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PDF versionMemo to bishops: Think globally on religious freedom
by John L Allen Jr on Nov. 18, 2011
During their fall meeting this week in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops heard a report from their new Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, led by Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. It's a measure of how seriously the bishops take the subject that the committee includes heavyweights such as Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington as well as Archbishops Charles Chaput of Philadelphia and Wilton Gregory of Atlanta.
The committee was created primarily to fight American church/state battles, such as proposed mandates from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding coverage of contraception and sterilization in private insurance plans; a Supreme Court case that could erode the "ministerial exception" allowing religious groups to hire and fire in accord with their beliefs; and threats to the ability of Catholic individuals and organizations to decline to serve same-sex couples under gay marriage laws.
Lori told the bishops that such policies "treat religion not as a contributor to our nation's common morality, but rather as a divisive and disruptive force better kept out of public life."
I'm not sure how clearly this point came through in Baltimore, but I want there to be no mistaking it here: If this committee is to realize its potential, the focus must not be exclusively on these sorts of tussles in states. In thinking about religious freedom in the early 21st century, there's simply no substitute for a global view.
The logic is simple. In a growing number of places around the world, the threats Christians face aren't political and legal, but rather lethal. From Iraq and Egypt, to Indonesia and India, we're witnessing the rise of a whole new generation of Christian martyrs. If the church in the United States doesn't speak up on their behalf, we risk being complicit in constructing a 21st century edition of the "church of silence."
Americans, long accustomed to thinking of Christianity as a powerful majority, are often flabbergasted to learn that Christians are actually the most persecuted religious group on the planet. According to the Frankfurt-based International Society for Human Rights, a secular body, 80 percent of the acts of religious intolerance in the world today are directed against Christians. The threat doesn't come just from Islamic extremism, but a bewildering variety of forces: the rise of Hindu radicalism in India; the policies of officially atheistic regimes in China and North Korea; old tribal and ethnic rivalries in parts of Africa, given a new religious veneer; even secular prejudice against religious faith in parts of Europe and North America.
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Lamentably, this reality is largely unknown. Two weeks ago, for instance, marked the one-year anniversary of an assault on Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad, a Chaldean Catholic church where 53 people were killed and hundreds injured in the wake of an assault during Mass by al Qaeda-linked gunmen. (It's the death toll, not the fact of the attack, that makes Our Lady of Salvation stand out. In the last eight years, 43 of the 60 Christian churches in Baghdad have been bombed at least once.)
In a just world, this anniversary would have been talked about from every pulpit in America. Instead, it passed largely in obscurity.
Of course, Catholics shouldn't be concerned exclusively with the rights of other Christians. A credible defense of religious freedom has to mean freedom for all. Yet it is Christians today who are paying the most substantial price when religious freedom is denied -- and if we won't come to the defense of fellow Christians in jeopardy, what hope is there for anyone else?
As the Vatican's Cardinal Kurt Koch recently pointed out, there's also a spiritual logic for a "preferential option" in defense of persecuted Christians. He quoted from Paul's letter to the Galatians: "So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith."
If the U.S. bishops want to get serious about addressing the global panorama of anti-Christian persecution, at least three steps suggest themselves.
First, the bishops could declare an immediate mobilization of U.S. Catholic resources in defense of the Christians of Iraq. Whatever one makes of the rights and wrongs of the war, the fact is that American policy helped create a situation in which Iraq has lost two-thirds of its Christian population in just the last two decades. That implies a special responsibility for Americans, including American Catholics. If nothing else, it shouldn't be possible to address well-informed American audiences and draw blank stares when talking about the anniversary of the attack on Our Lady of Salvation, yet that's been precisely my experience in the last two weeks.
Second, the bishops ought to take similar steps, right now, for Egypt. One Coptic commentator has written that an army assault on Christian demonstrators in Cairo on Oct. 9, known as the "Maspero Massacre" and left 27 people dead and more than 300 injured, has been perceived by many Christians as their Kristallnacht, heralding the beginning of the end. Estimates are that 93,000 Coptic Christians have fled the country since January alone. American Catholics can provide muscle on the policy level, and in the meantime, they can invest human and financial capital in Christian institutions and enterprises in Egypt.
Third, and longer term, the bishops could use their institutional resources to raise the profile of religious freedom issues in American Catholic consciousness. They could encourage research programs at Catholic universities, they could sponsor high-profile lecture series, and they could take advantage of their status as newsmakers to galvanize media interest.
Bishops inclined to get creative have plenty of options. For instance, most American dioceses these days are host to a growing number of international priests, many from places where religious freedom is a live concern, such as India and Nigeria. How about inviting those priests to make the rounds to all the parishes of the diocese, telling their stories and urging people to get involved?
Here's hoping that the bishops don't succumb to myopia in their approach to religious freedom, thereby ending up on the sidelines of the most dramatic Christian story of our generation.
* * *
NCR senior correspondent is traveling with the pope in Benin. Below are a list of stories he has filed so far. Watch the NCR website for updates throughout the weekend.
- Benedict’s Africa plan: Stay spiritual, and stay Catholic, Saturday, November 19, 2001
- On AIDS, Benedict avoids the ‘C’ word, Saturday, November 19, 2001
- In voodoo capital, Benedict blasts 'occultism and evil spirits', Saturday, November 19, 2001
- From a Eurocentric pope, a remarkably African message, Saturday, November 19, 2001
- The political nerve of Catholicism in Africa, Friday, November 18, 2001
- Don't surrender to laws of market, pope says, Friday, November 18, 2001
- Memo to bishops: Think globally on religious freedom, Friday, November 18, 2001
- Transcript from Papal Plane, Friday, November 18, 2001
- From rumba to voodoo, subtext abounds on pope’s Africa trip, Thursday, November 17, 2001
And what about those places
And what about those places where Catholics are in the majority, and evangelicals and members of "sects" are harassed?
Please cite recent instances
Please cite recent instances in which "evangelicals and members of "sects" are harassed" by Catholics.
This is not a matter or
This is not a matter or "either...or" -- but "both...and". All persecution and harassment of religionists, whether Catholic or other branches of Christianity, must be condemned and fought. I would go far as to say, however, that we cannot stick up for our brother and sister believers in the Christian/Catholic faith without doing the same for all others. And if this also includes unpopular branches, such as Scientology and Fred Phelps Kansas City Westboro Baptist Church, then we should do so. Intellectual and religious consistency demands it, even though we may not "like" or "condone" what they believe.
On the base of his statue in the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is his famous quotation, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." This, to me, extends to coercion and persecution of those who believe differently that I do -- both in public as well as in private beliefs. I think this is something for us to keep in mind.
I would agree with you almost
I would agree with you almost completely, but with one exception. I do not think that, in good conscience, we could support those "sects" of religion - any religion - that practice or advocate that which is clealry wrong and destructive. Westboro Baptist Church is a good example. They so completely distort the Bible and its teachings in order to justify the most un-Christian of activities, I can see no value in advocating for them beyond their rights under the US Constitution, as they are not too different from those branches of Islam that preach the wholesale destruction of "non-believers" of the West by all means possible, even suicide. These are behaviors we should not condone. But the rights under the Constitution are well defined and must be respected. Not mistakes in beliefs that result in harm to others. For that would be a misapplication of Christian beliefs as well.
TRINITY as "Community in
TRINITY as "Community in Process"
===============================
“Trinity-in-Process” is a verb, like “God is a verb”. Missiologists Bevans and Schroeder root their theology/ missiology in the understanding that God and Mission are both verbs, and that “God is Mission”. [“PROPHETIC DIALOGUE, Reflections on Christian Mission Today,” pp. 9, 10, © 2011, Stephen B. Bevans and Roger P. Schroeder, Orbis Books, P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, New York 10545-0302] God, Divine Instance, in the evolving cosmos is given a new and open understanding as Mission, and God and Mission co-identified as verb, i.e., WORD/Work-in-process.
Healing, health and holism (wholeness) correlate as communication, consciousness and conscience correlate. Soul health is a condition of body health — each is dependent on the other. Health, like consciousness, is a process of continual renewal. If we engage in behavior that degrades holism, we degrade health. Consciousness, like health, maintains holism, integrity, as healing restores, maintains consciousness. Soul/body unity is the continuity of communication (healing), consciousness (healing) and holism (conscience). Holism and conscience are the continuity of body/soul, the personalizing of holistic community, relational integrity — the “process of religion”.
Holism and conscience are personally owned in “the community of organic function”. “WORD UNLIMITED, Divinely Maternal”, book-end to the Evolution Trilogies, confronts two cultural deceptions that infect the biblical traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These fixated deceptions of patriarchal culture root in misunderstandings of divinity and femininity. The concept of Divinity, cast as Trinity in three Godhead Persons (all-male), Pater, Filius, Spiritus Sanctus, alienates femininity from Godhead consciousness. Femininity is presented as radically (ontologically) secondary to masculinity, i.e., derived from Adam’s rib.
All nature is steeped in Divine Presence; Godhead Word/Work is the mission of self-reflective consciousness. God and mission, as verb, are transitive (doing) and intransitive (being); both are subject, both are object in the evolutionary transformation of life. As “subject” God and Mission are “active”, that is, “becoming”, in and with nature; whereas, as “object”, God and Mission are fixated in human understanding more as “being” objectively situated in religious culture — the fixation consists of "male-objectifying the male self" exclusively in the divine/ human relationship, in word and work; these mental distinctions, theology/ ecclesiology, divinity/ humanity link inseparably in reality, in process, in divine/human word and work.
Walter Brueggemann, in “Land: Fertility and Justice”, THEOLOGY of the LAND, Editors, Bernard F. Evans and Gregory D. Cusack, © 1987, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, exposes the theological/cultural link between the exploitation of nature and women. Women are exploited as land and life are exploited, and for the same reasons, namely, that males invest themselves in primacy relationship over women, life and land — all theirs for the using.
The Evolution Theology of WORD UNLIMITED identifies the Divine Feminine as the face of God and the heart of Trinity Godhead, what is the divine/human hypostasis, both in being (word, theology) as well as in doing (work, ecclesiology). "Evolution Theology" identifies Trinity as process, by way of Word-communication, Light-consciousness and Love-conscience. Divine/ human HYPOSTASIS leads ultimately to Wisdom as process of Trimorphic Resonance.
Human community, in Trimorphic process, like God and Mission, is a verb. www.WordUnlimited.com
There are actions that every
There are actions that every Christian can take on behalf of those who are being persecuted. While my comments below apply mostly to Christians, it is, as John points out, important to keep the global religious scene in mind. That being said, I think the following points can help.
1. Pray for the end of persecution, especially in cases where the loss of human life and the element of human suffering are real possibilities.
2. Pray for the growth of the Church in regions where persecution flourishes, as Tertullian noted “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Persecution often attracts those who are looking for certainty in troubled times. Pray that they will find it in the Christ toward which persecuted Christians point.
3. Pray for the strength of those who undergo persecution. Pray that the Lord will remove their fear and provide them with the peace and assurance that only He can bring. Pray for their health and well-being. Pray that the Lord will give them wisdom in meeting the challenges their persecution pose.
4. Pray that our sisters and brothers who are undergoing persecution do not take on a “persecution complex” that keeps them from becoming a positive and effective influence when their circumstances change. This is a very real temptation. They need to have the wisdom and the will to change with the times, resisting when it is necessary, cooperating when it allows them the freedom to worship openly and evangelize effectively, and risking everything when the Lord calls them to do so.
5. Pray that our government and all governments adopt foreign policies that are good for all parties concerned. You can also give hands to those prayers by contacting your legislative representatives. Tell them what you think. And vote for those who support policies that do not compromise the Church or its message.
6. Pray that the Lord will give you a forgiving heart that will enable you to love your enemies. Our basic human response is to do unto others what they have done to us. But Jesus reverses this common way of thinking, telling us to do to them what we would like for them to do to us. This cannot be done apart from the Spirit of God. We must have our hearts transformed to be effective at extending God’s grace throughout the world.
7. Evaluate your own life and pray that you do not become a persecutor. It is never “payback” time. To the extent that we are able, we are to resist using force on anyone, and ask for forgiveness when we resort to force. We live with the constant temptation to become the persecutors of the persecutors. But our job as Christians is to show the world a “more excellent way.” That is the way of love, most profoundly seen in the Jesus we proclaim (John 3:16).
8. Pray that the Lord will save those who currently persecute our sisters and brothers. Prayer does change things. If we pray for those who cause suffering to the Church, the Holy Spirit will deal with them, and we will be surprised by the changes that result.
9. Give thanks to the Lord for sustaining the suffering and the persecuted. Praise His Name for walking with them, for providing the grace that is sufficient to meet their needs (2 Cor. 12:9). Thank the Lord for the opportunity to enter into the sufferings of our sisters and brothers, remembering that when that suffering is over and “one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26).
10. Finally, give thanks to the Lord for His faithfulness in bringing blessing to those who have undergone persecution for the sake of righteousness (Matt. 5:10).
i honestly agree with you.
i honestly agree with you. you are 100 percent correct! thank. :)
I would disagree with your
I would disagree with your points #3 and#4. It comes way too close to "blaming the victims" in exhorting them to be strong, resist, wise, etc, through our prayers. I understand your intent, but your position ignores some realities. My example is this: at the time of and ever since then, many people wondered why the Jews in concentration camps in Europe didn't "rise up" and defend themselves. It was used as a way to "blame the victims" for their fate including their deaths, but also to make some sense - however distorted it may be - of an unbelieveable, unthinkable horror. The reasons why victims often are unable (and, at times, wisely so) to take the actions you ask us to pray for is that the threat of harm to others (including family and loved ones) for their resistance, or the utter disbelief of the events unfolding around them (I cite the reports of many survivors of 9/11 terrorist attacks)resulting in the cognitive inability to understand the process of events taking place, and so on. A "persecution complex?" You propose to fix a mental condition to those who are tortured, watch at close range the murder of others, the constant fearfulness of what will happen next, see their homes burned to the ground, be attacked by crowds of people who hate them but do not know them? In such circumstances and events, who wouldn't have a "persecution complex?" Prayer should never, ever, replace the charity of deep understanding of the adversity all too many citizens of the world find themselves victims of. Remember that the original settlers of America came here to escape (among others things)religious persecution by other Christians in their homelands.
I am delighted that the
I am delighted that the bishops are taking up the challenge of religious liberty. I am concerned with how they might define the term. I would be surprised if they took up John's challenge to look beyond the USA. I would welcome an ongoing dialogue on the question, both within and without the church but led by the church. Now, that would be of interest and value.
The bishops are chronically
The bishops are chronically myopic. Their silence about the effect of the economic mess this country is in, their refusal to criticize a corrupt Congress intent on destroying social supports for the poor while enhancing the income of the rich, their support of social darwinists and randists who claim they are against abortion, and their whining about no one, least of all governments, taking them seriously help one understand why they don't seem to care about the persecution of Christians in the rest of the world.
Not only are the U S Bishops
Not only are the U S Bishops chronically myopic, but BEFORE they engage in a world wide enterprise relative to religious freedom, how about cleaning up their own US Catholic Conferences, individual state lobbying arms.
These conferences have systematically attempted to limit or remove mandated clergy molestation reporting requirements and statute of limitations extensions, that help sodomized and raped children.
Indeed the Maryland Catholic Conference was so effective that it managed to remove the The mandated abuse reporting requirements from ALL normal reporters who no longer have to report abuse, but 'may' report abuse! The Maryland Catholic Conference achieved this 'political success' in an effort to keep clergy in the 'may report' status.
And you respect these guys, John Allen?
BISHOPS OR "BUSHOPS" ?
BISHOPS OR "BUSHOPS" ? ........... Thanks, John, for boldly calling on US bishops to stand up for the religiously persecuted throughout the world. The USA was founded as a haven for victims of religious persecution and we must never forget that.
But I think you may be a bit confused about what the episcopal US "heavyweights" are really up to with their US election year "religious liberty" morality play.
The bishops, apparently at the direction of their Roman superiors, are functioning here more like "bushops" than bishops. Their goal appears to be to use their standard election year "values props" , e.g., anti-gay attacks, anti-abortion/contraception issues,etc., to encourage conservative Catholics to elect a "lower taxes on the Catholic 1%" Republican US president next November.
The Bush tax cuts on wealthy Catholic donors are about to expire and the US "bushops" appear determined to try to preserve those tax breaks for their wealthy donors. Moreover, Obama seem to be getting aggressive about prosecuting Federally child sexual abusers and those who enable them. This must be giving some US "bushops" sleepless nights.
For more information on what the US "religious liberty" charade is really about, please note the NCR comment and related cross links under the comment heading, "Roman Clique's Fears?" , accessible by clicking on at:
http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/dolans-first-presidential...
Jerry, Bush is no longer
Jerry, Bush is no longer President. Blaming Bush isn't going to cut it this election. It is all on Obama and he has made a bad situation much worse. Don't blame the bishops for supporting Catholic moral issues. We are a pro-life Church. Abortion is the ultimate child abuse and btw you still bring that up in every post no matter the topic. You really need to stick to the topic. That has nothing to do with Coptic Christians being persecuted. Frankly you imho are a bigot. Don't say you care about kids, but then support killing them in the womb. You might like Barackups who send us 15 trillion into debt with no plan to repay it and support policies that increase unemployment? I wonder how many Harvard educated lawyers are in the 1%?
Bravo John Allen. How right
Bravo John Allen. How right you are about world wide movement by the American bishop's for religious freedom. I was somewhat surprised that
the scope of religious freedom wasn't expanded to those who can't speak
for themselves. Keep pushing!
You are absolutely right.
You are absolutely right. Christians are the number one persecuted group in the world. I support your efforts to publicize this 100%.
While I agree Christians are
While I agree Christians are increasingly targeted by an embolden Islamist movement across the globe, and more people should speak out (and act) claiming to be the "number one persecuted group in the world" may be dubious.
As an Orthodox Jew in dialogue with a Catholic Catechist, I have ofen pointed out that the injustices shown Christians "as Christians" are legion in the Islamic world. Read the book, "Why I Left Jihad", by W. Shoebat (a convert to Christianity) for a wake up call on this and other issues. However, having said that, a simple review of the last 70 years will show anyone who has the interest that the fact that 22 of 23 Arab countries are in declared states of war with the one Jewish State (because it is Jewish, not because of "colonialism"), that over 30,000 terrorist attacks (and 5 wars) have been waged on Jews in Israel, that the worldwide Jihad goes beyond what some think is a "local conflict" and specifically targeted and targets Jews in NYC, Argentina, Scotland the UK etc., openly teach hatred specifically of Jews in terms reminiscient of Nazism, shows that the institutionalization of such hatred has elevated Jews to the "little Satan" status in Islamic eyes, while saying little of the Vatican or the World Council of Churches worldwide.
I come from a proud people who actually took up the financial cause and applied both diplomacy and military power to rescue Black Ethiopian Jews (whose Judaism was officially suspect in legal terms) from Islamic hands into a largely white Israel. I recall personally donating $3,000 - $1,000 per person for the bribes to Ethiopian officials to "pay" for the rescue of 3 people whom I did not even know. Many other Jews did the same. Those survivors now live productively, better and in freedom in Israel. A white nation that rescued Blacks from Africa to a "western nation". How oddly interesting.
While not vying for the dubious claim of "number one persecuted people/religion", nor desiring such a status - it is harder for 13 million Jews worldwide (with only one state with an unconditional Jewish right of return) to stand against 23 nations of 1 billion + Islamic Jew haters, while 2 billion + Christians (half of which are Catholic) in scores of rich and powerful states claim victimhood as if they cannot offer their brethern an alternative (either defense or rescue).
Maybe we should both better understand the common enemy, common goals and the means to rescue those in need, rather than focus on rankings in victimhood. All victims are tragic and should be offered help. It is not an issue to reach out and help your own. You should. My recommendation is to lobby the free, democratic (and largely Christian) western nations for the right to rescue and relocate Christians as official victims of persecution in those same western countries. By not making this status official, we perpetuate the lie of the so-called "religion of peace" that does little to improve situations in their own nations. Lobby for economic boycotts of those Islamic nations that oppress Christians (I sometimes wonder why some Christians think boycotting Israel alone will work, but never apply that principle to Islamic nations).
May G-d rescue all victims of oppression to their rightful place among their own bretheren. Pray for peace, but pass the resolutions, vote, lobby, intervene and act to save lives in the meantime. The survivors will thank you. You will be blessed and none can say you are wrong.
One can only hope that
One can only hope that religious liberty is the real agenda and not abortion, same sex marriage, homosexuality, birth control, and women's rights. I'm not convinced. On another note, how can the bishops have nothing to say about the international protests taking place all over the world under the umbrella of Occupy Wallstreet?
You get religious liberty
You get religious liberty first, and then you get rules against abortion, same sex marriage, homosexuality, birth control, and women's rights. And a whole bunch else.
John Allen is right that the bishops are losing a larger war by concentrating on getting some special dispensation in the U.S. so that Catholics and Catholic institutions can treat people as other than individuals with their own conscience. What is so sad is that this "Catholic identity" they are trying so hard to protect is not the message of Jesus, but the hierarchial, majesterial, rule making structure that wants to be a government, but isn't.
John Allen missed the US
John Allen missed the US bishops' point. The bishops' religious freedom campaign is not about the defense of religious freedom. The bishops want Catholic institutions to be able to accept tax dollars and yet withhold services to the public for which those dollars are intended. Contracted services may not be withheld from the public based on doctrinal considerations. That is discrimination. The solution is simple: don't take public money if you do not intend to offer the service for which the money is intended. The bishops' argument that religious "freedom" is at issue is a specious argument.
Quick and easy-to-understand
Quick and easy-to-understand memo to US bishops and other religionists:
If you take the Queen's shilling, then you must do the Queen's bidding.
If you are confused, then try this:
If you are going to accept monies provided by ALL taxpayers (not just your subjects), then you must abide by the rules that apply to ALL recipients of tax dollars.
Don't want to do it? Fine, but don't expect to be funded by ALL taxpayers in your sense of righteous discrimination and "religious liberty."
Sorry I didn't put that into Latin for you, but, then 99% of you wouldn't have understood it anyway.
Precisely! Charities are one
Precisely! Charities are one thing, government contractors another. If the bishops want their freedom, their works can return to being charities. Then they'll be free of government subsidy and thus government control. That our RC groups have done extremely well with immigrants and trafficked folk is obvious. That HHS should have continued the exemption in light of this makes sense. But they didn't and the "bushops" (nice turn) who opposed the administration on narrow issues need to realize that they don't make the rules -- the bureaucrats do and they can either play the bureaucrats game or get out of the game. Or they can argue on far more rational grounds than this misconception of religious liberty.
Glad to hear from Mr. Allen
Glad to hear from Mr. Allen that "religious libety" is a broader concept than the one adopted y the USCBC.
The document presented at the Bishops's Conference is limiting and focusing mainly on their obsessive subject of abortion and health care insurance, as if that is the only way of violating religious liberty. Sad expression of the politization of the American Catholic Church.
Jesus was quite clear "they
Jesus was quite clear "they will thrust you out of the synagogues(churches), persecute you, and kill you", we are called to be lights in a world that loves darkness. When believers and the world get along in harmony, somethings wrong, with believers. For a historical account of just that, and a heads up for those who think differently, read: Foxes book of Martyrs:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22400/22400-h/22400-h.htm
Is it time for another chapter?
Of course John Allen is quite
Of course John Allen is quite right here. But what if one were to enjoin the bishops to think not only globally, but also historically? What if one were to ask them how they might explain the contradictions between their new-found defense of religious freedom, and the Church's magisterial teachings under such popes as Gregory XVI and Pius IX in the 19th century, both of whom blasted the notions of religious freedom?
Either those earlier condemnations of freedom were somehow not "magisterial," or else the "magisterium" can and does change.
Which is it to be? As Bill Clinton might have said, "it all depends on what you mean by 'magisterium."
An excellent point. And the
An excellent point. And the answer to your opening question is: the bishops will avoid taking the global view as put forth by John Allen in this article because of the very fact that it would contradict the teachings you cite of previous popes. You know that the need to "preserve" the "wisdom" of every pope since Peter is the most important factor is what the heirarchy and pontiffs of any point in time (with rare exceptions) will say or do. As wise as Mr. Allen's essay is, it will never happen - particularly since Archbishop Dolan is eagerly waiting for his red cap.
Allen, thanks for your
Allen, thanks for your posting. While you rightly point out how the issue of religious freedom is truly a global one, is it not somewhat naive to expect the bishops of the United States to embrace the issue of freedom for all religions? Their concern is to secure the freedom of catholic hospitals and other catholic institutions to conduct their affairs without government interference. That's what they mean by "freedom of religion."
As for conscientizing American Catholics of religious persecutions of Catholics in various parts of the world, it is not lack of information (we know a lot, indeed) but self-absorption is the real issue. We just don't look beyond our national boundaries. Call it myopia or self-centeredness, it pervades the entire nation and, yes, the church, too.
Consider the recent Assisi Meet of world religions. We didn't have the courage to hold a common prayer where delegates of all religions could participate. Instead, each one was asked to pray separately. If all that such a world forum could accomplish was "each one prays to his (her) God" I wonder how religious harmony and cooperation could flourish. We need to model cooperation among religions in better ways than that.
How shall we continue to hold on to "exclusivism" (Catholic faith is the only true faith) and at the same time open our minds and hearts to "inclusivism" (other religions are pathways to God, too) is the challenge of our times. I don't think our bishops are prepared to meet this "global" challenge.
"Do not hold against us the
"Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need."
Have you prayed lately for the soul of George W. Bush and his father, that started it all (because of oil, of course)? Have you asked for God's mercy for those criminals wich have the hands drenched in blood and the souls full of greed?
Let's stand up for religion's freedom - for all - around the world. But perharps begining with a mea culpa and a conscience exam at national level would do no harm.
"Sad expression of the
"Sad expression of the politization of the American Catholic Church."
Ah, genocide and the oppression of women through contraception is polarizing?
""treat religion not as a
""treat religion not as a contributor to our nation's common morality, but rather as a divisive and disruptive force better kept out of public life."
But that's exactly what the church is doing. I have my religion that contributes to morality and you have your own. Legislating my personal life to meet your religious requirements only divides and disrupts families. This really is best kept out of public life since no American needs to follow it other than catholics who choose to.
What a uplift! This is the
What a uplift! This is the second John-Allen article with which I agree - almost 100%. Like practically every other issue religious liberty is global/planetary in its extent AND it doesn't only affect RC christians. I have some reservations w/regard to the idea of "preferential option in defense of persecuted christians". This appears to feed the main problem I have with the USCCB committee's present mission/program - continued official narcissism (word compliments of its Irish user) and/or naval gazing. The official RC church seems to be concentrating on the wrong questions in dialoguing with the world. Perhaps it doesn't value dialogue, but only uni-logue.
I am a respectful Evangelical
I am a respectful Evangelical Christian who is never harassed by a Catholic. As a Christian, I love my enemies even when they don't like me back. You and I had different point of view, my friend. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerly,
Christian who turned the other cheeck
A HOUANU KA KA for this very
A HOUANU KA KA for this very important memo, Mr. Allen; (http://www.friends-of-benin.org/Fonisfun/Fongbe/A_houanu_ka_ka.wav) as you, like the Pope, have no doubt learned to say "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" in FON during your junket to Benin.
http://www.friends-of-benin.org/Fonisfun/about_fon.htm
Unlike some bishops, however, RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION is very ECUMENICAL:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2098575,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2043123,00.html
Thank you, John, for once
Thank you, John, for once again writing a column which prophetically addresses the focus of the Gospel. I pray that our bishops will heed your advice and broaden their initial narrow perspective to a more inclusive global view. That could also help to compensate for their missing agenda item which might have reinstated our Church's social justice teaching in light of our current U.S.A. and world economic crisis.
Religous Rights & Freedoms
Religous Rights & Freedoms around the globe are part of human rights, period.
Yet wait, wasn't it just a while ago, that these same Catholic leaders were telling their members to quit Amnesty International and several other global human rights advocates, because they didn't agree 100% with the Bishops' interpretations on everything...??
Seems in such a big long-term struggle as improving human rights for all people, if you & your allies agree 80% of the time, then that is enough to work together...
John, of the 7 billion humans
John, of the 7 billion humans now on Earth almost 3 billion are Christian, dwarfing the next biggest religion (Islam at 1 billion). Given general human egotism and prejudices, it is par for the course that the religion with the largest numbers will encounter the largest number of religious insults. That hardly makes Christians a poor persecuted minority. The facts are opposite.
Calling people who are killed for being Christians "martyrs" (a tactic Islam also uses) implies that God somehow favors people of one religion over another. Jesus, a universal spiritual teacher, taught otherwise.
PS: just because someone is an archbishop does not make them a "heavyweight" (though I suppose those in Rome think so).
I would like to respectfully
I would like to respectfully take issue here. You cannot compare Christian and Islamic martyrs. Though Jewish, I do not think martyrdom implies G-d favors some over others. I think its defined as: "death that is imposed because of the person's adherence of a religious faith or cause". Any person of any religion can assume that role. The definition is weak in one area - using the word "cause". In English, the term is assumed to be positive. As we have seen, in some religions (the so-called "religion-of-peace") it is to advance the political hegemony of that religion, their nation and economies over other peoples and nations, replacing their native religions, and removing freedom. That is call imperialism or fascism or fanaticism. So the "cause" can be seen as illegitimate and wrong.
I do not think Christians, who die passively for their faith, are erronneously labeled martyers, as they have done nothing inherently wrong. I think jihadists who die for their "cause" are not martyrs, but casualities of a one-sided declared war they start and fight. They die because they start a war against others, not because of some positive, human relations supporting, environmentally friendly, peace seeking cause. They seek war to dominate, control and oppress. Happily, the Church no longer does that.
Having said all of this, let me add that one should not deliberately seek to be a martyr as an ideal, as life has priority over death. Living for G-d, demonstrating the values of a faith in positive terms, living by the commandments to your particular covenant, helping humanity is more what G-d wants. Let's not over-generalize about the word "martyr" just because others abuse the term. Martyrdom does not mean the same thing to everyone. We have seen mistakes made by over-generalizing the term "messiah". That too led to much misunderstanding, and leads to unfair comparisons.
It is difficult to see where
It is difficult to see where the bishops' concept of religious liberty is anything more than a political action in support of the church's agendas that actually oppress others: homosexuals, those who do not agree with the church views on contraception or abortion, women's rights, medical care, etc.
The American bishops do a
The American bishops do a wonderful job serving their own interests in the guise of "religious liberty." Would they care so much if their charities received no government funds? Clearly it hasn't occurred to them to have a global interest (no self interest).
Let the bishops' 'charity' be from their own pockets rather than that of taxpayers, then there would be no need for Catholic charities and dioceses to follow onerous US laws protecting civil and secular humanitarian rights voted by our republican democracy.
There are other Christian, Jewish, and secular charities that support the humanitarian and civil rights written in US law and that may make good use of government support. But really the best solution would be for private religious charities to be supported the private religious dollars, not public funds. The tax-exemption with attendant loopholes on religious property is really as much support as taxpayers should allow.
It is strange to hear bishops or the pope talking about religious liberty.
I was naive enough to believe
I was naive enough to believe that the bishops were actually talking about freedom of religion. Complaints about the 'secularization' of our society misunderstand that democracy implies separation of 'church--including synagogue and mosque, etc.--and state'. Freedom of religion implies freedom to believe--or not believe--in any particular religion. True freedom of religion requires a secular state in order that no one be coerced in matters of religion. The attempt by the RCC to impose its set of official beliefs about sexual morality and reproduction on all citizens is a violation of freedom of religion not a support for it. The overwhelming majority of Roman Catholics in the USA reject the RCC's teaching on artificial contraception; a good percentage also refuse to follow The RCC teaching on freedom of choice for women regarding abortion. No law of the USA requires anyone--pregnant woman or physician--to agree to an abortion. If a RC hospital does not want to provide all of the medical services for people that are part of legally and professionally approved procedures, then it should declare that and forego any taxpayer derived funds. The constant reference to 'unborn babies', 'murder of children', and the like are ignorant (willfully?) of the fact that in Western civilization an embryo or fetus only acquires the status of person upon birth; until then the pregnant woman has control over her own body. What does the RCC believe? Ask the Vatican if you will; or ask the overwhelming majority of practicing Roman Catholics. The answers will not be the same!
If you are a Catholic priest
If you are a Catholic priest then you shame us all. I suspect you belong to some fringe group. You are one of the ones who support persecuting the Church for its conscience. There should be no law requiring that someone be forced to murder a child in the womb or pay for someone else to do it.
John, thank you for bringing
John, thank you for bringing up the issue of conducting research at Catholic universities. My research is grounded in Catholic social teaching. I have looked for a Catholic university where I could work and have found out that most Catholic universities are teaching institutions rather than research universities. Researchers like me need a home where the research they conduct is valued and supported.
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