) throat” – but we are called to be reasonable and charitable in forming our opinions and actions.

by Nancy E. Thoerig 08-29-08

Raffle over; ambulance to be bought for Tanzanians

Published in Cumberlnad Times-News on August 20, 2008.

To the Editor:

Winner of the 1976 classic BMW, raffled to purchase an ambulance for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, is Jack Gallagher of Great Falls, Va., as announced by Pamela Protani, ambulance fund representative. "I spoke with Mr. Gallagher earlier today and he and his wife are terribly excited," notes Ms. Protani in an email Aug. 16.

The drawing followed 7 p.m. Mass Aug. 15, at the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg. "Stay tuned," adds Ms. Protani, "as we should be purchasing the ambulance either this week or next; and that's terribly exciting for us, as well!" An announcement and additional information will be posted on the St. Elizabeth Hospital Ambulance Fund Web site at http://www.sehafund.org/.

Need for the ambulance was mentioned by St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Director Dr. Kway to a group of visiting missionaries, under leadership of Grotto of Lourdes Chaplain Father Jack Lombardi, during their pilgrimage to Arusha in August 2007. The BMW raffle was the capstone in their year-long fundraising efforts. The car was donated by locksmith Carroll Kohler of Randallstown, who restored it over a period of four years.

Father Jack notes, "Please know that 100 percent of donations collected will go toward the purchase of the ambulance, an ambulance that will serve the sick, the needy and the poorest of the poor in Arusha, Tanzania. Asante Sana! (Swahili for thank you!)"

Nancy E. Thoerig
Mount Savage