Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Prepare your heart for Advent
14A-15A
The Catholic Spirit
November 18, 2010
For seniors, place to call home
B Section
TheCatholicSpirit.com
News with a Catholic heart
Cardinal: U.S. must redouble efforts to protect Iraqis
Western metro nonprofit spotlights rising suburban poverty
Catholic News Service
By Maria Wiering
In his last week as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago urged the U.S. government to “redouble its efforts to assist Iraqis” in providing safety for its citizens, especially religious minorities. “To meet its moral obligations to the Iraqi people, it is See critically imrelated portant that the United editorial States take ad— Page 10A ditional steps now to help Iraq protect its citizens, especially Christians and others who are victims of organized attacks,” said Cardinal George in a Nov. 9 letter to U.S. President Barack Obama. Cardinal George sent the letter after the Oct. 31 attack on the Syrian Catholic church in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad that killed 58 people and wounded 75. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 16. In a brief discussion of the letter during the Nov. 15 opening session of the bishops’ annual PLEASE TURN TO STORIES ON PAGE 20A
The Catholic Spirit
CNS photo / Thaier al-Sudani, Reuters
Women grieve during a Nov. 2 funeral for victims of an attack in Baghdad, Iraq. Religious leaders worldwide are condemning the Oct. 31 attack on a Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad and urging political leaders to ensure religious coexistence in the region.
Bishops in Baltimore: Read about the fall meeting on page 7A and at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.
Economy a ‘perfect storm’
Pope: Rich economies must pay attention to farming Catholic News Service Modern economies must pay more attention to farmers and the entire agricultural sector, not out of some nostalgic yearning for a simpler time, but out of recognition that farms feed the world and offer dignified work to millions of people, Pope Benedict XVI said Nov. 14. Thanksgiving holidays in many countries at the end of the harvest season are an appropriate time for everyone to reflect on the importance of agriculture and on the ways that many modern economies ignore the sector or actually inflict harm on it through trade policies or through the promotion of industries that destroy farmland, he said. With the current global economic crisis, the pope said, the temptation of the richest countries is to band together to improve their own situations, often in a way that harms the world’s poorest countries and uses up “the natural resources of the earth, entrusted by God the creator to human beings to cultivate and safeguard.” The world needs to forge “a new balance among agriculture, industry and services” that results in sustainable development, available work and food, and resource preservation, he said.
On the outside, Beth’s life looked like the American dream: She lived in a beautiful house near Lake Minnetonka, and her husband’s career allowed her to stay home to raise her two young sons. It was a comfortable — even enviable — life for a woman in her late 20s. But that was the facade. On the inside, Beth had endured emotional abuse from her husband since the beginning of their marriage. And when she tried to leave the marriage for the sake of her sons, the abuse turned physically violent. Beth, who requested that her last name not be used, left her husband in 2007 and obtained a divorce, but it cost her nearly everything. Because her husband failed to pay bills, she and her boys lost their home and moved in with Beth’s father. Although Beth, now 35, worked in management and sales prior to her marriage, she didn’t have a college degree, so finding a good job was difficult. When she realized that she had exhausted her own resources, she turned to Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, a nonprofit serving eight western metro suburbs. Several Catholic parishes are part of the effort. When people think of poverty, most don’t think of Twin Cities suburbs — especially those around Lake Minnetonka, where big boats and bigger houses reign supreme. Yet, Beth and her sons are among 4,495 individuals from 1,469 households IOCP helped in fiscal year 2009-2010. And, suburban poverty is on the rise. Since 2004, IOCP’s housing assists have increased by 38 percent.
Read Thanksgiving reflections on pages 2A, 10A and 15A.
Beth is among “the new poor” — those who had no history of poverty but became poor during the economic recession due to home foreclosures or lack of job opportunities. Many of them were not as financially secure as Beth once seemed to be. In the 1990s, moderate- and lower-income people migrated to the suburbs for safe streets, good schools and new jobs, including people who were “living on the edge,” said LaDonna Hoy, IOCP’s executive director. When the recession hit, it didn’t take much for some people to reach a tipping point. The organization serves Hamel, Long Lake, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Wayzata and Plymouth. PLEASE TURN TO CHURCHES ON PAGE 19A