Standing Firm, by Russell J. Moore, Warwick Beacon, January 14, 2010

Standing Firm

By Russell J. Moore
Warwick Beacon
January 14, 2010

http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story_news/push?article-Standing+Firm%20&id=5555003&instance=home_news_2nd_left

RHODE ISLAND -- Be sure to see the video of the Tobin interview on our homepage.

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is done playing defense.

"It strikes me that the Church, for some time now, has been on the defensive," said Bishop Tobin. "I think it's time to change that trend a bit and to become a little bit more proactive or high profile."

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin

In a wide-ranging interview with the Warwick Beacon Tuesday, Bishop Tobin said declining church participation, Catholic parish and Catholic school consolidations and closings, and the lingering fallout from the sexual abuse crisis, have all negatively affected the Church's image.

As part of a plan to increase participation, the Diocese of Providence has embarked on a "Year of Evangelization" campaign that, thanks to an anonymous $200,000 donation, will use advertisements to invite Catholics and non-Catholics to turn to the Church.

Recent studies show the initiative is needed now more than ever. A 2008 study released last year by Trinity College in Hartford found that that 42 percent of Rhode Islanders surveyed identified themselves as Catholic. In 1990, 62 percent of all Rhode Islanders identified themselves as Catholic. There were similar trends across the northeast.

Given those numbers, there have been countless assertions and innuendo that the Church should soften its message to appeal to a wider audience. Make no mistake about it, Bishop Tobin isn't moved by those arguments.

"Some have said if you really want to bring people back into the Church, you need to water down your teachings. I think that would be absolutely the wrong thing to do," he said.

"The Marines don't recruit new people by saying how easy it is to be a Marine. They talk about how good it is and how hard it is; how noble it is."

In the same respect, Tobin said the Catholic message is an "attractive message that won't drive people away, but will bring people in."

Tobin has not been shy about defending Church positions. Last autumn, Tobin got into a highly public debate with Congressman Patrick Kennedy over the issue of health care reform forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions — which landed him on Chris Matthews' Hardball on MSNBC.

The debate led Tobin to question why Kennedy, who is openly in conflict with the Church's position on abortion, is still receiving communion. Unlike war, which can be justified under a "just war theory," abortion is inherently evil, said Tobin.

"Every abortion results in one death and one injury – the death of the child and the injury to the mother who suffers physical, emotional and spiritual harm," said Bishop Tobin.

Tobin made it clear that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops support health care reform that makes it more accessible and affordable, but oppose even more vehemently anything that would force Americans to fund abortions.

Close followers of local politics or Catholicism (or both) in Rhode Island know that Bishop Tobin has been nothing if not non-partisan. In addition to Kennedy, Bishop Tobin has publicly criticized Republican Governor Donald Carcieri over his executive order on illegal immigration, and former New York City Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his pro-abortion position.

"The Church is neither Democratic nor Republican. It's neither liberal nor conservative. We try to take the teachings of Christ in the Gospel and apply them to the real situations of our time and wherever the chips fall, that's where they fall," said Bishop Tobin.

"The labels don't mean a whole lot."

Bishop Tobin has found himself quite the target of conservatives in Rhode Island for his position on illegal immigration.

"We need to change the system. The system is broken," he said.

Bishop Tobin is a proponent of securing America's borders, but said that arresting and deporting the undocumented is wrong, and that it often leads to the break up of families.

"We need to keep in mind that the undocumented are also children of God," he said.

The Bishop is deeply involved in advocating for increased social services in Rhode Island. With respect to the state's budget crisis, Bishop Tobin said it's important that state leaders don't "balance the budget on the backs of the poor."

Established in 2005, 'Keep the Heat On' has provided more than $1 million in heating assistance to many of the least fortunate households in Rhode Island through grants from the Catholic diocese and private contributions.

Bishop Tobin was appointed to the Providence Diocese on March 31, 2005, as Pope John Paul II's last American appointment.

Bishop Tobin said he's positive that Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa will eventually be sainted.

"And they weren't perfect either," he said.

At 61 years old, he was raised in Pittsburgh, Penn. He was ordained a priest in 1973. In 1992, Pope John Paul II named him Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh. He was named Bishop of Youngstown, Ohio in 1995.

From an early age, Bishop Tobin knew he wanted to become a priest. A son of two devoutly Catholic parents, he would pretend he was a priest saying mass in his bedroom when he was a young boy.

"I believe God created me to be a priest," he said. "It's an important job, because you bring people to God."

In the end, that's what matters most — integrity and being right with God — Bishop Tobin said. In some respect, Rhode Island's economic woes could help bring people closer to God.

"As difficult as it is, maybe it would help us re-prioritize what is important in life, and when you reach the end of life, and you stand before the judgment seat of God, what will be important for you?"