ARTICLES

Social Ministries Meetings As Farce

PRO-LIFERS TOLD THEY AREN'T PRO-LIFE

Carol Hogan, associate director for communications for the California Catholic Conference, the California bishops' administrative and lobbying arm, presented a workshop on "Political Responsibility" March 23. The workshop, held at the diocesan pastoral center and sponsored by the Social Ministries department, was attended by nearly 60 people.

Deacon Louis Rocha, associate director of the Office for the Permanent Diaconate, opened the meeting and went over a list of guidelines about acceptable parish political activities. Hogan, who is also in charge of pro-life lobbying for the California bishops, then spoke on "the U.S. bishops' position on 1996 issues."

Most of Hogan's talk was based on the publication "Political Responsibility" published by the United States Catholic Conference, a booklet which lists U.S. bishops' recommendations on political issues.

One of the main themes of Hogan's talk was the nonpartisan nature of the Church. She stated, "We will work with Republicans on pro-life issues, but disagree on social justice issues...We will work with the Democrats on social justice issues but add justice for the unborn as well." She repeatedly referred to herself as "nonpartisan" throughout the course of her talk.

After Hogan began reviewing the "Political Responsibility" pamphlet, one workshop attendee asked her, "How can you claim to be nonpartison, when what you are saying is really the Democratic platform?" Hogan replied, "I'm just telling you what the bishops say."

Hogan complained about the Catholic Alliance, the new Catholic arm of the conservative Christian Coalition. She advised Catholics not to become part of it because "they don't stand for what Catholics stand for and shouldn't be using the name." She also stated that the Christian Coalition is only concerned with making sure children get born, but does not care about children after birth. She advised Catholics to become involved in the Interfaith Coalition (the Interfaith Coalition does not oppose abortion).

Evi Quinn, leader of the new local Call to Action chapter, asked if Catholics can vote for pro-choice politicians who agree with the Church on other issues. Hogan replied emphatically that this is acceptable. She added, "Most pro-lifers aren't really pro-life; they're just pro-birth" and oppose Church teachings on other life issues like euthanasia and capital punishment. She also stated, "Pro-choice doesn't necessarily mean pro-abortion" and that many people who are pro-choice simply support a woman's right to decide whether or not to have an abortion.

Quinn suggested that monthly workshops on specific social/political issues
be held at the pastoral center, to which Deacon Rocha responded favorably. One young man attending the talk, previously acquainted with Quinn and her Call to Action group, says, "I interpreted that as meaning she wanted to get in and be able to hold her Call to Action meetings at the diocese."

Hogan recommended that people read publications like the National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, and America to increase their awareness

of political issues. (Evi Quinn added a recommendation for Connections magazine.) At that point, several attendees began complaining. One man stood up and asked why Hogan was recommending leftist, dissenting publications, and not publications like the Wanderer or Catholic World Report. Hogan replied, "Oh, I would never recommend the Wanderer, because they oppose the bishops."

The meeting degenerated, with frequent challenges to Hogan's remarks from conservative attendees, and angry shouting between audience members.

After the break, diocesan lawyer Vince Whelan gave a presentation on the tax-exempt status of the Church and what activities are prohibited parishes and dioceses within the tax code. He noted that the Christian Coalition voter guides being handed out in parish parking lots were acceptable, since they don't violate the Church's tax status. Social ministries director Jim Keeley challenged Whelan's assertion, claiming that Bishop Brom prohibited the distribution of the voter guides, and that only Church-prepared materials can be disseminated on Church property.

After that, the meeting broke up into small discussion groups, although the results of the discussions were never presented, as had been scheduled.

One Catholic attendee was unhappy with the workshop. "What I came away with is that Hogan thinks the 'seamless garment' is more important than abortion and that we must obey the bishops, but not necessarily the Pope. When they were telling us we have to accept this or that political view because the bishops say so, I asked, 'What about the Pope?' I was told, 'We can't discuss that now. We'd have to have another seminar to cover that.'"

Another attendee said, "The whole meeting was basically about the 'proper' behavior of Catholics in terms of the Church's tax exempt status. I came because I wanted guidance about how to approach issues." He noted that, while he was expecting to learn transcendent, unchanging social principles of Catholicism, and how to apply these to civic life, the workshop was partisan and unspiritual. "They were making the Church out to be a unit of the government. Hogan said, 'We have to work with the government because Catholic Charities could not survive without government help.'"