Addendum to Bill Pryor's Record

An alternate headline for this entry might read: "Down With All Judicial Activists."

Some of you may remember that I had grave questions about the record of one of President Bush's judicial nominees. The nominee I had serious concerns about was Bill Pryor, the former attorney general of Alabama and an extremist conservative that President Bush tried to push through the Senate last year. When he was unable to do it because of a Democratic filibuster, President Bush gave him a temporary appointment to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Yes, that's right, the court of appeals that several times refused to reinsert Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube. When I took note of the fact that he would be one of the deciding judges, I wrote:

What I find ironic is that the hope of saving Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life has now been placed partially in the hands of a man I neither trust nor respect, Judge William Pryor, the former attorney general of Alabama and President Bush's temporary appointment to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I pray that he and the other judges on the appellate court will make the right decision. And I don't know how his making the right decision will impact my opinion of him; I guess we'll find out if he does it ("Breaking News: Judge Won't Help Terri," Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 3/23/2005).

What I did not say then, because I knew I would be accused of partisan bitterness, was that I had strong doubts about whether or not this great bastion of the pro-life movement would act to save Terri Schindler-Schiavo. I didn't say it, but it's been on my mind ever since. What I've discovered now is that my suspicions were warranted; there was a 10-2 vote to reject the appeal to reinsert Terri's feeding tube, and Pryor was one of the ten in the majority, not one of the two dissenting opinions. Let all pro-life Catholics, all conservative Catholics, and all Republican Catholics take note: the man you thought would help your cause in the judicial system has refused to do it, and he has been complicit in the death of Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

I hope that David Schrader, especially, will take note. For those of you who don't know, David Schrader is a contributing editor of Catholics in the Public Square and the editor of Catholics for Bush, and he was one of the most vociferous defenders of Pryor when I questioned his record before. Perhaps this will cause David and all who were willing to give Pryor the benefit of the doubt to take a second look.

And when the conservatives and the Republicans begin talking about whose fault this is, when they blame it on the "liberal judiciary," when they say Democrats didn't do enough, etc., etc., ad nauseam -- readers of Sollicitudo Rei Socialis should remember that Judge Greer, the judge responsible for it all, is a conservative Republican. They should remember that many judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals are Republican appointees. They should remember that seven of nine Supreme Court justices are Republican appointees. And they should remember that Judge William Pryor, the extremist who has been temporarily appointed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, wasn't extreme enough to save Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life.


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Note: David Schrader from Catholics for Bush has pointed out that we cannot discern, from the court order alone, the number of judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals who ruled against the Schindlers and the number who dissented. Thus, from the court order taken by itself, we cannot discern whether or not Judge Pryor voted with the majority against the Schindlers or with the minority of dissenting judges. Although I have raised the possibility of other sources of information contributing to the 10-2 vote tally, in the absence of any such information, I must admit the possibility that Judge Pryor dissented from the majority opinion -- even though I still maintain that the available evidence works in favor of my original assertion.

Terri Has Died

Terri Schindler-Schiavo died today. Unfortunately, her family was not allowed to be with her at the time of death. Her "guardian," Michael Schiavo, was with her. Now there will be battles over her burial: the family wants her to receive a Catholic burial in Florida, and Michael Schiavo wants her to be cremated and taken to a family plot in Pennsylvania. No doubt Michael Schiavo will prevail in his wishes.

Eternal rest grant unto Terri, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Breaking News: Earthquake Hits, Tsunami Possible

Various news sources are reporting that a magnitude 8.2 earthquake has hit Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Geologists fear that this quake, which is an aftershock of the earthquake that hit the region in December, will lead to another tsunami like the one that hit near the beginning of this year. That's all we know right now.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Random Thoughts on Terri

From the pages of Fides, Spes, Caritas...

Yesterday morning, after blogging about Judge Whittemore's decision not to reinsert Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube, I was in a state that can only be described as despair. It's difficult for me to put into words how important saving Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life is to me; I don't know why exactly, but I feel that this woman's life is the most important cause I've blogged about since I started blogging. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I don't see her just as Terri anymore, but as Jesus Christ hiding in our midst. We don't realize it, but what we do to her we are doing to Christ, and through her pain we are crucifying Christ anew. Throughout the day yesterday, I gradually came to the realization that, without an act of God, this woman is going to die. I had a feeling that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals wouldn't act to save her life, and I was right. Now the only option is the Supreme Court, and the justices have already expressed their unwillingness to help Terri.

In effect, the court system is saying: "We are innocent of this woman's blood. Look to it yourselves." And I think that very shortly we will respond, largely by our inaction, saying: "Her blood be upon us and upon our children." According to all of the opinion polls -- and it was a crude form of opinion poll that shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" -- over half of the nation thinks that Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube should be removed. Some have proposed that this number arises out of ignorance, because most if not all of those people don't know all of the facts behind this story. I don't think so. Maybe they don't know all of the facts, but I think if you sat them down and told them, it would have a minimal effect on the number who think her feeding tube should be removed. What we often label the "culture of death" has become the culture of death because of American utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is basically the way of thinking which says that usefulness is the highest good, and that the "right thing to do" is determined by the usefulness of its results.

Letting Terri Schindler-Schiavo live is not useful, and regardless of whether or not they know it, the fact that Terri is not useful to them has contributed to many Americans' feelings about her case. Often, many of the arguments these people present amount to this: "She can't do anything, why should she have to live that way?" The translation is this: If you can't do anything, what's the point of living? Utilitarianism. People don't have an inherent dignity regardless of whether or not they're doing anything, not anymore; rather, people have become utilities that can be shut on and off at the whim of society based upon whether or not they are still useful to society. It's a dangerous path. Hitler didn't think that Jews were useful to German society, and we know how that turned out. Terri Schindler-Schiavo is one woman, not six million, but it is not difficult to see how the precedent her death sets could contribute to millions of other deaths. Besides the fact that Terri's death is horrible in and of itself, the decisions reached on this case could set a precedent with implications similar to Roe v. Wade.

What's even more frightening in this case is that the effort to remove Terri's feeding tube has been a bipartisan effort. Although Republicans and conservatives would have you believe that the Democrats and the Left represent the largest and most vocal opposition to saving Terri's life, that's not the case. It's a pretty even mix.

- Judge George Greer, the primary judge in the Schiavo case who has ruled again and again against the Schindlers, is a conservative Republican.

- Judge James Whittemore, the U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida, was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1999.

- Judge Frank Hall was appointed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Clinton in 1997, and Judge Ed Carnes was appointed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. These were the authors of the majority opinion which refused to reinsert Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube.

- Judge Charles Wilson was appointed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Clinton in 1999. He was the author of the dissenting opinion, which would have reinserted Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube.

- In the event that the Supreme Court becomes involved: Chief Justice William Rehnquist was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986; Justice Ruth Ginsburg was appointed by President Clinton in 1993; Justice Stephen Breyer was appointed by President Clinton in 1994; Justice John Paul Stevens was appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975; Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed by President Reagan in 1981; Justice Antonin Scalia was appointed by President Reagan in 1986; Justice Anthony Kennedy was appointed by President Reagan in 1988; Justice David Souter was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990; and Justice Clarence Thomas was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. That's seven justices appointed by three Republican Presidents and two appointed by a Democratic President.

- As far as congressional action goes, there was no opposition to Terri's Bill in the Senate (it was passed by voice vote), and the Democrats were pretty evenly divided between those who supported Terri's Bill and those who opposed it in the House of Representatives. Five Republicans in the House opposed Terri's Bill.

My point is that throughout our government, judges and politicians from both political parties think that Terri should be starved to death, or "allowed to die" as the spin doctors might put it. The point is that while abortion or the Iraq War might be issues pretty neatly divided along party lines, the starvation of Terri Schindler-Schiavo is something that members of both political parties can get behind. That is truly disturbing.

I don't really feel much better today, because I am still certain that only a miraculous intervention by God himself can save Terri Schindler-Schiavo now. What I'm doing now is what I believe is the only thing left to do: I'm praying. I'm praying for Terri Schindler-Schiavo's body and her soul, I'm praying that the Schindlers and all of Terri's friends and supporters will be comforted, I'm praying for Michael Schiavo's salvation and the salvation of those in our judicial system who have helped him do this, I'm praying for our country, and I'm praying that this case will not set a precedent that will starve countless more disabled and incapacitated persons. I think that's what we really need to do now, we need to pray.

Breaking News: Judge Won't Help Terri

CNN and other news sources are reporting that U.S. District Judge James Whittemore, the federal judge who received Terri Schindler-Schiavo's case thanks to congressional legislation, has refused to reinsert Terri's feeding tube. The Schindlers will now appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, GA. What I find ironic is that the hope of saving Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life has now been placed partially in the hands of a man I neither trust nor respect, Judge William Pryor, the former attorney general of Alabama and President Bush's temporary appointment to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I pray that he and the other judges on the appellate court will make the right decision. And I don't know how his making the right decision will impact my opinion of him; I guess we'll find out if he does it.

If the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals does not reinsert Terri's feeding tube, I presume that the Schindlers can appeal one final time to the Supreme Court. I think the justices will have a hard time not taking this case now, but I have a feeling that we would be better off if they didn't. I have a feeling that the entire judicial branch of our government has decided to embed itself so deeply into the pro-choice and pro-euthanasia camps that they will never save Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life. They may only make things worse for other incapacitated people by setting disturbing pro-euthanasia precedents. Our friend over at Moloch Now must be incredibly pleased with the American judicial system today.

I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know when or why it became okay to kill people in this country whenever it becomes convenient for us, and to do it by any means we deem necessary. We can kill preborn human beings from the moment of conception right up until going into labor, and now we can euthanize incapacitated people by starving and dehydrating them to death without their consent. And the judicial system is going to say, in effect: "Okie dokie." Never in my life have I felt such a sense of despair that the United States political system is doomed, that it will never again be a force for good in the world (if it ever was), that it will forever set these dangerous precedents which lead us day by day closer to Nazi Germany. I don't know what to say other than that the government seems more hopeless to me today than it ever has before.

Responsorial Psalm 71

I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.

I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.

I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

I will sing of your salvation.

Terri's Bill Passed

For those of you who haven't already heard, Congress passed the bill to give the Schindlers access to a federal court, and President Bush has signed it into law. The bill passed in the Senate by voice vote (meaning that there was no Senate opposition), and it passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 203-58. Republican supporters of the bill were joined by forty-seven Democrats, and Democratic opponents of the bill were joined by five Republicans. Overall, fifty-three Democrats voted against the bill. Among the Democrats, fifty-three opposed the bill and forty-seven supported it, while over a hundred Democratic Representatives were not present to vote. Since the bill was not opposed by anyone in the Senate, and since support and opposition were divided almost evenly among Democrats in the House of Representatives, I don't think it's fair to say that the Democratic Party opposed this bill. Most Representatives, Republicans included, are still describing this as a bipartisan and bicameral bill, and I think the numbers from both the House and the Senate reveal that it was.

I'm glad the bill was passed. Now I hope that the federal courts make the right decision, which is to remove Terri Schindler-Schiavo from Michael Schiavo's guardianship and rule that her feeding tube should not be removed.

Breaking News: Congress Will Save Terri

Fox News and other news sources are reporting that Congress has agreed to a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will save Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life. The bill, which has widespread if not unanimous support in both houses of Congress, will grant the Schindlers access to a federal court which will review the decision of Judge Greer to remove Terri's feeding tube. Both houses of Congress will work on the bill tonight and tomorrow, hoping to send the bill to the President for him to sign it into law on Monday. Additionally, on the newscast I watched, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) accused Michael Schiavo of "abuse and neglect" and said that he couldn't understand why a judge would have allowed Terri to remain in his care for so long.

If Judge Greer were smart, given the fact that his career may now be on the line, he would issue a stay immediately pending congressional action. If Terri Schindler-Schiavo dies before Congress can act, I think it's safe to say that both Judge Greer and Michael Schiavo will have hell to pay.

This is extremely good news. Thanks, St. Cyril of Jerusalem!

Terri's Feeding Tube Removed

Various news sources are reporting that Terri Schindler-Schiavo's feeding tube was removed at 1:45 P.M. on Friday. Although the Republican-led House of Representatives seems to be making an attempt to intervene in the Schiavo case, most of their attempts have already been rejected by the court system. The Supreme Court has once again refused to hear arguments in the Schiavo case, even though they were petitioned by the House of Representatives to do so. I'm thankful that the House of Representatives is trying to intervene in the Schiavo case, but I have to say that I don't think it's looking good, and I don't think the feeding tube will be reinserted this time. As much as Congress may want to intervene, this decision ultimately lies with the courts and there will not be much that Congress can do. Even if a bill is signed into law that would grant the Schindlers access to a federal court to argue their case, I don't think any federal judge is going to overturn Judge Greer's decision.

While I will support and applaud any further legal action, I think the best thing we can do right now is pray for Terri Schindler-Schiavo, for her physical well-being and also for her soul. Prayer is the only thing that can turn this around.

On a related note, I must commend the leadership role that Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), President Bush and the Republican Congress have taken in this matter. I hope that this leadership role will bear the fruit of concrete action rather than touching, but useless, words.


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Further Reading:

- "Schiavo's feeding tube removed," by Ninette Sosa, et al: CNN.

- "Don't Kick It," by Peggy Noonan: OpinionJournal.

- "On the Hill: Will Strong Actions Match Strong Words?" and "The Murder of Terri (Day 1): Leaders Must Lead -- Not Merely Plead!" by Earl Appleby: Life Matters, Citizens United Resisting Euthanasia.

- "Terri's Starvation Commences: Terri's 'Exit Protocol' Begins," by Fr. Rob Johansen: Thrown Back.

- "Do you think God does not have a hand in all of this?", The Anchoress.

- "Senate/House Leadership Urged to Pass 'Terri Schiavo's Law' on Monday," BlogsforTerri.


Action Alerts:

- Contact Speaker of the House Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and let them know that you will not stand for anything less than a bill that will give Terri Schindler-Schiavo another chance to be passed on Monday and sent to the President. Residents of their home states should inform them that votes in coming elections will depend on their cooperation.

- Contact President Bush and urge him to be more proactive in the fight for Terri's life, especially in trying to persuade the House of Representatives and the Senate to put a bill before him that would take her case to a federal court.

Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Republicans in the Senate are trying to sneak legislation through attached to the federal budget that would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The ANWR is nineteen million acres of American environmental beauty, one of the last places on Earth where artic and sub-arctic lands are protected. The Arctic Refuge is home to caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles, snow geese and much more wildlife. The Arctic Refuge is also used by a variety of birds as nesting grounds during migration. This is not to mention the Gwich'in tribe of Northeast Alaska and Northwest Canada, who have depended on the Arctic Coastal Plain for centuries. They consider the Arctic Coastal Plain sacred ground. Destroying it in the name of more energy for the American industrial machine would just be another profound slap in the face for Native Americans who have been stewards of the American lands for millennia.

The Republican argument is that we must use the oil resources of the Arctic Refuge in the name of energy independence. Unfortunately, this argument is (intentionally?) misleading. The oil from the ANWR won't even begin to touch America's overwhelming energy needs, leaving us still dependent on foreign oil. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the oil from the Arctic Refuge will only meet American needs for six months, and oil companies admit that even this six month supply of oil will not be available for ten years. Are we really willing to destroy one of the last arctic refuges, a land held sacred by Native Americans, for a six month supply of oil that we won't see for ten years? Will we desecrate a people's sacred land for its oil, ignoring their freedom of religion and the protected status that their holy places should enjoy?

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) don't want to do that. They've cosponsored an amendment to put an end to the Republican scheme to begin drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Now they're calling for our support to make sure that their amendment is passed, and it can only be passed with the support of seven key Republican Senators: Sen. Coleman (R-MN), Sen. Smith (R-OR), Sen. Specter (R-PA), Sen. Martinez (R-FL), Sen. Lugar (R-IN), Sen. Gregg (R-NH), and Sen. Sununu (R-NH). Americans nationwide, and especially in these Senators' home states, must urge them to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

This is not just a political issue. It is an issue that finds solid basis in Catholic social teaching on stewardship of the environment. In Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (after which this weblog is named), the Holy Father wrote:

Nor can the moral character of development exclude respect for the beings which constitute the natural world, which the ancient Greeks -- alluding precisely to the order which distinguishes it -- called the "cosmos." Such realities also demand respect, by virtue of a threefold consideration which it is useful to reflect upon carefully.

The first consideration is the appropriateness of acquiring a growing awareness of the fact that one cannot use with impunity the different categories of beings, whether living or inanimate -- animals, plants, the natural elements -- simply as one wishes, according to one's own economic needs. On the contrary, one must take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system, which is precisely the "cosmos."

The second consideration is based on the realization -- which is perhaps more urgent -- that natural resources are limited; some are not, as it is said, renewable. Using them as if they were inexhaustible, with absolute dominion, seriously endangers their availability not only for the present generation but above all for generations to come.

The third consideration refers directly to the consequences of a certain type of development on the quality of life in the industrialized zones. We all know that the direct or indirect result of industrialization is, ever more frequently, the pollution of the environment, with serious consequences for the health of the population.

Once again it is evident that development, the planning which governs it, and the way in which resources are used must include respect for moral demands. One of the latter undoubtedly imposes limits on the use of the natural world. The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to "use and misuse," or to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the prohibition not to "eat of the fruit of the tree" (cf. Gen 2:16-17) shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which cannot be violated with impunity.

A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature, the renewability of resources and the consequences of haphazard industrialization -- three considerations which alert our consciences to the moral dimension of development (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, #34).

It is clear from the Pope's encyclical that respectful stewardship of the environment is a Catholic moral value, and one which cannot be ignored by the faithful regardless of their political affiliation. Therefore, I urge all Catholics to support the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment that would prevent drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, on the grounds that stewardship of the environment compels the Catholic Church to act on behalf of the environment whenever it comes under political attack.


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Further Reading:

- "In 24-48 Hours," by Sen. John Kerry, JohnKerry.com.

- Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, #29,34, by Pope John Paul II.

- Populorum Progressio, #22,69, by Pope Paul VI.

- Mater et Magistra, #246, by Pope Bl. John XXIII.

- Rerum Novarum, #33-36, by Pope Leo XIII.

- Justice in the World, #47, World Synod of Catholic Bishops, 1971.

- Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, #3,5,6,16,18,40, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

- Economic Justice for All, #34,228, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.


Action Alerts:

- Contact your Senator and let him or her know that you support the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

- Contact the seven crucial Republican Senators and let them know that you support the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment: Sen. Coleman, Sen. Smith, Sen. Specter, Sen. Martinez, Sen. Lugar, Sen. Gregg, and Sen. Sununu.

- Sign the Citizens' Roll Call in support of the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment.

- Contribute to Sen. John Kerry's advertising campaign to draw support for the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment in the home states of the seven crucial Republican Senators.

Evangelicals and environmentalism?

Well this is news... The Christian Evangelical voting block - four out of five backed Bush in the previous election - is getting green. As in 'concerned with the environment.' According to this article, influential evangelical leaders have 'warned that global warming is an urgent threat that warrants government action.'

Priorities in healthcare

Dismaying statistics from a newsletter article from the Wharton School of Business:

Of 1,400 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, only 25 are
targeted to diseases of the developing world

Seven million infants die each year, mostly in the developing world, and half those deaths could be prevented with vaccines that exist in rich nations

More than $100 billion is spent each year on medical research, but just 10% of that goes to diseases that account for 90% of the world's illnesses

I am all for capitalism, but it has to be balanced with a concern for humanity. The profit motive is a great incentive for companies to invest money in researching new drugs and providing health care services. However, when the drive for profit outweighs the concern for the common good, something needs to change. Drug and healthcare companies have a right to make a profit, but they also have a responsibility towards the common good. To the extent they shirk that responsibility, I believe governments need to step in to make sure the common good is promoted. This could mean that profits are regulated - such as limiting profits to a 'cost-plus' formula - one that is used in a number of government contracts. Or it could mean that a certain percentage of a company's portfolio is dedicated to serving the poor.

When less than 2% of the drugs the FDA has approved are intended for diseases in the developing world, when 3.5 million children could be saved if only they had access to vaccines, and when 90% of the money goes towards 10% of the diseases, then something has to change - for the good of all people.

Our Greatest Threat

This post was originally made on March 9, 2005 on In Today's News.

The feature article of Commonweal points out the threat posed by nuclear weapons and the resistance of the United States and the seven other nuclear nations to doing what is morally right to abolish these weapons of mass destruction.

The article is entitled Our Greatest Threat.

Brazil makes the most stinging critique of U.S. policy:

One cannot worship at the altar of nuclear weapons and raise heresy charges against those who want to join the sect.

Nuclear weapons seem to violate the principles of jus en bellum.

Yes. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were an immoral use of military force.

According to jus en bellum criteria, non-combatants cannot be targeted under any circumstances. Children were knowingly targeted in these instances. The only time in history that nuclear weapons were ever used was a gravely immoral act.

Church teaching on this is clear and unambiguous and even Pius XII had spoke to the principles in reference to carpet bombing as occurred in Dresden, before the atomic bombs were dropped.

Those Catholics who believe that WWII indicated a just use of nuclear force are clearly in dissent. The bishops and our current Pope have continued to uphold these principles, being quite specific that the use nuclear weapons, even as a deterrent, are immoral.

American Catholics need to speak out against the Bush Administration's nuclear policy, which not only advocates nuclear weapons for deterrent purposes, but admits they may be used aggressively against non-nuclear powers. This is an immoral policy that must be changed.

Is Women's Ordination a Justice Issue?

In my Petition to the Holy Father for Women Priests, I raise several scriptural, historical, and doctrinal questions indicating that maybe women can be ordained to ministerial priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

I also raise the question in the petition whether this is a social justice issue based on developments in Church teaching during Vatican II.

Can Poverty be Ended?

This post was originally made on In Today's news on March 11, 2005.

Poverty Can Be Ended

The link above is to the cover of the most recent issue of Time magazine, and you need to be a subscriber to read the full article. I picked up a hard copy of the magazine last night because of the cover article, The End of Poverty.

It's definitely worth picking up at a newsstand if you are not a subscriber.

The article defines extreme poverty as a state where people subsists on less than one dollar per day. One billion people live in such poverty. Billions more live on one to two dollars per day.

The article is really a sort of advertisement for a book entitled The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by a Harvard economist who has been working for the U.N. named Jeff Sachs.

The forward of the book is written by Bono, and the book is endorsed by billionaire, George Soros, who has worked in international development of democracy, and gained fame for starting MoveOn.org in opposition to Bush's pre-emptive war policy as a means of advancing democracy.

In the article, Sachs boldly asserts that extreme poverty can be ended by the year 2025 if we in the developed world set our minds to doing it.

The article explodes myths about the roadblocks to ending poverty, such as blaming poverty of corrupt governments, socialist policies, laziness of individuals, or distribution problems.

While all of these factors are obstacles, Sachs argues that not a single one of them is insurmountable, and he argues that it has been proven already that every single on of them can be conquered.

Sachs carefully avoids pointing blame on failed policies of the past without entirely dismissing the effects of developed world exploitation of the developing nations.

Acknowledging there have been failures in the past, Sachs seems to want to direct our attention forward to the future.

The article highlights several case studies on the effects of poverty and what causes it.

Factors like disease and drought are the root cause of such conditions of extreme poverty.

While dealing with such issues beyond human control sounds daunting, the article points to concrete solutions that have worked and lays out concrete plans for how to tackle the issues everywhere they occur everywhere on the globe.

I'll be re-reading the article over the weekend, but what jumps out at me the most on a first reading is that United States is not doing what it can.

While we give more money in raw dollars than any nation on earth, we give nowhere near the share of GNP of other nations. We are nowhere near monies our government has committed already to helping developing nations.

What have we committed?

We committed 0.7 percent of our GNP. Unless I mis-read the article on my first pass, according to Sachs, we only need to give 0.5 percent to accomplish the task (assuming some other developed nations do the same).

What exactly are we talking here?

We're talking about mere fraction of the cost of the war in Iraq: the amount we committed is a total of under $80 billion. The war in Iraq has cost several hundred billion.

How much are we actually giving?

Polls indicate that the average American thinks we give 25 percent of our annual GNP to developing nations. We actually gave 0.15 percent of our GNP in the year 2003.

The web site for the book has a page detailing the facts outlined in the article.

In the article, Sachs points out that Afghanistan was among the nations classified as having almost universal extreme poverty, and we could have eliminated that poverty.

Without saying it explicitly, the implication is that 9/11 might not have happened if we had done what we could.

Five developed nations already give the 0.7 percent of their GNP. These five nations are the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

How effective would this expenditure be in improving the condition of the extreme poor?

Sachs argues that the money spent would move every single developing nation into the type of development seen in South-East Asia over the last decade. Bangladesh is an example of what can be done in such a short period of time.

Currently, the United States sends to sub-saharan Africans living in extreme poverty defined as those who survive on less than one dollar per day the equivalent of $30 per person per year, of which only $12 per person per year makes it to those individuals living in extreme poverty.

The remaining $18 go back to developing nations for administration costs.

In the article, Sachs does have advice for charities, non-profits, and NGO's as well, and he does encourage us all to consider increasing our private charitable donations.

On the web site for the book, Sachs offers practical tips in a What You Can Do page that includes both political action such as writing your representatives, and several charities that are taking effective steps to end poverty.

While every penny of charitable contribution helps, from the viewpoint of ending extreme poverty by 2025 as a specific target date, it will take a committed effort by the governments of the developed world.

Sachs offers a variety of reasons to take up this cause, always starting with an appeal to moral conscience, but also offering reasons based on peace, security, and the promotion of our own economic growth and opportunities.

Polls indicate that the average American does not think that one percent of our GNP is too much to give to the cause of eliminating extreme poverty. We are 85 percent short of that goal.

If we want to end extreme poverty, we can.

If we can, we should.

The sacrifice we would need to make is real, but not great.

The only issue is whether we are willing to make it a priority - and especially making it a higher priority than our current pro-military policies.

On Dignity

Abortion, racism, discrimination, a lack of rights for illegal immigrants, torture, prostitution, unlawful detention, rape, child abuse - all these things concern the welfare of society. And atleast one antidote for them is simple: dignity.

This word isn't found much in scripture, depending on the translation you read you may or may not find it at all. But in Catholicism we've developed quite a bit of tradition and teaching centered on dignity. In the online catechism I did a search for dignity and found many references, including these:

The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and
likeness of God...

The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral conscience...

The dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good...

The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities...

It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly...

In economic matters, respect for human dignity requires the practice of the virtue
of temperance, so as to moderate attachment to this world's goods; the practice
of the virtue of justice, to preserve our neighbor's rights and render him what
is his due; and the practice of solidarity...

The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul...

The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it...

Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man.
[Men's and women's] equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions...

Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature...

Abortion, racism, discrimination, a lack of rights for illegal immigrants, torture, prostitution, unlawful detention, rape, child abuse - all these things, in my opinion, are violations of a person's dignity. I'm sure others could add to this list too, but the point I want to make is that we are called to honor the dignity in others. It's an inseparable part of being a Christian - it's 'love your neighbor' put into action.

When a violation of dignity touches one of our buttons, it can be all too tempting to fire back in an undignified way. This can be seen on both sides of the issue of abortion. And sometimes we can be tempted to violate a person's dignity to justify another cause - immigrants' rights, torture and detention come to mind. Two wrongs don't make a right, but it sure can make you feel better for a while.

Recognizing that the 'dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God' may require that we put a higher value on other people's dignity than on our own emotional comfort. Honoring a person's dignity is honoring God.

Novena to St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Due to time constraints which are unfortunately beyond my control, I'm not going to be able to author a new prayer for each day of the novena. I will still be praying the daily prayer of the novena for Terri Schindler-Schiavo's intentions until March 17, in honor of the Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on March 18. I hope the readers of Sollicitudo Rei Socialis will do the same.

Daily Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

R. And you shall renew the face of the Earth.

Let us pray.

Father, through St. Cyril of Jerusalem you led your Church to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation. Let his prayers help us to know your Son better and to have eternal life in all its fullness. Through his intercession, extend your saving hand to Terri Schindler-Schiavo, and grant her abundant life in this world and in the world to come. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Novena to St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Day 2

Daily Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

R. And you shall renew the face of the Earth.

Let us pray.

Father, through St. Cyril of Jerusalem you led your Church to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation. Let his prayers help us to know your Son better and to have eternal life in all its fullness. Through his intercession, extend your saving hand to Terri Schindler-Schiavo, and grant her abundant life in this world and in the world to come. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 2 Prayer

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, as a bishop you defended Christ's flock in Jerusalem against heresy. For this, you suffered exile and persecution. In our own era, some clergy have failed to stand up for the teaching of the Church, especially as it relates to human life. Pray for us, we beg you, that our bishops, our priests and our deacons will defend the teaching of the Church. Through your intercession, we humbly ask God our Father to grant our request...

Proposed Intention for Day 2: ...that all bishops and clergy, especially all of the bishops of Florida and Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, will speak out strongly for Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life.

On Earth, you were a champion for Christ, confessing his Incarnation without ceasing; now, in Heaven, you are a champion for his Mystical Body. Through your intercession, may our Heavenly Father bring all members of the one Body to respect and protect the lives of all their brothers and sisters. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

More on microcredit

In response to my earlier blog post on microcredit, I received an email from the Grameen Foundation USA. They are a foundation based here in the US, affiliated with Grameen Bank, a leader in microcredit financing. In addition to providing microcredit loans, they have an innovative program to use technology to make microcredit more efficient, bring more income opportunities to people, and provide people with more information. They accept donations online, so if economic justice initiatives are on your charitable donations list (that is on your charitable donation list, right? ;) they make it easy to donate too.

Novena to St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Day 1

Daily Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

R. And you shall renew the face of the Earth.

Let us pray.

Father, through St. Cyril of Jerusalem you led your Church to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of salvation. Let his prayers help us to know your Son better and to have eternal life in all its fullness. Through his intercession, extend your saving hand to Terri Schindler-Schiavo, and grant her abundant life in this world and in the world to come. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 1 Prayer

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, as a champion for the faith you valiantly defended the Incarnation of Christ against the Arians, and for that you have been named a Doctor of the Church. In our own era, we have forgotten the value of human life, and we have forgotten that the human body was made a temple of the Holy Spirit by that same Incarnation. Pray for us, we beg you, that we may recognize the dignity of every human life and strive to guard the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Through your intercession, we humbly ask God our Father to grant our request...

Proposed Intention for Day 1: ...that all Catholics and other Christians will be united in the effort to save Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life.

On Earth, you were a champion for Christ, confessing his Incarnation without ceasing; now, in Heaven, you are a champion for his Mystical Body. Through your intercession, may our Heavenly Father bring all members of the one Body to respect and protect the lives of all their brothers and sisters. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Terri Reminder

Just a reminder: Sollicitudo Rei Socialis will be hosting a novena to St. Cyril of Jerusalem starting tomorrow, praying for the health of Terri Schindler-Schiavo and for the conversion of those who would remove her nutrition/hydration. We're praying to St. Cyril because his memorial is on March 18, the day that Terri's feeding tube will be removed if some new development doesn't take place in the meantime.

Anyone who wants to is free to reproduce the novena, which will be authored by me, on their own blogs or websites. All I ask is a credit back to Sollicitudo Rei Socialis. Thanks!

Dalits and the Church in India

The Feb 14 2005 issue of America Magazine had an eye-opening article on the struggle of Dalit Catholics in India, and within the Indian Catholic Church. 'Dalit' means 'broken' - and the Dalit are essentially the untouchables in India. They also make up a sizable portion of India's population and of the local Catholic church.

Dalit's - whether they are Christian or Hindu - really don't have any basic rights in India. According to the article in America, Dalit girls are raped by upper-caste men with little fear of the law, Dalits are not allowed to sit on bus benches or use public toilets or water fountains, and aid money for Dalits is often stolen by higher-caste officials. The article tells of a Dalit man who married a woman from one of the lower castes (Dalit's are below the castes). His wife took an overnight visit to her family and didn't return. He went to investigate, and found she had been beaten and buried alive by the villagers. Those same villagers also beat him to death, apparently with no consequences from the law. The list of abuses could go on, but just imagine that Dalits are treated as less than human, and the caste-culture allows the abuse to continue. Many Dalits are also ignorant of what rights they do have, or are too afraid to pursue them.

And if all that is not bad enough, cateism and the abuse of Dalits is part of the Indian Catholic church. Most of the native priests and bishops are from the upper castes and seem to have carried their caste-views with them. Dalits were not allowed to enter the seminary until the 1960's and even today about 70% are turned away. Parishes are split along caste-lines, and if a priest tries to help his Dalit parishioners, he is often disciplined. The Jesuit Provincial of India is a Dalit, and when he tried to mention caste problems in one of the society's documents, his Indian colleagues admonished him and took it out.

Christian Dalits have started an organization called the 'Dalit Christian Liberation Movement' in an effort to publicize and bring an end to this discrimination from both their society and the church. Their web site has some very interesting material, including letters to the council of Indian bishops and to Pope John Paul 2 urging that action be taken. It doesn't report what action was taken, if any.

The article in America calls for the US Catholic church to come to the aid of the Indian church in a way similar to how it helped force South Africa to end aprtheid in the 70's and 80's. In my opinion, every Catholic ought to be concerned with casteism and discrimination in the church.

Catholic identity and membership knows no national boundaries - the Dalit at mass in Kerala is just as much my brother or sister in Christ as the friend standing next to me at mass at my home parish. While we may know that at an intellectual and spiritual level, aren't we also called to show our concern for them in some tangible ways? Perhaps we can start by getting more familiar with the issue and writing a letter to our bishop.

Should Pryor Be Confirmed?

Oswald Sobrino from Catholics in the Public Square thinks that Bill Pryor, one of Bush's judicial nominees blocked by a Democratic filibuster, should be confirmed. Mr. Sobrino points us to an article in the Opinion Journal that questions why the Democrats have prevented Pryor's appointment "since he is viewed by all sectors of Alabama society--white, black, Democrat, Republican--as a man of integrity and fairness." We are told that Mr. Pryor is a strong Catholic from a strong Catholic background, that he is consistently pro-life, and that the Democrats are blocking his appointment because they fear the success of an intelligent, young conservative.

After doing some research, I question the statement that Bill Pryor is "unabashedly pro-life."

The first and most disturbing part of Bill Pryor's record is his past with the death penalty. When he was running for Attorney General of Alabama in 2002, he wanted the execution of eight prisoners to be moved up. According to his opponents, Pryor wanted these executions moved up so that they would be executed prior to the 2002 vote. Pryor also objected to the Atkins v. Virginia ruling by the Supreme Court that prohibited the execution of the mentally retarded and people with brain damage. He has also objected to Ring v. Arizona, which mandated that only juries could impose the death penalty. Even Justice Scalia, an ardent defender of the death penalty, ruled in favor of jury decisions in Ring v. Arizona. It is also true that Pryor's home state of Alabama has sentenced more juveniles to death per capita than any other state in the Union, indicating that Pryor must oppose the recent Supreme Court decision to prohibit the execution of juveniles. In summary, it seems that Pryor is an advocate of unfettered capital punishment, which is, in fact, a violation of Catholic social teaching.

I would also question his actual commitment to the anti-abortion cause, since Pryor approves of the execution of juveniles. I see little difference between the killing of a fetal human being and the killing of a juvenile human being, but apparently Bill Pryor thinks it's fine to execute a juvenile but atrocious to have an abortion. To be frank, that doesn't make any sense and it flies in the face of Catholic social teaching.

I have other concerns with Bill Pryor's confirmation:

- He opposes the Voting Rights Act, and has asked Congress to repeal or amend Section 5. The Voting Rights Act is widely regarded as the most important piece of civil rights legislation ever passed, and Pryor's opposition has led many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King III, to oppose his confirmation.

- Bill Pryor filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief with the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of Alabama, South Carolina and Utah asking the Supreme Court to uphold the Texas "Homosexual Conduct Law." Thus, Bill Pryor believes that gays and lesbians should be imprisoned for private sexual conduct in their own homes. This finds no basis whatsoever in Catholic social teaching.

- Bill Pryor opposed United States v. Virginia, which ruled that women could be admitted to the Virginia Military Institute. In doing so, Pryor endorsed sex discrimination in education.

- In Hope v. Pelzer, Bill Pryor defended Alabama's practice of handcuffing prison inmates to hitching posts in the hot sun if they refused to work on chain gangs or otherwise disrupted them. The Supreme Court, thankfully, rejected Pryor's insidious argument. The practice of both the hitching post and the chain gang constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in the United States Constitution, and it is certainly inconsistent with Catholic social teaching.

- Bill Pryor opposed the Violence Against Women Act passed by Congress in 1994 and enhanced in 2000 on the grounds that it violated states' rights. Pryor's amicus curiae brief was the only one that opposed the Violence Against Women Act, with thirty-six states filing briefs in support of the Act.

Since the Senate filibuster which prevented Pryor from receiving a lifetime appointment to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Pryor has been given a temporary appointment by President Bush. Now President Bush has again sent his nomination to the Senate, hoping that the Republican majority will either overrule a Democratic filibuster or change the Senate rules so that filibusters can no longer be used to prevent judicial nominations. Unfortunately, it appears that some conservative Catholics are going to support Bill Pryor's confirmation based on his anti-abortion stance, ignoring his other serious violations of Catholic social teaching.

There is no justification for supporting Bill Pryor's confirmation, because judicial appointments are wholly unlike presidential elections. In a presidential election, there are only two candidates, and a case could be made that the most anti-abortion of the two should receive the Catholic vote. When it comes to judicial appointments, however, the President can and should find a judicial nominee who opposes abortion but also opposes other offenses against the dignity of human life. If Bill Pryor is confirmed and receives a lifetime appointment to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, he will be able to impose his radically unconstitutional and anti-life views on the death penalty, voting rights, gay rights, educational discrimination, cruel and unusual punishment and violence against women upon the entire 11th Circuit -- which has jurisdiction in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. There is also the possibility that a future Republican President, or this one, will appoint him to the Supreme Court of the United States.

It is my opinion that American Catholics must not allow this "Catholic In Name Only" (CINO) to be permanently elevated to the federal appeals court. The fact that he is an anti-abortion Catholic is not enough; we can and should expect pro-life Catholics who are consistently pro-life to be appointed to the federal bench. If anything, Catholics should take this opportunity to fraternally correct Bill Pryor by opposing his confirmation to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.


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Further Reading:

- "Killer Bill Pryor's Mad Quest for the Federal Bench," by Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch.

- "William Pryor: Unfit to Judge," People for the American Way.

- "William Pryor's Record," NOW with Bill Moyers, PBS.

- "Judge Pryor Should Be Confirmed," by Oswald Sobrino, Catholics in the Public Square.

- "Pryor Impressions," by Quin Hillyer, Opinion Journal.


Action Alerts:

- Contact the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), and express your support for a Democratic filibuster of the Pryor confirmation.

- Contact the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), and encourage him to oppose Pryor's confirmation to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

- Contact Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and ask him to oppose Pryor's confirmation to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

- Contact your Senators and ask them to oppose the Pryor confirmation.

- Contact President Bush and ask him to withdraw Pryor's nomination for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.