Office for Social

Office for Social Ministry e-link The Diocese of San Diego
August 4, 2004 #25 858-490-8323

Dear OSM e-link Member,

We thank all e-link members who called Senators Feinstein and Boxer in support of the federal constitutional amendment to protect marriage. Even though in this round the measure failed on the Senate floor, please know that the issue will be before us for years to come, and that we will, when political influence is most needed, call upon you to come to the defense of marriage and support legislation to protect marriage and the family.

Note to new members... Past e-link bulletins and this current bulletin can be viewed at www.osmelink.org.

e-link membership reached 700 this morning, and we are moving on towards 800.

We will be taking a customary break for vacations in the month of August, so the next e-link will not be delivered until Wednesday, September 15, 2004.

Have a safe and blessed remainder of your summer.

Thank you and God Bless!

Wednesday, August 4, 2004 OSM e-link Bulletin #25

Table of Contents

Remarks from Kent Peters on political activism and the Catholic community

Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects (please join us)
     - Banquet, Feast for Life, to benefit Culture of Life Family Services, Saturday,
       September 25, 2004, 6:30 p.m., St. Peter Cathedral Social Hall, El Cajon
     - Fr. Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, to speak at Diocesan Church
      Ministers Conference on Saturday, September 25, 2004. Be there!

Short Reports on Office for Social Ministry Related Issues/Events
     - Rally in San Diego to end genocide and slavery in Sudan, held on July 15
     - ICWJ leadership met with Kim Bobo, Director of the National ICWJ on July 9
     - Life Resource Network helps to coordinate youth as servants of life - report

Advocacy Request
- Please help send a message to the President and the UN to demand that the
Sudan Government stop the genocide in the Dafur region

Advocacy Reportback
- Sandi Watson, Encinitas, reports on calls to Senators Feinstein and Boxer

Web and e-mail-based Resources
- Learn more about the crisis in the Sudan and world-wide slavery on the
iabolish.com web site

Local and Regional Events/Gatherings/Projects
- ParkWalk for Life to support COLFS on Sat., Aug. 21, 10 to 2, Coronado
- Rosaries for Peace 21st Annual Convocation, Sunday, August 16, 6:30 p.m.

Article/Statement for August 4, 2004
- AP news story shows Vatican politically active on behalf of Sudanese victims.

Remarks from Kent Peters

In This Day and Age, Should Catholics be Political?

I was having lunch with new friends the other day and was told a story about a parishioner who had recently quit the Church because, as he put it, "The Catholic Church had become just too darn political."

The OSM staff has heard similar comments for years coming from active Catholics of every political stripe. Perhaps it would be helpful to answer the question - just what can the Church legitimately do in the political arena?

Let's begin with what the Church cannot do. (The following point will relate to the Church as an official corporation, not to individual Catholics functioning as a private citizens.) The answer is fairly simple. According to the IRS and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) the official Church (a parish, diocese, Catholic conference, non-profit religious organization, etc.) cannot involve itself in political campaigns for or against candidates running for public office: no yard signs, no favors, no homilies in support of or against a given candidate, no campaign advertisements in parish bulletins, no special appearances by single candidates, no distribution of campaign literature on parish property, no campaign bumper stickers on parish vehicles.

With all these negatives, what's left for the official Church to do? Well, plenty, especially when it comes to issues or general education at election time.

First of all, in a democracy, where regular people (like us) have the freedom to share in the shaping of the political agenda, God demands that we participate. That might seem like strong language, but how could it be otherwise? Remember the sin of omission? If we can make things better for our families, friends and neighbors, we must. Listen to what the U.S. Bishops say about political participation in its Faithful Citizenship summary:

In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue: participation in the political process is a moral obligation. Believers are called to become informed, active and responsible participants in the political process. Even those who are not citizens are called to participate. Catholics who seek political office have a particular responsibility to bring together their faith, moral convictions, and public responsibilities... Our nation is enriched, not threatened, when religious groups join public debate... Believers are called to be a community of conscience within the larger society, testing every candidate and party for how they affect human life and dignity, and how they pursue justice and peace.

How about a sample listing of what can be undertaken as we involve our parish, diocese, or Church group in the political process? We are allowed to:

Testify at a city council meeting in favor of a piece of legislation on behalf of a parish or diocese,
Hold a forum where candidates (open to all who are running) are asked to explain how their positions square with Catholic moral principles,
Distribute objective voter guides (with multiple question areas) that inform parishioners about the various candidates and their positions,
Lobby state legislators at their local or state offices,
Call or write (on parish letterhead) legislators in support of or against a piece of legislation,
Attend a public rally (with a parish banner) in support of a proposed bill,
Place a link on a parish web site to the State web site where parishioners can follow the progress of pending legislation,
Write a letter to the editor on an issue of importance from the perspective of the parish community,
Sponsor a voter registration drive,
Visit parishioners to hear about their struggles and then petition whatever level of government is responsible to participate in securing the common good in relation to those struggles.

Of course, a fair process within the parish or diocese must be in place to decide which issues will be supported or opposed and what kind of general education will be suitably undertaken, but that's OK. As mature adults, we should be able to handle these discussions.

Following is an excellent example of this kind of dialogue. The Catholic Bishops of California, together, consider taking a position on each proposition that makes it to the ballot in each election, but they have ended up supporting or opposing only a handful out of the hundreds they have considered over the years. When they sense too much division, because people of good faith can legitimately disagree on how Catholic principles are reflected in ballot measure, they agree to disagree and just leave it be. When Catholic principles are visibly evident (jumping out at the them and the electorate) they will publicly support or oppose a measure. For example, in the upcoming election, the Bishops will vigorously oppose Proposition 71, a ballot measure to change the California constitution to include mandated funding for embryonic stem-cell resrearch.

The answer to the question, "can the official Church be political" is both yes and no. Yes, the official Church is called to be political on issues of import and in general election education, and no, the official Church cannot involve itself in support of or opposition to individual political campaigns or activities that will benefit a political party.

I wish I knew how that disgruntled parishioner was using the word, "political." We might have had an opportunity for true dialogue, one that could have made it possible for him to stay put in an institution that both feeds its members spiritually and expects them to work together in the public arena on behalf of human life and dignity.

Below are two links you might find useful:

1. the U.S. Bishops' document Faithful Citizenship -

http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/bishopStatement.html

2 Political Activity Guidelines for Catholic Organizations, a detailed analysis of what churches can and cannot do in relation to electoral politics -

http://www.usccb.org/ogc/guidelines.htm

Happy reading!

Thank you and God bless!

Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects

Number 1: Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) invites you to a Feast For Life, a celebration to promote life-giving care in our community, on Saturday, September 25, 2004.

Honoring Father Frank Pavone of "Priests for Life" with guest host Father Mitch Pacwa of "EWTN LIVE," join with Emcee Mark Larson, Emmy-Award winning host of KCBQ's 1170 am "Mark Larson Live" talk show and special guest Catherine Hicks, actress and star of "7th Heaven" TV series.

Evening festivities will include Mediterranean food, dancing and musical entertainment.

Tickets are $100 per person.

Call Margi to make a reservation or receive an invitation 619-435-5014.

A Feast for Life
Saturday, September 25, 2004, 6:30 p.m.
St. Peter (Chaldean) Cathedral Social Hall
1627 Jamacha Way
El Cajon, CA 92019

Number 2: Third "heads up" notice.... Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, to present at the San Diego Diocesan 2004 Church Ministers Conference on Saturday, September 25th. It is now possible to obtain registration materials online.

To view and download the complete registration brochure (in Spanish and English) from the Diocesan web site, click on the cover graphic below or go to the following web address:

http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/annualconference/ACM%20Brochure%2004.pdf

The day will include a Eucharistic Liturgy with Bishop Brom, Keynotes in Spanish and English, workshops in Spanish and English, and displays from religious vendors and service organizations. The cost for the day is only $15.00 (lunch on your own). Past Conferences have drawn crowds of more than 2,000.

Fr. Pavone's (see photo at left) presentation, "We proclaim the Kingdom, but can we vote for it?" will be a hard-hitting reflection on human values, justice, and the responsibility Christians must exercise in a democratic society.

Fr. Frank will demonstrate how Christians have been given not only the power to proclaim the Kingdom of God but the power to create a society that reflects that Kingdom, with fundamental human values at its core. Come prepared to be challenged.

***The keynote speaker at this event will be Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Orange. More on his presentation to come later.

Registration materials are now on-line. See above.

Short Reports on OSM Related Issues/Events

Number 1: San Diego rally and march held on July 15th to end genocide and slavery in Sudan

SAN DIEGO, CA – A protest rally and march to end genocide and slavery in Sudan was organized by the members of the local San Diego Chapter of the American Anti-Slavery Group (www.iabolish.com/index.htm) on July 15th. The goal of the rally/march was to encourage both the United States and the UN to apply pressure to the international community to send peacekeepers to stop the murder, rapes and enslavement of black Sudanese, remove Sudan from the UN Human Rights Commission, get millions more in aid to those suffering and inform local San Diegans of how they can help.

The United Nations calls the situation in Darfur "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world." In Darfur 90,000 Black Africans have been systematically slaughtered by government supported Arab militia known as Janjawid and 1 million may die by the end of the year because of obstruction of foreign aid by the government of Sudan.

To learn more about the situation in Sudan and the American Anti-Slavery Group, please visit their website at www.iabolish.com/index.htm. Local contact: Robert W. Dudek, 619-280-9990 x.110, rdudek@shlc.com.

The Office for Social Ministry would like to thank Robert Dudek, event organizer and local contact for the American Anti-Slavery Group, for his hard work in organizing the July 15 rally/march on behalf of those suffering in the Sudan.

PHOTO Robert Dudek (right) and Mr. Bol Bulabek, the Director of The Sudanese Community Association, speaking at the July 15th rally.

Number 2: On July 9th, 2004, Kim Bobo, director of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, addressed group in San Diego.

Kim Bobo (seen at center of photo in black sweater and white blouse), executive director of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, addressed members of San Diego’s Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice at a July 9 meeting at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in National City. She spoke about the history of the national committee, which she formed eight years ago and now consists of around 60 local groups. Bobo praised the San Diego group as one of the most active in the country. She also talked about issues on the public policy horizon such as minimum wage, immigration reform and health care. The group in attendance included priests and laity from several San Diego parishes.

- Vincent Gragnani
Staff Writer
The Southern Cross

Number 3: One Life Resource Network goal has been to systematically influence not only current cultural leaders but future ones as well. This has been accomplished through LRN’s partnership with various campus life organizations on both high school and university campuses.

In this program, student leaders (see photo at left) meet once a month at LRN’s office in Mission Valley to discuss upcoming events, campus concerns, and the current life issues with relevance to their peers.

Recently the students began the creation of a display that illustrates the number of women and men affected by abortion over the past 31 years as well as the number of babies lost. The display will also promote post-abortion healing as well as resources for pregnant women.

The students are working together to create one comprehensive display that any campus can borrow for their own outreach at any time.

USD Students for Life president, Suzanna Kennedy, utilized the images from the Feminists for Life website and created the display using symbols representing women, men, and babies. The various clubs in San Diego and Orange Counties hope to complete this project by the end of summer so that it will be ready to be used when the Fall school year begins.

If you are interested in learning more about the student pro-life groups partnering with LRN you may contact Linda Stewart at 760-929-1895 or e-mail at lindalrn@hotmail.com.

e-link Advocacy REQUEST

Please don't forget to report back to the Office for Social Ministry on your advocacy efforts. E-mail your report to reportback@diocese-sdiego.org. Your response may be printed in the next issue of e-link.

Current Intolerable Situation in the Darfur region of Sudan:

Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the region of Darfur, western Sudan, may die in the coming months unless something is done to, 1) end the conflict, 2) provide security for civilians caught in the conflict, and 3) provide unfettered humanitarian access to the region.

Since the outbreak of violence in February 2003, more than 30,000 people have been killed; over 1 million people have been uprooted with most languishing in camps without food, medicine and shelter. More than 200,000 others have sought refuge in neighboring Chad where they continue to be subjected to further violence by Janjaweed militia forces from Sudan. Women and young girls have been systematically raped, villages have been bombed and burned, and water and land resources have been poisoned and destroyed.

This situation has been characterized as the worst humanitarian crisis currently facing the world. Displaced villagers are unable to return to their homes because of the continuing violence, and in many cases there are no homes to return to as entire villages have been destroyed.

What can we do?

We can call (see below) President Bush and newly-appointed U.N. Ambassador John Danforth and urge that the U.S. government press the U.N. Security Council to immediately pass a Darfur-specific resolution that comprehensively responds to the present emergency and lays the groundwork for sustainable peace.

It should:

1) Condemn the Government in Khartoum for its participation in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Dafur and its support of Arab Janjaweed militias,

2) Demand the end to administrative and other obstacles used to block delivery of urgently needed humanitarian relief,

3) Pressure the Sudan Government to provide unimpeded humanitarian access to all regions in Darfur by international relief agencies.

Please call today:

The Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, to leave a comment with one of the helpful volunteers at the White House Comment Line,

Phone: 202-456-1414, and

Please call today:

The Honorable John Danforth, Ambassador to the United Nations, and leave the same message with his kind secretary,

Phone: 212-415-4045

Good news on these calls...

Kent got through to actual people on both calls within 5 minutes.

e-link Advocacy REPORTBACK

This Reportback message is from Sandi Watson of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas.

Hi! I phoned Senator Feinstein. After several busy signals, I got through. A female answered the phone. I introduced myself and left my message regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment. (1) let the Senate vote on the matter, not filibuster; (2) Vote in favor of the amendment; and (3) respond to me in writing.

She said that, because of the high volume of calls, the response in writing was not possible. If I were to send a written request, it would be responded to in writing. I said I would do that.

I then went to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm (the senate web page) and sent messages to Senatora Feinstein & Boxer; and to Senators DeWine & Voinovich (Ohio, my home state). Here was my message:

Dear Senator ------------------,

I know that the Senate will be asked to vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment during the week of July 12.

As my elected Senator in California, I ask you 3 things:

(1) Allow the vote to come to the Senate floor by not filibustering;

(2) Vote in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, to allow the people of the United States to decide on this matter;

(3) Send me your written response to my request.

Thank you. I continue to pray that you will do what is in the best interest for life, for this country, and for the world!

Sandi Watson, Encinitas

Thank you, Sandi, for following through so thoroughly on the advocacy request to contact our California Senators!

Web and e-mail-based Resources

The American Anti-Slavery Group's web site, Iabolish.com, has incredible information on slavery world wide and on the emergency situation in the Dafur region of the Sudan. You will want to visit this valuable web site!

http://www.iabolish.com/index.htm.

Did you know that by a conservative estimate, 27 million people are enslaved today worldwide -- more than at any time in history, and that these slaves work in agriculture, manufacturing, the sex industry, and household service?

Did you know that the U.S. Government estimates that 50,000 women, men, and children are trafficked into the US each year as slaves, and that an estimated 300,00 to 400,000 children in the U.S. are victims of the sex trade?

Please spend some time with this web site. You will be amazed!

New Local/Regional Events and Gatherings

If you are planning an event that falls within the mission of social ministry, send the particulars four to five weeks in advance to the Office for Social Ministry via e-mail, osmelink@diocese-sdiego.org. The OSM reserves the right to publish or not to publish any proposed event information. We hope this will assist your local efforts to re-build a culture of life.

1. Second and final notice - Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) Parkwalk for Life at the Coronado Tidelands Park on Saturday, August 21st.

Join the many supporters of COLFS at the beautiful Coronado Tidelands Park for its first ParkWalk for Life. Take a lazy summer walk around the Park, chill out and enjoy a family BBQ and picnic, and win prizes. The Walk is on Saturday, August 21, 2004, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Coronado Tidelands Park. Take the first right after crossing the Coronado Bridge (towards Coronado) and you are at the Tidelands Park. To register for the Walk and receive sponsorship forms, call Margi Pearson at 619-435-5014. Grab your family or group and make a day of supporting the life-giving ministry of COLFS!

2. Third and final notice - Twenty-first Annual Rosaries for Peace Convocation, Sunday, August 15, 2004 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the USD campus

You and your family are invited to take part in the twenty-first annual ROSARIES FOR PEACE CONVOCATION 6:30 PM Sunday, August 15, 2004 – Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jenny Craig Pavilion on USD Campus. Bishop Salvatore Cordileone will preside. Service includes: Crowning of Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Peace, liturgy, sacred music, benediction, candlelight procession. “THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER…STAYS TOGETHER.” Admission is Free. Now, more than ever, our world needs rosaries for peace. For more information call 619-466-9522 or 619-465-3093.

Watch for OSM e-link bulletin #26 on Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Article/Statement for August 4, 2004

This article from the Associated Press gives a clear example, this one involving the Holy Father himself, of the official Roman Catholic Church reaching into the political arena.

Repeat three times: "I'ts OK, even mandated, to influence the political arena for the good of human life and dignity."

Pope appeals for end to Sudanese abuses

Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Adding to international appeals, Pope John Paul II sent a special emissary Thursday to Darfur to express his solidarity with the stricken population, and called on the Sudanese government to put an end to violence and rights violations.

For more than a year, Arab militiamen have launched repeated attacks on Darfur's black Africans, burning villages and leaving at least 30,000 dead. More than 1 million have fled their homes, and 2.2 million are in desperate need of food and medicine, aid groups say.

"The serious humanitarian situation in Darfur, which has recently stirred up a public outcry, is a cause of great concern" for the pope, said the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

"The Holy Father hopes that the voice of the people of Darfur will be heard and recognized, and that their fundamental human rights are respected," he said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Wednesday that the international community may step in if Sudan's government doesn't act quickly to disarm the militias, known as the Janjaweed. The United Nations, rights groups and refugees have accused the government of backing the Arab fighters, which Sudanese officials deny.

Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, head of papal charities, will first meet with Catholic Church representatives in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and then travel with UN assistance to the Darfur region and visit refugee camps, the Vatican said.