Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 30, 2002
Work for the needy way to prove Church's integrity, Charities chief says
By Jack Bacon
Response to the needs of the poor will be crucial to the process of restoring trust in the Church eroded by the much-publicized sex-abuse scandals involving priests in the United States, according to the head of Catholic Charities USA.
Father J. Bryan Hehir, who resigned as dean of the Harvard University Divinity School to become president of Catholic Charities a year ago, was in Denver last week to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of Catholic Charities of Denver at a dinner Oct. 24 in Pax Christi Parish Hall, Highlands Ranch.
He repeated the message at a luncheon with local officials of the agency and representatives of government and other social service organizations the following day. He also addressed seminarians and clergy on the "just war" theory and its implications in the U.S.-Iraq situation.
Father Hehir listed three major trends complicating the quest for social service funds from Congress: a Cold War-reminiscent competition for dwindling discretionary funds in the face of a rapidly expanding military budget, a "knife-edge" majority-minority split between political parties that makes it "very hard to get things done" and an abruptly changed international situation in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York and Washington.
The tougher fight for funds in Washington is having serious fallout at the state level, he said, noting that New Jersey Catholic Charities was forced to lay off 30 staff members. He also mentioned the plight of the North Carolina food bank that ran out of food in the wake of cutbacks by its principal sources, corporations hit by economic setbacks.
The nearly equal balance of power in Congress, Father Hehir said, virtually stopped so-called "faith-based" legislation to channel federal social-aid funds to agencies with religious ties.
"We were interested because of the funds — up to $275 million," he said, more than in the ideological shift involved. In any event, he said, "They can't move that bill," because of disagreement over the constitutional issues centered on separation of church and state.
Disagreement on welfare-to-work reform legislation also is sharpened by "knife-edge" partisan division, he said.
Restoration of Church trust, Father Hehir said, will require a long time and depends heavily on the performance of its institutions: charities, health care and schools. The seriousness of the issue, he said, was demonstrated to him by a comment by Washington political columnist Mark Shields, a Catholic, that "for 30 years the Church was the most consistent voice in defense of the poor" and that its impact had been sharply diminished by reaction to the scandal.
"The Church's social institutions … are absolutely crucial to rebuilding of trust," Father Hehir said.
In addition to in-the-field performance by the institutions, he said, their officials have to increase their efforts to influence social legislation. "Stay in constant touch with your representatives" in government, he said, and relate appeals to the real experiences of the poor in their lives.
Restoration of reputation, he said, is possible, however, and pointed to the example of the U.S. armed forces. From a bottom-of-the-well reputation in the wake of the disastrous Vietnam War, he said, they have come back to be one of the nation's most respected institutions. It was accomplished by imposition of higher standards on personnel and its action in the field.
"They performed," he said.
Father Hehir also counseled the local agencies to be prepared for catastrophe. International and national figures he deals with regularly are convinced there will be another major terrorist attack, he said.
It's extremely important, he said, to "get it right" in responding to catastrophic incidents. He had the experience of taking over as president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities USA Sept. 9, 2001, two days before the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were hit.
The dinner at Pax Christi in Highlands Ranch was sponsored by Catholic Charities of Denver and its sister organizations in the Colorado Springs and Pueblo dioceses. Pax Christi is in the Colorado Springs Diocese. Catholic Charities is one of the oldest and largest human service providers in the state, conducting more than 40 assistance programs for people of all faiths, including housing, food, transportation and health needs.
Father Hehir was counselor for social policy, director of social and political affairs and director of international affairs for the U.S. Bishops' Conference from 1973 to 1992. He also worked as research professor of ethics and international politics for the School of Foreign Service and as professor of Christian ethics for the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown Univertsity from 1984 to 1992.
After leaving Georgetown, he earned a professorship at Harvard Divinity School and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and became dean of the Harvard Divinity School in 1998.
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