By Chris Hardie
Lacrosse Tribune
December 9, 2010
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/article_945303d6-032c-11e0-a3f6-001cc4c002e0.html
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| U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Leo Burke is framed by two candles before being elevated to Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI during a consistory inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Benedict XVI formally created 24 new cardinals on Saturday amid cheers in St. Peter's Basilica, bringing a mostly Italian group into the elite club that will eventually elect his successor. |
What question would you ask one of the most powerful figures in the Catholic Church?
Cardinal Raymond Burke, the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura — in layman's terms he's the Catholic Church's highest-ranking judge — returns to La Crosse for the first time since being named a cardinal Nov. 20.
Burke is here through Saturday, attending various events and raising money for the $25 million-plus Shrine of Our Lady Guadalupe.
The La Crosse Tribune requested an interview with Burke but was told — through a shrine spokesman — that the cardinal does not want to do interviews and wants to just enjoy the celebration.
I think that's unfortunate, because there are lots of issues in the church that serves 200,000 people in our region and more than 1 billion in our world that deserve discussion. Who better to talk about the church — local, national and international — than Burke, who served as bishop in La Crosse from 1995 to 2004?
Here are some questions we would ask:
Does Burke think there is a separation between how the Vatican views the church compared to how American Catholics view the church?
What are the church's plans to continue to address social justice issues?
The pope recently made a significant announcement regarding the use of condoms. Is the church changing its stance on this issue?
Has the shrine turned out to be what Burke expected? What does it represent today and what will it represent in the future?
As a cardinal, Burke will be part of the selection process for the next pope. Does he ever foresee a pope coming from a continent other than Europe?
How does a church steeped in ritual and history interact with the technology-driven society of today?
What is the future of ecumenical dialogue and common understanding with other religions?
How is the church addressing the shortage of priests and responding to pressure from some to allow priests to marry or for women to become clergy members?
I have to admit that at times it has been a frustrating year covering the Catholic Church, particularly the La Crosse Diocese. We've been greeted with lots of no comments and ignored phone calls when trying to report on: A priest charged with embezzling money from the church; another priest charged with sexual assault and later acquitted; a third priest accused of possession of child pornography; and criticism over the diocesan sex abuse policy, saying it is flawed because it encourages people to report the abuse to the church and not to civil authorities.
I think it would be appropriate to ask for Burke's reaction to the challenges of this past year in his former diocese, just as it would be to ask about his direction that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights and same-sex marriage should not receive communion and that Catholics must never vote for a politician who espouses such views.
Burke certainly pulls no punches and does not apologize for what he says is "simply announcing the truth." I'm sure some of his responses would have been considered controversial; the same consideration some gave to his plan to build the shrine.
Perhaps we'll catch him the next time he's in town.
Chris Hardie is editor of the La Crosse Tribune.
Contact: chardie@lacrossetribune.com
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