Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2-May 27,1976
/
Text Of Bishops’ Statement On The Aged
s — J
Following is the text of the statement on
the elderly, “Society and the Aged: Toward
Reconciliation, ” issued by the U.S. bishops,
May 5 at their spring meeting in Chicago.
I. THE AGED
1. America today faces a great
paradox: It is an aging nation which
worships the culture, values and
appearance of youth. Instead of viewing
old age as an achievement and a natural
stage of life with its own merits, wisdom
and beauty, American society all too
often ignores, rejects and isolates the
elderly.
2. In an increasingly mobile nation,
where the single-generation family as
well as the extended family is
weakened, the elderly often may find
themselves cut off from their families
and their communities; about 14
percent of elderly men and 41 percent
of elderly women live alone or with
non-relatives. Even large numbers of
elderly persons not lacking for material
goods find themselves unwanted and
out of place.
3. Society has come to take a
negative view of the elderly. This can be
seen in the increasing tendency of
families to rely on institution to care for
their elderly members, and in repeated
efforts by some government officials to
cut services and benefits for the elderly
in order to ease the burden of inflation
on the rest of society.
PART ONE
Following is the text of the statement on
Catholic Schools, “Teach Them,” issued by
the U.S. bishops, May 6 at the end of their
spring meeting in Chicago.
I. Jesus commanded His disciples to
“go and teach all nations.” From a tiny
upper room by the spirit He sent them.
With fire in their hearts He sent them.
To every nation and age He sent them.
From those early apostolatic days the
torch has been passed. In the 200 years
of our own nation’s history we can
point with pride to St. Elizabeth Seton,
Blessed John Neumann, to countless
families who by their sense of
educational mission answered the same
call. The disciples of times past did not
take Jesus’ command lightly, even
though they went with light hearts and
willing hands into His vineyard, the
world. In this time and place, we believe
no other answer, now or at any future
moment, is acceptable for a people who
bear within them that same faith. The
only worthy response is a wholehearted
“yes” to the Lord’s command to “go
and teach.”
As faithful servants responding to His
command, we seek to meet the needs of
all who hear Jesus’ message or may do
so. Our 1972 pastoral “To Teach as
Jesus Did” declared our support for
Catholic education in its totality:
schools, out-of-school religious
education, campus ministry, young
adult education, family life education,
adult education. That commitment
stands. In this statement we are
specifically concerned with the Church’s
educational ministry to children and
young people, especially as it is
expressed in Catholic schools.
4. Society’s negative image of the
elderly reinforces their own negative
self-image. The result of this
unfortunate process is a tragically
wasted human resource. The elderly are
denied tjieir God-given right to develop
their potential to the fullest at every
stage of life; at the same time, society is
denied the fruits of that development.
5. In rejecting the elderly we do more
than perpetuate injustice: When we
reject any stage of human life, we are in
effect rejecting a part of ourselves and
our connections with the human
community. Perhaps we react to the
elderly as we do because they are an
unwanted reminder of our own
mortality.
6. The biblical commandment to
“honor your father and mother” (Deut.
5:16) reminds us that, above all else, the
family ought to be a place of love,
respect and caring for the aging
members of society. But often this is
not the case. Many elderly people are
physically, culturally, psychologically
and spiritually isolated from their
families and the rest of society; equally
as important, society has become
isolated from this group which
composes 10 percent of its membership.
7. The break between generations is
weakening our values as a nation and
creating a form of discrimination --
against the elderly - which parallels
more widely recognized forms of
Some 8.6 million Catholic youth in
this country are now enrolled in
Catholic schools and out-of-school
religious education programs. But, as a
report published earlier this year show,
6.6 million, more than twice the
number a decade ago, now are not. In
the opinion this is as much a pastoral
problem as an educational one. Its
solution will require reliable data,
thorough research and analysis,
responsible decisions and an appropriate
program of action.
(A breakdown of the 8.6 million
youth in Catholic education programs
into those in Catholic schools and those
in other programs will be inserted in the
final version of the statement as
approved by the bishops.)
In the meantime, it is obvious that all
persons with a responsibility for the
Church’s educational ministry - to one
degree or another that means all
members of the Catholic community -
should reach out to these 6.6 million.
This suggests some immediate steps:
e.g., diocesan and parish census;
vigorous recruitment for Catholic
schools and out-of-school religion
programs; more effective use of Catholic
and other communications media for
evangelization and religious education;
completion of the National Catechetical
Directory; sensitive dialogue with
persons who are critical of some
methods of religious education; zealous
contact with parents who have
abandoned much of the active practice
of their faith. Indeed, alienation and
lack of interest among some parents
may well be reasons why a substantial
number of the 6.6 million children are
not receiving formal religious education.
discrimination against minorities,
women, the poor or the unborn.
8. Such a wound demands healing.
Such a separation calls for
reconciliation. This requires a rethinking
of personal attitudes in the light of
Gospel values. Our first task is to restore
to the elderly the dignity and sense of
worth which they deserve.
9. As religious people and followers
of Jesus, who calls us to reconciliation
and love, we must pledge ourselves, our
communities, our influence and our
prayers to bringing about this
reconciliation between society and its
elderly.
II. HUMAN RIGHTS
AND THE ELDERLY
10. The elderly do not forfeit their
claim to basic human rights because
they are old. But a brief look at the
plight of many elderly people shows
that they are in fact being denied those
rights. The reconciliation we seek begins
with recognition of our responsibilities
to the elderly to insure their dignity and
worth so that they can enjoy their
God-given rights. As Pope John has said:
“Every man has the right to live, to
bodily integrity, and to the means
which are suitable for the proper
development of life; these are primarily
food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical
care, and finally the necessary social
services. Therefore, a human being also
has the right to security in cases of
sickness, inability to work, widowhood,
old age, unemployment, or in any other
case in which he is deprived of the
means of subsistence through no fault
of his own.” (Pope John XXIII, Peace
on Earth)
A. The Right to Life
11. The right to life is the most basic
human right in the sense of being the
precondition for realization of all the
others But the right to life of the elderly
is under constant attack, both direct
and indirect.
12. On one level, the elderly, along
with the sick and the handicapped, are
the targets of a “mercy killing”
mentality which would dispose of the
unwanted. Even well-meaning legislative
efforts to cope with complex questions
about when and when not to use the
extraordinary technological and
therapeutic means to preserve life pose
genuine dangers, particularly since some
would place fateful decisions solely in
the hands of physicians or the state.
13. A more subtle, although no less
serious, threat to the right to life of the
elderly is a social system which, by
ignoring their poverty, loneliness and
despair, denies them the means and
sometimes the very will to live.
14. Sociologist tell us we are nearing
a time when the elderly will be divided
into the “young-old,” age 55-75, and
the “old-old,” over 75. The “young-
old” will be a relatively healthy group,
capable of entering second careers and
influencing social patterns. The
“old-old” will feel more clearly that
they are simply awaiting death. As
President Kennedy once said: “It is not
Coping adequately with this problem
will require much time and effort.
Our immediate and continuing
concern is to provide the best possible
education for children and young
people in and out of Catholic schools.
With respect to out-of-school programs,
many of the innovations and
improvements of recent years deserve to
be recognized and put more widely into
effect.
As we have said, however, our focus
here is primarily upon the schools. We
wish to declare our belief in their
future, to offer renewed encouragement
to all our collaborators in the school
apostolate, to call attention to signs of
progress and hope, to point to new areas
for investigation and action, and to do
all this in a spirit of realistic
hopefulness.
The remarkably positive response
which has greeted “To Teach as Jesus
Did” is especially heartening. Actions
taken in light of that document’s vision
have done much to strengthen the
Church’s educational ministry. It
continues to afford many reasons for
encouragement and confidence. In this
response we have discerned the
providential working of the Spirit.
II. Four years ago we reaffirmed our
commitment to Catholic schools; we
now do so again. For we hold that
“Catholic schools which realize the
threefold purpose of Christian
education, to teach doctrine, to build
community and to serve, are the most
effective means available to the Church
for the education of children and young
people.”
(Continued next week)
1
enough to add new years to life; our
objective must be to add new life to
those years.”
15. The elderly have a right to “new
life”: not just to material survimal, but
to education, recreation,
companionship, honest human
emotions, and spiritual care and
comfort.
16. Finally, in reflecting upon the
right to life of the elderly, one must
note that in America women live
longer than men. There are 143 women
over age 65 for every 100 men. To talk
of the problems of the elderly, then, is
to talk in particular of the problems of
elderly women who in their declining
years may feel more painfully than ever
the burdens of society’s discrimination
against women.
B. The Right to a Decent Income
17. The elderly, often living on fixed
incomes, are among those who suffer
disproportionately from society’s
economic ills of recession and inflation.
The costs of food, medical care and
housing (including fuel) have risen much
more sharply than overall consumer
price increases; moreover, these areas
take up some 70 percent of the income
of the elderly, as opposed to less than
60 percent of the income of the
non-aged.
18. Some 22 percent of the elderly
have incomes below the 1971 federal
poverty level and half have incomes
below $5,000. Social Security and
Supplemental Security Income
payments, in these circumstances,
remain inadequate to maintain a decent
standard of living. Inflation eats away at
the value of savings. Many of the elderly
do not have pensions, and there are
serious problems in existing pension
plans.
C. The Right to a Job
19. Polls reveal that 85 percent of the
American people are opposed to
mandatory retirement ages, these often
force able-bodied people out of their
jobs when they still have much to offer
and need the satisfaction of a
meaningful job. Older workers are
frequently forced out of work by
technological change and are
handicapped in seeking new
employment by discrimination on the
basis of age. A recession at any time
may force many older workers into
premature retirement which can be
spiritually and financially draining.
20. Even those elderly who are not
seeking remuneration for work are
under-utilized: Some two million
elderly Americans willing to do
volunteer work do not have such
opportunities available.
D. The Right to Health Care
21. Health care is a basic right, but it
is often regarded as an expensive luxury.
Despite passage a decade ago of
Medicare, millions of elderly people still
lack adequate medical care.
22. The percentage of health care
costs for the elderly paid by Medicare
has dropped in recent years and will
probably continue to drop. Medicare
does not pay for preventative health
care, which means that many elderly
persons will develop health problems
unnecessarily and will receive treatment
only when their problems become
serious.
23. In addition, Medicare does not
pay for such necessities as prescription
drugs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures
or dental care, all of which become
extraordinarily expensive when
measured against the income of most
elderly persons.
24. Although only five percent of the
elelderly live in institutions, nursing
home care is a serious problem. Well
publicized scandals have arisen
concerning the operations of some
nursing homes, where patient care is
sacrificed while operators amass huge
profits. Large numbers of elderly people
are institutionalized needlessly for want
of simple services, such as visiting nurses
or homemakers, which would help them
remain in their homes.
25. Mental health care for the elderly
is even more inadequate than physical
health care. An estimated one-third of
the elderly in mental hospitals are there
because they have nowhere else to go.
Physical illnesses such as diabetes,
anemia, or simply over-medication may
produce behavior patterns in the elderly
which are mistaken for senility.
E. The Right to Eat
26. A 1971 Administration Task
Force on Aging declared that the elderly
are the most severely malnourished
group in society. Poor nutrition is a
major factor in the incidence of poor
health among them.
27. The Food Stamp program, hot
meals program and other efforts are a
help to the elderly, but they still do not
reach all those in need. The elderly are
also threatened by new Food Stamp
proposals. Some would increase the
amount the elderly must pay for food
stamps or create unreasonable assets
limitations which would force them
either to forfeit food stamps or sell their
valuables, possibly their homes; other
proposed regulations determining Food
Stamp benefit levels could result in a
decrease in benefits for many of the
elderly.
28. Inadequate income is not the
only reason why many of the elderly
have poor diets. Lack of proper kitchen
facilities, nutrition education or simple
lack of companionship and incentive to
eat are also factors.
F. The Right to a Decent Home
29. America has a severe housing
shortage which, like other economic
problems, affects the elderly more than
most. Forty percent of the elderly live
in homes which lack such facilities as
central heating, hot water or inside
toilets. (Seventy-seven percent of the
elderly live in rural areas.)
30. Many elderly persons live in
homes they own as the result of a
lifetime of work, but are threatened
with losing their homes because of
waning physical strength, rising fuel and
maintenance costs, and regressive
property taxes.
31. Housing is particularly important
ot the elderly because they are often
virtually trapped in their homes by lack
of transportation and fear of crime.
32. Less than half of those over 65
are licensed to drive. Many, particularly
those in rural areas, do not have access
to mass transportation, which is often
costly when it is available.
33. The elderly, particularly in urban
areas, live in fear because of their
particular vulnerability to such crimes as
burglary and mugging, as well as
“white-collar” crimes such as
price-fixing and fraud.
G. The Right to Equal Treatment
34. Members of minority groups in
America face special discrimination at
all age levels. Minority elderly persons
suffer discrimination on account of
their race in addition to their age, their
poverty, and often their sex.
35. A serious problem facing some
minority elderly is a language barrier
which may prevent them from obtaining
medical and social services to which
they are entitled. The same barrier may
prevent them from participating in the
social and recreational life of their
communities and neighborhoods or the
liturgical life of their churches.
III. THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH
36. The Church is many things - a
community of faith, a community of
individuals and families, and a voice in
civil society. If the Church is to help
reconcile society and the elderly, it
must act in all these roles. The elderly
look to the Church for strength and
assistance. They want the Church to be
a community where they experience the
comfort of the forgiving Lord, and the
hope of the risen Lord. The elderly need
the concern, joy and presence of a
caring Christian community.
A. As Individuals
37. No institutional effort can be
successful unless we examine our own
individual attitudes and actions. We
must ask ourselves how we treat the
elderly in our own families and
communities.
38. Do we treat them with the
respect and dignity which they deserve?
Do we try to draw out the best in them
and share ourselves with them? Do we
carry our fair share of their financial
support? Do we make an effort to try to
understand and meet their special
needs? Are we kind and patient?
B. As Families
39. The family is the basic unit of
any community and is itself an
expression of love. We cannot
emphasize enough the critical role of
the family in caring for their aging loved
ones and keeping them in their midst as
valuable, contributing members. The
family is where the elderly feel most
comfortable and accepted. We call on
each family to weight carefully its
obligation to care for an elderly father
or mother, uncle or aunt.
40. Should elderly family members
require a form of institutionalization,
the obligations of the family remain.
Responsibility for their well being
cannot be left to health care
professionals and social service agencies
alone. Often, only relatives and friends
can provide the love and personal
attention that humanize the sometimes
lonely experience of institutional care.
C. As A Community
41. We take pride in the fact that the
Catholic community has always made
special efforts to care for the elderly;
but we also acknowledge with humility
that here is much still to do.
42. One valuable task which can be
performed at the parish level is simply
to locate the “hidden” elderly in order
to bring them into parish and
community life and help them obtain
community and government services to
*
which they may be entitled but which
they do not receive.
43. Parish structures offer many
opportunities for leadership in helping
the elderly: community dining rooms,
“day care,” home visits and telephone
reassurance services; car pools and other
transportation aids; recreation;
continuing education programs.
44. We must not only help continue
the education of the elderly. We must
guarantee effective education for all age
groups about the aging process, the
rights of the elderly and their potential
for more active and satisfying lives.
45. Catholic hospitals and other
health care institutions have a special
responsibility in meeting the needs of
the elderly, as do all forms of Church
social service agencies.
46. More coordination of services and
outreach are needed in diocesan as well
as local programs. There are special
needs and opportunities in the areas of
low-cost housing, supervised housing,
transportation and job training. Many
dioceses have already sponsored
low-income housing programs for the
elderly. We support these efforts and
encourage wider participation in
low-income housing programs by other
dioceses and religious orders.
47. The Church at all levels has a
responsibility to seek out the elderly for
their input into policy decisions and to
provide them with opportunities for
meaningful work, both as employees
and volunteers.
48. The Church also must make
provisions for retired priests and
Religious to live in a dignified manner.
Special attention must be given to
communities of Religious women,
which face particular financial hardship
in caring for retired Sisters. Adequate
pension plans for all Church employes
are essential.
D. As Public Policy Advocates
49. In this statement we have called
on individuals, families, the Church, and
community groups to assist the elderly
in realizg their human rights and living
decent lives. We also recognize,
however, that some problems require
the attention of society as a whole,
through legislative and governmental
action.
50. We must raise our voices clearly
and effectively as advocates for the
elderly on public policy matters. Elderly
people cannot compete with
well-financed interest groups for
national resources; like other basically
powerless groups, the elderly stand to
lose the most in times of economic
crisis.
51. Many of the needs of the elderly
will only be met adequately when the
needs of others are met through a
national policy guaranteeing full
employment, a decent income for those
unable to work, equitable tax
legislation, and comprehensive health
care for all. But a number of significant
steps can be taken in the interim:
— Continued opposition to
euthanasia and “death with dignity”
legislation which gives undue power to
the state or to physicians.
— A thorough review of the Social
Security system to insure its continued
stability.
— Continued opposition to cutbacks
or ceilings on the Social Security
cost-of-living index for the elderly
which reflects actual increases in their
living expenses.
— Reform of Medicare to provide
coverage for preventative care, dental
care, prescription drugs, devices such as
eyeglasses and hearing aids and
increased and more readily available
home health care services to allow the
elderly to avoid unnecessary
institutionalization.
— Establishment of stricter standards
for nursing homes and strict
enforcement of those standards.
— Opposition to Food Stamp
program changes which would penalize
the elderly.
— Expanded nutrition, education, job
training, and recreation programs for
the elderly.
— Special efforts to meet the
transportation needs of the elderly.
— More low-income housing for the
elderly. We strongly endorse continued
congressional expansion and
Administration backing of the very
successful Section 202 program. We
further urge that the interest for Section
202 loans be set at the lowest possible
rate.
— Continued reform of the pension
system, and wider availability of
pensions.
— A higher priority for mental health
care for the elderly.
— An end to age discrimination in
hiring and flexibility in setting
retirement ages.
— Special attention to programs to
reduce crime against the elderly.
IV. TOWARD RECONCILIATION
52. Healing the rupture between
society and its elderly members requires
a major effort to change attitudes as
well as social structures. In undertaking
this task we are not simply meeting the
demands of charity and justice. We are
accepting our own humanity, our link
with past and future and, thereby, our
link with the Creator. To do this is to
add new life to the final stages of
growth because Christ said, “I have
come that they may have life and have
it to the full.” (John 10:10)
VIETNAMESE DEACONS ORDAINED ™ Bishop Bernard Law of
Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., ordains one of 12 Vietnamese deacons
during a ceremony at Carthage, Mo. The new deacons are the first
Vietnamese to be ordained since the refugee program began in April 1975.
(NC Photo by Robert G. Lee)
- ' " ""A
Statement On Schools
V ^
A