For His Friends

As regular readers can tell, I enjoy sharing my thoughts with a wider audience through the use of this blog. It first came into being when it was clear that the diocese would be leaving the newspaper era and investing more in time and talent in the “on-line” opportunities. The FLORIDA CATHOLIC which was read by a very small segment of our Catholic population cost the diocese and the parishes something near $650,000 per year, its subscription and circulation list was in decline and it was “touched” (which does not mean read) by only 20% of those receiving it. It was useful, kept us informed on coming events in the diocese, nation and world and reported on what had recently happened. I miss it, I must confess. But print journalism, at this moment, is in decline and so the Church must seek other ways of communicating and this blog has merely been one of those ways in our local Church communicates (see the Diocesan website www.dosp.org and podcast, the Living Eucharist website LivingEucharist.org, the Vocations website spvocation.org, and the Ministries of Mercy website mom.dosp.org).

When I started, Cardinal Sean O’Malley in Boston had begun a once a week personal blog and I have always enjoyed reading what His Eminence posts. Since I had originally begun writing for the FLORIDA CATHOLIC a weekly column (entitled mind you, “Out of the Ordinary”), I thought blogging would be an interesting adventure. I knew right away that I did not wish to enter disputatious argumentation so the comments received would only be read by myself. I also promised myself that I would never use this blog to attack in any way any single person or to speak terribly ill of any single person or groups of persons. I challenge you to go back through the year and a half of these entries and find one. However, those who comment on the blog are clearly not bound by any bond of charity and I would say about ten per cent of the comments make me cringe to think that the writer might profess the faith which Jesus left. But I don’t mind it and if people feel better because they unload their anger on any blog writer, myself included, then so be it.

Blogs generally have no responsibility to the truth. Many of them reflect the deep divisions and polarizations present in society today. They are meant to be controversial, to stir up emotions, and in some instances to tear down people and/or institutions. Yet some clearly navigate the waters carefully, reporting, challenging in a Christ-like manner, generating thoughtful reflections and moving people like myself to delve deeper into the real meaning of events and insights. There are some wonderful blogs about matters of our Catholic faith and I for one have gained much more insight from them in recent years and I was from the journalistic printed word or radio and television with their brief segment approach to the most complicated of issues.

On judgment day, there may be a special line in which we “bloggers” must stand before hearing those words, “well done good and faithful servant” or its terrifying opposite. For my part, I will continue to offer my reflections on life in the Church today until something more effective comes along but I am committed to kindness and reserving judgment. To those who have proffered comments, thanks. Some of you have seen that I have listened and responded in later entries without so identifying that the change or nuance in my thinking has originated with a specific comment. It has been suggested that the comment part of this bishop’s blog should be eliminated but I learn from your insights just as I hope you learn from mine. “Bloggery” like flattery may ultimately get us nowhere but it can be fun too.

Over the past week-end the media began to direct a  great deal of attention to the issue of Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island and the Bishop of Providence, Bishop Thomas Tobin. The matter became media fodder when the Congressman chose to reveal the contents of a strictly personal and confidential letter sent to him several years ago by Bishop Tobin following pastoral outreach and conversation between the two on Kennedy’s ardent pro-abortion position. In that letter the Bishop as Kennedy’s bishop asked him to refrain from the reception of the Eucharist unless and until he embraced Church teaching on abortion and pro-life issues.

A few months ago, the Congressman raised the ante in the relationship by being openly critical of the Catholic bishops of the U.S. for risking the defeat of health care which he described as a true pro-life issue for concerns about abortion and conscience freedom guarantees. He stopped just short of calling the Church leadership “anti-life.” Bishop Tobin responded as I would have responded – calling a misrepresentation of the Church’s teaching for what it is. He did not publish his previous request to Kennedy to refrain from receiving the Eucharist and said he had no intention of making it public nor did he instruct the priests of his diocese to deny Eucharist to him (an allegation Kennedy made in his week-end interview). In other words, Bishop Tobin pursued conversation over confrontation and tried, unsuccessfully it would seem, a pastoral approach in asking the Congressman not to continue to give scandal by presenting himself as a member of the Catholic communion for communion. I think this is exactly how I would choose to proceed if faced with the same set of circumstances as was Bishop Tobin.

In judging this situation, please keep the following in mind:

1. Abortion is a moral issue which admits of no compromise. It is taking innocent human life. It has been the teaching of the Church for many decades and perhaps centuries. Catholics who choose to be pro-choice do not embrace the teaching of their Church on this issue and at some point can be considered to have separated themselves from the Catholic communion.

2. The Catholic Church leadership in this country is strongly committed to expanding health care to the uninsured. While it may seem that our commitment here is less passionate than our opposition to abortion, that’s not how I and my brother bishops feel. Abortion as a moral issue trumps but does not vitiate our support for expanded coverage for the poor and uninsured.

3. The Church in making its case before the Congress is acting as Cardinal George, our President said last week, based on principle, not politics. It is allowed to do this under section 501.C.3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. We would likely cross the line if we endorsed or opposed a candidate for political office, which we do not do. Many of our more ardent pro-life Catholics would like to see more of the latter but it will not happen.

4. Congressman Kennedy, for whatever reasons, chose to take on his bishop and his Church’s teaching in an unconscionable manner. The bishop has responded as both pastor and teacher. I admire his restraint and his strength.

+RNL

Many of the appointments of new bishops in this country this year have been long on pastoral experience and wisdom and not so much academic types,  bureaucrats, or men lacking in practical pastoral experience. Almost all of them exude a witness to hope that I believe our beloved Church needs at this moment in history. Now let me say up front, that I doubt if I would meet the template which presently seems to be driving the Holy Father’s appointments. There is no question in my mind about the appointment of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan as Archbishop of New York, though. I believe that the Archbishop will soon be one of the most credible spokespersons for the Church in the United States and one to whom we U.S. bishops will turn to help us out of jams. His placement in the media capital of the world, New York, gives him ample opportunity to speak to many issues and his background as a legitimate Church historian gives him a very unique perspective. To whit, I encourage all of you to read his latest blog entry. All I can say, is right on, Archbishop Tim. If you have Sirius radio you can hear the Archbishop live every Thursday for one hour beginning at one o’clock.

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The cover story on today’s front page of USA TODAY newspaper is all about Pinellas Hope and it should make every member of this great diocese swell with pride. USA TODAY video is also available here.  Because of the article, this initiative of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg and the cities and counties located here was also featured on GOOD MORNING, AMERICA. Our work is fast becoming a model for temporary housing of the homeless population. Congratulations to Catholic Charities of the diocese and particularly to Sheila Lopez, the mother of “hope” and to all who have made this outreach successful.

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In a few days  a number of our priests will begin in one fashion or another to celebrate different milestones in their priestly ministry. Whether it is 25, 40, 50 or 60 years of ordained ministry, anniversaries are times to pause and thank God for the good work of these men. Pope Benedict leads off the anniversary list by celebrating in short order not only his birthday but his fourth anniversary as pope. As I correctly foresaw at the time of his election, he has proven to be a patient and learned leader of the Church, ever the teacher. He has broken some traditional restraints  by writing and publishing a book on Jesus, perhaps one of the best books on the life of the Lord, and indicating that this is his personal opinion and work and is not intended to be a part of his magisterial collection of writings. The first two encyclical letters were on the subjects of love and hope and were eminently readable. Like most leaders in an era of instantaneous and mass communications, there have been some bumps along the road for the Holy Father (I would say less of his causation and more due to staff work and advice) but I think in four years the Catholic world has come to admire and love him in ways that many thought impossible for anyone to achieve following Pope John Paul II.

In the coming days I will mention our own jubilarians by name around the time of their anniversaries and talk about their gifts to this local Church. But during May, a month dedicated to the mother of all clergy and priests, I send an anticipated word of congratulations to all our jubiliarians.

+RNL

From time to time, someone will approach me and ask, “Bishop, where in the media can I find the truth about what is happening in the Church today?” The question usually implies that the secular media’s coverage on the Church tends to focus on the negative or controversial and that even within the Church, there is sufficient polarization that in order to discover a kernel of truth, one has to plow through acres of planted grain.

The question has taken on significant import in recent weeks in certain sectors of the Church and with certain people because of the situation involving Notre Dame and Georgetown and the President of the United States. My take on all this is that the secular media quickly became disinterested and considered it an intramural fight and that most of the Catholic media and press considered it “interesting but not seismic.” Where the controversy remains, it is among a small group of strong-willed and strong-minded people but the debate and discussion has not and likely will not effect any change.

If you are reading this “blog” you already must have some computer savvy. I think a balanced picture of what is happening in the Church in the United States can usually be found on the internet at a blog site which I have previously mentioned entitled Whispers in the Loggia. The blog-meister, Rocco Palmo usually presents issues in a balanced manner and, I would say, reacts from a firm, healthy and good ecclesial perspective. He has good sources and is amassing a terrific understanding of the Church, how it operates, and what things mean. I do not find him desirous of being just another polarizing voice in the Church, but there is a lot of the journalist and occasionally the “gossip columnist” here.

Catholic News Service (CNS) is another reliable source of information on the Church in this country and in the world. Many of their “takes” on current situations can also be accessed through web portals like that of The Florida Catholic. Remember, they are a “wholesaler” of news items, not the retailer. They occasionally get into difficulty with one bishop or another because of that reality when the bishop or other critic thinks they have an obligation to “spin” a news item favorably toward the Church. They are like the AP, sending raw stories to customers who will choose either to pursue, comment upon or ignore this or that item.

The Holy See has a web-site that allows access to both the Italian daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, which publishes only in Italian or the weekly English language edition.

I don’t pay a great deal of attention to other news services because they have a mission to shade their transmissions to meet their own goals and objectives.

The internet is becoming the major portal for information on the Church and here one needs to be careful and skeptical. Bloggers like myself need to be read through the prism of fact versus opinion and information versus polemic. This blog is meant to share my opinions, insights, thoughts and commentaries on local, national and international issues facing the Church. You need to read it that way.

There are several weekly, monthly and quarterly  Church publications which I subscribe to and which serve my personal longing for information and intellectual challenge well, but I shall not list them because what satisfies my thirst and curiosity may not be the next person’s cup of tea.

In the end, there is something credible for everyone to be found beyond the secular media and if you are reading this on your computer, you can find them on the same computer with a little patience.

+RNL