November 18, 2005 - Issue #23
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Adoption ‘a selfless and inspiring choice’
Catholic Social Services’ pregnancy support and adoption program is the owner of a very valuable portfolio.
It’s not a tally of financial investments or a showcase of artwork. It’s a binder filled with letters and photos of couples hoping to adopt a child.
Each couple writes a letter to an unknown birth mother — a woman who has decided to give life to her child, to hold her warm, wet infant to her chest and then say goodbye and let another couple love and raise her baby.
"It’s a very selfless and inspiring choice," said Kristina Church, Catholic Social Services’ pregnancy support counselor for birth mothers. "I’m there when the tears are being shed and when the difficult times are happening afterward. I know that on the baby’s birthday, most birth moms, whatever they’re doing, wherever they are, they never forget."
Between July last year and June this year, Catholic Social Services helped mothers place nine infants in the arms of adoptive parents.
The Anchorage Archdiocese’s outreach organization operates the oldest licensed adoption agency in the state and has placed more than 600 children with adoptive parents since its founding in 1967.
Four-year-old Julia Safarik is one of those children.
Julia, who was born in the United States of Korean heritage, is being raised by Roger and Brenda Safarik of Anchorage.
By the time Julia’s birth mother chose the Safariks to adopt her child, the couple had been married for 10 years and had tried unsuccessfully to have a child. There were miscarriages that were "pretty traumatic," Roger Safarik recalled Nov. 9 after a special Adoption Mass at Holy Family Cathedral. The Safariks are members of the parish but Brenda missed the Mass because of illness.
About seven months after entering Catholic Social Services’ pool of waiting adoptive couples, the Safariks were informed that a birth mother had selected them.
They painted the baby’s room white with Noah’s Ark animals and soon met 2-week-old Julia, who had been named by her birth mother.
"It was exciting. It was also an adjustment," Roger Safarik remembered.
"She’s been a blessing," he added, watching his daughter stand on her tiptoes to reach a pile of cookies on a table in the parish hall.
The Safariks have been open with Julia about her origin. Every year, six months after her birthday, the three of them celebrate more intimately the day her adoption was finalized.
Year after year, they roll out a banner that says, "Happy Adoption Day, Julia."
Brenda, who was also adopted, tells her daughter they’re both "extra special because we’re adopted." She even pins a green ribbon to Julia’s dress to honor November as National Adoption Month.
Catholic Social Services’ pregnancy support and adoption program has evolved over the years, as have adoption policies and taboos, said Marilyn Moreno, program director. Even the language of adoption changed.
"A mother doesn’t give up her child. A mother makes an adoption plan," she explained. That subtle linguistic change "empowers the mother," Moreno said, shifting the emphasis from separation to doing something for the child.
There are a bevy of reasons that women plan to have their babies raised by other parents, Moreno said: "I love this child, (but) I don’t have a place to live; I’m only 16 years old; I have four other children under the age of 3; my husband or my boyfriend is not in the picture anymore; this child is the result of rape; I was out partying and I woke up next to this man … ; I had an affair and … (my husband) won’t raise this child because it’s someone else’s."
Church, who counsels pregnant women, said she doesn’t see as many teenage moms as one might think.
Sometimes, single mothers with two or three children decide they don’t have the money or energy to parent another child.
In every case, Church said, birth mothers love their children and make a selfless decision about what’s best for the child.
Moreno said that 40 years ago, an unmarried woman who became pregnant could be disowned or thrown out of her home, and her child branded illegitimate.
She remembers homes for unwed mothers and the "horrendous amount of shame" that accompanied women who gave birth to babies who were whisked away to be adopted by a couple known only to the adoption agency.
Often, Moreno said, a mother, never even catching a glimpse of her baby, didn’t know if the infant lived or died, was a boy or girl, or who would care for the child.
Catholic Social Services started with "closed adoptions," meaning the birth parents did not choose the adoptive parents and those who adopted had scant information about the child’s parents.
In closed adoptions, the adoptive parents may not even tell the child about being adopted — although, Moreno added, someone always knows and it is "going to come out some way."
Social reforms of the 1970s dispelled some of the shame associated with a crisis pregnancy, Moreno said.
Now, Catholic Social Services’ facilitates "open adoptions," in which a mother chooses her baby’s adoptive parents from a pool of about a dozen hopeful couples. Part of the selection process involves paging through photos and letters from hopeful couples in the adoption program’s portfolio.
Moreno said the process uncovers a "sacred connection that this is something that was really meant to be — that this is bigger than all of us."
A birth mother is encouraged to have a name for her child that could become part of the name the adoptive parents choose.
When adoptive parents are selected, they may become intimately involved in the remainder of the pregnancy and birth of the child. They may exchange photos and letters with the birth mother, or meet with her and possibly celebrate Thanksgiving at the same table. Sometimes adoptive parents are sitting in the hospital waiting room with a Catholic Social Services counselor during labor and delivery.
Even if the parents never meet, Church said, the commitment both sets of parents make for the benefit of the child is a "wonderful gift" with a "mysterious thread of connection" running through each of them.
Catholic Social Services has been helping people make those connections because, as Moreno said, the agency’s mission is "caring for those who can’t care for themselves," in this case, a baby.
"Our client is basically the child," she said. "So our job is to find homes for children and not children for parents."
"Adoption for us as a church goes way, way back in history," said St. Joseph of Peace Sister Charlotte Davenport, Catholic Social Services’ acting executive director and chancellor of the Anchorage Archdiocese. "I think the adoption thing comes from a long time of our pro-life role — always supporting life and nurturing life … particularly of babies and children," she said.
Catholic Social Services also trains people to study the homes of prospective adoptive couples, during which they interview and conduct background checks on each adult, gather references and talk to everyone in the household to make sure the home is safe.
Catholic Social Services helps Alaskans adopt children born locally, within the nation and overseas. The agency’s policy includes a commitment to counsel and inform families 99 years after initially placing a child in an adoptive home.
Eagle River family awarded international Knights of Columbus honor
Lots of parents work to instill values in their children, to create safe, stable and faithful homes, and to improve their communities.
Most of them don’t receive international recognition. But that’s what happened to one Eagle River family this fall.
Larry and Renee Henry of St. Andrew Parish there were notified in August that they’d been selected as first runner-up in the Knights of Columbus’ International Family of the Year program.
Along with their five children, Lorraine, Kalesha, Britney, Breton and Derek, and select members of their extended family, Larry and Renee were recognized by the Knights of Columbus as premier examples of how to keep families "strong and united in faith."
Ray DeTerra, Grand Knight of St. Andrew’s John Forsting Council of the Knights of Columbus, nominated the Henrys for Family of the Year, and said he felt from the start that the Henrys had a shot at the international prize.
"They’re involved in every facet of the church and the community," DeTerra said. "They’re just there all the time. They’ve brought their kids up this way. Every one of their kids has that Christian ethic. Stewardship is their middle name."
Gathered around a table in Renee’s classroom at St. Andrew, some of the Henrys took a few minutes on a recent Sunday afternoon to reflect on the award, which Larry said has been "pretty special" and "a little humbling."
"There are so many who are doing the same thing we’re doing, without the award," he said.
Larry and Renee Henry credit their own parents for instilling in them the values they’ve passed on to their own children.
"Both our moms were real volunteer people," Renee said. "That’s what we grew up in."
According to Renee’s mother, Claire Peterson, her grandchildren are turning out pretty well. "They’ve been taught to respect people," she said. "They’re polite and thoughtful."
Middle daughter Kalesha Henry, who teaches first and second grade at Eagle River Elementary School, listed some of the principles taught in the Henry home:
"Everyone deserves respect. We all have time and treasures and gifts."
She said her parents have encouraged all five children to expand their horizons and learn new things.
"Mom and Dad have provided a lot of opportunities," she said. "The support is definitely there, with love behind it."
And, she and younger brother Breton said, their parents have made sure their children have a stable home, even as they grow up and start to move away.
"I know there’ll always be a place back at the house," Breton said.
With five kids involved in every possible sport and extracurricular activity, the Henry house has long been a hotbed of activity.
Renee said a color-coded calendar has helped them keep activities organized and that supporting the kids’ endeavors has always been the most important thing, even when it has meant being in several places at the same time.
"If their activity was on the calendar, someone would be there," she said. When all five children were living at home, that sometimes meant one of the Henry parents found themselves watching two or three games at once.
"I’ve got to invent a swivel chair," Renee joked.
According to Larry, managing a large, active family is a labor of love.
"It’s really not difficult," he said. "The goal in raising children is to make them independent enough to seek their own life."
He added that he has enjoyed watching his family grow and change. Teenage sons Breton and Derek are still at home, while Kalesha and her sisters Britney and Lorraine have moved on, although Kalesha didn’t move far — she lives nearby with her grandmother Peterson.
Faith has also been an important part of the Henry family experience.
Renee said they’re "a real church family," and that the children were fortunate enough to have close friends at St. Andrew growing up, which helped draw them into the parish community.
"Close religious ties are very important," Peterson said.
Larry agreed and added that, following their own mothers’ examples, he and his wife worked hard to instill morals in their children.
"It’s just something in them that lends itself to giving," DeTerra said. "They are a very giving family. There’s just a total involvement. Every person in that family is involved in some way or another. Youth — that’s (Larry’s) forte. Renee’s forte is, she loves to work at the church. She does all of the decorating."
Each of the Henry children has found his or her own place in the parish as well, through involvement in the Columbian Squires, acolyte ministry, confirmation preparation, charity projects, religious education or youth group projects.
The entire family got involved in a tremendous effort to benefit heart transplant candidate Matt Baxter. The Henrys helped lead a fundraising campaign that successfully secured a new heart for Baxter, who later converted to Catholicism.
So what does it mean to be the runner-up Family of the Year?
First of all, the Henrys received a letter of congratulations from the Knights top officer, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. A $500 donation was made in their name to St. Andrew. And they were recognized with a plaque by the Knights’ state leadership.
Besides being an honor for the Henry family, DeTerra said having a runner-up in the Family of the Year program is a milestone for all Alaskan Knights.
"This is tremendously big," DeTerra said. "This has never happened before in the history of the Knights of Columbus in Alaska."
After winning at the state level, the Henrys went on to compete against winning families from the United States, Canada, Guam and the Philippines.
"We are talking about thousands of councils," DeTerra said. "They are all families that have totally given their, to use a church term, ‘time, talent and treasure.’ For them to come in second is a tremendous coup for, well, for all of us."
"I don’t think we’d be here without the support of our community," Kalesha said of the achievement. "It’s our extended family that truly is honored by this."
Renee added that the community of Eagle River as a whole has been supportive.
"People mean a lot around here," she said.
Archdiocese achieves full compliance with bishops’ charter to prevent sex abuse
Though it took longer than expected, the Archdiocese of Anchorage is now in full compliance with the U.S. bishops’ landmark "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."
In the process, the local church has gained important knowledge and skills that make parishes safer and could lead to safer communities as well, said the archdiocese’s chancellor, St. Joseph of Peace Sister Charlotte Davenport, who has overseen implementation of the charter here.
The Gavin Group, which the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops contracted to audit dioceses’ compliance with their charter, notified Archbishop Roger Schwietz of the compliance achievement in a letter dated Oct. 26.
The Gavin Group began auditing almost all of the nation’s 195 dioceses and Eastern rite eparchies in the United States in 2003, a year after the U.S. bishops passed their charter at their national summer meeting in Dallas.
The charter, overwhelmingly approved by the nation’s bishops, is a set of principles and mandates aimed at preventing the sexual abuse of children by church workers. It also contains procedures for dealing with those who commit abuse.
The Anchorage Archdiocese was one of 20 dioceses that did not pass the charter-compliance audit in the first go-around in 2003. It met the requirements of 13 of the 17 articles of the charter, the auditors found.
In its 2003 report, the Gavin Group asked the archdiocese to update and refine its policies on sexual misconduct; provide greater detail regarding actions to be taken when an allegation of abuse arises; establish a "safe environment program"; and arrange for criminal background checks for "all existing employees, volunteers and clergy who have regular contact with children."
The archdiocese made progress on those tasks in 2004 and received the Gavin Group’s declaration of full compliance with the charter in December, but there was one remedial action the auditors said the archdiocese needed to take.
The final issue, which was resolved this year, was a deficiency in the archdiocese’s training program for children and parents as well as for educators and volunteers who have regular contact with children and youths, according to the Gavin Group’s 2004 report.
"They made a distinction between education and training programs, and we had essentially combined the two," Sister Davenport explained. She said the auditors wanted a training program separate from the education program that had been implemented.
The archdiocese has now developed and implemented training programs, with the help of the professionals at STAR (Standing Together Against Rape), to help with such practical matters as recognizing signs of abuse, understanding boundary issues and the importance of and process for reporting abuse.
So far 22 church educators, 637 volunteers and 218 children and youths in the archdiocese have been trained. That’s about half of the total number of people in each of those three categories who need to be trained; the rest are being scheduled for the training, Sister Davenport said.
The final audit took place in early October and resulted in the declaration of full compliance with no further remedial action required. That means that next year the archdiocese can self-report its efforts related to the charter instead of having another on-site audit.
The labor-intensive process required to meet the charter’s mandates has no doubt made local Catholic churches safer for young people, according to Sister Davenport.
She noted that the archdiocese has clear, detailed policies for screening and hiring people and for responding quickly, pastorally and legally when an allegation arises. Helpful information about abuse for parents, teachers and young people is printed in the Safe Environment Notes column in each issue of the Catholic Anchor, she added, and children, parents and educators are receiving professional training about sexual abuse.
All of it has helped not only church officials but the people in the pews learn to talk about and respond properly to the reality of all kinds of abuse, Sister Davenport said.
Before, that sensitive subject was generally avoided, especially in church, where people don’t expect anything bad to happen.
"In the place that we think should be safest, you don’t want to raise the shades," she said. "This has forced us to raise the shades."
Event planned to remember church women killed in El Salvador in 1980
Maggie McQuaid of Anchorage was a young Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras when she met Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel in 1978.
McQuaid’s parish priest had recommended that she go to El Salvador for a women’s conference, and McQuaid found herself assigned lodging with Sister Kazel, who worked among the poor.
It seemed an ordinary encounter; it was the sister’s day to clean house when McQuaid arrived, and she seemed impatient with her task. So McQuaid grabbed a mop and pitched in.
Later, the two women went to the market, and as they shopped they talked about the church, the often-frustrating task of serving the poor in Central America, and women’s issues.
Looking back at that time, during which she also met Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, McQuaid said, "I didn’t know I was meeting saints and martyrs."
In 1980, Archbishop Romero, and in a separate incident, Sister Kazel and three other American churchwomen would be slain by government forces.
A brutal civil war had erupted in El Salvador that year and would last until 1992. During that period the government often targeted those working with the poor.
In 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter also were slain by the Salvadoran military.
On Dec. 2, the 25th anniversary of the slaying of Sister Kazel, Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke and lay woman Jean Donovan, a commemoration is scheduled at Holy Family Cathedral’s Education Center in downtown Anchorage. The public is invited.
McQuaid is to attend and share some of her memories of that chance encounter with Sister Kazel.
One thing she said she hopes to convey is that Sister Kazel was no plaster saint, but a real woman with real frustrations and real dreams.
St. Joseph Sister Barbara Scanlon, an outreach minister at the cathedral, is helping to plan the event. She agrees that the evening should focus on four real women and not just on the politics of their deaths.
"They devoted their lives to working with those in great need — they distributed food, medical supplies, they ran family education programs. They focused their work on women and children," she said.
"The government (of El Salvador) saw being responsive to the poor as being subversive. They felt threatened," she said.
Sister Scanlon said she believes the anniversary should remind people that around the world today, "those who speak out for the poor are often suspect."
The evening will begin at 7 p.m. and include stories, music, fellowship and food.
News & Notes
Covenant House vigil is Dec. 7
Covenant House Alaska is hosting its annual "Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Kids" and winter clothing drive at 6 p.m., Dec. 7, at Anchorage’s Town Square (Sixth Avenue and F Street). The event features prayer, song and solidarity with Alaska’s homeless youths. Covenant House provides candles for the vigil and offers warm refreshments afterward at the Covenant House Alaska Crisis Center at 609 F St. The Catholic residential program for homeless youths will also be collecting warm winter clothing for its clients at the vigil. Call 339-4248 or 330-4406 for more information.
St. Francis House aids evacuees
Two families of Hurricane Katrina refugees who are resettling in Anchorage have used St. Francis House to help them relocate. The Red Cross referred the families to the Catholic Social Services program, Alaska’s largest distributing food bank.
According to St. Francis House program manager Sofia Gomma, the program was able to offer food and clothing to a mother and her teenage daughter from New Orleans and to a mother with six children from Baton Rouge. The families received move-in boxes that include staple food items like flour, sugar, salt, peanut butter, tuna fish and oatmeal. Through a human services matching grant, St. Francis House is able to offer the boxes to homeless people transitioning into housing. The two families had previously found lodging in Anchorage hotels.
"It’s been wonderful that there’s been so much support in the Anchorage community and we’re glad to be part of that," Gomma said.
The food pantry is in dire need of fruit and vegetable donations. Families selected food from other dietary groups last month to make up for the void in fruit.
So far this year, 5,000 people have sought food and clothing through St. Francis House, Gomma said.
— Reported by Anchor Writer Kelly DuFort
Teen joins Legionaries novitiate
A young man who entered a Legionaries of Christ boarding school at the age of 13 has joined the religious order’s novitiate program now that he has graduated high school. Christopher Tappel, 17, left in September for a Legionaries of Christ seminary in Bad Munstereifel, Germany.
Tappel and his parents said they made a difficult choice three years ago when the family learned it was being transferred from Ohio to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. The 13-year-old boy felt strongly that he was being called to become a Legionaries priest. When his parents and four siblings headed to Alaska, Christopher moved to Center Harbor, N.H., to attend the Legionaries’ Immaculate Conception Apostolic School.
Since that time he has seen his family only on brief visits, but neither he nor his mother regrets his decision.
"It was difficult, but I just found my strength in knowing that I was doing as best I could what God was wanting for me," Tappel, who is now 17, said just before leaving for Germany.
His mother, Kathleen Tappel, said she and her husband, John, ultimately concluded, "If this is God’s will, who am I to put a road block in front of God’s will?"
The Legionaries’ formation process is typically 12 years from novitiate to ordination.
— Reported by Anchor Editor John Roscoe
LIGHT conference focused on prayer
While there is no wrong way to pray, last month’s LIGHT (Living In God’s Healing Touch) youth conference taught participants to seek places and times that let them focus on conversing with God.
Youths from Anchorage and as far away as Big Lake and Willow attended the Oct. 15 conference at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Anchorage.
At the conference, youths were challenged to make prayer time more fruitful in simple ways, like taking some time to be quiet and listen to what the Lord has to say. Guest speaker Sarah Bauer also encouraged adoration and thanksgiving as well as petitions as ways to come to the Lord in prayer.
While the attendees learned mostly about prayer and meditation, the conference also offered information about God, saints and other faith matters. There were also games that youths played with old friends and new ones made that day.
Junior high aged participants were able to do community service work, making cookies for the homeless. All participants also joined for Mass with Father Tom Lilly of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and for a concert by Bauer.
The LIGHT conference brought youths of Alaska together to explore their Catholic faith with priests, lay leaders, and, perhaps most importantly, amongst themselves.
— Reported by Roman Bakic, 17, of Anchorage
Archbishops' Column
A feeling of joy is essential to the experience of the church
Recently, I had the privilege of a mission co-op assignment to a parish in Ham Lake, Minn., at which I presided and preached at all the weekend Masses. The name of the parish is St. Paul. It turned out to be a very affirming and enjoyable experience for me.
The people of the parish seemed to be uniformly filled with a spirit of joy that could come only from the Holy Spirit. It was indeed known as a parish that is somewhat charismatic.
But that does not tell the story. What really came through to me was a deep joy in the people, a love for the church and her priests that speaks loudly of the presence of Christ’s Spirit in their midst.
That joy reminded me of what was described in a book I recently read by Father Stephen Rosetti titled "The Joy of Priesthood." What Father Rosetti wrote came to mind as we celebrated the feast of All Saints at the beginning of this month.
First, a little background: In a recent commentary, a Roman official explained why Pope Benedict XVI is inviting various cardinals to preside over ceremonies of beatification but he himself presides over canonizations.
A canonization, which declares a person a saint, involves the infallible magisterium of the church in presenting for acceptance by the entire church the sanctity of the particular person. The pope is not trying to slow down the pace of beatifications and canonizations set by the late Pope John Paul II. The message seems to be that we continue to need many examples of saintly lives to serve as models for ourselves.
How true that is. In his book, Father Rosetti writes about how we all too often associate holiness with dourer determination, individuals with the zeal, perhaps, of some kind of moral police.
We come across in our church today people who present themselves as righteous and serious about their faith but who lack any kind of joy. As St. Theresa of Avila famously said one day at prayer: "From sour-faced saints, O Lord, deliver us!"
I agree with Father Rosetti, who writes that we find too many people in our church whose miserable demeanor and underlying anger masquerades as righteousness: "Anger is a weapon of the evil one and misery is one of his fruits."
It seems to me that genuine joy is the true indication of the presence of Christ’s Spirit in our lives. It is the infallible mark of holiness.
We study the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially as we prepare for the sacrament of confirmation, and I think that joy is at the core of those gifts. It is what Jesus himself wished for us: "That my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete" (Jn 15: 11).
Look at how often St. Paul speaks of that joy: "Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again: rejoice!" (Phil 4: 4), or, connecting that joy to peace: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14: 7).
Nowhere does St. Paul admonish us to seek holiness by finding fault with others and judging them.
There are times in the lives of the saints when their joy in the Lord is palpable and fills them with gratitude toward God, despite whatever difficulties they are going through. Look at the life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who experienced a dark night of the soul the last years of her life but continued to rest in God’s joy and peace.
It is precisely this gift of the Spirit that we need to share with one another in our world today.
Mary, the mother of our Savior and our mother, gives us a model when she proclaims: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior" (Lk 1: 46-47).
Visit from Russian bishop a rich
experience for all
It was an emotional moment for Bishop Cyryl Klimowicz of Irkutsk, Russia, as he turned to speak at Mass to the parishioners of St. Michael Parish in Palmer.
Bishop Klimowicz, bishop of what he describes as the largest diocese in the world, was saying thank you to the parishioners of St. Michael, whose former pastor, Father Michael Shields, was now serving in one of the bishop’s parishes, Nativity of Jesus in the city of Magadan.
There was a touch of emotion among many of the parishioners also. They had sent their pastor in September 1994 to a ministry in a city in Russia, a city about which we in Anchorage and Palmer knew very little. Magadan was still mostly closed to outsiders, in a nation not yet very welcoming to foreigners.
Bishop Klimowicz was very joyful to visit St. Michael when he spent two weeks in the Anchorage Archdiocese last month (for news coverage, go to www.catholicanchor.org and open the Nov. 4 issue).
In 2004 Bishop Klimowicz traveled for the first time from his see city, Irkutsk, to Magadan, a four-hour flight (about the distance from Anchorage to San Francisco).
It was a great relief to find a parish, already in existence for 13 years, with two priests in a very remote place where it would be lucky to have even one. And there was the new church, ready to be dedicated.
In Palmer, the bishop was surprised to learn that the festive Mass celebration at St. Michael was the same every Sunday, not just a special one for him. The reception afterward gave him a chance to mix with the parishioners and even to sing a few songs in Polish with some of the parishioners.
As we drove back to Anchorage, Bishop Klimowicz commented that he wished he could have visited many of the parishes to thank the people of Anchorage for their support of the Mission to Magadan. And, showing that he had picked up the way of a bishop, he hoped that the people in Alaska would continue to support the mission and its priests in Magadan. (One more priest, from Poland, is now at the parish.)
This past March I met and visited Bishop Klimowicz in Irkutsk for the first time. I was able to repeat the invitation already extended to him by Archbishop Schwietz in July 2004.
Traveling with me were two Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Sister Jean Marie Williams of Anchorage and Sister Maria Stec of California.
Sister Stec, fluent in Russian, Polish and English, was the official translator. Sister Jean Marie, who speaks English and Russian, had visited Magadan multiple times and was now ready to join two sisters from the Daughters’ Polish province to establish a convent in Magadan.
On my March visit, one of the messages that came through clearly from the bishop and some of the priests was the abuse of women so common in Russia. The women have no rights when it comes to abuse. Often when a woman lodges a complaint with authorities she is immediately considered to be the guilty party.
In Anchorage we took Bishop Klimowicz to observe how we respond to the tragedy of the abuse of women. We visited AWAIC (Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis), the shelter for abused women and their children. It is a closed facility, for the obvious reasons, but we were permitted to visit and have an explanation of the program.
All of us visitors were very impressed.
Next we spent an afternoon with the state’s judicial system. Staff members explained how the court system of the state responded to complaints of abuse. We attended a meeting with staff members, observed court proceedings before a judge and had a conversation with a female state trooper who recapped calls for help.
I was proud of what I observed and learned.
Bishop Klimowicz was somewhat overwhelmed by what he learned. He knew that he would not find the same thing in Russia. He knew he could not provide the same services and shelters. He does not have the resources of personnel and money.
But at least he has seen firsthand what can be done and what might be hoped for: a system that respects human dignity and the rights of women.
We had several social functions during his stay to acquaint him with local people who had personally been involved with Magadan.
On his final night he was hosted by Theology on Tap, the young adult program for theological discussions. Bishop Klimowicz talked to the group about the church in Russia.
Bishop Klimowicz has now returned to his diocese, enriched by what he experienced here. Sister Stec, after two weeks of nonstop translating, is back in California.
This is one visit in which both the visitor and the hosts had a rich experience.
Editorial
Condoning torture a tragic mistake
It is truly tragic that the world is listening as the highest levels of power in the American government debate the merits and demerits of torture as a military tactic. The Bush administration’s defiant resistance to outlawing "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment" is adding to the impression — already well-established in certain parts of the world — that America condones torture.
The tragedy is that Americans, and their elected representatives, by a wide margin do not think torture is acceptable, and want the nation’s laws to be crystal clear on that. By a vote of 90-9 the Senate last month passed an amendment authored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that bars U.S. officials from inflicting "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment" on detainees in the war on terror. (Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was one of the nine nay votes.)
In fact the existence of rules governing the treatment of war prisoners can be traced to America. President Lincoln and a war veteran named Francis Leiber developed the first modern codified rules of war during the Civil War, rules that later influenced the Geneva Conventions and other treaties.
But the Bush administration has bent these long-accepted and highly respected rules. How? By insisting that "detainees" (not "prisoners") from the war on terror are not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions; by setting up prisons in Cuba and other foreign countries and arguing that the laws and treaties of the United States do not apply to prisoners held there; and by pushing the CIA to toughen up its interrogation procedures, an attitude that is now widely believed to have filtered down through the ranks to the guards at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Supporters of torture generally say the United States needs to be free to use whatever means possible to get information from terrorists. They conjure hypothetical doomsday situations, e.g., imagine that American forces capture a terrorist who is part of plot to nuke America, and they can prevent the attack by torturing him. Shouldn’t they?
But this is about objective principles and human rights, not imaginative what-ifs. Sound policy is based on principles, not hypotheticals.
Besides, what’s more probable in the real world, the doomsday scenario above, or the likelihood that anti-American hearts around the world will harden even more, and grow more sympathetic to terrorist recruiters, if America is widely perceived as condoning torture?
In defending his amendment, Sen. McCain, who knows about torture from personal experience, said, "It’s not about them; it’s about us."
It’s true that this is about us — and how the world views us — but it’s also about "them," as Georgetown University law professor David Cole recently argued. "They" are human beings whose God-given dignity cannot be stripped away no matter how evil they appear to be from "our" perspective.
At a conference on dialogue this month, Pope Benedict said, "A healthy society always promotes respect for the inviolable and inalienable rights of all people," and warned that without an "objective moral grounding" in place, "not even democracy is capable of ensuring a stable peace."
President Bush is working hard to keep Americans safe, but he is endangering them, and the possibility of success in the war on terror, by giving the world the impression that America tolerates torture.
Corrections
The archbishop’s schedule on page 15 of the last issue included incorrect information for events on Nov. 21. Both the pastoral in-service day and the Mass for deceased clergy are at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, not Holy Family Cathedral as the calendar indicated. Also, the Mass for deceased clergy will now begin at 4:30 p.m., not 6:30 p.m. as the calendar indicated. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.
Letters to the Editor
Same-sex ruling a challenge
I’d like to address the Nov. 4 editorial about the Alaska Supreme Court’s recent same-sex ruling. This ruling is a direct challenge to the marriage amendment because it is based on an assumption that homosexual relations are really potentially marriage-like, and are only prevented from being marriage by the marriage amendment itself. This flies in the face of both natural law and the Alaska Constitution. Second, I doubt that all the political liberals who voted for this amendment are cheering the Supreme Court’s decision to ignore the intent of the marriage amendment. In working for passage of the marriage amendment, I noticed that political leanings had less to do with support for this amendment than simple common sense. It was truly something that people across the political spectrum united around. Third, church teaching strongly opposes benefits for homosexual unions.
Anchorage
Where to look for God
I really enjoyed Effie Caldarola’s Nov. 4 column about the challenges of finding God everywhere in our lives, amid the prosperity that some of us enjoy and the grinding poverty that is also part of our culture. The Saturday morning men’s group at Holy Spirit Center is reading "Radical Compassion" now, and it’s a great diary. I read "Street Journal" previously, and it, too, is an excellent tool to awaken us from our somnolence. It’s very appropriate to our times; but then, we always have people around us who need us, even if it’s just to listen, to say nothing of stocking someone’s food pantry. Why is it that getting more stuff doesn’t satisfy, but spending time with the poor is so uplifting? Or should I say challenging? Thanks to Effie for her gift of writing, and thanks for a first-rate paper.
Anchorage
Theological education here
In announcing Seattle University’s program (News, Nov. 4), the Anchor misrepresents the state of theological higher education in Alaska. While we do not have a Catholic university, the Cardinal Newman Chair of Catholic Theology has offered undergraduate/graduate level theological courses at Alaska Pacific University for the past eight years. These introductory and advanced courses in biblical studies, theology, American Catholic history, liturgical studies, ecumenics and other areas are essentially the same as the foundational courses of any ministerial program. Undergraduates are able to receive a bachelor’s with a concentration in Catholic or religious studies at Alaska Pacific University. Graduate students in our master’s program are able to tailor their studies according to specific interests. We have graduated a student with a master’s in New Testament. I add my welcome to Seattle University’s ministerial program. I regret that in announcing this program, the Catholic Anchor lends itself to the impression that there is nothing already in place.
Cardinal Newman Chair
of Catholic Theology
Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage