Religious observers find conflict surfaces early at climate conference
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)
By Dennis Sadowski
Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile as he arrives for a ceremony in honor of Mary near the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, feast of the Immaculate Conception. See story on page 8.
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The underlying tension between the world’s largest producers of greenhouse gases and small countries quickly surfaced on the first day of the U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark. In smaller gatherings after Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen opened the conference with the remark that “a deal is within our reach,” the Alliance of Small Island States said it would accept nothing less than a legally binding pact to limit greenhouse gases. A much less demanding but politically appealing agreement would do little to protect its countries from rising sea levels, said the alliance, a coalition of 42 small island nations, low-lying coastal countries and territories. Two officials from the U.S.-based Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns said the position taken by the alliance serves as a call to the world to ensure that developed countries take definitive steps to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. “The real debate is over a political versus a legally binding document,” Maryknoll Sister Ann Braudis, who co-chairs the U.N. NGO Committee on Sustainable Development, told Catholic News Service in an e-mail. She said the United States, during an afternoon news conference, promised to seek meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while working to make the expected political agreement a legally binding one. The same day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it had determined greenhouse CONFLICT AT CLIMATE CONFERENCE, page 3
Parish-based job support network forming in San Mateo County At least eight parishes in San Mateo County are creating job support networks to give spiritual and technical support to the several thousand members of those communities who organizers say are out of work and generally suffering alone. The goal is for each parish in the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s central San Mateo County deanery to build a cadre of lay volunteers who will be trained to help guide jobless parishioners back to work. The volunteers will be skilled in resume writing, interviewing and networking. The project will be formally announced throughout the deanery in January. The parishes of St. Gregory, Our Lady of Angels, St. Luke, St. Matthew, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bartholomew, Immaculate Heart of Mary and Our Lady of the Pillar already are in the process of forming groups, and the other parishes in the deanery have expressed interest. Based on a statewide unemployment rate of more than 12 percent, the number of jobless people in each parish ranges from 300 to 500, said St. Bartholomew parishioner Bill Tauskey, an organizer of the project.
Most are struggling alone and are reluctant to seek help. But Tauskey believes many would step forward if they knew that employed Catholics in the community were on hand with swift, credible, professional counseling. “All the parishioners have to reach out to those people who are going around like they have a scarlet letter on them, but they’re not alone,” Tauskey said. Tauskey said that the goal is to have coaches in each parish who can provide local and immediate support to all job seekers regardless of economic level. The coaches will work in teams with other volunteers who will provide such services as practice interviewing. St. Gregory pastor Msgr. Robert McElroy said he has asked 30 members of his parish to be part of the program. “And not a single person has said no,” he said. “People want to help because they know two things: One is they know there are a lot of people they care deeply about who are in the same boat. Secondly, they know that tomorrow they may be in the same boat.” Msgr. McElroy said the program will be open to all parishes in the deanery. Each parish that is involved will set up an e-mail
(PHOTO BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
By Rick DelVecchio
Bill Tauskey, left, addresses the Wednesday night networking meeting of the St. Bartholomew Parish job support group. account for inquiries and assign a person to monitor messages daily. People seeking help will be referred to volunteers trained to support them with tangible skills. Msgr. McElroy said that although those who suffered financial losses earlier this year are recovering somewhat, the job situation continues to be difficult.
“We’re finding that in this recession, as opposed to earlier ones, lots of people who had their own businesses lost them,” he said. “That’s been a terrific hit, which is distinctive in this recession in my experience, because of the credit crunch. “Second,” he said, “we’re finding with JOB SUPPORT NETWORK, page 9
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Advent Season of Sharing . . . 9 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 12 Scripture & reflection. . . . . 14
National Catholic Youth Conference ~ Pages 6-7 ~ December 11, 2009
Voices of peace: Iraqi refugees ~ Page 10 ~
Movie review ‘Up in the Air’ ~ Page 16 ~
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Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Services, Classified ads 18-19
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 11
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