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Making
our voice heard
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
The deadline for action was the middle of June. By the time I became
aware of what was being proposed, it was too late to alert others who
might have made “our” voice heard. Nonetheless, it underscores the need
for awareness that the world in which we find ourselves is increasingly
hostile toward the Church.
On June 14-15, the
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was scheduled to vote on a revised
programming policy for its affiliated television stations. If
implemented as proposed, it would not permit those affiliated stations
to air “sectarian” programs. In defining sectarian, PBS seems to be
excluding programs which consist of religious services such as Catholic
Mass.
The rationale as presented by PBS spokespersons in a meeting with the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops staff might seem reasonable
to many. PBS argues that it wants to balance the need for its affiliates
to maintain fidelity to their “statutory requirement” to report local
news and matters of interest without being “branded” as being associated
with particular views and beliefs. However, a close look raises anxiety.
PBS is not a government agency. Nonetheless, the general counsel of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops points out its decisions
can be influenced by community opinion.
Some PBS affiliates are owned by religious entities. Those include WLAE,
a New Orleans PBS affiliate owned by a lay Catholic organization; KMBH,
a Brownsville PBS affiliate owned by the Diocese of Brownsville; and
KBYU, a PBS affiliate owned by a division of Brigham Young University.
The Archdiocese of Washington already has been informed by WHUT in
Washington, D.C., that its Mass for shut-ins, which had been aired for
years, will be dropped.
While as of this writing I don’t know the outcome of the PBS initiative,
I find it frightening. In this and in other arenas, the agenda appears
to be to minimize the influence of the Catholic Church/Christianity via
encroachment. So, how does the Church attempt to stay on top of actions
such as this one? It does so primarily through committees of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops and state Catholic conferences.
The staff of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
conducts research and prepares position papers — both pro and con — on a
variety of issues, providing testimony to congressional committees and
making interventions reflective of Catholic values and concerns with
both the White House and Congress.
The alert about the PBS review came from the Department of
Communications of the USCCB. Many interventions come from the Committee
for Pro-Life Activities, as well as the Committee on Domestic Justice
and Human Development, the Committee on International Justice and Peace,
and the Committee on Migration.
The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) acts as the official spokesperson
in matters of public policy for the bishops and Catholic faithful of our
state. Shaping public policy is the responsibility of every person. Our
democratic form of government and our Church both call us to become
involved. The Church, of course, does not try to form a religious voting
block. It does not tell people how to vote. But, on the state level,
through the ICC, it analyzes political issues from a moral point of
view.
Since 1978, the Indiana Catholic Conference has utilized an “action
network” (I-CAN) whose purpose is to help shape legislation. This
involvement in the political arena comes from the belief that life is
sacred and that all people have a responsibility to respect the dignity
of life and to work for the common good of the entire human family.
There is a network coordinator in each of the five dioceses of the
state. In our case, the diocesan coordinator is Kevin Cullen, who is
also editor of The Catholic Moment, who can be contacted at P.O.
Box 1603, Lafayette, IN 47902-1603.
Catholics become I-CAN members by volunteering their time and energy.
Once added to the network, they are pro-actively urged to follow the
Church’s position on various issues that come before the Indiana General
Assembly. Knowing the Church position and following the legislative
process, I-CAN members can contact legislators to voice an opinion in
informed ways, assured they are expressing the position of the Church.
Before a vote on key issues takes place, “Action Alerts” are sent
through the network, notifying each member and urging them to contact
their legislators.
It is not possible for the committees of the USCCB or the staff of the
ICC to track every initiative that affects our moral values as Catholics
or our lives as citizens, of course. Nonetheless, they provide a “voice”
that otherwise would not exist. And, both represent your Fruitful
Harvest dollars at work. Our diocesan share of the ICC budget this year
is $27,728, while our assessment for the USCCB is $31,867.
Typically, elected officials are responsive to the input of their
constituents. While it is easier to wring hands and complain about those
who hold public office, what they do or fail to do, elected officials
are not mind-readers. It is important for them to know how “we” (you)
view specific issues. That cries for personal contact, e-mails, phone
calls and letters. It may seem to many a useless exercise, but in the
big picture it makes a difference.
The various committees of the USCCB focus on the White House and
Congress. The ICC directs its time and energy to the governor and the
Indiana General Assembly.
If your interest is piqued, feel free to contact Kevin Cullen. |
