PLANS ANNOUNCED BY PAT Robertson's Christian Coalition (CC) last fall to recruit Catholic voters for the 1996 elections may be backfiring, thanks to CTA and many allies in the Catholic social teaching network.
Official Catholic resistance to partisan politicking among Catholics by CC and its new "Catholic Alliance" began even in October when both bishops in Virginia - Walter Sullivan of Richmond and John Keating of Arlington - blocked their distribution of voter guides in parishes. Candidates endorsed by CC fared badly in the November 7 statewide elections. Then came a strong challenge to the legitimacy of CC's claim to speak for Catholics from Albany, NY Bishop Howard Hubbard at the U.S. Bishops' meeting Nov. 14 in Washington.
Next the U.S. Bishops' own non-partisan 1996 Political Responsibility Statement (box on page 2) was mailed to every parish. Soon many dioceses and bishops began urging Catholics to use this 20-issue summary of Catholic social teaching, not the materials of the CC and its new "Catholic Alliance," for election-year voter education. For example:
COLORADO - All three bishops -- Francis Stafford of Denver, Arthur Tafoya of Pueblo, and Richard Hanifen of Colorado Springs -- wrote a joint letter warning Colorado Catholics that while the Church and CC agree on abortion, euthanasia and pornography, "we sharply disagree on welfare reform, capital punishment and health care reform." Most of all, they took issue with "what is not on the Coalition's agenda -- policies to protect poor children and families, immigrants and the active pursuit of international peace."
BOSTON - When Ralph Reed launched the CC's Catholic Alliance in a Boston hotel Dec. 9, a press conference organized by The Interfaith Alliance with help from CTA rebutted the CC claim to speak for Catholics. Within the month Cardinal Bernard Law sent a memo to all his priests insisting the Alliance is "a wholly-owned subsidiary of CC", an explicitly partisan political entity which endorses candidates, and as such should not have access to church facilities. Law noted disagreement with CC on welfare and health care.
LOS ANGELES - Within days Cardinal Roger Mahoney borrowed Cardinal Law's memo and forwarded it with his own strong endorsement to every priest in the L.A. archdiocese -- largest in the nation.
CHICAGO - When Reed spoke about the Catholic Alliance at Loyola University in January, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin urged Catholics to beware the disparity on issues. CTA helped Loyola students prepare an advisory leaflet which they handed out to the audience. Only 100 attended.
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, the USCC social action staff, which drafted the Bishops' Political Responsibility Statement and sped its distribution before the new year, has become the clearinghouse for dioceses and even parishes swapping stories and strategies of how to make sure the statement reaches the Catholic voter. Sr. Joan Hart of the Outreach Office (202-541-3180) are keeping track of activities like diocesan workshops in Joliet, IL and Lafayette, LA, voter education drives in the Hispanic Southwest, and parish-based voter registration in Chicago and Denver.
SYRACUSE, NY - Here's a good example of how quickly the non-partisan, multi-issue wisdom of the Political Responsibility Statement can percolate down to the grassroots. Bishop Thomas Costello preached a homily on the statement at a Jan. 21 diocesan prayer service for political responsibility. By Feb. 3 every parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel had a newsletter with a handy quiz based on Costello's homily. Q. Can you name any issues on which our bishops strongly disagree with the Christian Coalition? A. Death penalty, welfare reform, health care, arms sales, disarmament. Q. Can you name Catholic issues that CC ignores? A. Protection for welfare recipients, especially children; for immigrants, for workers. Q. Can you name CC issues the bishops have not endorsed? A. Term limits, line item veto, malpractice reform.
Pax Christi prepares ad
An election year sign-on ad called "A Catholic Covenant of Compassion" is being planned by Pax Christi USA for publication in the National Catholic Reporter in late June. The text begins with a repudiation of the Christian Coalition's Catholic Alliance for contradicting Catholic social teaching on welfare reform, the earned income tax credit, health care, immigrants, arms control and capital punishment. It then quotes as a "prophetic voice" the U.S. Bishops' Political Responsibility Statement about helping "the least among us," (the same quote printed inthe box at right), and echoes the document's positions on many election-year issues. To put your signature in the ad, (individuals, $25; organizations, $50; deadline: May 15) get a brochure with the ad text by calling Pax Christi, 814-453-4955.
The Interfaith Alliance expands
First introduced to CTAers at the Nov. 3, 1995 National Conference, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) continues to organize progressive Protestants, Catholics and Jews to counter the Christian Coalition. Besides an energetic national board and Washington staff, TIA is formally organized in a dozen states and getting started in at least ten more. TIA vigilantly monitors CC's activities and rebuts their claims to speak for all people of faith. TIA's comprehensive 50-page analysis of CC can be downloaded from TIA's award-winning site on the World Wide Web: http://www.intr.net/tiallance Obtain the same report by phone (202-639-6370), or by E-mail: tialliance@intr.net
Sojourners raises Call to Renewal
Another non-partisan "network of networks" gearing up to out-organize the Radical Religious Right during Elections '96 is The Call to Renewal: Christians for a New Political Vision. The ecumenical coalition of pastors, evangelical leaders, theologians and men and women religious met in Washington in early February at the invitation of the Sojourners Community and its evangelical pastor, Jim Wallis. What began as a May 1995 "Cry for Renewal" signed by over 100 religious leaders has evolved into an action plan for candidate forums, town meetings, voter education and biblical voting criteria. Catholics endorsing the effort include past CTA speakers Joan Chittister, Bryan Hehir, Richard Rohr; Margaret Cafferty of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious; Ted Keating, Conference of Major Superiors of Men; Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishops Thomas Gumbleton, Raymond Lucker, Leroy Matthiessen, Francis Murphy, Peter Rosazza, and Walter Sullivan. Among Protestants, Call to Renewal may be able to reach many conservative evangelical Christians, both black and white, better than the mainline denominations in The Interfaith Alliance. Wallis says the Christian Coalition can claim only one-third of the nation's evangelicals. Contact Call to Renewal at 202-328-8842.
CTA has been monitoring CC's Catholic Alliance and its chief spokesman, Ralph Reed, since the Dec. 9 Boston kickoff, and will keep reporting their actions and the counter-efforts by others. Help us by sending CTA descriptive notes about CC-CA activities in your area.
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