Editorial: Stand with the Nuns in the Fight Vs. Injustice

Daily Times
June 20, 2012

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/06/20/opinion/doc4fe133105c645931976452.txt

While the world awaits the verdict on the Philadelphia clerical sexual abuse trial in which the first church official in the United States is charged with endangering children for allegedly protecting the abusers, 14 nuns are on a national bus tour protesting proposed federal budget cuts because of their ill effects on the poor.

These nuns were organized by Network, a Washington-based Catholic social justice group recently criticized by Pope Benedict XVI — aka "The Vatican" — for focusing too much on economic injustice and not enough on abortion and same-sex marriage protests. This is the same pope who recently told Irish Catholics in a videotaped message that the cause of decades of child abuse in parishes, schools and other church-run institutions was a "mystery."

This is also the same pope who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, once headed the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and oversaw all abuse cases, allowing many to fester. For example, the future pope reportedly allowed an Arizona priest, who a church tribunal determined molested children as far back as the late 1970s, to remain a priest until 2004, more than 12 years after learning of the man's predilection for youngsters.

The only "mystery" here is in how a well-educated church leader such as himself could not know by the 1990s that pedophilia is an apparently incurable psychological disease and not turning suspected pedophiles over to civil authorities is nothing short of criminal. While the pope may be mystified by pedophilia among priests, he apparently has no question about his dislike of nuns drawing attention to destructive economic policies in the United States.

"We're doing this because of what's happening on the Hill," said Network Executive Director Sister Simone Campbell. "We're desperate to get the word out, that's why we're doing it now."

In particular, they are distressed by the Republican-approved budget proposed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who essentially gutted resources for people in need. They plan to visit his office and those of his Republican compatriots such as House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio before their tour ends in the Nation's Capital on July 2.

The "Nuns on the Bus" are not the first members of Roman Catholic religious orders to voice their disapproval of Ryan's disastrous budget. In April more than 90 priests, administrators and faculty members at the Jesuit-run Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., signed a letter to present Ryan when he appeared there to speak about how Catholic social teaching can help develop effective policy.

It said: "We would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few. In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Nuns historically have been fearless crusaders for equality and social justice.

Sister Sandra Lyons, who has been a member of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters for more than 46 years, is not only chair of the Delaware County Interfaith Food Assistance Network, she is director of the Bernardine sisters' Justice, Peace and Earth Care program based at the Bernardine Center in Chester. She has advocated for the poor in the United States and in other countries, immigrants, preservation of the environment, fair trade and the use of local resources as opposed to corporate chains.

Since 1998, Lyons has also joined rallies for the closure of the U.S. Army's School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., which trains military officers mostly from Latin American countries. She sees it as a training ground for dictators and international terrorists. Members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have also regularly joined their protests. Some of them have also been outspoken supporters of the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood, an act that the Vatican two years ago condemned -- along with sex abuse -- as a "grave crime" against the Roman Catholic Church.

Sister Sandra says her advocacy for the poor and vulnerable is inspired by her role model, the historical Jesus of Nazareth.

"There are people who say Jesus was a wimp. There are people who say Jesus was a high priest. I see Jesus as a revolutionary who came to change the structures that oppress and marginalize people," noted Sister Sandra.

Seems to us that the Vatican could learn a thing or two about caring for the faithful from the good sisters, whether they are rallying against bad budgets from a bus, or feeding the poor in Chester.