May 8, 2008

This Far By Faith

The Role of the Catholic Citizen

By Most Rev. J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.

Last Tuesday as I drove to Nashville, I was struck by how beautiful the outbreak of spring was along Interstate 40. Was the beautiful drive a harbinger of what would take place at Catholic Day on the Hill? Would there be a new awareness of our call as Catholics to be good citizens? Would our presence on the Hill in Nashville help our legislators to understand the Church's concern about major issues that need to be dealt with in our state? Could we see the newness of spring as a sign of the need for a new way of working with issues that are continually present to us as citizens of Tennessee?

On Wednesday, 500 Catholic men, women, and students from the three Catholic dioceses of Tennessee gathered together at our state capitol for Catholic Day on the Hill. We had four issues about which we wanted to speak to our representatives. The four issues reflect the Church's concern for solidarity with people who are often neglected by our society.

As members of our various parishes, organizations, and schools spread out to visit their respective state senators and representatives, Bishop Choby of the Diocese of Nashville and I visited with the leadership of the Senate and House. Senators Norris and Kyle, Speaker of the House Naifeh, and eventually Governor Bredesen were among the people we visited. I also visited with many members of the legislature from Memphis including: Senator Tate, and Representatives Barbara Cooper, Delores Gresham, GA Hardaway and Steve McManus. With each of them we spoke to our concerns about the study on the methods used for the death penalty, the escalating difficulties around racial profiling, legislation dealing with immigrants, and the long term care community choices act.

Bishop Choby stated it very well when he told Senator Norris that ethnic and race identification in traffic stops in Tennessee cause problems that result in bad feelings all the way around. The Bishop was quite clear in reminding the Senator that profiling along our streets and highways needs to stop. As Bishop Choby spoke, I was reminded of the statement on faithful citizenship that my fellow American Bishops promulgated for the current election cycle. In the document, the Bishops say, "There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor."

Our concern about the death penalty has been expressed for many years. The Catholic Public Policy Commission (CPPC) is opposed to the death penalty. The study ordered by the governor to determine if the death penalty is being carried out properly and in accordance with the law is continuing its work. We realize that a moratorium on the death penalty to study such issues is only a stop gap measure. But the CPPC thinks it is important to take every measure possible to ensure that eventually people throughout our State of Tennessee recognize that capital punishment is wrong and should be prohibited in our state.

The Church is concerned about aging. That's why we are involved as Church in places like St. Peter's Villa and the Ave Maria Home, and why we have the Diocese of Memphis Housing Corporation which provides homes for people who are elderly but capable of independent living. CPPC is urging that Governor Bredesen's bill which will expand state funding to permit the elderly to live in the home setting to which they have become accustomed, be carefully studied by the legislature and that the concerns and needs of older people in Tennessee be the primary focus of any new legislation.

I continue to be amazed at the harshness of the rhetoric around the issue of immigration. Bishop Gerald Barnes, on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said it well in a recent statement.

"While at the moment the voices of division and fear are loud, with more education, the truth about immigration and migrants in this country ultimately will prevail. Migrant workers, including the undocumented, provide great contributions to our nation's economy by working in vital industries, such as agriculture, construction, and service. Yet, our country has refused to acknowledge these contributions and has instead relegated them to a permanent underclass of workers, without full rights in our society. This is unworthy of a great democracy."

In recent weeks here in Tennessee, a bill has been introduced to the legislature that forbids an illegal migrant from accepting money for work already performed. Whether or not the bill in question will pass the legislature, it seems like a harsh and inhumane bill. Bishop Barnes made another point in his statement about immigration that is important for all of us to understand.

"As the U.S. bishops have consistently stated, comprehensive immigration reform, which reforms all aspects of our immigration system, is the best way to secure our country and humanely and effectively address the problem of unauthorized migration to our country."

The key words in Bishop Barnes statement are that we work to "humanely and effectively" address immigration. Too much of what is being said about immigration does not deal with the humane and effective solutions that are possible for us, especially when we are for the most part a nation of immigrants.

So, as leaders of the Catholic faith community in Tennessee, Bishop Choby, Father Shriver, who was representing the Diocese of Knoxville, and me, made as strong a case as we could for cooling the rhetoric surrounding issues of immigration in our meetings with the leaders and particularly in our meeting with Governor Bredesen. As we met with each of the legislative leaders, I urged them to take advantage of the many ways in which we are and will continue to assist them in their work. It is important for us as a faith community to realize that we can and should assist in the shaping of laws.

I was especially pleased to see so many from the Diocese of Memphis at Catholic Day on the Hill, and can only urge that more of us get involved in it when Catholic Day on the Hill happens again. Our participation in shaping the moral character of the world we live in is a part of the mission that Jesus gave us.