Before departing for Rome today to take part in his first Synod of Bishops – the global gathering on the New Evangelization, which begins Sunday and runs through the 28th – the Cardinal-President of the Stateside bench left behind some impressions on the home-stretch of this Election Season in yesterday's edition of his diocesan weekly....
Set for the 18th at the Waldorf Astoria, the presidential year Al Smith featuring both nominees – a practice dating to 1960, when Kennedy and Nixon flanked Francis Spellman on the dais – is traditionally the sole joint campaign appearance made by the contenders outside their debates.
-30-
In the document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” published by the bishops of the United States, we are reminded that, “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. This obligation is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.” And so, as I leave for Rome, I want to share with you some of the concerns that I will bring with me to the tombs of the apostles, SS. Peter and Paul, and to Assisi, the town of St. Francis.While Tim Dolan will spend most of October at the Synod as an elected delegate of the USCCB, he'll be very present at home come mid-month to have his first turn at one of the classic perks of the archbishopric of New York – hosting Mitt Romney and Barack Obama both as the presidential candidates split the keynote for the annual Al Smith Dinner benefiting Gotham's Catholic Charities.
I am concerned about a culture that has become increasingly callous about the radical abortion license, and a legal system that affords more protection to endangered species of plants and animals than to unborn babies; that considers pregnancy a disease; that interprets “comprehensive health care” in such a way that it may be used to threaten the life of the baby in the womb (and, it should be noted, to exclude the undocumented immigrant as well). I am concerned as well for the infirm and elderly who are nearing the end of life, that they will not be treated with the respect, dignity and compassion that is their due, but instead be encouraged to seek a hasty death before they can become, according to some, “a burden to society.”
I am worried that we may be reducing religious freedom to a kind of privacy right to recreational activities, reducing the practice of religion to a Sabbath hobby, instead of a force that should guide our public actions, as Michelle Obama recently noted, Monday through Friday.
I am bothered by the prospect of this generation leaving a mountain of unpayable debt to its children and grandchildren, whose economic futures will be blighted by the amounts of the federal budget absorbed by debt service.
I am anxious that calls for a fiscally responsible society are met with claims that those calls come from men and women who don’t care about the poor; that we may be tempted to write off the underprivileged as problems to be solved, or as budget woes, rather than treating them with respect and dignity as people with potential and creativity; that we’re at times more willing to cut programs to help the sick, our elders, the hungry and homeless, than expenditures on Drone missiles.
I am concerned that our elections increasingly resemble reality TV shows rather than exercises in serious democratic conversation.
I am bothered that we are losing sight of voting as an exercise in moral judgment, in which certain priority issues—especially the life issues, with the protection of unborn life being the premier civil rights issue of the day—must weigh heavily on our consciences as we make our political decisions.
I am worried by attempts to redefine marriage, and to label as “bigots” those who uphold the traditional, God-given definition of marriage.
I am anxious that we cannot seem to have a rational debate over immigration policy, and that we cannot find a way to combine America’s splendid tradition of hospitality to the stranger with respect for the rule of law, always treating the immigrant as a child of God, and never purposefully dividing a family.
I am worried about the persecution of people of faith around the world, especially with the hatred of Christians on a perilous incline; and the preference for violent attacks upon innocents instead of dialogue as the path to world peace.
I expect that many of you share these concerns. In the words of “Faithful Citizenship,” how we should respond is clear. The document says, “Our focus is not on party affiliation, ideology, economics, or even competence and capacity to perform duties, as important as such issues are. Rather, we focus on what protects or threatens human life and dignity.” As you consider these concerns, I will be praying for you in Rome that the humble, joyful Poverello of Assisi intercede for us, and that Mary Immaculate, patroness of the United States and Star of the New Evangelization, will inspire in us wisdom, prudence, and courage.
* * *
While we're at it, with an eye to the month to come, it seems as good a time as any to re-run a clip that seemed to garner a good bit of reaction on its initial airing in March – Dolan's 50-minute primer to a Long Island audience on the principles of Catholic social teaching and how they're optimally fleshed out in the public square....-30-