Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
U.S. bishops, CRS urge nominees to ponder poverty
(PHOTO BY SHAUN OSBURN)
To be dedicated on Oct. 3, the new St. Anthony Foundation social services center at 150 Golden Gate Ave. in San Francisco will serve 40 percent more people with the same-sized staff. See story on Page 3.
Economic crisis and low media focus equal scant relief gifts? By Chaz Muth WASHINGTON (CNS) – The combined hurricanes and tropical storms that have devastated U.S. communities and Caribbean nations in the past few months have exceeded the damage Hurricane Katrina inflicted on New Orleans in 2005, but donations for relief efforts this time are drastically less. “I believe a combination of the recent economic crisis and the media attention, or lack thereof, has presented challenges to us,” said Patricia Hvidston, senior director of development for Catholic Charities USA, based in Alexandria, Va. “We have gotten donations, and we’re grateful to everyone who has made donations, but it’s significantly lower than the response to Katrina.” For example, donations to Catholic
Charities in response to Katrina averaged $890 each from more than 180,000 contributors, but donations in response to the series of hurricanes and tropical storms that have crippled communities along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and other parts of the country have only averaged $159 each from fewer than 1,000 supporters, Hvidston told Catholic News Service Sept. 22. “That’s a remarkable difference,” she said. “It’s clear that people are fearful during these difficult economic times, but I don’t think the message is getting out to the American people about how so many of our citizens have been devastated by these storms.” Millions of Americans from Texas to Florida were forced to evacuate during the storms that have hit the U.S. since August. ECONOMIC CRISIS, page 5
WA S H I N G T O N ( C N S ) – Representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services in a telephone press conference Sept. 23 called on the major parties’ presidential candidates to lay out their foreign policy strategies in relation to the world’s poor and overseas assistance. The campaigns of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain have failed to adequately address the global food crisis, the Catholic leaders hope U.S. increasing role of the U.S. Defense presidential candidates will Department in humanitarian work, the address global poverty during refocusing of U.S. foreign assistance, their Sept. 26 foreign policy debate. and how the government should help the poor adapt to climate change, said Bill O’Keefe, senior director for the advocacy department of the Baltimore-based CRS. The Obama and McCain campaigns also have failed to sufficiently articulate if their foreign policy programs would promote religious equality, strengthen international law, support a safe haven for foreign refugees, or actively pursue a comprehensive resolution between the Israelis and Palestinians, said Stephen Colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace for the USCCB. “This topic is timely considering that this Friday night (Sept. 26) the candidates will be debating foreign policy,” O’Keefe said. “These are critical issues that are crying out for attention.” Both campaigns are currently focused on the domestic economic crisis and the Bush administration’s proposed bailout of U.S. financial institutions, which could cost taxpayers $700 billion or more if approved by Congress. With approximately $38 billion currently being spent on foreign aid – which includes costs for foreign embassies and diplomatic missions – both Colecchi and O’Keefe argued that money spent to address global poverty is a minimal expense in the federal budget compared to the proposed bailout of U.S. financial institutions. “There is no doubt the next administration and Congress have tough financial problems they will have to deal with,” O’Keefe said. “But there is a missed opportunity by the candidates to demonstrate their own leadership (on these matters) and to prove to the voters they can think broadly about comprehensive issues. The person who can demonstrate they can do that is more likely to win the election.” If the U.S. government would invest in a solution to poverty in foreign countries, those nations would become better trade partners, Colecchi said. Nations with fewer poverty issues also tend to be more peaceful countries and more peace in the world would reduce “the amount that we have to spend on defense,” he said. The USCCB also has submitted its November 2007 “Faithful Citizenship” statement – which address these and other moral issues – to both campaigns and has sought a meeting with each candidate to discuss the topics face to face, Colecchi said. O’Keefe urged Catholics to bring up these issues with the candidates at campaign events and write letters to the editors at a variety of publications as a way of gaining support for moral concerns. Ultimately, Catholics have the power to vote for the candidate they believe has best addressed these moral issues of conscience, he said. Colecchi said the U.S. Catholic bishops are calling for a new style of politics that focuses “more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow special interests.”
(CNS PHOTO)
By Chaz Muth
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Porziuncola ready . . . . . . . . 5 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Travel guide . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
School turns 50
~ Page 7 ~ September 26, 2008
Santa Clara: new leader ~ Page 10 ~
‘Igor’ reviewed. . . . . . . . . . . 25
Marriage and wedding
~ Pages 12-17 ~
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Classified ads . . . . . . . . 26-27
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 10
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No. 28