Catholic Conference of Ohio
July 13, 2009
The state budget bill compromise (HB 1) will hurt persons who are poor and
vulnerable and cut support for students attending Catholic schools.
Deep budget cuts remain in programs designed to help persons in need of elder
care and child protective services. Children attend Catholic schools will feel the
burden of a $59 M reduction in resources and services.
These cuts in funding for students in chartered nonpublic schools, when
added to cuts made to resources and services for those students in 2008/2009,
undermine the education of thousands of Ohio's young people. Furthermore, they
threaten to destabilize a system of schools that provides high quality education
for hundreds of thousands of citizens in this state and has done so reliably for
150 years. Chartered nonpublic schools save Ohio taxpayers close to $2 billion
every year.
Reduced will be funds that provide for guidance counselors, standardized testing,
remedial reading and math, textbooks, speech and hearing therapy, school
nurses, instructional supplies and equipment.
Director Jurkowitz estimates that a typical elementary school of 350 students will
see its state-funded assistance reduced by $50,000 in the fall, and a typical high
school of 800 students will see its assistance reduced by $114,000.
These cuts fall particularly hard on parents in economically disadvantaged areas,
who cannot possibly afford to make up the lost revenue in increased tuition.
Director Jurkowitz also lamented the harm that will befall many vulnerable
persons as a result passage of HB 1. The $250 M cut in public assistance has
dismantled child protective services and needed jobs and training programs.
Denying PASSPORT in-home care and community-based services to older
Ohioans will harm many, many families and will result in increased reliance on
costly nursing home care.
Jurkowitz reported that the Ohio Catholic bishops are on record as opposing slot
machines and casino gambling. Neither is in the best moral, social or economic
interest of the people of Ohio.
The Catholic Conference of Ohio is the official representative of the Catholic
Church in public matters affecting the Church and the general welfare of the
citizens of Ohio.
The Catholic Conference promotes the defense of all human life, from conception
through natural death, care for the poor and vulnerable, and the promotion of the
common good. The Catholic Church also provides direct care and education for
Ohio's citizens through numerous schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social
service agencies.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Aid Director Notes Encyclical's Scope
Speaks for Poor from 140 Countries
KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, JULY 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).-
The international president of Aid to the Church in Need is affirming the value of the Benedict XVI's latest encyclical, especially its emphasis on freedom and responsibility to eliminate injustice.Father Joaquín Alliende stated this in an open letter to the Pope as a response to the encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," which was released to the public last week.
The priest explained his perspective, as one who listens to "the cries of the poor from over 140 different countries."
He affirmed that he wrote the letter on their behalf, to express gratitude for the encyclical's cry "against the scandal of injustice."
In this document, Father Alliende stated to the Pontiff, you show us that "the way of hope that is not simply one more illusion, one more adventure leading to a new failure."
He continued: "Your words proclaim the fact that the poverty and inequality in the world are not a question of fate, not simply a natural disaster."You urge us to be conscious of our own freedom."
The priest underlined the encyclical's call to "awaken our sense of responsibility for the shaping of a 21st century of peace that is born of truth and justice."
Brotherhood
This document conveys the "wisdom of Christ," he affirmed, and shows us "the meaning of an intelligent, rational and effective love."
"Caritas in Veritate" opens up "the horizons of practical brotherhood and solidarity," he noted, and in it "there shines the essential truth of human friendship.
"The agency director acknowledged that the encyclical responds to "crucial questions" such as: "Can the inhabitants of this earth live together as brothers? Can those in greatest need be put first among us all?
"In the midst of the worldwide financial crisis, he continued, the document points out that "justice and solidarity are not achieved simply by making financial adjustments."
"Rather than changing laws and regulations," the priest wrote to the Holy Father, "you call for a firm ethical decision, in a spirit of national and global harmony."
He added, "You venture to ask space for a creative and spontaneous fraternity."
Father Alliende acknowledged Benedict XVI's message to worldwide leaders, proposing the Gospel "as the soul of the economy of a future age."
He concluded by thanking the Pope for his "stark realism and for the uncompromising truth of love."
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday morning mission meditation for week of July 12: Pope Benedict's Angelus and reflection on Caritas in Veritate
Church Is an Expert in Humanity, Says Pope Affirms It Also Preaches Gospel of Love and Justice
VATICAN CITY, JULY 12, 2009 (Zenit.org).-
Although the Church may not have all the technical solutions to the problems afflicting the world today, it is an expert in humanity and offers to all mankind teachings of truth, justice and love, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this today before praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square, days after the conclusion of the annual Group of Eight summit, held this year in L'Aquila.
The G-8 comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia. Several developing nations, including China, India, Brazil and Mexico were invited to the summit.
"Some of the topics on the agenda were dramatically urgent," the Pontiff said. "In the world there are social inequalities and structural injustices that are no longer tolerable, that demand, besides the right and proper immediate interventions, a coordinated strategy to find long lasting general solutions."
During the summit the heads of state and of governments of the G-8 again stressed the necessity of arriving at common accords with the purpose of assuring humanity a better future."
"The Church does not have technical solutions to present," the Holy Father continued, "but, as an expert in humanity, she offers to everyone the teaching of the sacred Scripture on the truth about man and proclaims the Gospel of Love and justice."
Referring to his third encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," published ahead of the summit, Benedict XVI noted that a "new economic plan is needed that will reshape development in a global way, basing itself on the fundamental ethics of responsibility before God and before man as a creature of God."
"This is because," he said, quoting the encyclical, "in an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family."
The Holy Father said his encyclical was dedicated to the "global horizon of the social question," which has become in our time a "radically anthropological question."
He explained: "The solutions to the current problems of humanity cannot be merely technical, but must take account of all the needs of the person, who is endowed with soul and body, and must thus take the Creator, God, into consideration.
"The 'absolutism of technology,' which finds its highest expression in certain practices that are contrary to life, could design gloomy scenarios for the future of humanity.
"The deeds that do not respect the true dignity of the person, even when they seem to be based on a 'loving decision,' are in reality the fruit of a 'materialistic and mechanistic understanding of human life' that reduces love without truth to 'an empty shell, filled in an arbitrary way' and could in this way lead to negative effects for integral human development."
"Despite the complexity of the current situation of the world," Benedict XVI concluded, "the Church looks to the future with hope and reminds Christians that 'the proclamation of Christ is the first and principal factor of development.'
Friday, July 10, 2009
Vatican Statement on Public Health/Geneva
Statement by His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, at the 2009 High-Level Segment
of the Economic and Social Council
Geneva, 9 July 2009
Madame President,
1. The international community is struggling to find solutions to the financial and economic crisis that greed and lack of ethical responsibility have brought about. While analysts debate the causes of the crisis, the social consequences of new poverty, loss of jobs, malnutrition and stifled development, all impact the most vulnerable groups of people and therefore call for effective and prompt answers. The Delegation of the Holy See appreciates the fact that the focus of attention is directed in this High-Level Segment, in a most timely manner, on “Current global and national trends and their impact on social development, including public health.” The global economic crisis continues unabated. It is exacerbated by the emergence of a previously unknown influenza virus, A-H1N1 already recognized at pandemic proportion with a future impact that cannot be projected with much certainty, and by the global food security crisis that endangers the lives of millions of people, particularly the world’s poorest, many of whom already suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition. These examples show once again the link between poverty and health and the disproportionate burden on developing countries and even on the poor in the developed ones. Faced with such urgent global challenges, the future is mortgaged in a way that young people risk to inherit a severely compromised economic system, a society without cohesion, and a planet damaged in its sustainability as a home for the whole human family.
2. The Holy See Delegation notes with deep concern predictions by the World Bank that during 2009, an additional 53 to 65 million people will be trapped in extreme poverty and that the number of people chronically hungry will exceed one billion, 800 million of whom live in rural areas where public health is weakest and where innovative health care initiatives are urgent . We can reasonably conclude that significant numbers of those extremely poor and hungry people will be more at risk of contracting both communicable and chronic, non-communicable diseases. Moreover, if they are faced with cutbacks in international aid or if there is an increased number of people seeking care, the already fragile public health systems in developing countries will not be able to respond adequately to the health needs of their most vulnerable citizens. In addressing this problem, even more than an expression of solidarity, it is a matter of justice to overcome the temptation to reduce public services for a short-term benefit against the long-term human cost. In the same line, aid for development should be maintained and even increased as a critical factor in renewing the economy and leading us out of the crisis.
Madame President,
3. Another key obstacle to achieving the internationally articulated goals in public health is to address the inequalities that exist both between countries and within countries, and between racial and ethnic groups. Tragically, women continue in many regions to receive poorer quality health care. This situation is well known to people and institutions working on the ground. The Catholic Church sponsors 5,378 hospitals, 18,088 health clinics, 15,448 homes for the elderly and disabled, and other health care programmes throughout the world, but especially in the most isolated and marginalized areas and among people who rarely enjoy access to health care provided under national, provincial or district level governmental health schemes. In this regard, special attention is given to Africa, where the Catholic Church has pledged to continue to stand alongside the poorest people in this continent in order to uphold the inherent dignity of all persons.
4. There is an increasing recognition that a plurality of actors, in the respect of the principle of subsidiarity, contribute to the implementation of the human right to primary health care. Among the civil society organizations assuring health care within various national systems, the programmes sponsored by the Catholic Church and other faith-based organizations stand out as key stakeholders. WHO officials have acknowledged that such organizations “provide a substantial portion of care in developing countries, often reaching vulnerable populations living under adverse conditions.” [1] However, despite their excellent and documented record in the field of HIV service delivery and primary health care, faith-based organizations do not receive an equitable share of the resources designated to support global, national and local health initiatives.
5. The mere quantitative tracking of aid flows and the multiplication of global health initiatives alone may not be sufficient to assure “Health for All”. Access to primary health care and affordable life-saving drugs is vital to improving global health and fostering a shared globalized response to the basic needs of all. In an increasingly interdependent world, even sickness and viruses have no boundaries, and therefore, greater global cooperation becomes not only a practical necessity, but more importantly, an ethical imperative of solidarity. However, we must be guided by the best healthcare tradition that respects and promotes the right to life from conception until natural death for all regardless of race, disability, nationality, religion, sex and socio-economic status. Failure to place the promotion of life at the center of health care decisions results in a society in which an individual’s absolute right to basic health care and life would be limited by the ability to pay, by the perceived quality of life and other subjective decisions which sacrifice life and health in exchange for short-term social, economic and political advantage.
6. In conclusion, Madame President, the Holy See Delegation wishes to call attention to the need for more than financial solutions to the challenges posed by the economic crisis to global efforts aimed at assuring universal access to health care. In his new encyclical Pope Benedict XVI states:
Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic . This needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good , for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility . [2]
An ethical approach to development is needed which implies a new model of global development centered on the human person rather than profit, and inclusive of the needs and aspirations of the entire human family.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] DeCock, Kevin (2007), “Faith-based organizations play a major role in HIV/AIDS care and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa,” as quoted in press release by the World Health Organisation, 9 February 2007, Washington, D.C.
[2] Benedict XVI, Encyclical letter Caritas in veritate , n. 36.
of the Economic and Social Council
Geneva, 9 July 2009
Madame President,
1. The international community is struggling to find solutions to the financial and economic crisis that greed and lack of ethical responsibility have brought about. While analysts debate the causes of the crisis, the social consequences of new poverty, loss of jobs, malnutrition and stifled development, all impact the most vulnerable groups of people and therefore call for effective and prompt answers. The Delegation of the Holy See appreciates the fact that the focus of attention is directed in this High-Level Segment, in a most timely manner, on “Current global and national trends and their impact on social development, including public health.” The global economic crisis continues unabated. It is exacerbated by the emergence of a previously unknown influenza virus, A-H1N1 already recognized at pandemic proportion with a future impact that cannot be projected with much certainty, and by the global food security crisis that endangers the lives of millions of people, particularly the world’s poorest, many of whom already suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition. These examples show once again the link between poverty and health and the disproportionate burden on developing countries and even on the poor in the developed ones. Faced with such urgent global challenges, the future is mortgaged in a way that young people risk to inherit a severely compromised economic system, a society without cohesion, and a planet damaged in its sustainability as a home for the whole human family.
2. The Holy See Delegation notes with deep concern predictions by the World Bank that during 2009, an additional 53 to 65 million people will be trapped in extreme poverty and that the number of people chronically hungry will exceed one billion, 800 million of whom live in rural areas where public health is weakest and where innovative health care initiatives are urgent . We can reasonably conclude that significant numbers of those extremely poor and hungry people will be more at risk of contracting both communicable and chronic, non-communicable diseases. Moreover, if they are faced with cutbacks in international aid or if there is an increased number of people seeking care, the already fragile public health systems in developing countries will not be able to respond adequately to the health needs of their most vulnerable citizens. In addressing this problem, even more than an expression of solidarity, it is a matter of justice to overcome the temptation to reduce public services for a short-term benefit against the long-term human cost. In the same line, aid for development should be maintained and even increased as a critical factor in renewing the economy and leading us out of the crisis.
Madame President,
3. Another key obstacle to achieving the internationally articulated goals in public health is to address the inequalities that exist both between countries and within countries, and between racial and ethnic groups. Tragically, women continue in many regions to receive poorer quality health care. This situation is well known to people and institutions working on the ground. The Catholic Church sponsors 5,378 hospitals, 18,088 health clinics, 15,448 homes for the elderly and disabled, and other health care programmes throughout the world, but especially in the most isolated and marginalized areas and among people who rarely enjoy access to health care provided under national, provincial or district level governmental health schemes. In this regard, special attention is given to Africa, where the Catholic Church has pledged to continue to stand alongside the poorest people in this continent in order to uphold the inherent dignity of all persons.
4. There is an increasing recognition that a plurality of actors, in the respect of the principle of subsidiarity, contribute to the implementation of the human right to primary health care. Among the civil society organizations assuring health care within various national systems, the programmes sponsored by the Catholic Church and other faith-based organizations stand out as key stakeholders. WHO officials have acknowledged that such organizations “provide a substantial portion of care in developing countries, often reaching vulnerable populations living under adverse conditions.” [1] However, despite their excellent and documented record in the field of HIV service delivery and primary health care, faith-based organizations do not receive an equitable share of the resources designated to support global, national and local health initiatives.
5. The mere quantitative tracking of aid flows and the multiplication of global health initiatives alone may not be sufficient to assure “Health for All”. Access to primary health care and affordable life-saving drugs is vital to improving global health and fostering a shared globalized response to the basic needs of all. In an increasingly interdependent world, even sickness and viruses have no boundaries, and therefore, greater global cooperation becomes not only a practical necessity, but more importantly, an ethical imperative of solidarity. However, we must be guided by the best healthcare tradition that respects and promotes the right to life from conception until natural death for all regardless of race, disability, nationality, religion, sex and socio-economic status. Failure to place the promotion of life at the center of health care decisions results in a society in which an individual’s absolute right to basic health care and life would be limited by the ability to pay, by the perceived quality of life and other subjective decisions which sacrifice life and health in exchange for short-term social, economic and political advantage.
6. In conclusion, Madame President, the Holy See Delegation wishes to call attention to the need for more than financial solutions to the challenges posed by the economic crisis to global efforts aimed at assuring universal access to health care. In his new encyclical Pope Benedict XVI states:
Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic . This needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good , for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility . [2]
An ethical approach to development is needed which implies a new model of global development centered on the human person rather than profit, and inclusive of the needs and aspirations of the entire human family.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] DeCock, Kevin (2007), “Faith-based organizations play a major role in HIV/AIDS care and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa,” as quoted in press release by the World Health Organisation, 9 February 2007, Washington, D.C.
[2] Benedict XVI, Encyclical letter Caritas in veritate , n. 36.
Vatican Communique: Benedict and President Obama
This afternoon, Friday 10 July 2009, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in Audience the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. Barack H. Obama. Prior to the Audience, the President met His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, and also His Excellency Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
In the course of their cordial exchanges the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interests of all and which constitute a great challenge for the future of every nation and for the true progress of peoples, such as the defence and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience.
Reference was also made to immigration with particular attention to the matter of reuniting families.
The meeting focused as well upon matters of international politics, especially in light of the outcome of the G8 Summit. The conversation also dealt with the peace process in the Middle East, on which there was general agreement, and with other regional situations. Certain current issues were then considered, such as dialogue between cultures and religions, the global economic crisis and its ethical implications, food security, development aid especially for Africa and Latin America, and the problem of drug trafficking. Finally, the importance of educating young people everywhere in the value of tolerance was highlighted.
In the course of their cordial exchanges the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interests of all and which constitute a great challenge for the future of every nation and for the true progress of peoples, such as the defence and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience.
Reference was also made to immigration with particular attention to the matter of reuniting families.
The meeting focused as well upon matters of international politics, especially in light of the outcome of the G8 Summit. The conversation also dealt with the peace process in the Middle East, on which there was general agreement, and with other regional situations. Certain current issues were then considered, such as dialogue between cultures and religions, the global economic crisis and its ethical implications, food security, development aid especially for Africa and Latin America, and the problem of drug trafficking. Finally, the importance of educating young people everywhere in the value of tolerance was highlighted.
Holy See Calls for Health Care Aid
Warns That Sickness Has No Borders
VATICAN CITY, JULY 9, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The Holy See is affirming that developing countries need continued aid, especially with health care, if the world is to recover from the current economic crisis.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, permanent representative of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, stated this today.
He gave the address at a High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council on "Current global and national trends and their impact on social development, including public health."
The archbishop expressed concern for the World Bank predictions that 53-65 million more people will fall into extreme poverty by the end of this year, and that the number of "chronically hungry people" will exceed one billion.
The prelate affirmed that 80 0 million of these live in areas with weak public health systems, and that "innovative health care initiatives are urgent."
Moreover, he pointed out, if there are cutbacks in international aid due to the economic recession, or if there is an increased number of people seeking health care, the "already fragile public health systems in developing countries" will be unable to care for "their most vulnerable citizens."
The archbishop called for a solution to this problem, as an expression of solidarity as well as a "matter of justice."
He explained that justice demands overcoming the "temptation to reduce public services for a short-term benefit against the long-term human cost."
Critical factor
Archbishop Tomasi added that "aid for development should be maintained and even increased as a critical factor in renewing the economy and leading us out of the crisis."
< br />He pointed out that inequalities in public health must be eliminated, "between countries and within countries, and between racial and ethnic groups."
The prelate emphasized the situation of women, who in many regions "receive poorer quality health care."
He underlined the Catholic Church's commitment to help in the "most isolated and marginalized areas and among people who rarely enjoy access to health care."
In particular, the archbishop pledged the Church's help in Africa, the dedication to "stand alongside the poorest people in this continent in order to uphold the inherent dignity of all persons."
"In an increasingly interdependent world," he pointed out, "even sickness and viruses have no boundaries, and therefore, greater global cooperation becomes not only a practical necessity, but more importantly, an ethical imperative of solidarity."
This health care must be guided by the "best" tradition, Archbishop Tomasi added, that respects the "right to life from conception until natural death for all regardless of race, disability, nationality, religion, sex and socio-economic status."
He highlighted the need to find "more than financial solutions to the challenges posed by the economic crisis to global efforts aimed at assuring universal access to health care."
Quoting Benedict XVI's latest encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," he stated, "Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic."
The prelate called for an "ethical approach to development" that is "centered on the human person rather than profit."
This model, he added, must include "the needs and aspirations of the entire human family."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full tex t: http://zenit.org/article-26415?l=english
VATICAN CITY, JULY 9, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The Holy See is affirming that developing countries need continued aid, especially with health care, if the world is to recover from the current economic crisis.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, permanent representative of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, stated this today.
He gave the address at a High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council on "Current global and national trends and their impact on social development, including public health."
The archbishop expressed concern for the World Bank predictions that 53-65 million more people will fall into extreme poverty by the end of this year, and that the number of "chronically hungry people" will exceed one billion.
The prelate affirmed that 80 0 million of these live in areas with weak public health systems, and that "innovative health care initiatives are urgent."
Moreover, he pointed out, if there are cutbacks in international aid due to the economic recession, or if there is an increased number of people seeking health care, the "already fragile public health systems in developing countries" will be unable to care for "their most vulnerable citizens."
The archbishop called for a solution to this problem, as an expression of solidarity as well as a "matter of justice."
He explained that justice demands overcoming the "temptation to reduce public services for a short-term benefit against the long-term human cost."
Critical factor
Archbishop Tomasi added that "aid for development should be maintained and even increased as a critical factor in renewing the economy and leading us out of the crisis."
< br />He pointed out that inequalities in public health must be eliminated, "between countries and within countries, and between racial and ethnic groups."
The prelate emphasized the situation of women, who in many regions "receive poorer quality health care."
He underlined the Catholic Church's commitment to help in the "most isolated and marginalized areas and among people who rarely enjoy access to health care."
In particular, the archbishop pledged the Church's help in Africa, the dedication to "stand alongside the poorest people in this continent in order to uphold the inherent dignity of all persons."
"In an increasingly interdependent world," he pointed out, "even sickness and viruses have no boundaries, and therefore, greater global cooperation becomes not only a practical necessity, but more importantly, an ethical imperative of solidarity."
This health care must be guided by the "best" tradition, Archbishop Tomasi added, that respects the "right to life from conception until natural death for all regardless of race, disability, nationality, religion, sex and socio-economic status."
He highlighted the need to find "more than financial solutions to the challenges posed by the economic crisis to global efforts aimed at assuring universal access to health care."
Quoting Benedict XVI's latest encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," he stated, "Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic."
The prelate called for an "ethical approach to development" that is "centered on the human person rather than profit."
This model, he added, must include "the needs and aspirations of the entire human family."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full tex t: http://zenit.org/article-26415?l=english
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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