September 26, 2014 by Catholic San Francisco

FBI does not support ‘hate group’ charge by Faithful America

CSF Special Report

Pro marriage advocates say ‘hate’ charge a tactic to marginalize

PART 3 OF 3

VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Many Catholics and other San Francisco Bay Area residents were taken aback when Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone was accused of allying with a “hate group” and others who use “hate speech” by speaking at the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C. on June 19. “Hate group” and “hate speech” are

phrases that conjure images of skinhead attacks, Ku Klux Klan lynchings or beating up people because they are gay – all actions that would certainly be serious sins to Christians who believe in Christ’s command to “love one another.” Because that charge was so incendiary, Catholic San Francisco took a closer look at the charges leveled by Faithful America against the Family Research Council and the National

Organization for Marriage, organizers of the June 19 March for Marriage. Catholic San Francisco also examined the groups which leveled those charges. This story looks at the “hate” claims in a Faithful America online petition and letter from politicians and representatives of various gay rights organizations to pressure SEE FAITHFUL AMERICA, PAGE 14

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

$1.00 | VOL. 16 NO. 24

‘War on Poverty’: 50 years later, struggle persists

Francis: The man and the myth Biographer finds ‘the real man is far more complex and personally conflicted than the legend’ CHRISTINA GRAY

MARK PATTISON

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

In the process of writing “Francis of Assisi: The Life,” a new biography published by Cornell University Press, Dominican Father Augustine Thompson discovered a man he calls “his Francis.” “Everyone has their own Francis,” Father Thompson, a longtime professor of history and religious studies now teaching at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley told Catholic San Francisco before a St. Dominic Parish-sponsored discussion of the book last month. “If any two people are talking about Francis, unless they are completely like-minded, they attach to different things.” There is Francis the animal-loving pacifist and nature lover; Francis the self-denying poverty-seeker, Francis the idealistic hermit exploited by the medieval church. And Francis the obsessed “sacristy rat,” as Thompson called him – a man given to explosions of anger when the Eucharist or anything having to do with it was not treated with the utmost respect. This included dirty vestments, unpolished chalices or hasty prayers of consecration. Francis, who was born in 1181 and died in 1226, is all yet no one of these images, Thompson’s book shows. “The real man was far more complex and personally conflicted than the saint of legend,” Thompson said. “I can honestly say that he was very different from what I expected to find.” His image has been tailored throughout history, according to the author, to “meet the needs of the times, including our own.” It’s not unusual today to hear Francis, who loved all of creation, described as the “patron saint of ecology.” But, Thompson said, “Ecology is a modern concept unknown in Francis’ time.” “Francis is, even for non-Christians and nonbelievers, a mirror of what many people find attractive in their search for authentic spirituality,” writes Thompson in the book’s introduction. He had no preconceived notions about the “Little Poor Man of Assisi” as he started, and as a Dominican, no

WASHINGTON – Poverty persists across all demographic groups, 50 years after then-President Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.” The actual number of people living in poverty in 2013 is unchanged at 4.53 million, but because of continued population growth in the United States, the percentage of Americans living in poverty is down 0.5 percentage points, SEE POVERTY, PAGE 20

Spokane’s Cupich named to Chicago ‘Francis’ imperfections tell us you can be a holy person without being perfect.’ DOMINICAN FATHER AUGUSTINE THOMPSON St. Francis biographer

SEE FRANCIS, PAGE 21

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CHICAGO – Pope Francis has named Bishop J. Blase Cupich of the Spokane, Washington, diocese as archbishop of Chicago, succeeding Cardinal Francis E. George, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced Sept. 20. Archbishop Archbishop Cupich, Cupich 65, will be installed in Chicago Nov. 18 during a Mass at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. SEE CHICAGO, PAGE 20

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

NEED TO KNOW RESPECT LIFE ESSAY CONTEST: The annual archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest is moving to a new time of year. For 26 years, the contest began after Christmas vacation and ended in May, right before school let out for the summer. This year’s contest will kick off in October, Respect Life Month, said Vicki Evans, archdiocesan respect life coordinator. The special liturgy and awards ceremony, where student winners are announced and recognized, will take place March 1, 2015. “This should give our schools and parish schools of religion more time to acknowledge our winners during the remainder of the school year and share their winning essays with classmates and fellow parishioners,” Evans said. Watch for this year’s essay questions and contest guidelines which are due out Oct. 1. “And get ready for some original and creative work from our students sharing their perspectives on how we can all more effectively respect the lives and dignity of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters,” Evans said. PROTECTING THE UNBORN, ELDERLY: In a statement to mark October as Respect Life Month, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley called for “community and solidarity” as an antidote to threats against life. Cardinal O’Malley chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The cardinal’s statement Sept. 17 launched the bishops’ 2014 respect life program, with the theme, “Each of Us is a Masterpiece of God’s Creation,” echoing Pope Francis’ message during his 2013 Day for Life greeting. “Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect,” Pope Francis said. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE: Saint Mary’s College of California’s annual interfaith speaker event Oct. 1 features Rev. Deborah Moldow, co-chair, United Nations International Day of Peace Committee and U.N. Representative of the World Peace Prayer Society, as guest lecturer. A presentation by the college’s Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism, the talk titled “Interfaith Engagement and the Emerging Culture of Peace” will take place at 7 p.m. college’s Soda Center. Moldow’s visit will include a 1:15 p.m. ceremony to rededicate a Peace Pole on the Moraga campus. Carrying the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” there are more than 100,000 Peace Poles around the globe in 190 nations. The international Peace Pole project is sponsored by the World Peace Prayer Society. Contact Cherie Grant by email at grant@stmarys-ca.edu or by phone at (925) 631-4074 or visit stmarys-ca.edu/center-for-engaged-religiouspluralism.

CORRECTION ‘SHRINE CELEBRATING REOPENING,’ SEPT. 19: The Blessing of the Animals will be on Oct. 4 from 2-3 p.m. in the National Shrine of St. Francis church following the rededication Mass, not on Oct. 3.

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Marin deanery leading social media race to help Marin City school CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The children of Manzanita Children’s Center in Marin City could win a much-needed playground if the parishioner members of Southern Marin Deanery Action and the local community can sway Facebook users to vote for it daily in an online contest that ends Sept. 26. Manzanita Children’s Center is a program of Community Action Marin, a community-based coalition that responds to issues of local poverty. The children’s center provides free after-school care to about 60 children from families in Marin City, Marin County’s most racially diverse and lowest-income community. Southern Marin Deanery Action is a collaborative lay ministry made up of parishioners from the six member parishes of Deanery 6, one of Marin’s two deaneries or local parish administrative groups. It is a longtime supporter of the center located in a city with no Catholic parish of its own. The association recruits parishioners to tutor children at the center and help with program development, and several parishes make small annual financial gifts. Now it is leading a social media campaign that could result in a playground for the kids of Manzanita, which operates out of two modular classrooms on a dirt lot. “The space is limited and not conducive to play,” teacher Derry Gutierrez said. The center has no real playground however, said Gutierrez, and the kids don’t really enjoy going outside because there’s nothing there for them to do. “One of our biggest challenges is creating opportunities for creative outdoor play.” Just weeks ago, the center learned that it was one of 12 schools that would be vying for votes in a fall Facebook contest called Vote for Playspaces, sponsored by pharmaceutical brand Claritin, and KaBOOM, a national nonprofit working to ensure all kids get a childhood filled with play. Manzanita is the only West Coast school among the finalists. Children in areas lacking in resources are disproportionately affected by reduced access to play, according to the Claritin Facebook page where the contest that started Aug. 18 is posted at www.Claritinsvoteforplayspaces.com. The sponsors plan to award the four schools that collect the most online votes by Sept. 26 a playground made up of lightweight, LEGOlike interlocking shapes. Kids use their bodies and minds to create their own play spaces both indoors and out. Voters must be Facebook users and may vote once daily until midnight on the last day of the contest. “This is not playground equipment like you

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A teacher and pupils are pictured at Manzanita Children’s Center, which provides free after-school care in Marin City.

South Marin parish members rally to create an innovative playground for small children who lack opportunities for free play. and I used to play on,” Susan Rowe Morison, a retired professor of early childhood education, former New Hampshire state director of migrant services and deanery association board member, told Catholic San Francisco. Morison, an Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioner, said that the proposed play equipment is ideal for “creative play and social interaction” and meets an important educational need. When members of the deanery association learned that Manzanita was selected as one of the ﬁnal 12 schools in the contest and that it only had weeks to gather votes, they took up the challenge in a campaign that started with the parishes and spread into the larger community. “Marin Catholic (High School) president Tim Navone asked his students, staff and parents to hit their Facebook pages and vote and share the contest with Facebook friends,” Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioner Mike Morison said. And word spread to local businesses and others in the county, he said, including a local barber shop, a man who regularly collects money for the homeless outside Mill Valley market and Tamalpais High School. St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco is among parishes outside the county promoting the contest. “Manzanita is up against public schools in densely populated areas and needs our help as a faith community to be successful,” he said.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Publisher Rick DelVecchio Editor/General Manager EDITORIAL Valerie Schmalz, assistant editor Tom Burke, On the Street/Calendar Christina Gray, reporter

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ADVERTISING Joseph Peña, director Mary Podesta, account representative Chandra Kirtman, advertising & circulation coordinator PRODUCTION Karessa McCartney-Kavanaugh, manager Joel Carrico, assistant HOW TO REACH US One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone: (415) 614-5639 | Fax: (415) 614-5641 Editor: (415) 614-5647 editor.csf@sfarchdiocese.org Advertising: (415) 614-5642 advertising.csf@sfarchdiocese.org Circulation: (415) 614-5639 circulation.csf@sfarchdiocese.org Letters to the editor: letters.csf@sfarchdiocese.org

ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Parochial school retrofits likely with new San Francisco quake safety rules VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Some of San Francisco’s Catholic schools will likely choose to upgrade buildings because of a new earthquake safety ordinance that only affects private schools. The ordinance is scheduled to be signed into law by Mayor Ed Lee on Oct. 17, the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, city officials said. The ordinance would require each San Francisco private school to be evaluated for earthquake safety within three years but would not mandate retrofitting. In effect, though, it will be difficult to ignore the recommendations of a seismic engineering evaluation, officials said. Forty of San Francisco’s 120 private schools are Catholic. The ordinance was approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Sept. 16 and, as part of parliamentary procedure was scheduled for a second vote Sept. 23. The ordinance would become law 30 days after the mayor signs it. “We want to make sure our students and our teachers are safe,” said Catholic Schools Superintendent Maureen Huntington. The archdiocese has hired engineers to conduct seismic safety evaluations of all San Francisco’s archdiocesan Catholic schools which she expects to be completed within months. Catholic schools in Marin and San Mateo counties are not affected. The San Francisco ordinance’s requirements will pose a challenge to private schools which will need to raise the money for recommended earthquake safety fixes and to comply with unrelated federal building requirements, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates. In contrast, retrofits of California’s public schools – many of which have not been evaluated or retrofitted although the process began in 1988 – are financed with taxpayer-financed bonds. “The new ordinance will still pose a significant financial challenge to the Catholic schools of San Francisco, particularly those many schools which serve very low-income students,” said Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy, who spearheaded talks to refashion the ordinance requirements. “But the changes which have been made in the ordinance due to the intervention of principals, pastors, parents and faculty from the Catholic and private school communities in the legislative process have substantially mitigated the level of burden that was contained in the original proposed ordinance. As a consequence, we can now move forward toward increasing safety with fewer unrelated and costly bureaucratic burdens,” Bishop McElroy said. The original ordinance would have evaluated schools to a standard of “recovery” or being able

‘The new ordinance will still pose a significant financial challenge to the Catholic schools of San Francisco, particularly those many schools which serve very low-income students.’ AUXILIARY BISHOP ROBERT W. MCELROY to reopen as if there was not an earthquake while the new evaluation standard will be for “life-safety” which is that the people in the building are able to exit safely in case of a magnitude-7 earthquake. “There isn’t a principal at any of our schools that does not support the seismic retroﬁt,” said St. Stephen principal Sharon McCarthy Allen. The Board of Supervisors “clearly had heard our concerns. That to me is government at work.” Nevertheless, Immaculate Conception Academy president Dominican of Mission San Jose Sister Diane Aruda said, “This ordinance will have serious impact.” There is no way to know the exact state of individual school structures until the engineering evaluations are done, Huntington said. Parish

communities will be responsible for their schools’ retrofits, and many of the schools in poorer areas – where many if not most students receive financial aid – do not have communities able to raise large sums for capital projects, she said. “The truth is that there are some Catholic schools that are on the edge financially and this is going to cause some questions at the parish level; some key questions about the viability of the schools,” said Larry Kamer, who acted as spokesman for the city. “You can’t deny it’s going to force the question in a few communities.” In its final form, the ordinance creates a point person in the building department to work with all private schools to create a consistent standard and to streamline the permit and inspection process for retrofits. The ordinance also gives schools which voluntarily retrofit a 20-year exemption from future seismic laws. The ordinance exempts churches, places of worship and accessory residential buildings and other similar non-educational use buildings, and exempts buildings occupied by 25 or more persons for less than 12 hours per week or less than four hours a day. It also exempts schools of 25 or fewer students. The ordinance removes requirements to post the seismic evaluations on a website but instead will have them available in the San Francisco building department.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

SI grad likes where art’s been and where it’s goin’ TOM BURKE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Kathryn Barulich will soon complete her graduate degree in history and theory of contemporary art at San Francisco Art Institute. She is a 2008 graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and completed undergraduate work in art history and French literature at Fordham University. Her parents are Patricia and Stephen Barulich, parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena in Burlingame. “I would like to someday be Kathryn Barulich able to inﬂuence the scope of art history education,” Kathryn told me via email. “I would like to share my knowledge with others who are interested in art.” Kathryn is currently a teaching assistant at the art institute. The class is an undergraduate art history seminar about art since 1945. “I’m enjoying it,” she said, noting she’s grading papers and holding study sessions for the 150 students. “I feel like I have come a long way since beginning my art history education.” Along with writing her graduate thesis, Kathryn has been involved in what she called “curatorial projects” including an exhibition where she organized the work of 45 of her classmates. Her thesis is on the dada art movement, which started as a negative response to World War I, and the French language. Kathryn said her years at SI while not art focused provided a “well rounded” education and allowed her to move into college with an open mind. “My mother paints often and I remember working with her and visiting museums often as a child,” she said. “I was raised attending church and in Catholic school, so the Catholic faith has always been a part of my life.” “I would like to use my accumulated knowledge as a student of art history as well as contemporary art to produce some work of my own. I enjoy connecting with people directly and would like to work as an artist and academic in the future.” CAMPUS KUDOS: Belmont’s Notre Dame de Namur University has been named a best regional college in the West by U.S. News &

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CLASSMATES: Celebrating their years at Immaculate Conception Academy and the 68 years since then were eight 1946 graduates of the San Francisco school. “We had a very good time,” said Bernice Johnston, parishioner of St. Gregory, San Mateo, about lunch at Harding Park Golf Course June 7. Joe’s of Westlake had been the women’s rallying point until its recent closing. “We’ll be back here next year and in two years it’ll be our 70th,” Bernice said. Bernice said she is a regular reader of Catholic San Francisco and sends it to her children who live out of town. “I read everything and they enjoy getting it too,” she said. Standing from left are Mary De La Torre, Betty Marzorini, Pat Becketti, Mary Kelly. Seated from left are Pat Kauser, Bernice, Helen Beccaria and guest Anne Dugan, Helen’s sister. World Report. NDNU is now in its 163rd year in the good hands of its founders, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The school offers 38 undergraduate and graduate programs and that ain’t all. “The food’s great, way better than we got in college,” Richard Rossi, NDNU communications director, told me in an email. Incoming freshmen number about 180 and business administration is the biggest Kevin Beel major with psychology, biology, kinesiology and computer science close behind, he said. Senior Kevin Beel is a biology major and president of Associated Students of NDNU. Having seen more than a few shows at NDNU I can personally attest to its quality theater and music programs. Now in rehearsal is “Godspell,” one of my favorites and one I’m hoping to see on the school’s Taube Center stage. A regular ramp-up to the holidays, of course, is “Christmas Carol” with Michael Elkins, chair of the NDNU theatre and dance program, as Scrooge and local actors in supporting and backstage roles. The production not only boasts a splendid and talented ensemble, it holds

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ANNIVERSARY: Happy 50 years married Sept. 5 to longtime Holy Name of Jesus parishioners Judy and Jim Kenney. HAIL HOLY QUEEN: What is now an annual Rosary Rally takes place Oct. 11 at noon at San Francisco’s U.N. Plaza at Seventh and Market streets. Among those leading the Hail Marys are Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and Franciscan Father Andrew Apostoli of EWTN and other outlets. Visit www.RosaryRallySF.com or call (415) 272-2046. Email items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. Street is toll-free. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.

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together some of my most cherished tenets of theater companies including earning and learning your way on the boards. It’s no surprise that the cast plays to a usually full house for every performance. Heading up the music for “Christmas Carol” is Matt Mattei, music director at Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame.

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ARCHDIOCESE 5

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

SF supervisors oppose ban on sex-selection abortions VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution Sept. 16 that rejects bans on sex-selection abortions. Supervisor David Chiu, who authored the resolution, says bans on sex-selection abortion which have been passed in eight states are written to limit access to abortion, and are discriminatory toward Asians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here we have another case of life being sacriďŹ ced for political correctness,â&#x20AC;? said archdiocesan respect life coordinator Vicki Evans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay to kill baby girls but not to possibly offend a racialÂ community whose native countries do most deďŹ nitely discriminate against female babies. When will politicians get their priorities straight?â&#x20AC;? In the resolution, Chiu states: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sex-selective abortion bans encourage racial proďŹ ling of women by some medical providers, can lead to the denial of reproductive health care services to women by some medical providers, and lead to further stigmatization of SEE SUPERVISORS, PAGE 23

Archbishop to lead Oct. 11 rosary rally in downtown SF OCT. 11 ROSARY RALLY SCHEDULE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone will walk through central San Francisco from St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathedral to United Nations Plaza, leading Catholics in publicly praying the rosary in the fourth annual rosary rally Oct. 11. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our rosary rally is a good example of what the Holy Father calls â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the evangelizing power of popular piety,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the archbishop wrote in a letter to pastors and parochial administrators, inviting them to join him and to encourage their parishioners to participate. Archbishop Cordileone will address the rally in Spanish and in English. The rosary rally will also feature keynote speaker EWTN TV host Father Andrew Apostoli of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who will speak on the importance of the Eucharist and praying the rosary in daily life. The dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events begin with 10 a.m. Mass for Hispanic Ministry Day at the cathedral. Following the Mass, there will be a procession from the cathedral to United Nations Plaza, where another group, led by St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seminarians, will be praying the rosary in preparation for the processionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival. The rally will end with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at noon.

10 A.M.: Mass for Hispanic Ministry Day, St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathedral, followed by procession to United Nations Plaza as seminarians in plaza pray rosary NOON: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction Visit rosaryrallysf.com.

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Archbishop Cordileone marches in the 2013 rosary rally in San Francisco.

Confessions will be heard throughout the event at U.N. Plaza. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pope Francis has repeatedly

encouraged Catholics to participate in popular devotions. He himself has participated in several acts of popular devotion since becoming pope,â&#x20AC;? Archbishop Cordileone wrote in the Aug. 25 letter. He cited Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recent apostolic exhortation â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evangelii Gaudium,â&#x20AC;? in which the pontiff says â&#x20AC;&#x153;In virtue of their baptism, all members of the people of God have become missionary disciples.â&#x20AC;? The rosary rally is in the tradition of Father Patrick Peytonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1961 San Francisco rosary rally that drew 550,000 people. The rosary rally is a joint effort of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the archdiocesan ministry to Spanish speakers, the San Francisco Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, Immaculate Heart Radio and Ignatius Press.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

USF names British Jesuit new Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

British Jesuit Father Frank Turner will return to the University of San Francisco during the 2014-2015 academic year as the new Anna and Joseph Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought, the university announced Sept. 18. The purpose of the Anna and Joseph Lo Schiavo Chair is to promote and advance Jesuit identity and ideals at USF, either by a professorship held by a Jesuit or by symposia or conferences that approach current issues from a Catholic moral perspective. The role is a joint appointment by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought. The Lane Center staff and the new chair will work to advance the scholarship and application of the Catholic intellectual tradition in

‘Through dialogue, the church can both contribute and learn. Without dialogue, at least in Europe, it alienates even those of good will.’ JESUIT FATHER FRANK TURNER the church and society with an emphasis on social concerns. Father Turner served as the Lane Center’s summer scholar in residence in 2012. “I hope to have done some serious research on how Catholic social teaching can develop internally, and be more effective externally,” Father Turner said in an email to Catholic San Francisco. Father Turner’s work aims to integrate the political dimensions of the search for social justice with the exploration of Christian faith through philosophy and theology. “Father Turner brings with him

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a wealth of knowledge on advocacy and public policy,” said Mike Duffy, director of the Lane Center. “He has vast experience working with policymakers to ensure that the poor and marginalized are treated justly and not excluded. The Lane Center will utilize his expertise of applying the principles of Catholic social thought to current policy issues.” After teaching at two universities in England in 1997, he turned to public policy work and social justice issues at the international level. For seven years he was principal advisor to the bishops of England and Wales on international affairs, and for nine years worked at the Jesuit office in Brussels that deals with affairs of the European Union. Both jobs, he said, involved contributing insights of Catholic social teaching in secular political contexts where one could not use directly religious arguments. It is crucial, he said, to try

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to understand the thinking of and the pressures on politicians and on public officials. The new chair will teach an undergraduate spring course at USF called “Catholic Social Teaching in Dialogue.” “I hope to bring that perspective to my role at USF and that is why my theme includes the words ‘in dialogue,” Father Turner said. “Through dialogue, the church can both contribute and learn. Without dialogue, at least in Europe, it alienates even those of good will.” While teaching in Manchester and London, he lived in two of the poorest areas of England, an experience that inﬂuenced his worldview and career. “What I learned there, and what I try to stay in touch with is how different the whole of social reality looks like from the viewpoint of poverty, unemployment, daily economic insecurity and anxiety, exposure to violence, and the desperate anxiety about growing children,“ he said, “and how different the church itself looks from there.” He said he met people whom he admired deeply and who had a far harder life than he will ever have. “I will never forget that prosperity has nothing fundamentally to do with merit,” he said.

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Senate urged to stop abortion coverage in health care plans SARAH MCCARTHY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress and pro-life leaders Sept. 18 criticized the federal government for failing to ensure that federally subsidized health plans will not cover elective abortions. “Health care should always support the dignity and life of the human person. It can never be about taking a life,” said Melissa Swearingen, adviser and spokeswoman for the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky. She joined in a news conference held outside the Capitol that was organized in response to a new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office showing that in several states subsidized health plans set up under the

Affordable Care Act’s exchanges are covering abortions. House members and pro-life representatives convened to call on the Senate to pass H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. Passed by the House in January, the measure applies the principles of the Hyde amendment to federal health programs, including the Affordable Care Act. Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of taxpayer dollars to fund federal subsidies to any part of a beneﬁts package that includes elective abortions. The measure also would require health plan enrollees be given full disclosure of the extent of coverage of abortion services provided by their plan. In an interview with the Catholic News Service, Swearingen said the GAO report validated con-

cerns the U.S. bishops have had that the federal health care law would allow abortion coverage, calling it “a tragedy.” She also said it was “ridiculous” that people, whether they are pro-life or they support legal abortion, cannot ﬁnd out if a subsidized health care plan covers abortion, even if it is their plan. “It’s not really fair that they’re taking money from you as a taxpayer and they’re putting it into a premium that you have to pay that has to cover abortion in that plan, and you don’t even know,” she said. Under the Affordable Care Act, state health care issuers are prohibited from using federal funds to pay for non-excepted abortion services, that is, those that are exceptions under Hyde. Despite the order, the GAO in its Sept. 15 report identiﬁed more than 1,000 such plans that cover elective abortions.

Letter urges Midwest archbishop to make ‘fresh effort’ to listen CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A group of theologians has urged Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis “to make a fresh effort” to listen to laypeople and bring spiritual healing to the archdiocese. A dozen tenured members of the theology department at the University of St. Thomas released an open letter to the archbishop Sept. 15. The group proposed Archbishop Nienstedt “leave the legal talk to the lawyers (and) bring pastoral talk to the people”; that he reintroduce himself “to the people and parishes”; and ﬁnally, that he “engage laypeople in the important work of the archdiocese.” “We believe that without such public steps the pastoral state of the archdiocese is not sustainable,” they said.

After facing strong criticism over how the archdiocese handled recent cases of abuse allegations concerning certain priests in archdiocese, Archbishop Nienstedt and other archdiocesan officials have taken several steps to overhaul the process of addressing such cases. The majority of recent claims allege abuse that took place in the 1970s and 1980s. The theologians expressed dismay over the scandal itself as well as “the manner in which these scandals have been handled,” suggesting the archbishop lead a liturgy of reconciliation to start a process of healing in the archdiocese. In a reply, Archbishop Nienstedt addressed their proposals point by point, noting that he already had taken the initiative to plan a series of healing Masses. “The theme of healing and reconciliation is at the heart of these liturgies, which can provide powerful

prayer experiences for those who have been wounded or those who know others who are suffering,” Archbishop Nienstedt said in his reply, which the theologians’ group provided to Catholic News Service. The theologians in their letter said they were offering their proposals in hopes of opening “a path toward recovery from the pastoral breakdown we are witnessing.” They urged that laypeople be placed in positions of responsibility in priestly formation, in archdiocesan governance and especially in the management of the scandal. “The harsh light now being shone on the inner governance of the archdiocese makes clear that the problems are not merely personal,” they said. “They are systemic, the product of a long-standing and deeply entrenched clericalism that does not have to be the corollary of the ordained priestly ministry.”

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Engaged Encounter: A weekend away to focus on a lifetime together VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Engaged Encounter is a chance for a couple planning to marry to get away for a weekend to prepare. It is one of a somewhat extensive menu of options for couples planning to marry offered by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “We ‘meet engaged couples where they are’ by giving direction,” said Engaged Encounter leaders Chuck and Libby Meyer in an email response to questions by Catholic San Francisco. “The weekend retreat relies heavily on guided couple communication. What happens in those conversations is not controlled or contrived,”

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the Meyers said. Presenting teams composed of a priest, junior and senior married couples “do not talk ‘at’ the engaged couple. They work together with them to discover, examine, and explore.” “The beauty of Engaged Encounter is the retreat format. In the hyperbusy lives of today’s couples, particularly with all the details of an upcoming wedding, the Engaged Encounter weekend offers the couple a chance to step back and focus on their relationship, and the kind of marriage they hope to live, without the distractions of day-to-day life. This is a rare gift for them, and is the particular strength of the Engaged Encounter program,” said Ed Hopfner, director of marriage and family life for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “Marriage is a life journey, so setting aside one weekend in a retreat-like setting is extremely worth it before making the vows,” said Michael Smith, director of religious education for St. Dominic Parish, who with his wife Erin attended an Engaged Encounter in April of 2012.

“I noticed that at least one couple decided not to go forward with their wedding as planned, which tells me that the retreat truly challenged the couples to be honest, search their heart, and not merely go through the motions as they considered and approached the sacrament of matrimony,” Smith said. The Meyers said they present the church’s teaching on sexuality and openness to life, as well as addressing the reality that many couples may already be engaged in a sexual relationship by talking about “second chastity,” they said. “Catholic Engaged Encounter places emphasis on the true meaning of intimacy. For those engaged couples who are living together, we encourage second chastity, so that intimacy is more than just a sexual act. Chastity is not saying ‘no’ to sex. It is an invitation to an everlasting ‘yes,’” the Meyers said. “The speakers did not avoid challenging issues, such as sex, conflict, pain, forgiveness, religious SEE ENGAGED ENCOUNTER, PAGE 9

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ENGAGED ENCOUNTER: A weekend away to focus on a lifetime together FROM PAGE 8

commitment and common values,” Smith said. “They were well-prepared, presented well, and were upfront and clear about presenting the Catholic vision for marriage while also acknowledging the diverse backgrounds of many ﬁancés in the room, including many non-Catholics. They presented the Catholic teaching on marriage clearly, respectfully, and with compassion.”

Engaged Encounter is part of an international movement and is offered in parishes around the country and abroad. Options for marriage preparation in the archdiocese include daylong events, the Engaged Encounter and online preparation. For more information, see the resources list on Page 10 or call Ed Hopfner, archdiocesan marriage and family life director, at (415) 614-5547.

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Pope Francis greets Miriam and Marco, an engaged couple who spoke during an audience for engaged couples in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. At left is Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

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MARRIAGE PREPARATION RESOURCES Here are approved programs in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. ENGAGED ENCOUNTER: Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday to midday. www.sfcee.org; email Catholicsfee@aol.com. $385 per couple, includes meals, lodging, materials. MARRIAGE FOR LIFE: One Saturday class, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Cathedral. $200 per couple, includes materials, lunch, snacks. Lead couple: Joe and Connie D’Aura. (415) 664-8108; fax 683-3828; jcdaura@marriageforlifesf.com. Visit www.marriageforlifesf.com. CATHOLIC FAMILY MOVEMENT: One Saturday class, St. Vincent’s Marinwood, One Saint Vincents Drive, San Rafael. $325 per couple, includes

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materials, lunch, snacks, drinks. Chris Lyford, (415) 269-8620. Visit www.sfcatholic.com/prep. SATURDAY FOR ENGAGED COUPLES: One Saturday class, Church Hall, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral. Registration by mail only, and pre-registration required. $200, includes materials, lunch, snacks. Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St., San Francisco. (415) 288-3866; Julie Todd, (415) 2883809. ENGAGING THE HEART: One Saturday class, minimum of 12 couples required. $225, includes materials, lunch, snacks. Vallombrosa Retreat Center, Menlo Park. www.vallambrosa.org; (650) 325-5614. ONLINE MARRIAGE PREP: For those in special circumstances (distance issues, etc). www. catholicmarriageprep.com. $170. Available in English and Spanish.

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Patrizia Piredda and Nicola Medas are pictured moments after becoming engaged in St. Peter’s Square after attending the Easter Vigil in the basilica March 30, 2013.

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Studies: Believers, married couples live longer NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Study after study has confirmed that those who are involved in religion and those who are married are healthier, physically and mentally happier and live longer than those who are not. “The health benefits of marriage are so strong that a married man with heart disease can be expected to live, on average, 1,400 days (nearly four years) longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart,” said Dr. Scott Haltzman, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “This longer life expectancy is even longer for a married man who has cancer or is 20 pounds overweight compared to his healthy but unmarried counterpart,” Haltzman added. “The advantages for women are similar.” Couples with higher levels of religiosity “tend to enjoy greater marital satisfaction, fidelity and stability, with less likelihood of domestic violence,” according to a compilation of studies by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Religious belief and practice are also associated with lower divorce rates, lower levels of teen sexual activity, less abuse of alcohol and drugs, lower lev-

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‘Churches provide tremendous support groups that can provide spiritual, financial and psychological help.’ RANDALL WOODARD St. Leo University

els of many infectious diseases, less juvenile crime and less violent crime, the foundation said. “Marriage and religion influence various dimensions of life, including physical health and longevity, mental health, happiness, economic well-being and the raising of children,” wrote sociologist Linda J. Waite and economist Evelyn J. Lehrer in a paper published in 2009 by the National Institutes of Health. “We argue that both marriage and religiosity generally have far-reaching positive effects; that they influence similar domains of life; and that there are important parallels through which each achieves these outcomes,” they added. In a 2012 interview, the late psychiatry professor Robert Coombs, from the University of California at Los Angeles, concurred on the positive effects of marriage. “Virtually every study of mortality and marital status shows the unmarried of both sexes have higher death rates, whether by accident, disease or self-inflicted wounds, and this is found

in every country that maintains accurate health statistics,” he said. As the extraordinary world Synod of Bishops on the family begins its work Oct. 5 at the Vatican, one of the challenges facing it will be raising awareness of the positive benefits of marriage on individuals, families and society as a whole. “We know the numbers don’t lie about the impact divorce has on children,” Randall Woodard, an associate professor of theology/religion at St. Leo University in Florida, told Catholic News Service. “Nearly every social indicator is a lot lower (for those) raising children in a single-parent household, and I say that as a single father of three. A traditional family is not the only way to live, but it is the best way, generally speaking.” Woodard said religious institutions may be uniquely suited to help families deal with their challenges. “Churches provide tremendous support groups that can provide spiritual, financial and psychological help,” he said. “Being surrounded by people who share many of the same ideals can help reinforce others who may be struggling. “Another way churches can help familial health is by knowing their own limitations,” Woodard added. “Many times people will come to the church with problems such as depression or other issues that are better resolved by medical professionals. Being that first point of contact can be very vital by encouraging them to seek medical help when necessary.”

12 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Papal advisers start Vatican reform document VATICAN REFORM ‘HOTSPOTS’

CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis’ international Council of Cardinals has begun creating the ﬁrst draft of a new apostolic constitution that would implement a major reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. The so-called C9, a papally appointed group of nine cardinal members, held its sixth meeting Sept. 15-17 with Pope Francis at the Vatican to help advise him on the reform of the Vatican’s organization and church governance. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters Sept. 17 that the series of discussions have now begun a more “concrete” phase with “putting ink on paper” in the form of a draft for the introduction to a new constitution. “It may be assumed that, with the next two meetings of the council – Dec. 9-11, 2014, and Feb. 9-11, 2015 – the draft constitution will reach an advanced stage of preparation, making it possible for the pope to proceed with further consultations,” the priest said in a written statement. In a ﬁrst step toward reorganizing the Roman Curia, Pope Francis created the Secretariat for the Economy in February as a way to begin universal

In their three days of talks and study, the nine papal cardinal advisers “focused on two principal hotspots,” a Vatican spokesman said: THE LAITY, THE FAMILY, “the role of women in society and the church, youth, childhood, or matters related to lay associations and movements and so on.” ISSUES OF “JUSTICE AND PEACE, charity, migrants and refugees, health, and the protection of life and ecology, especially human ecology.” (CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Pope Francis is pictured before passing into St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican to lead his general audience Sept. 17.

oversight and standards for all of the Vatican’s financial assets and activities. Father Lombardi told reporters that the cardinals’ discussions concerning financial issues have concluded, and that they now resumed looking at the different pontifical councils of the Curia, as part of a bigger strategy of finding the most effective and efficient way to reorganize the large bureaucracy.

In their three days of talks and study, the nine cardinals “focused on two principal hotspots,” the Vatican spokesman said in his written statement. The ﬁrst topic included the laity, the family, “the role of women in society and the church, youth, childhood, or matters related to lay associations and movements and so on,” he wrote. The second topic combined the issues of “justice and peace, charity, migrants and refugees, health, and the protection of life and ecology, especially human ecology,” the written statement said.

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The way the different issues were divided into two major areas seemed to lend credence to some news reports predicting the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family would be merged into one new congregation, and that the pontifical councils for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum and Migrants and Travelers could be combined, since their areas of focus are closely related and often overlap. Pope Francis would make the final decisions, Father Lombardi said, based on input from the Council of Cardinals and regular talks with the heads of the Curia, other cardinals and bishops. The Vatican spokesman said the pope’s Commission for the Protection of Minors will meet Oct. 4-5, and any announcements or clarifications concerning new members and the group’s statutes would be made around that time. Since its inception in July, the Commission on Vatican media was set to hold its first meeting Sept. 22-24 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope lives. The 11-member body has been asked to review and recommend ways Vatican communications structures could be streamlined and modernized.

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WORLD 13

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Pope: Evangelizing takes hard work, trust in God CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Bring the Gospel to those who need it most: the poor, the frazzled and the lost, who wander the world without any guidance or protection, Pope Francis told pastoral workers. Remember the church’s ministry is like working a ﬁeld hospital, where the attitude is helping the wounded and holding those who are hurt more than guarding laws that only keep people away, he said. There are “so many people who are hurt and they are asking us to be close. They are asking us the same thing they asked Jesus,” to be by their side, he said Sept. 19. The pope met with more than 2,000 pastoral workers from 60 countries who were at the Vatican attending an international meeting on “The Pastoral Project of ‘Evangelii Guadium,’ the Joy of Announcing the Gospel.” The meeting Sept. 18-20 had participating bishops, religious and laypeople look at ways Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation could guide their work of evangelization. The pope said the church’s main task is evangelizing, especially to those most in need of Christ and his good news. The pope also said that when Jesus went to towns and villages to teach, his heart broke seeing the crowds because, according to the Gospel of Matthew, “they were troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd.” “How many people in the many existential peripheries of our day are ‘troubled and abandoned’ and wait for the church, they are waiting for us!

(CNS PHOTO/TONY GENTILE, REUTERS)

Pope Francis blesses a family Sept. 19 during a special audience with participants at a meeting for the new evangelization in Paul VI hall at the Vatican.

“How much poverty and loneliness unfortunately we see in the world today! How many people live in great suffering and ask the church to be a sign of the Lord’s closeness, goodness, solidarity and mercy,” he said. In the hard work of sharing the Gospel, he told them, do not get discouraged, but have “patience and perseverance.” “We don’t have a magic wand for everything, but we do have trust in the Lord, who accompanies us and never abandons us,” The pope said the enormous amount of work

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and demands being made on pastoral workers “make us run the risk of becoming frightened and withdrawing in on ourselves out of fear and selfdefense. “And out of that springs the temptation of selfsufficiency and clericalism, that codifying the faith into rules and instructions, which the scribes, Pharisees and doctors of the law did during the time of Jesus. We will have everything exact and everything just-so, but the faithful and those who are seeking will continue to be hungry and thirsty for God,” he explained. The pope encouraged church members to go out into the larger community at all times of day and night to see who may be looking to be fellow “workers in the vineyard.” Do not overlook “the weakest and the most disadvantaged,” he said, but be generous with them, letting them be useful contributors to the church’s ministry. He also warned people working in pastoral ministry against getting too caught up in “the song of the Sirens,” that call them to engage in countless “frenetic series of initiatives” and campaigns that keep them busy, but neglect paying attention to spiritual growth and an encounter with God. “Let’s not forget to do like Jesus did” with his disciples, he said. After a long day proclaiming the Gospel, they would go to a quiet place to be together to pray and reﬂect. At the end of the day, it all comes down to offering credible testimony with one’s life, he said. “Words without witness don’t work, they don’t help,” he said. “Witness is the start of an evangelization that touches the heart and transforms it.”

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CSF SPECIAL REPORT

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

FAITHFUL AMERICA: FBI does not support ‘hate group’ charge by Faithful America

Disease Control and Prevention stated: “Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men represent approximately 2 percent of the United States population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV. In 2010, young gay and bisexual men (aged 13-24 years) accounted for 72 percent of new HIV infections among all persons aged 13 to 24.” The San Francisco Department of Health reported that almost all of the 1,014 cases of syphilis recorded in 2013 were among gay and bisexual men, according to medpagetoday.com. The federal Centers for Disease Control reports that the rate of syphilis has more than doubled since 2000, and in regions that reported the sex of sexual partners, the proportion of cases among men that were attributed to sex with men rose from 77 percent in 2009 to 83.9 percent in 2012, according to medpagetoday.com.

FROM PAGE 1

Archbishop Cordileone to withdraw from the marriage rally. The Faithful America petition stated: “Why is one of the nation’s most prominent Catholic archbishops scheduled to speak at a virulently anti-gay rally? San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is appearing at the upcoming ‘March for Marriage’ in Washington, D.C. The event is organized by the National Organization for Marriage, an organization that has equated gay marriage with incest, and co-sponsored by the Family Research Council, a hate group ….” Faithful America, whose website states it is “dedicated to reclaiming Christianity from the religious right,” has launched more than 30 online national petition drives since 2013, more than a dozen of which have collected signatures from a nationwide base to criticize individual U.S. bishops, Catholic pastors or Catholic schools. The petition was accompanied by a letter to the archbishop with similar language that was signed by politicians, including California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, and representatives of gay rights groups. The Family Research Council and National Organization for Marriage denied the “hate” accusations, which were also rejected by San Francisco Archbishop Cordileone, a keynote speaker at the rally. “The March for Marriage is not ‘antiLGBT’ (as some have described it); it is not anti-anyone or anti-anything. Rather, it is a pro-marriage March,” Archbishop Cordileone wrote in a letter responding to the Faithful America letter and petition.

‘Hate group’ charge

The “hate group” label used in the Faithful America petition and letter was devised by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonproﬁt group with no official government standing. Based on interviews with a federal law enforcement official and others, the Southern Poverty Law Center lumps those who oppose same-sex marriage with racist supremacists. The Federal Bureau of Investigation does not track “hate groups,” but investigates crimes, according to FBI spokesman Chris Allan. “We are limited to investigate what a federal violation would be. It is not a crime to be part of a hate group it is only the action itself” of a hate crime which the FBI would investigate, said Allan, who also said the FBI had not investigated the Family Research Council for hate crimes. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 gives the FBI authority to investigate violent hate crimes, including violence directed at the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, according to the FBI website. The Southern Poverty Law Center official who spoke with Catholic San Francisco also said that the Family Research Council was placed on its “hate map” for what it believes and what it says, not for any crimes.

National Organization for Marriage responds

National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown called the Faithful America incest charge “patently false,” but said anyone who speaks publicly for marriage between one man and one woman will be viliﬁed. “We have always affirmed the inherent dignity of every person as our brothers and sisters made in the image and likeness of God. NOM is waging a principled battle in defense of God’s truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. This ugly charge is leveled at us to discredit our work in affirming the truth of marriage,” Brown said at the time in a conversation with Catholic News Service. “The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is a nonproﬁt organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it,” according to its mission statement. Brown told Catholic San Francisco he is

Hate charge a tactic

(ADDIE MENA/CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY)

National Organization for Marriage president and co-founder Brian Brown, fifth from left, at March for Marriage in Washington D.C. on June 19, 2014. conﬁdent of victory in the long term, but said most people were surprised that marriage is even an issue. “Very few people thought they would have to ﬁght it,” Brown said.

‘The March for Marriage is not ‘anti-LGBT’ (as some have described it); it is not anti-anyone or anti-anything. Rather, it is a pro-marriage March.’

Southern Poverty Law Center criticized

The Southern Poverty Law Center, cited by Faithful America as the source of the “hate group” charge, is a well-funded machine with an endowment of nearly $300 million and is enmeshed with law enforcement and gay rights groups, said an academic who has written a book that includes a chapter on its tactics. “They’ve developed a fairly sophisticated methodology for stigmatizing and marginalizing the groups they don’t like,” said Laird Wilcox, author of “Nazis, Communists, Klansmen, and Others on the Fringe” (Prometheus Books, 1992) with John George, then professor of political science and sociology at the University of Central Oklahoma, who has studied the Southern Poverty Law Center. “In the case of pro-family groups it describes advocacy of values, opinions and beliefs that were centrist and mainstream in our culture only a generation ago as being deserving of what is essentially the ‘atomic bomb’ of epithets: hate group,” said Wilcox, who is originator and ongoing contributor to the Wilcox Collection of Contemporary Political Movements at University of Kansas, one of the largest assemblages of U.S. left- and right-wing political literature in the country. The Southern Poverty Law Center placed the Family Research Council on its “hate map” for its beliefs, not for any crimes committed by the Family Research Council, said FRC senior fellow Chris Gacek. “I think what’s driving this is the underlying opposition to same-sex marriage” by the Family Research Council, Gacek said. “Family Research Council’s mission is to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview,” according to its mission statement on frc.org. Heidi Beirich, who produces the “hate map” for the Alabama-headquartered Southern Poverty Law Center, says Family Research Council was categorized as a “hate group” in 2010 for statements that included that homosexuals are more likely to contract diseases and that homosexuals are more likely to molest children – not for any violent acts.

ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE J. CORDILEONE

‘Anybody they disagree with is basically a hater.’ CHARLES LIMANDRI (ADDIE MENA/CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY)

Those attending the March for March shared a common conviction, marriage can only be between one man and one woman. “They put out all kinds of information like gay people are more likely to abuse children than other people, more likely to have diseases, higher rates of pedophilia and molestation,” said Beirich. “The statements are very, very extreme. From our perspective there is nothing different than lying about the LGBT community than lying about blacks.” Beirich said, “We don’t list anybody on this list because for instance they were against gay marriage. We only list groups when they lie to demonize a population.”

Family Research Council and child molestation

In statements defending itself, Family Research Council said: “FRC has never said, and does not believe, that most homosexuals are child molesters. However, the Family Research Council says that “male homosexuality is a risk factor for child sexual abuse” in a defense against the Southern Poverty Law Center posted at frc.org, titled “Answering the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attacks

upon Family Research Council,” by FRC senior vice president Rob Schwarzwalder and in another FRC paper, “Getting it straight: What the research shows about homosexuality,” by Peter Sprigg and Timothy Dailey. The Family Research Council cites two factors, “a subculture within the homosexual movement that advocates ‘intergenerational’ sexual relationships” and the statistical fact that many more boys suffer sexual abuse by men than the percentage of self-identiﬁed homosexuals in the general population should warrant, Gacek said. Less than 3 percent of the total population identify as homosexual, lesbian or bisexual, according to a large-scale study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in 2014. About a third of all cases of reported sexual abuse are of boys by men, according to the article, “Is there a link between homosexuality and child abuse?” on frc.org. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys have been sexually abused.

president and chief counsel of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund The American Psychological Association disputes the FRC contention that homosexuality can be a risk factor for child sex abuse and states that self-identiﬁed gay men are no more likely to be perpetrators than heterosexual men. UC Davis psychology professor Gregory Herek asserts in “Facts about Homosexuality and Child Molestation,” published on his UC Davis webpage, that the fact a male minor was abused by a man does not mean the abuser was homosexual. He says some abusers are attracted to children not adults and therefore are not homosexual. He cites a 1993 National Academy of Sciences report that stated: “The distinction between homosexual and heterosexual child molesters relies on the premise that male molesters of male victims are homosexual in orientation. Most male molesters of boys do not report sexual interest in adult men, however.” “This is absolute insanity,” said Catholic psychologist Joseph Nicolosi of Encino, founder and former president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH).

“When both are anatomically male, what do you call that, homosexuality or heterosexuality?” asked Nicolosi. “We have to speak the truth, the truth is so simple.” The Catholic Church grappled with this issue in regard to the clerical abuse scandal in which more than 80 percent of those abused by priests were boys, with more than three quarters between the ages of 11 and 17, Nicolosi noted. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear that sexual activity between people of the same sex is objectively sinful but experiencing a same-sex attraction is not in itself a sin. “This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial,” according to the catechism. “(Homosexuals) must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulﬁll God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacriﬁce of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition,” the catechism states. Sexual abuse of a child or teen-ager is always gravely wrong, according to the catechism, which adds: “The offense is compounded by the scandalous harm done to the physical and moral integrity of the young, who will remain scarred by it all their lives; and the violation of responsibility for their upbringing.”

Homosexuality and disease controversy

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s second ground for calling the Family Research Council a “hate group” is the law center’s charge that the Christian family advocacy organization labels homosexuals as more diseased. However, while statistics support the statement that homosexually active men are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, FRC does not say homosexuals are more likely to get sick in general, Gacek said. Public health department statistics support the Family Research Council position. Men engaging in homosexual activity make up most of those who contract HIV, the precursor to AIDS, and men engaging in sex with men are more likely to contract syphilis, according to public health statistics. In a May 2014 fact sheet, U.S. Centers for

Disagreement is the new litmus test to be vilified as a “hater,” said San Diego attorney Charles LiMandri, who served as legal counsel for California’s Proposition 8 election campaign in 2008. “Anybody they disagree with is basically a hater,” said LiMandri, president and chief counsel of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund. The Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund is defending Torah-based Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) from a lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center suit claims homosexuality is permanently fixed and JONAH’s mission of offering assistance to men and women seeking to resolve their sexual conflicts, including unwanted same sex attractions, is fraud, LiMandri said. The Southern Poverty Law Center has links with official government organizations, including local police departments, which rely on its “hate map” designations, LiMandri said. “They have unfortunately been a source for official government organizations, Homeland Security, FBI, the Pentagon. That is what has made them particularly dangerous,” said LiMandri. However, earlier this year the FBI removed official website links to “hate group” listings by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. The change came after 15 family groups pressed Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director James Comey to withdraw them, the Washington Examiner reported March 26. In 2012, a man who opened fire at the Family Research Center said he decided on his target because it was one of the organizations on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “hate map.”

Conflicting world views

David is a member of Courage, the faithful Catholic group that ministers to people who experience same-sex attraction. Because he wishes to remain anonymous, in this article he is given a generic ﬁrst name. He told Catholic San Francisco the emphasis on hate speech is part of a strategy to demonize those who promote chastity. “The trick of the enemy is to say the opposite of the truth,” said David, who said Courage relies on anonymity much as Alcoholics Anonymous does. “The ones who are talking about bullying are running the big bully networks.” The issue is a fundamental disconnect in world view and of each other, said Robert Reilly, author of “Making Gay Okay” (Ignatius Press, 2014). “People who are ruled by their passion which they think is love can only imagine opposition coming from another passion. The opposite is hatred,” Reilly said, but the supporters of marriage between one man and one woman are animated by a belief in a truth, not by hatred, he said. Reilly quoted George Orwell, author of the novel “1984” which describes a totalitarian future where all thought is controlled and recast: “The more a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

16 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Cardinals exchange views in prelude to family synod FRANCIS X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will not open until Oct. 5, but some of its most prominent members are already publicly debating what is bound to be one of its most controversial topics: the eligibility of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion. In an interview published Sept. 18, a proponent of changing church practice to allow such Catholics to receive Communion answered criticism from some of his fellow cardinals, suggesting they are seeking a “doctrinal war” whose ultimate target is Pope Francis. “They claim to know on their own what truth is, but Catholic doctrine is not a closed system, but a living tradition that develops,” German Cardinal Walter Kasper told the Italian daily Il Mattino. “They want to crystallize the truth in certain formulas ... the formulas of tradition.” “None of my brother cardinals has ever spoken with me,” the cardinal said. “I, on the other hand, have spoken twice with the Holy Father. I arranged everything with him. He was in agreement. What can a cardinal do but stand with the pope? I am not the target, the target is another.” Asked if the target was Pope Francis, the cardinal replied: “Probably yes.” Cardinal Kasper, who will participate in the upcoming synod by personal appointment of the pope, was responding to a new book featuring contributions by five cardinals, including three of his fellow synod fathers, who criticize his proposal to make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion. According to church teaching, Catholics who remarry civilly without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriage may not receive Communion unless they abstain from sexual relations, living with their new partners “as brother and sister.” Pope Francis has said the predicament of such Catholics exemplifies a general need for mercy in the church today, and has indicated that their predicament will be a major topic of discussion at the synod. In February, at the pope’s invitation, Cardinal

5 WOMEN NAMED TO THEOLOGICAL PANEL

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis, who has said the Catholic Church has “not yet come up with a profound theology of womanhood,” named five women, a record number, to the International Theological Commission. One of the women is U.S. Mercy Sister Prudence Allen, former chair of the philosophy department at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, and now a member of the chaplaincy team at Lancaster University, England. On Sept. 23, the Vatican released the names of 30 theologians who will serve a five-year term. Women have served on the panel since 2004, but, until now, there have never been more than two. The five women appointees also include Australian Tracey Rowland, dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, a prominent authority on the theology of Pope Benedict XVI; and Moira Mary McQueen, a Canadian-British citizen who serves as director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.

‘Catholic doctrine is not a closed system, but a living tradition that develops.’ CARDINAL WALTER KASPER

‘The scriptural evidence shows us that, besides mercy, holiness and justice are also part of the mystery of God.’ CARDINAL GERHARD MULLER Kasper addressed the world’s cardinals at the Vatican and argued for allowing some Catholics in that situation to receive Communion. The Oct. 5-19 synod is not supposed to reach any deﬁnitive conclusions but instead set the agenda for a larger synod on the family in October 2015, which will make recommendations to the pope, who will make any ﬁnal decisions on change. “Remaining in the Truth of Christ,” which Ignatius Press will publish Oct. 1, includes essays in response to Cardinal Kasper’s proposal by three synod fathers: Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature; and Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna, Italy. On the same day, Ignatius Press will also publish two other books in which synod fathers respond to Cardinal Kasper’s proposal: “The Hope of the Family,” an extended interview with Cardinal Muller; and “The Gospel of the Family,” which features a foreword by Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy. (Cardinal Kasper’s address, published by Paulist Press, is also titled “The Gospel of the Family.”)

POPE NAMES PANEL TO REFORM ANNULMENT PROCESS

VATICAN CITY – Two weeks before the start of an extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, the Vatican announced the formation of a special commission to reform the process of granting marriage annulments. “The work of the commission will start as soon as possible and will have as its goal to prepare a proposal of reform of the matrimonial process, with the objective of simplifying its procedure, making it more streamlined, and safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of matrimony,” said a Vatican statement Sept. 20. The new body’s work will address what Pope Francis has identified as a key challenge in the “pastoral care of marriage.” “There is the legal problem of marriage nullity, this has to be reviewed, because ecclesiastical tribunals are not sufficient for this,” the pope told reporters in July 2013. Pope Francis related the problem of annulments to the situation of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, whose predicament he said exemplifies a general need for mercy in the church today. According to church teaching, such Catholics may not receive Communion unless they obtain an annulment of their first, sacramental, marriage or abstain from sexual relations, living with their new partners as “brother and sister.”

Cardinal Pell calls for a clear restatement of the traditional ban on Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, to avoid the sort of widespread protests that greeted Pope Paul VI’s affirmation of Catholic teaching against contraception in 1968. “The sooner the wounded, the lukewarm, and the outsiders realize that

substantial doctrinal and pastoral changes are impossible, the more the hostile disappointment (which must follow the reassertion of doctrine) will be anticipated and dissipated,” writes Cardinal Pell, who sits on the nine-member Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis on Vatican reform and governance of the universal church. Cardinal Muller’s essay, previously published in the Vatican newspaper, reaffirms the traditional ban. However, the cardinal notes that many Catholics’ first marriages might be invalid, and thus eligible for annulment, if the parties have been influenced by prevailing contemporary conceptions of marriage as a temporary arrangement. In the book-length interview, Cardinal Muller, whom Pope Francis made a cardinal in February, makes an apparent reference to Cardinal Kasper’s argument, which underscores the importance of mercy. “I observe with a certain amazement the use by some theologians, once again, of the same reasoning about mercy as an excuse for promoting the admission of divorced and civilly remarried persons to the sacraments,” Cardinal Muller is quoted as saying. “The scriptural evidence shows us that, besides mercy, holiness and justice are also part of the mystery of God.” Cardinal Burke, head of the Vatican’s highest court, warns that any reform of the process for annulling marriages – something both Pope Francis and Cardinal Kasper have said is necessary – should not oversimplify the judicial process at the cost of justice, since Catholics seeking an annulment deserve a decision that “respects fully the truth and, therefore, charity.” Cardinal Caffara, whom Pope Francis personally named to participate in the synod, argues that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics may not receive Communion because their situation “is in objective contradiction with that bond of love that unites Christ and the church, which is signified and actualized by the Eucharist.” To lift the ban, Cardinal Caffarra argues, would be to legitimize extramarital sexual relations and effectively deny the doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage.

New Sydney archbishop: ‘There can be no more excuses, no more cover-ups’ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

SYDNEY – New Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher has pledged to regain the conﬁdence of Australian Catholics and the broader community in the wake of the church’s sexual abuse scandal. Pope Francis named the bishop of Parramatta and former auxiliary bishop of Sydney Archbishop to succeed Cardinal Anthony Fisher George Pell, now prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy. “There can be no more excuses, no more cover-ups and the victims have to be put ﬁrst,” Archbishop Fisher said.”

The Catholic Church in Australia is going through a period of scrutiny, he said. “I hope it will emerge from this purified, humbler, more compassionate and spiritually regenerated,” he said. “Victims of abuse and all young people must come first – no excuses, no cover-ups. The church must do better in this area, and I am committed to playing a leading role in regaining the confidence of the community and of our own members.” At 54, Archbishop Fisher will be the youngest archbishop of Sydney in more than 40 years. A member of the Dominicans, he also will be the first member of a religious order to be archbishop of Sydney since the late 19th century. Archbishop Fisher studied history and law at the University of Sydney

before joining a city law ﬁrm. He then entered the Order of Preachers and received an honors degree in theology while studying for the priesthood in Melbourne. He was ordained Sept. 14, 1991. He went on to study at the University of Oxford, where he completed a doctorate in bioethics, which has remained a key area of interest for him. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Pontiﬁcal Academy for Life. In 2012, Cardinal Pell, then archbishop of Sydney, launched Archbishop Fisher’s book, “Catholic Bioethics for a New Millennium.” It was “a particularly promising time to be involved in Catholic bioethics,” he said at the time. “Health care continues to do so much that is so good and has the potential to do more in the future.”

OPINION 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

LETTERS Mention of race not relevant I am old-school Catholic. In your issue of Sept. 12, I was not only hurt but angered by your front page article (“Anger, tears, hope shared at USF prayer service for Michael Brown”). What has become of my church? The reporter writes of a white officer shooting and killing an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown. USF backs this with a protest speaker and prayer service? What happened to waiting for judgment when all facts are in? Why was color a part of the story until it’s shown to have been a factor in the shooting? My heart goes out to Michael Brown’s family – to lose a child is awful – but I feel liturgy should promote family values. This article could pit people against one another. My church and newspaper should relate to my spiritual being. And promote bettering humanity, not be in the business of judge and jury when the facts are not all in. Mary Rourke San Mateo

the anguish caused by church doctrine on gay persons. Elizabeth Travers Palo Alto The writer is a member of St. Raymond Parish, Menlo Park.

CSF Special Report

Loving all people A highly respected priest-theologian friend of mine wrote me just yesterday and said, in response to this article, “I do not find any concerted attack on the Catholic Church except where it refuses to keep up with modern anthropological science or persists in calling some of God’s beloved sons and daughters ‘intrinsically disordered.’” Jesus got into a lot of trouble in his time for showing us how he expects us to live and love, and he was ultimately crucified because he really did love all people, and still does. Sue Malone Hayes San Francisco

Brilliant job

Unwarranted indignation

Re “Faith the latest battleground for gay rights advocates,” Sept. 19: Thank you for such a great article. A brilliant job was done getting to the bottom of the moveon. org and George Soros-backed group! God bless you and the archbishop! I ﬁrmly believe that traditional marriage is supported by most; we just don’t have the microphone. Linda Deese El Granada The writer is a member of Our Lady of the Pillar Parish, Half Moon Bay.

I’ll admit to being bemused by this paragraph (“Gay rights money funds archbishop’s critics,” Sept. 12): “The cause for surprise among Catholics may be they assumed the powerful reaction was spontaneous. Now there is abundant evidence the reaction was both well planned and financed by Faithful America, an organization that is supported directly and indirectly by politically powerful and wealthy men and by grant-making foundations who have devoted millions of dollars to promoting acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) behavior.” I would like to remind your readers of the support for the church’s crusade to pass Proposition 8. Was that a “spontaneous” activity? Substantial funding came from Utah, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Texas. Were those results spontaneous or part of a concerted effort on the part of advocacy? Leaders of all strongly held positions on controversial causes reach out for emotional and financial support from like-minded souls, irrespective of their geographical location. People involved in these campaigns know that support from various sources is critical in the success or failure of the efforts. To claim “surprise among Catholics” for the recent push-back against the archbishop was not spontaneous smacks of unwarranted indignation. Jim McCrea Piedmont

Fine series Thanks to Valerie Schmalz for her ﬁne series on the front groups lobbying against the church’s teaching on marriage. The series was wellreceived, if the letters to CSF are any indication. There were a few upset by the expose, including those who insist, as is often read in the for-proﬁt press, that Jesus said nothing about gay marriage. He did, however, have plenty to say about marriage. Matthew 19-12 is timely: “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” James O. Clifford Sr. Redwood City

Joyful to read At last, like Rocky Balboa rising from the canvas to cheers of an inspired crowd, Catholic San Francisco stands strong and determined to win against the powerful forces attacking our Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and our Catholic faith. It’s joyful to read that special report by Valerie Schmalz (Sept. 12), who with a left uppercut named the proselytizing politicians Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi and Ed Lee, whose letters of support for gay marriage attacked our archbishop. And cheers for Valerie Schmalz’ right cross of last week (Sept. 19), a special report exposing anti-Catholic groups that challenge religious opposition to gay “rights.” The enemy has been exposed. And now we can shift our attention from the Rocky of the boxing ring to the real rock: Our church, founded on the leadership of St. Peter and marching through two millennia proclaiming the word of God. Robert Jimenez Burlingame

Standing for the truth Excellent article. You are greatly appreciated for exposing those who are behind this anti-Catholic movement as the poseurs they are. Kudos to Archbishop Cordileone for standing for the truth. Susan Gardner Currituck, North Carolina

Marriage decline a quiet disaster That is a remarkable, in-depth report on the archbishop’s critics. The archbishop defended his actions, saying that the (March for Marriage) rally at which he was keynote speaker was “not anti-LGBT” but pro-marriage. How desperately we need our bishops to be pro-marriage.

A recent article in The New York Times began, “Marriage is disappearing. More than 40 percent of new mothers are unmarried ... Collegeeducated young adults are still marrying before having children ... The rest of America, about two-thirds of the population, is not.” Charles Murray, a distinguished conservative sociologist, described the problem in his 2012 bestseller “Coming Apart.” In the mid-1970s, 84 percent of white men ages 30-49 in less affluent segments were married. That number dropped to 48 percent by 2010, that is, more than half the men in their prime marriage years were not married. Please note that Murray focused on white men to avoid racial issues. Murray has a range of statistics, all underscoring the precipitous decline in heterosexual marriage. That decline among a large part of our population is a quiet, long-term disaster. While marriage is declining, there are still children being born and all the evidence tells us that children in single parent families operate with serious disadvantages. The church has wonderful teachings on marriage, but my personal experience, limited as it may be, is that the USCCB spends its time fighting contraception and gay marriage. These may be intellectual rallying cries for some, but they are relatively minor practical issues; the gay population is a tiny fraction of the whole, however effective they may be at attracting attention. The real problem lies with the heterosexual population – the 90-plus percent of the population – which seems to be simply dismissing the core unit of society, the nuclear family. By the way, there is nothing in Murray’s book or elsewhere that I have read that suggests that the decline in heterosexual marriage is caused by or results from the acceptance by much of civil society of gay marriage. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our church leaders were actually devoting their energies, publicly, continuously and effectively, to promoting heterosexual marriage, rather than worrying about contraception and gay marriage? They are treating charley horses; the decline in marriage is a cancer. John Weiser Kentﬁeld The writer is a member of St. Anselm Parish, Ross.

Sexuality not a choice Because Faithful America supports equality of LGBT persons with financial support from George Soros, it is excoriated by Catholic San Francisco. A person’s sexuality is not a choice; it is integral to the individual. I am a retired 83-year-old nurse, widowed, who has witnessed

Amazing irony The irony of a story like this is just too amazing. Cry me a river over the hypocritical victimhood that some Catholics and hierarchy are experiencing. Jim Boin San Francisco The writer is a member of St. Dominic Parish, San Francisco.

Love thy neighbor I am a Christian and a member of Faithful America. I am one of the roots of the grass-roots organization. Reading your article convinced me to part with $20 and send it to them so they can keep doing their job. Love thy neighbor. No exceptions. Valerie (last name withheld by request) Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Receiving all in Christ I have stopped contributing to the cathedral parish and I refuse to donate to the archbishop’s annual appeal. However, I will continue to contribute to the Franciscans and the Jesuits. It is there that all are received as if they are Christ Jesus. Thomas Edward Miles San Francisco

LETTERS POLICY EMAIL letters.csf@sfarchdiocese.org WRITE Letters to the Editor, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

NAME, address and daytime phone number for verification required SHORT letters preferred: 250 words or fewer

18 OPINION

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Fatherless at the depth of our being

nthropologists tell us that father-hunger, a frustrated desire to be blessed by our own fathers, is one of the deepest hungers in the world today, especially among men. Millions of people sense that they have not received their father’s blessing. However, in its deepest root, this FATHER RON suffering is ROLHEISER something far beyond the mere absence of a blessing from our biological fathers. We tend to be fatherless in a much deeper way. Some 25 years ago, a French philosopher, Jean-Luc Marion wrote a book titled, “God Without Being,” within which he offers a very challenging interpretation of the famous parable of the prodigal son. A father had two sons. The younger comes to him and says: “Father give me the share of the property that’s coming to me.” His father shares out his goods. The younger

son takes his share, leaves for a distant country, and squanders his property on a life of debauchery. When he has spent everything, he ﬁnds himself hungry and humiliated and sets off to return to his father’s house, where he is undeservedly greeted, embraced, and taken back by his father. At one level, the lesson is clear: God’s mercy is so wide and compassionate that nothing we can do will ever stop God from loving us. Author Marion, from the Greek text, emphasizes another element in this story. The Greek implies that the son went to his father and asked for something more than property and money. It says that he asked his father for his ousia. Ousia, in Greek, means “substance.” He’s asking for his life, as independent of his father. Moreover, as a son and an heir, he already has use of his share of what is rightfully his; but he wants to own it and not owe it to anyone. He wants what is rightly his but he wants to have it as cut off from his father, and as his own in a way that he no longer has to acknowledge his father in the way he receives his life and freedom and uses them. And the consequence of that, as this parable makes clear, is that a gift no longer sensed or

acknowledged as gift always leads to the misuse of that gift, to the loss of integrity, and to personal humiliation. Here’s what Marion sees as the deepest issue inside this story: “The son requests that he no longer have to request, or rather, that he no longer have to receive the ousia. ... He asks to possess it, dispose of it, enjoy it without passing through the gift and the reception of the gift. The son wants to owe nothing to his father, and above all not owe him a gift; he asks to have a father no longer- the ousia without the father or the gift. ... [And] the ousia becomes the full possession of the son only to the extent that it is fully dispossessed of the father: Dispossession of the father, annulment of the gift, this is what the possession of the ousia implies. Hence an immediate consequence: In being dispossessed of the father, the possession that censures the gift integrates within itself, indissolubly, the waste of the gift: Possessed without gift, possession cannot but continue to dispossess itself. Henceforth orphan of the paternal gift, ousia ﬁnds itself possessed in the mode of dissipation.” The prodigal son’s real issue was not so much his hunger for pleasure

as his hunger for the wrong kind of independence. He wanted his life and the freedom to enjoy life completely on his own terms and, for him, that meant he had to take them outside his father’s house. In doing that, he lost his father and he also lost genuine life and freedom because these can only be had inside the acceptance; a certain dependence. That’s why Jesus repeated again and again, that he could do nothing on his own. Everything he was and everything he did came from his father. Our lives are not our own. Our lives are a gift and always need to be received as gift. Our substance is not our own and so it may never be severed from its source, God, our father. We can enter our lives and freedom and enjoy them and their pleasures, but as soon as we cut them off from their source, take them as our own and head off on our own, dissipation, hunger, and humiliation will follow. There’s life only in the father’s house and when we are outside that house we are fatherless and wasting our ousia.

economic oppression and militant conservative hate speech veiled as pro-marriage. I have lived and devoted all my life to the models John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and now Pope Francis. Please examine your conscience about taking so much time and effort to discredit good people ﬁghting injustice and inequality when there is so much true evil and corruption in your own home. I am shocked such an article would be published in the center of our brothers and sisters in the progressive city of San Francisco. I hope you are getting a strong, well-deserved reaction that affirms what I have stated here. A faithful American and true Christian, John Kersting Olympia, Washington

marriage between one woman and one man. That does not mean we get to force others into that belief. In this country we have been able to allow other beliefs to live. That is Christ-like. It doesn’t mean this is a Christian country; it means we are a tolerant country that abhors violence against anyone who is different or has different beliefs. If we cannot use love to convince people to our ways, then it’s up to God to sort them out. Remember, “Judge not and ye shall not be judged.” When I die I’d rather God would see the love and compassion I have spread and not the intolerance shown in this article. James Ayers Grass Valley The writer is a member of St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Auburn.

church, often in the vanguard of societal thought. It seems only a matter of time, wisdom and courage before the church will ultimately recognize new conclusions about the essential dignity of homosexuals as a people of faith, born under God’s grace, and entitled to the same full human expression as their heterosexual brothers and sisters. Peter Albert San Francisco Editor’s note: A Sept. 22 Pew Religion & Public Life Project public opinion survey report titled “Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning” said that the number of people who view homosexual behavior as sinful has ticked up in the past year, from 45 percent in 2013 to 50 percent in the current poll. It also found that “support for same-sex marriage in the current poll is on par with Pew Research polls conducted in 2013, when 50 percent expressed support for same-sex marriage and 43 percent registered opposition, but down slightly from a February 2014 Pew Research poll that found 54 percent support for same-sex marriage.” Pew said “It is too early to know whether this is an anomaly or the beginning of a reversal or leveling off of the growth in support for same-sex marriage widely observed in polls over the past decade.” Visit http://www.pewforum.org/2014/09/22/ section-3-social-political-issues/.

OBLATE FATHER ROLHEISER is president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

LETTERS Question of human rights I have no issue with the Roman Catholic Church’s position that to be a member of your church there is a requirement not to be a practicing member of the LGBT community (which I am not, so I am not speaking for them). I do have an issue that the Roman Catholic Church would advocate to reduce the human rights of others not sanctioned by your teachings, which is essentially why I sign Faithful America’s petitions. I would ask that you reconsider your policies concerning the rights of people who are not Roman Catholics. Devotion to Christ is a beautiful thing in the heart of a human being. Obedience, however, speaks of a different master. Debra (last name withheld by request) Auburn

Bitterly disturbed As a 40-year journalist, teacher, parent, community leader as president of a 450-member nonprofit providing direct aid worldwide and concerned lifelong baptized Catholic from St. Catherine’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was bitterly disturbed by the article Catholic San Francisco published on Faithful America. Being a good Catholic does not require absolute lockstep adherence to church doctrine when it violates the bedrock teachings of Jesus Christ and the plain language of the Ten Commandments, which are about the only principles I trust to be accurate in the Catholic and Christian faith. Pope Francis is the greatest breath of fresh air and honest virtue that I have seen with our Catholic leadership since I marched with Father Groppi and the Milwaukee archdiocese for civil rights in the 1960s. Your articles and focus ought to be on calling out the true hypocrites of the money-changing megachurches, support for worldwide

We do not own the world

Crux of the controversy

As usual everyone goes overboard about any subject they are adamant about. It’s the American way. I have signed a few petitions from Faithful America. I only sign those that I agree with. That fact that they get funding from any organization is moot to me; it’s the way of the world. I love Pope Francis for his inclusion of all in his prayers and thoughts. I applaud his idea of not denigrating anyone simply because they do not agree with our religion. What I read is exactly that which he says we should stop doing and preach a positive message, not negative. This article is nothing more than trying to make out this organization as bad by innuendo and association with “degenerate” organizations. Stop! We do not own the world. If we are loving Christians like Christ told us we would express a loving and kindly message, not this. We also live in the United States of America. Part of our culture is tolerance for all. At least that’s the theory. Yes, our church believes in one

I applaud CSF for publishing the extended articles on homosexuality and the Catholic Church. The subject has telescoped in complexity across one mere generation: More Americans today accept homosexuality as a natural condition – and are willing to support weddings for same-sex couples – than oppose it, and this trend in sentiment is consistent with the views of Catholics, independent (counter to the implications of the CSF articles) from the inﬂuence of the wealthy, “pro-gay” activists CSF identiﬁes. This is the crux of the current controversy: If the church’s evolution is to acknowledge homosexuality as a basic human condition, and to insist that homosexuals be accorded a place of dignity within the church family, then elevating that “place” to one of full humanity seems intellectually and spiritually necessary. Fighting to empower all people, and in particular, the oppressed, to exercise basic human rights has long been a major concern of the

Paternal and maternal The range of letters published in response to the Sept. 19 special report on gay activists seems to show that both standing ﬁrm for traditional morality and marriage and adopting a more graciously pastoral tone toward square-peg individuals would best serve the community moving forward. In other words, the paternal and maternal instincts of the church must always work together to point us toward God, I think. Jay Strickwerda San Francisco

FAITH 19

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

SUNDAY READINGS

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.’ MATTHEW 21:28-32 EZEKIEL 18:25-28 Thus says the Lord: You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. PSALM 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 Remember your mercies, O Lord. Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. Remember your mercies, O Lord. Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your love are from of old. The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the humble his way. Remember your mercies, O Lord. PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11 Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selﬁshness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God

greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. MATTHEW 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the ﬁrst and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘ but afterward changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The ﬁrst.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Obedience: Having the same mind, and a united heart

eens typically go through a period of rebelling against authority. Some “take on” their parents, challenge them, and refuse to obey. They manifest their independence in verbally and emotionally abusive confrontations. Despite the scenes, they expect parents to love them and pay their tuition. Parents become saints as they endure this transition to adulthood. The reading from Philippians can be heard as an inspiration to teens to think of obedience as a way of acting selﬂessly, loving and caring for others, with a consciousness of how others think and feel. For Paul, the obedience of Jesus is the model – his loving union with the Father, SISTER ELOISE self-effacement, compasROSENBLATT, RSM his sionate self-sacriﬁce, and acceptance of suffering. The Gospel considers the concept of obedience as “doing the Father’s will.” The parable offers the dynamic of father-son, mother-daughter, as a window on fundamental

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

questions: What does obedience to God mean? When is obedience to God proved? The parent says to the son or daughter, “Go out and work in the vineyard today.” One child says no at first, but then eventually goes to do the work. The other child says yes at first, but doesn’t ever do any work, expressing contempt for the parent. When the chief priests and elders agree that the first child was obedient, Jesus compares the first child to repentant sinners – despised tax collectors and demeaned prostitutes – who are more favored by God than the “yes men” of the religious elite. Jesus says those who end up changing their mind and doing what God wills – these are more acceptable to God than the priests and elders. This is not a parable that made Jesus popular with religious authorities. If obedience, according to Philippians, is an attitude of mind and heart, what is the “mind and heart” of the first son, the one who initially says no? Obviously, he changes his mind after considering the parent’s request. What might the child have reflected on? Maybe it was economic advantage – if I don’t do the work, I won’t get paid my allowance. Maybe it was fear of getting cut out of the inheritance – if I don’t do the work, my parents won’t leave me the vineyard. Maybe it was jealousy of the favored sibling who always said yes – if I don’t do the work my parents won’t love me the way they love him or her.

Maybe it was a friend’s disapproval – if I don’t do the work, my friends will think I’m a schmuck and loser. Maybe it was feeling guilty– after all, my parents have done so much for me, so isn’t this what I owe them? We don’t know how the ﬁrst child sees the parent. The eventual compliance with the parent’s directive, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today,” expresses the sort of relationship the son feels and understands he has with the parent. Obedience – doing the work requested – comes out of a good relationship with the parent and the willingness of the child to cooperate, loving and working with the parent. The father in the parable is not an employer, but a parent ﬁrst. The son is under family authority, not the direction of a stranger, but of someone who has known him all his life. Thus, interpreting the parent’s motive and the parent-child relationship – is part of obedience. The Gospel is reassuring. Obedience to God doesn’t have to be perfect right now. As we change our mind – and perhaps grow up – we come to understand and love the one who sends us to work in the vineyard. Out of that realization, we do God’s will. MERCY SISTER ELOISE ROSENBLATT is a Ph.D. theologian and an attorney in private practice in areas of family law and wills and trusts. She lives in San Jose.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS

POPE FRANCIS ‘A BEAUTIFUL SIGN’

On a one-day visit to Albania Sept. 21, Pope Francis said he wanted his ﬁrst trip to Europe to highlight Albanians’ practice of “respect and mutual trust,” saying it was “a beautiful sign for the world.” The pope also warned against manipulating religion, saying no one should “consider themselves to be the ‘armor’ of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression.” Before the start of the morning Mass, a large powered paraglider circled and swooped over the main square, the fabric decorated with the national symbol of a black eagle. The pope used the symbol in his homily, saying God raises his people “up on eagle’s wings.”

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29: Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels. DN 7:9-10, 13-14 or RV 12:7-12ab. PS 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5. JN 1:47-51.

MOTHER THEODORE GUERIN 1798-1856 October 3

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: Memorial of St. Jerome, priest and doctor. JB 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23. PS 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8. LK 9:51-56.

A Breton by birth, Anne-Therese Guerin was 25 when she entered the Sisters of Providence of Ruille-surLoir, France. As Sister Theodore, she directed schools in Rennes and Soulaines. She led ﬁve other nuns across the Atlantic to a new mission on the American frontier. St. Mary-of-the-Woods Academy, which they began in Indiana, is now the oldest U.S. Catholic college for women. She was canonized in 2006.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1: Memorial St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church. JB 9:112, 14-16. PS 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15. LK 9:57-62. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2: Memorial of the Guardian Angels. JB 19:21-27. PS 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14. MT 18:1-5, 10. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3: Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time. JB 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5. PS 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab. LK 10:13-16.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4: Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. JB 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17. PS 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130. LK 10:17-24.

20 FROM THE FRONT

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

CHICAGO: Spokane’s Cupich to lead nation’s third-largest archdiocese FROM PAGE 1

Cardinal George is 77, two years past the age when bishops are required by canon law to turn in their resignation to the pope. He retains the office of archbishop until his successor’s installation. “Bishop Cupich is well prepared for his new responsibilities and brings to them a deep faith, a quick intelligence, personal commitment and varied pastoral experiences,” Cardinal George said, introducing Archbishop Cupich (pronounced “Soo-pich”) during a news conference in Chicago. Archbishop Cupich, who will lead the 2.2 million Catholics of the nation’s third-largest archdiocese, said his appointment “humbles and encourages” him and his priority as the new archbishop is to be attentive to the way God is working through the people in the archdiocese. Some in the media describe Archbishop Cupich as a moderate but when asked about the description, he said, “Labels are hard for anybody to live up to, one way or another. I just try to be myself and I try to learn from great people. You’ve had great people here in this archdiocese pastor you. And I’m following a great man.” When asked if his appointment – the ﬁrst major appointment made by Pope Francis in the United States – sends a message about the pontiff’s agenda, Archbishop Cupich said no. “I think the Holy Father is a pastoral man. I think that his priority is to send a bishop, not a message,” he said.

When asked if his appointment – the ﬁrst major appointment made by Pope Francis in the United States – sends a message about the pontiff’s agenda, Archbishop Cupich said no: ‘I think the Holy Father is a pastoral man. I think that his priority is to send a bishop, not a message.’

(CNS P HOTO/PAUL HARING)

Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Washington, right, concelebrates Mass in 2012 with other U.S. bishops in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Pope Francis has named Bishop Cupich as archbishop of Chicago, succeeding Cardinal Francis E. George.

When pressed on what tone he will bring to the archdiocese, the new archbishop said: “I think it’s really important to keep in mind that it’s not my church, it’s Christ’s church. I have to be attentive to his voice in the lives of the people and the word of God and the way that he communicates to all of us through the pointers that he gives.” Born March 19, 1949, in Omaha, Nebraska, he is one of nine children and the grandson of Croatian immigrants. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1975. He was named bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1998. In 2010, he

was appointed to Spokane. He speaks Spanish and lives at the seminary there. He has degrees from what is now the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Pontiﬁcal Gregorian University in Rome and The Catholic University of America in Washington. He served as secretary at the apostolic nunciature in Washington and was pastor of two parishes in Omaha. On the national level, he currently chairs the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe and is former chair of the Committee for the Protec-

tion of Children and Young People. Archbishop Cupich, who has been bishop of Spokane, Washington, since 2010, was born March 19, 1949, in Omaha, the grandson of Croatian immigrants and one of nine children. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota and did further studies at the Gregorian University in Rome. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1975 and ordained as a bishop in 1998, appointed then to the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota.

POVERTY: 50 years after nation declared ‘war,’ struggle persists FROM PAGE 1

from 15 percent to 14.5 percent, new U.S. Census figures show. “We’d expect poverty to drop now that we’re in the fifth year of an economic recovery, right?” asked Gregory Acs, director of the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. Even among non-Hispanic whites, the most affluent of demographic groups, the poverty rate is 9.6 percent, or close to 10 percent. Pope Francis, talking in June to participants at an investment conference in Rome, said it was “increasingly intolerable” that the world’s financial markets have the power to determine people’s fate instead of being at the service of people’s needs. He also criticized the way “the few derive immense wealth from financial speculation while the many are deeply burdened by the consequences.” The Urban Institute’s Acs said the new poverty figures don’t take into account pre-tax cash income, food assistance and rental subsidies as well as tax-based assistance like EITC. An alternative Census Bureau poverty measure, called the Supplemental Poverty Measure, includes these types of assistance, but Acs said it doesn’t substantively change the poverty rate. On the other hand, the federal poverty line remains unchanged – and probably unrealistic – at $23,550 for a family of four. That would mean living on $452.88 a week. “While we can debate what kind of success the war on poverty has been, we haven’t eliminated poverty. We haven’t

(CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER)

A homeless man rests on a bench in a park outside St. Vincent de Paul Church in downtown Baltimore in early July. According to new statistics released by the Census Bureau on Sept. 16, poverty in the United States is down, but only slightly. eliminated racial discrimination. We haven’t – we still have issues, I guess, to drop any pretense of eloquence,” Acs told Catholic News Service. “It’s useful to see where we are, where we’ve come from, and how we’ve changed. But if you looked through a more pessimistic lens, we haven’t made a lot of progress,” he added. “One of the things that has probably worked against progress is the way the criminal justice system has differently impacted African-American families – the high levels of incarceration among less-educated African-American men,” Acs said. “You can’t blithely say that ‘if we just don’t put people in jail things would be much better,’ because crime-ridden neighborhoods are a problem,” he

continued, adding the question has to be asked whether “the types of crimes people were arrested for and jailed for long periods of time warrants the disruptions the removal of a large number of people from the economy, from their families. “With a prison record, it’s much harder finding a job – not nearly as economically viable as it was before. ... and probably contributes the seeming lack of progress.” What would happen to poverty if the nation didn’t do anything to fight it? “The overall trend in the labor market, the effects of technology and globalization, an increase in inequality, stagnation of wages, more benefits accruing to capital than to labor, without active antipoverty programs one could reasonably

Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel,’ wrote of an ‘exponentially’ growing gap between rich and poor, which he blamed for, among other things, environmental degradation and rising violence. He attributed the gap to the influence of bad economic ideas. expect that poverty would have grown worse, Acs said. “The counter-argument is that people would have worked harder if they didn’t have the safety net.” Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” wrote of an “exponentially” growing gap between rich and poor, which he blamed for, among other things, environmental degradation and rising violence. He attributed the gap to the influence of bad economic ideas. And what if government did, at least figuratively, throw money at the problem? Acs said there are a limited number of experiments underway in which poor people are given sufficient funds for themselves and their families, but the efforts are at too early of a stage to draw conclusions about the effectiveness.

FROM THE FRONT 21

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

FRANCIS: A man ‘far more complex and conflicted than the legend’ FROM PAGE 1

particular devotion to him either. St. Augustine is a favorite saint. That gave him some valuable distance as he set out to write an academic biography. He studied archives in Assisi, the writings of Francis and his followers, and earlier biographies and “Francis traditions.” With his own knowledge he weaves them together in a way that offers readers a surprising amount of detail about Francis’ transactions and state of mind. The sources for Francis are much better than the sources for Jesus, historically speaking, according to Thompson. “We have 120 pages of his own writing – we don’t have any writings from Jesus,” he said. An annotated hardback was released in the fall of 2012. That book, and the paperback edition released in 2013, has become almost as popular as the saint himself whose feast day is Oct. 4. The book was an Amazon. com best-seller for three days and Newsweek named it one of its 11 favorite books of 2012. When a pope chose the name Francis for the first time ever in 2013 and then a New Yorker columnist praised the book, “I became a minor celebrity,” Thompson said. Thompson said his Francis is a factual Francis: “The picture I paint of Francis is the result of historical method, not theological reflection or pious edification.”

‘He’s like us. None of us get a message from God about what we are supposed to do or how we’re supposed to do it. Most of the time we bump around.’ DOMINICAN FATHER AUGUSTINE THOMPSON Backed with historical fact or as often the lack of it, Thompson tempers, conﬁrms and at times dispels some long-lived myths about Francis. One is the legend of the wolf of Gubbio. As legend has it, Francis subdued a wolf that had terrorized the town. The wolf and the townsfolk lived together peacefully after that. Casting doubt on the story, Thompson said, is the fact that not a single historical mention is made of this legend until 150 years after Francis’ death. While Thompson said there is “no question” that Francis had a special connection to animals – one Francis stereotype that doesn’t appear to have been distorted or embellished – it is out of character for Francis to dominate an animal for any reason. “He saw himself as one with God’s creation, never master of it,” said Thompson.

We also learn that the oft-invoked “Prayer of St. Francis” was not written by Francis at all but was printed by an anonymous author in a French clerical magazine in 1912 when the horrors of the Great War gave the prayer special meaning. Francis would likely approve of the peaceful message, Thompson said, but adds that the saint didn’t pray that way. “It’s me, me, me, I, I, I, ﬁrst person all the way through,” Thompson exclaims as if defending a friend. Francis is not at all self-referential, he said. “We have eight or 10 prayers by Francis and in all he addresses only God without ever once mentioning himself.” The religious order that goes by Francis’ name began quite simply with a couple of men drawn by the

sheer spiritual intensity of how he lived at San Damiano where he first felt the impact of Christ’s passion and crucifixion. A stint in a savage local war left him spiritually shell shocked and, it seemed, incapable or unwilling to return to his former life as the son of prosperous merchant. He renounced his family fortune and experienced a conversion serving the lepers of a nearby colony. Francis was high-spirited and charismatic but uncomfortable with and unsuited for the role of leader, according to Thompson. It conflicted with his belief in spiritual poverty, of “choosing the lowest place.” He was also reduced to spiritual agony over how to combine the solitary aspects of penance and prayer with the public work of preaching and leading. Throughout Francis’ life, said Thompson, Francis thinks he has found the way God wants him and his followers to live and suddenly things change and he’s confused again. “He’s like us,” he says. “None of us get a message from God about what we are supposed to do and how we are supposed to do it. Most of the time we bump around.” Thompson said that in the end he came to believe that Francis is “one of the greatest saints that ever lived.” He is now certainly one of his favorites. “Francis’ imperfections tell us, you can be a holy person without being perfect,” Thompson said.

Archbishop celebrates Pontifical Mass

(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO)

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone celebrated the Pontifical Mass of the Missal of St. John XXIII on Sept. 14 at Star of the Sea Church in San Francisco. The Pontifical Mass was to celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the seventh anniversary of the implementation of Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum.” The Mass at Star was coordinated by the Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco with music by the Golden Gate Boys Choir. Close to 500 people attended.

Painter, carpenter create altar rails at Church of the Visitacion In order to better frame the sanctuary space in the modern, fairly minimalist interior of Church of the Visitacion in San Francisco, altar rails were created by painter Stefan Salinas and carpenter

Toan Tieu. Pastor Father Thuan Hoang “thought it would be a good idea to include depictions of the four Gospel writers, and so, taking visual inspiration from the vibrant and dynamic stained-

glass windows, four colorful panels were painted,” Salinas told Catholic San Francisco. Pictured are the four Gospel panels and Toan Tien as Father Thuan supervised the installation.

(PHOTOS COURTESY STEFAN SALINAS)

22 ARTS & LIFE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

Sociological studies look at beliefs of young, not religious REVIEWED BY DANIEL S. MULHALL CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“YOUNG CATHOLIC AMERICA: EMERGING ADULTS IN, OUT OF AND GONE FROM THE CHURCH” BY CHRISTIAN SMITH, KYLE LONGEST, JONATHAN HILL AND KARI CHRISTOFFERSEN. Oxford University Press (New York, 2014). 274 pp., $29.95. “Belief without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious” by Linda A. Mercadante. Oxford University Press (New York, 2014). 258 pp., $29.95. Since its inception in 2002, the National Study of Youth and Religion has provided church ministry practitioners a goldmine of valuable information about the religious beliefs and values of young people and their parents. The ﬁrst full report of the study was published in “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers” (2009) by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton. Several additional books have followed as that data was unpacked. The young people who participated in the original study in 2002 have now grown into young adults. The researchers have now gone back to these young people to collect data on their present-day religious lives. The data from the most recent study is presented in the book, “Young Catholic America: Emerging Adults In, Out of and Gone from the Church,” which is again written by Smith, the lead researcher, along with several of his research colleagues.

For those engaged in ministry within the church or for those concerned with the state of religion in the United States, the writing of Smith and his team remain “must reads.” Captured here is a snapshot of where Catholic young people between the ages of 22 and 28 currently are in their relationship with the church and how they express their faith. The findings are interesting. Emerging adults – those who are of age but who have not yet moved fully into adult responsibilities – hold religious and spiritual beliefs not too different from previous generations but may lack the language to express those beliefs. They also are much less likely to participate in weekly religious practices and have less of a commitment to the institutional church. While recognizing the declining church membership among young people, Smith finds that marriage and having children seems to bring young people back to religious practice. The problem though is that many young people are delaying or avoiding marriage entirely. While deftly written and solidly researched, “Young Catholic America” feels less compelling than the previous works in the series. As with all long-term studies it is important to remember that each “snapshot” reflects only that period of time and not the end of the journey. It will be interesting

to follow these young people as they move into full adulthood. In “Belief without Borders,” Linda A. Mercadante presents a qualitative study of the religious and spiritual attitudes of adults who are “spiritual, but not religious.” Developed from 85 in-depth interviews conducted by the author, the book presents the thoughts of those interviewed primarily in their own words. According to Mercadante, people who are spiritual but not religious generally fall into ﬁve categories or types: dissenters, casuals, explorers, seekers and immigrants. Thus some of them reject the church and its teachings for some reason, while others have at least some ongoing relationship with religion. Mercadante notes that people who are spiritual but not religious can be found in every age and stage in life, although a steep decline in religious practice can be traced to the 1960s and ‘70s. One of the critical factors for this change seems to be the developing principle that everyone is “free to adopt, adapt, discard and change any spiritual or religious beliefs they encountered.” The author suggests that this phenomenon is consistent with the ﬁndings of Robert Bellah in his 1985 seminal work “Habits of the Heart.” Mercadante further notes that “People ... have claimed for themselves the authority formerly ceded to others. This does not necessarily imply a rejection of the social order, nor even a call for radical social change. But it does include a taking back of authority over what beliefs to accept and to reject, what to have faith in, how to practice one’s faith, and what criteria by which to judge the self.” Mercadante provides here a fascinating look into the attitudes of people who are spiritual but not religious. While the author doesn’t draw many conclusions from these interviews, the valuable data is clearly presented for others to use and learn from on their own. While a bit of a slog to get through, what can be learned from the effort is well worthwhile. MULHALL is a catechist. He lives in Laurel, Maryland.

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