Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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The Pope, Politics and Your Vote

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The Pope, Politics and Your Vote

At the conclusion of his six-day visit to Mexico, Pope Francis celebrated Mass within walking distance of the U.S. border and pleaded for mercy and compassion in dealing with the flood of refugees that is overwhelming not only the United States, but Europe, Africa and the Middle East. On his Mexican pilgrimage, the Holy Father spanned the country from border to border calling for an end to exploitation of workers, inequality, corruption, drug trafficking and poverty.

It came as no surprise that some American politicians accused the Pope of meddling in U.S. politics with his gestures highlighting the plight of the refugees. Of course, the Holy Father spoke similar words in the more than 20 countries the Holy Father has visited in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. They reflect his worldview of the universality of suffering and are deemed political by those who see them only through the prism of their own self-interests.

Tomorrow is the March 1 primary election in Texas when citizens are exercising the most foundational act of citizenship in our society, that of voting for candidates for office.

For Catholics, voting is more than an act of citizenship – it is inherently an act of discipleship. It is a spiritual and moral act that must go beyond political parties and self-interest and be based on prayerful discernment of the common good.

In his address to Congress last year, Pope Francis said that ”building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation …” Concern for the common good or cooperation has been lacking or drowned out by strident shouting matches by the presidential candidates on the debate stage and on the campaign trail.

Sadly, there has been very little substantive discussion of the serious issues, foreign and domestic, facing our nation. The American bishops have issued a document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, which discusses key issues based on Gospel values.

Electing the president of the United States is not a competition between two partisan teams, one good and one bad, with all the visceral enjoyment that such a competition brings. It is a sacred trust that should not be violated by trivialization.

The ethics of discipleship in voting lies not in the embrace of any one issue or set of issues. Rather, it is a prayerful process of discernment that requires concern for the common good. Special emphasis should be placed on the issues affecting the poor, the unborn, the vulnerable and the marginalized rather than that of special interest groups or political parties.

Let us always pray that God, our Heavenly Father, will continue to bless and guide the leaders and people of our great country.

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Image Credit: IIP Photo Archive on Flickr

You shall not kill

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You shall not kill

A prophet’s reward is not acclaim but fidelity to the call. And, in our Judeo-Christian tradition, the prophet frequently experiences disdain, scorn, ridicule, even death, and, on rare occasions, vindication. Unfortunately, any type of vindication is often post-mortem. Witness modern prophets like King, Romero, Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day and Sister Helen Prejean, SSND.

Prophets today call us to faithfulness to our ideals, religious, societal or political. Such has been the role of Sister Prejean. Her advocacy for ending the death penalty for more than 30 years has been a major factor in raising awareness of the issue through her book Dead Man Walking, which was made into a powerful motion picture. She is indeed a modern prophet.

Her vindication is clearly the fact that more than 20 states have outlawed the death penalty or have a governor imposed moratorium. In his address to Congress last September, Pope Francis stated his conviction that the death penalty is no longer appropriate or acceptable punishment for criminals, stating:

“This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.

“Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.

The international conference, “For a World Without the Death Penalty,” opened in Rome this week. There, the Holy Father called on “All Christians and men and women of good will … to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve conditions in prisons, in respect for human dignity and the dignity of those deprived of freedom”.

Our Christian tradition recognizes that man is capable of redemption because of the effect of God’s healing and forgiving mercy upon his free will. Our emphasis should recognize that retribution does not justify the taking of life.

The increasingly strong public opposition to the death penalty, even as an instrument of legitimate social defense, is a sign of hope. The Pope noted, “Indeed, modern societies are able to effectively control crime without definitively removing from the criminal the possibility of redeeming himself.”

Again addressing political leadership as he did with Congress, Pope Francis concluded his remarks with a call to action, stating that, “The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a good opportunity to promote in the world an increasingly mature respect for life and the dignity of each person. Because even a criminal has the inviolable right to life, a gift of God. I appeal to the consciences of those who govern, so that an international consensus may be reached for the abolition of the death penalty. I propose to those among them who are Catholic to make an exemplary gesture of courage: that the death penalty not be applied in this Holy Year of Mercy”.

Concluding his remarks, the Pope reminded the conferees that, “The commandment “You shall not kill,” has absolute value and applies to both the innocent and the guilty.”

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Image Credit: By Ken Piorkowski – Lethal injection table, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meeting of Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill

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Meeting of Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill

Unprecedented is the only word to describe the meeting in Havana on Friday, Feb. 12, between the primates of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches. Pope Francis will stop over at Havana en route to Mexico City. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill will be in the second day of a planned visit to three Latin American nations. St. John Paul II first expressed hope for such a meeting shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union and similar hopes have been expressed by both Pope Emeritus Benedict and Pope Francis.

The two-hour conversation at the Havana airport will be the first time that primates of the two churches have met. Officials at the Moscow Patriarchate reported that the persecution of Christians would be the central theme of the discussion. Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholics have borne the brunt of Christian persecution and oppression in the Middle East. The meeting will conclude with the signing of a joint declaration.

Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, director of foreign relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, told reporters, “The statement will not be of a theological nature since that dialogue takes place in the framework of the International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic Church and all the Orthodox Churches.” Instead, he says, it will be a declaration on different aspects of collaboration and testimony that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church can give in our world today. These may include the problem of persecuted Christians in the Middle East, secularization, the protection of life, marriage, the family and other issues of shared concern.

Dominican Father Hyacinthe Destivelle, who is in charge of relations with the Slavic Orthodox Churches at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, stated, “The role of the meeting is within the framework of the dialogue of charity since Pope Francis has often said he is willing to promote a culture of encounter, especially in this Jubilee Year of Mercy – adding, there will be no unity without mercy.”

Meeting of the primates in Havana will mark an important stage in relations between the two churches, which have experienced tension due to the Russian Orthodox claims of Catholic proselytism and the matter of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which left Orthodoxy in 1595 and restored communion with Rome. Patriarch Kirill brought extensive ecumenical experience to the Russian Patriarchy and has long been seen as more open to closer relations with Rome and other Christian churches.

Separation of Rome from the Orthodox patriarchate in the East occurred in 1054, in the Great Schism. Several attempts at reconciliation failed. Prince Vladimir I (St. Vladimir) of Kiev, whose grandmother had been baptized in Constantinople, was baptized in the Byzantine rite in 988 and led Russia into Eastern Christianity. The Russian Orthodox Church became autocephalous (independent) in 1589.

Father Destivelle also noted that “Beyond an encounter between two Christian leaders, the February meeting also signals a significant and historic move toward wider Christian unity between the long-separated Eastern and Western churches.” The warming of relations began with St. John XXIII inviting Orthodox observers to Vatican II. They were significantly improved by the meeting of Blessed Pope Paul VI with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964–the first such meeting since 1438. About 20 such encounters have since occurred, culminating in a close friendship between Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew, the current ecumenical patriarch.

This is also an historic time for Orthodoxy because in June the first synod meeting of the various Orthodox churches in more 1,000 years will take place in Crete.

Please join me in praying for God’s blessing on the primates’ meeting in Havana and on the continuing steps toward unity.

The 43rd anniversary of Roe vs Wade

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The 43rd anniversary of Roe vs Wade

January 22 marks the 43rd anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision of the Supreme Court legalizing abortion. There will be the traditional March for Life in Washington on the actual date but our Dallas observance will be held Saturday, Jan. 16. Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel and Cistercian Abbot Peter Verhalen will join me for the 2016 Roe Memorial events.

Following rosaries at Planned Parenthood South and the Southwestern abortion facility on Greenville we will gather at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for a Concert for Life and the Procession of Roses in remembrance of the children lost to abortion since the tragic decision in 1973.

At 1 p.m. the Roe Memorial Mass will be concelebrated at the Convention Center with Bishop Deshotel and Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist. joining me as concelebrants. Father Edwin Leonard, Diocesan Director of Vocations will deliver the homily. Music will be provided by the Santa Clara Academy Choir.

After Mass we will begin the North Texas March for Life from the Convention Center to the Earle Cabell Federal Courthouse housing the district court where the Roe vs. Wade case was first filed in 1970, where the Roe Memorial rally will be held.

Please join us in this observance of the Supreme Court decision that has resulted in the loss of so many innocent lives. Help us by marching to make our community aware of the need to reverse this tragic decision and come together with us in prayer for life.

For more information about the day’s events, please visit www.prolifedallas.org/roe.

A Response to Open Carry

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A Response to Open Carry

Thank God that someone finally has the courage to close the loopholes in our pitiful gun control laws to reduce the number of mass shootings, suicides and killings that have become a plague in our country.

President Barack Obama’s executive actions, though modest, are first steps in correcting gun laws so weak that they are ludicrous. Congress has unabashedly sold itself to the gun lobby. If there was ever any doubt, its recent action to kill legislation to ban people on the terrorist no-fly list made it obvious.

It is absurd that terrorists, criminals, and mentally unbalanced people can freely and openly buy weapons not intended for sport, but designed to kill people. Writers of the Second Amendment envisioned smooth bore muskets and not semi-automatic and automatic weapons of war.

The president’s action is a small but important step to control sales of weapons at gun shows and over the internet that sidestep background checks. These “back door” gun dealers have effectively nullified the law requiring background checks by legitimate gun dealers by creating a black-market in firearms for those seeking to avoid background checks for whatever reason. The proliferation of weapons must be controlled.

Sadly, Texas has become the 45th state to embrace the cowboy mentality that permits the open carrying of guns. It is difficult to see how this new law allowing persons with concealed handgun licenses (CHL) to openly carry firearms can accomplish anything other than cause people to feel threatened and intimidated.

Under the new law churches may prohibit CHL holders from carrying open or concealed weapons on church premises with appropriate signage. In accordance with the law, the Diocese of Dallas will prohibit the possession of any weapon in any facility owned, leased and operated by the diocese or a diocesan entity, except as specifically permitted by diocesan policy.

This policy is rooted in the belief that our churches, schools and other places of worship are intended to be sanctuaries – holy sites where people come to pray and participate in the ministry of the Church.

Let us pray that our legislators will see this as a human and not a political concern so that gun violence can be mitigated through appropriate legislation that allows us to live in a safe environment while respecting our Second Amendment rights.

A New Reality

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A New Reality

San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, Paris, Beirut — our world is changing around us. We are experiencing a new reality. Pope Francis put it well in addressing the leadership of the Church in Italy: “It can be said that today we do not live in an age of change but in a change of age.”

Taking cover, circling the wagons and waiting for things to get back to normal won’t cut it. There is, as the Holy Father said, a new normal emerging and we must deal with it. If we run away from it, if we cower with fear, it will overwhelm us. If we engage the new age, the new reality becomes manageable.

Recent violent events here and abroad and the piecemeal war that is oozing out of the Middle East and Africa to our very doorstep have stripped away our security blanket leaving us feeling naked and vulnerable. Panicked, we see only enemies and are blinded to the bewilderment and suspicions of others who stand equally naked and vulnerable.

Compassion and mercy are abandoned in the name of self-preservation. We trust no one — even God, reverting to the law of the jungle.

It does not have to be that way. Jesus teaches a different way — a way that calls us to share one another’s burdens, a way that replaces fear with faith, a way that tempers power with prudence. Peace and security are not found in withdrawal from the world, but through engagement, for “as the Lord’s disciples, we are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (cf. Mt 5:13-16). Evangelii Gaudium 92

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Image Credit: Markus Grossalber on Flickr

Fear

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20151118-fear

Fear is an insidious thing that entraps the mind and intellect. It blinds us to the values that have guided our lives and causes us to make irrational statements and decisions.

The recent spate of declarations by more than half of the nation’s governors that they would not accept Syrian refugees in their states is a troubling example of xenophobia that is antithetical to American values and the teaching of Jesus Christ.

America has been the hope of refuge from Puritans fleeing religious oppression to those fleeing war and religious intolerance today. Sadly, there have always been those who choose to see immigrants as a threat to our way of life instead of enriching our diversity,

Our memories are short and our vision myopic. We are prone to choose to diminish our values and freedom in the name of protecting them.

Mercy is the hallmark of the papacy of Pope Francis who said shortly after his election, “I think we too are the people who, on the one hand, want to listen to Jesus, but on the other hand, at times, like to find a stick to beat others with, to condemn others. And Jesus has this message for us: mercy. I think — and I say it with humility — that this is the Lord’s most powerful message: mercy.”

The words of Christ in the book of Matthew are a pertinent reminder – “When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? — And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Governor Cuomo of New York put it well. “The day America says, ‘Close the gates, build the wall,’ then I say take down the Statue of Liberty, because you’ve gone to a different place.”

Prayers for Paris

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Prayers for Paris

Our first response to the horrific news from Paris is a prayerful “Oh my God.”

The unspeakable savagery of the massacre and maiming of hundreds of innocent men and women in Paris by the Islamic State terrorists numbs the mind – 129 killed, including 20-year-old American student Nohemi Gonzalez, and 352 injured. Magnifying the incredible barbarity is the fact that it was done in the name of God.  In the words of Pope Francis, “There is no religious or human justification for it.”

It is human to be filled with anger and thoughts of vengeance but the inevitable retaliation will only increase the cycle of violence gripping the world. A major cause of such violence and brutality is the fact that 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty that breeds hopelessness and desperation. Hopelessness ferments and breeds desperate solutions.

We must pray for the leaders of France and other nations that a just and appropriate path will be found to end this darkness that is plaguing the world.

May God bring consolation to the families and friends of the victims of this horror as we add our prayers to theirs for lost loved ones.

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Image credit – “Eiffel Tower from Champ-de-Mars, 2 August 2015” – Wikimedia Commons