Faithful Citizenship and our political responsibility

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Joseph Kopacz

“In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.” – Faithful Citizenship

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
JACKSON – With the elections on national, state and local levels on the near horizon, the Catholic Church in the United States once again is active in the political process to foster the common good: a culture of life, justice and peace. There is obvious division in the church and in the nation over the candidates and the issues, perhaps more strident nowadays, but certainly nothing new. Social media and the 24-hour news cycle incessantly heap coals on the fires of partisanship that burn no less intense that those consuming millions of square miles in the western states. Unfortunately, then, politics in our country often can be a contest of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype. Yet, as Pope Francis reminds us, “Politics though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity inasmuch as it seeks the common good.” In this spirit the church seeks to be a trustworthy compass for voting in November, an appeal to faith and reason in the stillness of one’s conscience.

Included in this issue of the paper is the introduction to the bishops’ document, entitled “Faithful Citizenship.” It is a document, refined over decades of election cycles, that has been forged in the fire of Gospel truth and the church’s teaching for nearly 2000 years. The bishops state: “The Catholic community brings important assets to the political dialogue about our nation’s future. We bring a consistent moral framework, drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the church, for assessing issues, political platforms and campaigns. We also bring broad experience in serving those in need and educating the young.” From this abundant and fruitful tradition of faith, social action and education, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good … As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life.” CCC 1913-15

“In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.” Faithful Citizenship further states: Conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil.

Finally, prayerful reflection is essential to discern the will of God.” Clergy and laity have complementary roles in public life. We bishops have the primary responsibility to hand on the church’s moral and social teaching, and as Pope Benedict taught in Deus Caritas Est, “The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful.” #29

To form consciences and to promote a just ordering of society the church’s teaching rests upon four pillars: the dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God – fostering the common good which is a commitment to establishing conditions where all can thrive — solidarity, springing from the conviction as children of God, that unity built upon cooperation and collaboration wherever possible is the goal — subsidiarity, the empowerment of individuals, families and local entities. Based on these principles we pray, work, serve and vote to do good and avoid evil.

The following excerpts from Faithful Citizenship go to the heart of the matter for voting citizens. “Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. That is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience. A Catholic is not in good conscience if voting for a candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, unjust war, subjecting workers to subhuman living conditions, torture, racist behavior, e.g. if the voter’s intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil.” At the same time, “there may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position, even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act, may responsibly decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore fundamental moral evil.”

It is in our DNA as Catholics to be “all in” in every dimension of life, including the political realm. The Lord Jesus calls us to be “salt and light,” in order to create societies of life, justice and peace. Pope Francis reminds us. “An authentic faith always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God has put us, we love the human family that God has put here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths, and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters.”

Ciudadanía fiel y nuestra responsabilidad política

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

“La conciencia es la voz de Dios que resuena en el corazón humano, nos revela la verdad y nos llama a hacer el bien mientras rechazamos lo que es malo.”
– Ciudadanía Fiel

Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Con elecciones en el horizonte cercano, a nivel nacional, estatal y local, la Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos, una vez más, participa activamente en el proceso político para promover el bien común: una cultura de vida, justicia y paz. Hay una división obvia en la iglesia y en la nación sobre los candidatos y los temas, quizás más estridente hoy en día, pero ciertamente nada nuevo. Las redes sociales y el ciclo de noticias de 24 horas avivan incesantemente sobre los fuegos del partidismo las brasas que con tanta intensidad arden, tal como los fuegos que consumen millones de millas cuadradas en los estados del oeste. Desafortunadamente, entonces, la política en nuestro país a menudo puede ser una competencia de intereses poderosos, ataques partidistas, fragmentos de sonido y exageración de los medios. Sin embargo, como nos recuerda el Papa Francisco, “la política, aunque a menudo denigrada, sigue siendo una vocación elevada y una de las formas más elevadas de caridad en la medida en que busca el bien común”. Con este espíritu, la iglesia busca ser una brújula confiable para votar en noviembre, un llamado a la fe y la razón en la quietud de la conciencia de cada uno.

En esta edición del periódico, usted puede encontrar número la introducción al documento de los obispos, titulado “Ciudadanía Fiel” (Faithful Citizenship, por su nombre en inglés). Es un documento, refinado durante décadas de ciclos electorales, que se ha forjado en el fuego de la verdad del Evangelio y la enseñanza de la iglesia durante casi 2000 años. Los obispos afirman: “La comunidad católica aporta importantes activos al diálogo político sobre el futuro de nuestra nación. Traemos un marco moral consistente, extraído de la razón humana básica que está iluminado por las Escrituras y la enseñanza de la iglesia, para evaluar problemas, plataformas políticas y campañas. También aportamos una amplia experiencia en el servicio a los necesitados y la educación de los jóvenes.” Desde esta abundante y fructífera tradición de fe, educación y acción social, el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica nos recuerda: “Es necesario que todos participen, cada uno según su posición y función, en la promoción del bien común… En la medida de lo posible los ciudadanos deben participar activamente en la vida pública.” CCC 1913-15

“En esta declaración, los obispos no pretendemos decirles a los católicos por quién o contra quién votar. Nuestro propósito es ayudar a los católicos a formar su conciencia de acuerdo con la verdad de Dios. Reconocemos que la responsabilidad de tomar decisiones en la vida política recae en cada individuo a la luz de una conciencia debidamente formada, y que la participación va mucho más allá de emitir un voto en una elección en particular.”

Ciudadanía Fiel afirma, además, “La conciencia es la voz de Dios que resuena en el corazón humano, nos revela la verdad y nos llama a hacer el bien mientras rechazamos lo que es malo. Finalmente, la reflexión orante es fundamental para discernir la voluntad de Dios”. El clero y los laicos tienen roles complementarios en la vida pública. Los obispos tenemos la responsabilidad primordial de transmitir la doctrina moral y social de la Iglesia, y como enseñó el Papa Benedicto en Deus Caritas Est, “El deber directo de trabajar por un orden justo de la sociedad es propio de los fieles laicos.” #29

Para formar conciencias y promover un ordenamiento justo de la sociedad, la enseñanza de la iglesia se basa en cuatro pilares: la dignidad de la persona humana hecha a imagen y semejanza de Dios – fomentando el bien común que es un compromiso para establecer condiciones donde todos puedan prosperar – solidaridad, que nace de la convicción de hijos de Dios, que la unidad construida sobre la cooperación y la colaboración siempre que sea posible es el objetivo: la subsidiariedad, el empoderamiento de las personas, las familias y las entidades locales. Basándonos en estos principios, oramos, trabajamos, servimos y votamos para hacer el bien y evitar el mal.

Los siguientes extractos de Ciudadanía Fiel van al meollo del asunto de los ciudadanos votantes. “Los católicos a menudo enfrentan decisiones difíciles sobre cómo votar. Por eso es tan importante votar de acuerdo con una conciencia bien formada. Un católico no está en buena conciencia si vota por un candidato que favorece una política que promueve un acto intrínsecamente malo, como el aborto, la eutanasia, el suicidio asistido, la guerra injusta, someter a los trabajadores a condiciones de vida infrahumanas, tortura, comportamiento racista, p. Ej. si la intención del votante es apoyar esa posición. En tales casos, un católico sería culpable de cooperación formal en un mal grave.” Al mismo tiempo, “puede haber ocasiones en que un católico que rechaza la posición inaceptable de un candidato, incluso en políticas que promuevan un acto intrínsecamente maligno, puede decidir responsablemente votar por ese candidato por otras razones moralmente graves. Votar de esta manera sería permisible solo por razones morales verdaderamente graves, no para promover intereses estrechos o preferencias partidistas o para ignorar el mal moral fundamental.”

Como católicos, está en nuestro ADN estar “muy adentro” en todas las dimensiones de la vida, incluida la esfera política. El Señor Jesús nos llama a ser “sal y luz” para crear sociedades de vida, justicia y paz. El Papa Francisco nos lo recuerda. “Una fe auténtica implica siempre un deseo profundo de cambiar el mundo, de transmitir valores, de dejar esta tierra mejor de lo que la encontramos. Amamos este magnífico planeta en el que Dios nos ha puesto, amamos a la familia humana que Dios ha puesto aquí, con todas sus tragedias y luchas, sus esperanzas y aspiraciones, sus fortalezas y debilidades. La tierra es nuestro hogar común y todos somos hermanos y hermanas.”

Pope calls for politics to rediscover its vocation to work for common good

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – People who think politics is sinking to new lows may find comfort in knowing Pope Francis also is concerned about the debasement of what church teaching has described as a “lofty vocation.”
“Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and countercharges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation,” the pope wrote in his new encyclical.
The encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” was published Oct. 4 and urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the equal dignity of all people and to work together to build a world where people love and care for one another as brothers and sisters.
Building that world, he insisted, requires “encounter and dialogue,” processes that allow people to speak from their experience and culture, to listen to one another, learn from one another and find ways to work together for the common good.
“Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools,” the pope wrote. “Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways, one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion.”
The “social aggression” often found on social media has spilled over into mainstream political discourse, he said. “Things that until a few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by some political figures.”
Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that “in analyzing conditions in the world today, the Holy Father provides us with a powerful and urgent vision for the moral renewal of politics and political and economic institutions from the local level to the global level, calling us to build a common future that truly serves the good of the human person.”
“For the church,” he added, “the pope is challenging us to overcome the individualism in our culture and to serve our neighbors in love, seeing Jesus Christ in every person, and seeking a society of justice and mercy, compassion and mutual concern.”
In the encyclical Pope Francis had particularly harsh words for politicians who have “fomented and exploited” fear over immigration, ignoring the fact that migrants and refugees “possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person.”
“No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings,” he said, “yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it sets certain political preferences above deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion.”
Pope Francis often has insisted that he is not calling for open borders and unregulated migration and, in the document, he again insists on the right of people not to be forced to migrate.
International aid to help people overcome extreme poverty in their homelands is essential, he said, but if such development takes too long, people do have the right to migrate to ensure the good of their families.
“Certain populist political regimes, as well as certain liberal economic approaches, maintain that an influx of migrants is to be prevented at all costs,” he wrote. “One fails to realize that behind such statements, abstract and hard to support, great numbers of lives are at stake.”
For Christians, he said, the answer cannot be to simply bow out of political engagement. Instead, they must act at a local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.
“Whereas individuals can help others in need, when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity,’” he said.
Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that “if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity” but on a larger scale.

Stop, Look and Listen: Three ways to prevent domestic abuse

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

Domestic abuse is an awful and often deadly cycle. Rarely does it start with actual violence.
It starts with a more subtle form of control.
It kills the spirit and smothers the soul way before it leaves bruises and broken bones.

GUEST COLUMN
By Reba J. McMellon, M.S.,LPC
Stop – Stop and think. Sounds simple but our culture promotes an approach to love commitment that involves more falling than planning. Pump the brakes. Slow down. Hold the phone.
Hormones and commitment should be two separate things. Oftentimes people find themselves in too deep by the time they realize their relationship has warning signs of domestic abuse.
Stop and ask yourself: How is this person when he or she is angry? How do they handle not being in control? What is their relationship history?
The only way we can accurately predict behavior in the future is by patterns in the past.
Are you committing to a flawed ship? Not getting on the boat in the first place is the best way to prevent drowning.
Stop and pay attention to body language and other expressions of anger, control or selfishness.

Look – Look for signs of problems with anger management.
Does a person get defensive, shift blame or offer excuses? The number one problem with people who engage in domestic abuse is their lack of ability to take responsibility for their own actions and reactions.
There are important differences between those who make excuses and those who take responsibility.
Responsibility implies that fault is sincerely recognized and accepted; and that you take accountability for your actions.
An excuse exists to justify, blame or defend a fault … with the intent to absolve oneself of accountability. An excuse will never be followed by positive, goal-directed or solution-oriented behavior.
Lack of responsibility in the large and small areas of life is a huge warning sign.
Look for red flags. Keep your eyes open and your brain engaged.
Listen – Listen when other people tell you they see red flags. It never hurts to listen.
One of the ways domestic abuse perpetuates itself is through isolation. Listen for patterns that may set you up for domination and isolation. Particularly from family and friends.
If you have to plan conversations with family or friends when the partner is away, that’s a warning sign. If there are demands for all or nothing, listen carefully for what it is the partner is asking you to give up and how often you are expected to blindly give in.
Domestic abuse is an awful and often deadly cycle. Rarely does it start with actual violence. It starts with a more subtle form of control. It kills the spirit and smothers the soul way before it leaves bruises and broken bones.
If you come from a family where an abusive imbalance of power and control existed, you are 75% more likely to fall into the same pattern in your own committed relationships.
To be triumphant in a successful God centered relationship, study what the catechism says about theology of marriage and respect. Then study it some more.
Study narcissism so you will be able to recognize a web of deception before stepping into one.
If you are aware of someone who is trapped in a cycle of domestic violence, quietly tell them you are there when they are ready. Then love them steady.
There is nothing domestic or loving about abuse.

(Reba J. McMellon, M.S. is a licensed professional counselor with 35 years of experience. She worked in the field of child sexual abuse and adult survivors of abuse for over 25 years. She continues to work as a mental health consultant and freelance writer. Reba can be reached at rebaj@bellsouth.net)

Pope Francis’ new encyclical

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Ron Rolheiser

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
On Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis released a new encyclical entitled, Fratelli Tutti – On Fraternity and Social Friendship. It can appear a rather depressing read because of its searing realism, except it plays the long game of Christian hope.

Fratelli Tutti lays out reasons why there’s so much injustice, inequality and community breakdown in our world and how in faith and love these might be addressed. The intent here is not to give a synopsis of the encyclical, other than to say it’s courageous and speaks truth to power. Rather the intent is to highlight a number of special challenges within the encyclical.
First, it challenges us to see the poor and to see what our present political, economic and social systems are doing to them. Looking at our world, the encyclical submits that in many ways it is a broken world and it names some reasons for this: the globalization of self-interest, the globalization of superficiality and the abuse of social media, among other things. This has made for the survival of the fittest. And while the situation is broken for everyone, the poor are ending up suffering the most. The rich are getting richer, the powerful are getting more powerful, and the poor are growing poorer and losing what little power they had. There’s an ever-increasing inequality of wealth and power between the rich and the poor and our world is become ever more calloused vis-à-vis the situation of the poor. Inequality is now accepted as normal and as moral and indeed is often justified in the name of God and religion. The poor are becoming disposable: “Some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed for the sake of others. Wealth has increased, but together with inequality.” In speaking of inequality, the encyclical twice highlights that this inequality is true of women worldwide: “It is unacceptable that some have fewer rights by virtue of being women.”
The encyclical employs the parable of the Good Samaritan as its ground metaphor. It compares us today, individually and collectively, to the priest and the scribe in that parable who for religious, social and political reasons walk past the one who is poor, beaten, bleeding and in need of help. Our indifference and our religious failure, like that of the priest and the scribe in the parable, is rooted both in a personal moral blindness as well as in the social and religious ethos of our society that helps spawn that blindness.
The encyclical goes on to warn that in the face of globalization we must resist becoming nationalistic and tribal, taking care of our own and demonizing what’s foreign. It goes on to say that in a time of bitterness, hatred and animosity, we must be tender and gracious, always speaking out of love and not out of hatred: “Kindness ought to be cultivated; it is no superficial bourgeois virtue.”
The encyclical acknowledges how difficult and counter-cultural it is today to sacrifice our own agenda, comfort and freedom for community, but invites us to make that sacrifice: “I would like especially to mention solidarity which is a moral virtue and social attitude born of personal conversion.”
At one point, the encyclical gives a very explicit (and far-reaching) challenge. It states unequivocally (with full ecclesial weight) that Christians must oppose and reject capital punishment and take a stand against war: “Saint John Paul II stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice. There can be no stepping back from this position. Today we state clearly that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible’ and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide. All Christians and people of good will are today called to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, legal or illegal, in all its forms, but also to work for the improvement of prison conditions.”
As for war: “We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits. In view of this, it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war.’”
The encyclical has drawn strong criticism from some women’s groups who label it “sexist,” though this criticism is based almost exclusively on the encyclical’s title and on the fact that it never makes reference to any women authors. There’s some fairness, I submit, in the criticism regarding the choice of title. The title, while beautiful in an old classical language, is in the end masculine. That should be forgivable; except I lived long enough in Rome to know that its frequent insensitivity to inclusive language is not an inculpable oversight. But the lapse here is a mosquito bite, a small thing, which shouldn’t detract from a big thing, namely, a very prophetic encyclical which has justice and the poor at its heart.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

The moral necessity of voting with a well-formed Catholic conscience – especially this election!

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

So, our difficult job, if we are to be faithful
Catholic voters, is to carefully examine which candidates’ positions are closest overall to the Gospel and Catholic social teaching – and vote for them.

Making a Difference
By Tony Magliano
Put your political party, your conservative/liberal leanings, your wallet and your self-interest on the back burner. And instead, vote with a well-formed Catholic conscience – which requires moving to the front burner of your mind and heart the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Catholic social teaching!
In the Gospel our Lord is crystal clear that while he deeply desires what is best for each one of us, he especially teaches in his words and actions that the poor and vulnerable require his attention in a most special way – because their need is the greatest. And so likewise, our words and actions must imitate the Lord’s. We need to stand in solidarity with all those who suffer. In fact our very salvation hinges on this.
Near the end of Matthew’s account of the Gospel, Jesus proclaims with both hope and warning that he will judge each one of us according to how well we reached out, or failed to reach out, to those who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, imprisoned – essentially anyone and everyone who was in need (see: Matthew 25: 31-46).
Building on the rock-solid Gospel foundation of love for all people – even including enemies and especially the poor and vulnerable – a love for all of creation, and the call to be peacemakers, the Catholic church in the last 125 years has developed a rich comprehensive body of in-depth teachings called Catholic social teaching which emphasizes care for creation, as well as the protection of all human life and the promotion of human dignity from womb to tomb. Here’s a link to an excellent and enjoyable introduction to Catholic social teaching https://www.crs.org/resource-center/CST-101.
So, what does all of this have to with the elections? A lot!

Most unfortunately, very few politicians are committed to consistently enacting legislation and public policy which is Gospel and Catholic social teaching based. So, our difficult job, if we are to be faithful Catholic voters, is to carefully prayerfully examine which candidates’ positions are closest overall to the Gospel and Catholic social teaching – and vote for them.
It would be morally and politically ideal if we had politicians who were committed to protecting the lives and dignity of all – from conception to natural death – as well as the planet we all share. But we don’t. So, we need to choose politicians who will overall do the most good and the least harm. This is messy business. However, at present this is the best moral approach we have.
The U.S. bishops in their voters’ guide document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” write, “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act may reasonably decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.” (see: https://bit.ly/30oDQxz)
Whether it’s abortion, war and peace, nuclear weapons, poverty, hunger, climate change, homelessness, immigration, unemployment, healthcare or COVID-19 the easy temptation is to pick candidates who line up with our one pet moral issue. But single-issue voting is both simplistically harmful and unfaithful to Catholic teaching. (see: https://bit.ly/3jjsrGL)
We absolutely need to do our best in caring for all. For as St. Pope John Paul II said so beautifully: “Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation.”

(Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at tmag6@comcast.net. )

Hurricane Delta deals fresh blow to hard-hit Louisiana dioceses

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

By Mark Pattison
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Hurricane Delta deluged much of Louisiana with rain – as much as 15 inches reported in some areas – with damage tallies and estimates yet to be completed in the days following the storm’s Oct. 9 landfall.
In Lake Charles, one of the hardest-hit areas, churches and schools that had been damaged by Hurricane Laura in late August took a fresh beating. More than half of the diocese’s 39 churches had tarps on their roofs after Laura, according to Father Ruben Buller, vicar general, and most of those tarps blew off during Delta, soaking those churches anew.

A farmer in Iowa, La., rescues his goat from a damaged silo Oct. 10, 2020, after Hurricane Delta swept through the area. (CNS photo/Jonathan Bachman, Reuters)

Father Buller told Catholic News Service that he estimated recovery efforts for those churches hit by both Laura and Delta have been set back by three weeks. In the meantime, the diocese’s six Catholic schools were to stay closed the week of Oct. 12 to allow for extensive inspections for damage.
In a way, though, “we were very blessed,” said Father Buller, who doubles as “director of recovery” for the diocese, as “many of our parishes that did not receive damage the first time did not sustain damage” from Delta.
Bishop Glen J. Provost of Lake Charles and Father Buller did not evacuate, nor did most of the diocese’s priests, Father Buller said.
So many people heeded an evacuation order issued in advance of the hurricane, said diocesan spokeswoman Pamela Seal, that traffic on the highway leading to Houston, which ordinarily takes two-and-a-half hours, took 10 hours instead. “The interstate was a parking lot,” Seal said.
Weekend Masses were celebrated at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Lake Charles despite low turnout – just 15 at some Masses. The cathedral had fresh but minimal damage, and was without power. “We still don’t have landline service,” Father Buller told CNS.
The neighboring Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, announced the temporary closures of 23 schools, some just for Oct. 12, while others would be closed Oct. 12-13. The diocesan chancery also was closed Oct. 12.
The diocese set up an Amazon “wish list” page with items people were in immediate need of, including tarps, disinfectant, hammers, jigsaw blades, ladders, extension cords and other hardware. The site can be accessed at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/304ZQI8OD9592.
“We beseech the good Lord for the safety of all families and their homes threatened by this hurricane,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. bishops, in a Nov. 9 statement. “We pray especially for all the first responders who courageously risk their own lives to assist those in need.”
The Lafayette Diocese also was asking for donations to assist victims of both hurricanes. Donations can be made at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=9fd2bc. Catholic Charities of Acadiana, which covers the Lafayette Diocese, also was seeking volunteers to aid disaster victims at https://www.tfaforms.com/4633555.
The Louisiana dioceses of Shreveport and Houma-Thibodaux reported no damage. In Houma-Thibodaux, “while there was flooding outside of our levee protection system, all our church parishes and diocesan locations reported no flood damage or wind damage from the hurricane,” said an email to CNS from Lawrence Chatagnier, editor and general manager of the Bayou Catholic, the diocesan magazine.
Hurricane Delta struck the resort city of Cancun, Mexico, Oct. 7 as a Category 2 storm. The storm toppled trees and power poles and wrecked the facades of some buildings, but didn’t do major damage, according to state and local officials. No serious injuries or loss of life were reported.
Caritas Quintana Roo responded to the hurricane by providing food to families in shanties built on the outskirts of the city, which were built by people working in informal jobs, such as vending, and had arrived from impoverished parts of southeastern Mexico in search of employment.
“In the zones with ‘invasions'” – as shanties are sometimes called in Mexico – “or ‘irregularities,’ where electricity isn’t officially connected, there’s no drainage, mud floors and small homes made of wood and laminate, there are many affected people,” said Miguel Gutierrez, director of Caritas Quintana Roo, in a WhatsApp message. Caritas belongs to the Diocese -of Cancun-Chetumal.
Hurricane Delta added to the difficulties faced by Cancun, founded 50 years ago as a centrally planned tourist destination, only to see its main industry collapse due to the coronavirus outbreak. Caritas, Gutierrez said, had been assisting 14,000 households with care packages of food prior to the pandemic, but saw that number nearly double over the past seven months.
He added Caritas was still attending to families flooded out in early October by Tropical Storm Gamma, which claimed six lives and dumped heavy rains on the Yucatan Peninsula, along with the southeastern states of Tabasco and Chiapas.
Caritas in the Archdiocese of Yucatan and Diocese of Tabasco responded to Gamma with care packages and organizing collections of food, clothing and supplies for “people who lost everything,” said Sister Eduviges Palacios, director of Caritas in Tabasco.

(Contributing to this story was David Agren in Mexico City.)

Catholic Charities works to shelter victims and their pets from violence

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Joanna King

By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – ‘Anna’ was able to focus on her goals and getting her life back together free of violence, knowing that her kitten was safe and receiving the best of care. This is one of the success stories of Catholic Charities of Jackson’s Shelter for Battered Families, now known as the Jackson Victim Services program since they added their “Safe Haven for Pets” program to their shelter program in July 2020.
Jackson Victim Services offered services to 161 women and children over the past year and began the discussing a partnership with Mississippi State University in May 2020 to care for pets of those fleeing domestic violence situations. Sarah Bradley, program director of the Jackson Division of Victim Services for Catholic Charities says that many victims who are pet owners do not come into shelters due to not having suitable living arrangements for their pets.

JACKSON – Catholic Charities Jackson Victims Services began offering the “Safe Haven for Pets” program as a partnership with Mississippi State University in July 2020. The program offers a safe place for pets of those fleeing domestic violence situations. (Photo courtesy of BigStock)

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, as many as 65% of domestic violence victims are unable to escape abusive situations because they are concerned about what will happen to their pets. And, as many as 71% of pet owners entering domestic violence shelters report that their batterer had threatened, injured or killed family pets.
As for the new “Safe Haven for Pets” program at Catholic Charities, it joins a small percentage of domestic violence shelter programs across the country that offer service for pets. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, only 12% of domestic violence programs across the country can provide shelter for pets.
Pets in the “Safe Haven for Pets” program partnership with Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine can stay from days to months, until their owners are able to return for them. The program also provides vaccines, flea and tick control, spay or neuter surgeries, heartworm and parasite testing and treatment, and any other medically necessary treatment for the animals.
Bradley says that ‘Anna,’ who came to the shelter in July with her kitten was pleased with the services provided to and for her kitten. “She stated she was able to focus on her goals and getting her life back together free of violence, knowing that her kitten was safe and receiving the best of care,” said Bradley.
“Anna received updates and pictures of her kitten which meant a lot to her. She reported that her kitten was therapy for her on some of her darkest days. Because of the new service, Anna made the decision to come into the shelter for service.”
For now, when a victim needs assistance with their pet, the Catholic Charities case manager contacts a local animal shelter. Then the pet is transported to the animal shelter by the case manager for the safety of the pet. Throughout the program, the shelter resident then receives weekly updates and pictures of their pet.
Bradley says, “because our program offers emotional and supportive assistance, we are happy to have the “Safe Haven for Pets” program in place for consumers who need it.”
If you need assistance escaping abuse, please call Catholic Charities at (601) 366-0222 or 1-800-273-9012.

Federal government Deferred Prosecution Agreement update

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

By Mary Woodward
As part of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) the Diocese of Jackson has entered with the Federal government, a Compliance Board has been established to guide the diocese through the next 12 months. The board consists of financial and legal experts along with pastoral and diocesan curia consisting of Father Lincoln Dall, vicar general; Carolyn Callahan, diocesan finance officer; and Mary Woodward, diocesan chancellor.

The board, which will gather quarterly, met for its initial meeting on Oct. 13, to discuss ideas and ways to move forward in implementing the steps listed in the DPA to ensure greater transparency and better communication between the diocese and parishes.

Initial steps proposed by the board included establishing dual compliance officers for the process with Callahan as compliance officer for fraud and Woodward as compliance officer for ethics. Callahan and Woodward will initiate investigations of complaints made through Lighthouse services, the diocesan hotline for reporting ethical and financial violations.

Complaints through this system may be made anonymously by individuals who have witnessed violations of financial policies and/or ethical conduct by church personnel, including parish or diocesan staff and clergy. For each complaint there are three site administrators who receive notification of that complaint. If one of these site administrators is mentioned in a complaint, the complaint goes to other two administrators.

To register an official complaint access the Lighthouse hotline by contacting: https://www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese or emailing reports@lighthouse-services.com.

The Compliance Board asked for Lighthouse reports to be presented to the Diocesan Code of Ethical Conduct Review Board, which was established by Bishop Joseph Kopacz in July 2019 to address abuse of vulnerable adults by church personnel. This is an independent review board made up of psychological, medical and legal experts that functions in a similar fashion to the Diocesan Fitness Review Board, which addresses sexual abuse of minors by church personnel.

The Ethical Conduct Board will review the completed investigations of reports and make a recommendation to the Compliance Officers and Bishop for follow up, including possible removal from office and a supervision protocol for an offender. If the investigation reveals a criminal or civil violation, the case is turned over to law enforcement as well. Updates on numbers of reports will be made in Mississippi Catholic.

The Compliance Board also asked for the annual financial audit summary of the diocese to be published in Mississippi Catholic and a link to the full report on the diocesan website. Another layer of oversight discussed was the internal audit program planned and in process by Temporal Affairs and the possibility of independent audits or reviews for larger parishes.

The next meeting of the Compliance Board will be in January 2021 to review progress made in the areas mentioned above and to look at ways to foster avenues of reconciliation and trust among parishes and the diocese.

www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese

Beatified teen showed that heaven is ‘attainable goal,’

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Tereza Ma

By Junno Arocho Esteves
ASSISI, Italy (CNS) – Thousands sang and applauded as Italian teen Carlo Acutis was beatified in a town dear to him and to many Christians around the world: Assisi.
During the Oct. 10 beatification Mass, Italian Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal legate for the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, read Pope Francis’ apostolic letter proclaiming Acutis’ “blessed,” the step before canonization.
“With our apostolic authority, we grant that the venerable servant of God, Carlo Acutis, layman, who, with the enthusiasm of youth, cultivated a friendship with our Lord Jesus, placing the Eucharist and the witness of charity at the center of his life, henceforth shall be called blessed,” the pope decreed.
After the reading of the apostolic letter, the newly beatified teen’s parents, Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, processed toward the altar carrying a reliquary containing their son’s heart.
The reliquary was engraved with one of the teen’s well-known quotes: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.”
Pilgrims flocked both to the Basilica of St. Francis for the beatification Mass as well as to the Shrine of the Renunciation at the Church of St. Mary Major, where the newly beatified teen’s remains were on display for veneration.
Men and women, boys and girls passed by the tomb quietly, some stopping to pray the “Our Father.” A young toddler blew a kiss goodbye to the young blessed as she passed by.

Known as the site where a young St. Francis renounced his father’s inheritance and embraced poverty, the shrine – like the city of Assisi and St. Francis himself – held a special place in Acutis’ heart.
The teen loved St. Francis “very much,” his mother, Antonia Salzano, told Catholic News Service Oct. 9. St. Francis “was a very Eucharistic soul who used to attend Mass twice a day,” and her son sought to imitate that same Eucharistic devotion throughout his brief life.
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi reflected on the link between the two saintly figures, and proclaimed that by “providential design, (St.) Francis and (Blessed) Carlo are now inseparable.”
“Carlo’s life – always united to Jesus – his love for the Eucharist, his devotion to the Holy Virgin, his making friends with the poor, brought him closer to the spirituality of the Poor One,” St. Francis, Archbishop Sorrentino said at the end of Mass. “Both invite us to live according to the Gospel.”
The liturgy was held inside the Basilica of St. Francis, but measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 meant that most of those attending sat outside on seats set three-feet apart, watching on big screens.
Many young men and women came to Assisi for the beatification. For many of them, the fact that a normal teen could be beatified was a source of hope and inspiration.
“With his life, Carlo made me see that despite the small or even great difficulties – like his illness – that we could live a full and happy life if we keep our eyes looking up toward heaven,” said 19-year-old Rosanna, who was among those attending the beatification.
In his homily, Cardinal Vallini said that Acutis’ beatification “in the land of Francis of Assisi is good news, a strong proclamation that a young man of our time, one like many, was conquered by Christ and became a beacon of light for those who want to know him and follow his example.”
Reflecting on the teen’s life, Cardinal Vallini said that like most young people his age, Carlo was a “normal, simple, spontaneous, friendly” teenager who used modern forms of communication to transmit the “values and beauty of the Gospel.”
For him, “the internet was not just a means of escape, but a space for dialogue, knowledge, sharing and mutual respect that was to be used responsibly, without becoming slaves to it and rejecting digital bullying,” the cardinal said.
Cardinal Vallini said that Blessed Acutis was a model of virtue for young men and women today, reminding them not to seek “gratification only in ephemeral successes but in the perennial values that Jesus proposes in the Gospel.”
“He gave witness that faith does not distance us from life but immerses us more deeply in it and showed us the concrete way to live the joy of the Gospel,” the cardinal said. “It is up to us to follow it, attracted by the fascinating experience of Blessed Carlo, so that our lives may also shine with light and hope.”

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)