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PAGE 4 — The Georgia Bulletin, February 8, 1990
STATEMENT
Black And Catholic
Speaking from the pulpit of the “Donahue”
show, Father George Stallings has made formal
and public his break with the Catholic Church
and the pope, the bishops, the teaching authority
of the Church.
Sad indeed is the moment in which such
serious matters as the allegations Father Stall
ings claims to make against the Church are
reduced by him to the stuff of talk shows.
The presence within the Catholic Church of
African Americans, and the hoped-for deep ac
ceptance by Catholics of one another, regardless
of racial differences, is an ongoing story. It has
had sorrowful chapters; it has also had moments
of hope, promise and progress.
Today, poised against Father Stallings’ action,
is the responding presence within the Catholic
Church of 13 black bishops, the Black Clergy
Caucus and other leaders of the African
American Catholic community, who regret and
caution against this effort to divide and diminish
the Catholic community.
Black Catholics may not have always felt
welcomed by the American Catholic Church in
the past. But at this moment, at many levels, the
Church is clearly acting in ways that are more
responsive, more culturally sensitive and in
clusive.
Only last November, all American bishops ac
cepted a plan drawn up by black Catholics at the
grass-roots level to evangelize blacks and
strengthen the Church in its relationships with
African Americans, both Catholic and the un
churched.
The Church continues to need the presence
and gifts of black Catholics. And the Church still
holds, in her frailty, the treasure of Jesus Christ,
which He offers to all people. The work of
evangelization, of overcoming the sin of racism,
inside and outside the Church, continues.
--GRK
Ivan J. Kauffman
The Cold War And Big Macs
“When we consider how and what we pay for
defense today, we need a broader view than the equa
tion of arms with security.”
— The Bishops Pastoral Letter
“The Challenge of Peace”
On the same week recently two things happened, one
routine and one not. The first was the President submitted a
budget to Congress, as he does every year. The second was
that McDonalds opened its first fast-food restaurant in
Russia.
This year’s budget, as usual, revolves around military
spending. If Social Security funds are treated separately,
about half the budget goes either to the military or to pay
the interest on the national debt, most of which is due to
past military expenditures.
Proposed military expenditures for the next fiscal year
are down slightly, but still represent a large portion of the
gross national product—something like six to nine percent,
depending on how it’s calculated and what is included.
Although our high level of military expenditures leaves
little room in the federal budget for things like drug pro
grams, aid to education, housing for the homeless, and en
vironmental protection there was almost no comment. The
The
S
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
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Most Rev. Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J. Publisher
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arms race has been going on for so many years we’ve come
to accept it as the normal state of affairs.
But in the Soviet Union what was happening was definite
ly not the normal state of affairs. Just a few blocks from the
Kremlin you can now look for the familiar McDonalds sign,
walk in and order a Big Mac and large french fries and pay
for it with rubles.
McDonalds of Canada had invested a reported $50 million
in its Soviet venture—which is controlled by the Soviet
government—and hopes to build a chain of McDonalds
across the Soviet Union. The venture includes teaching
Russian farmers how to grow western style cattle and
potatoes.
Our present military budgets are the direct result of the
Cold War. They began after World War II when Americans
realized Stalin intended to make the Eastern European na
tions into colonies and to impose police state governments
on them.
Rather than attack directly we decided to engage in a
“cold” war which would isolate the Soviet Union until Stalin
had passed from the scene and the police state he had
erected fell apart of its own defects.
That strategy appears to have been successful. Certainly
when the Cold War began no one dreamed we’d one day be
able to walk down the street from the Kremlin and buy a
hamburger produced by a large American corporation.
Stalin would never have permitted it and no western
businessman would have risked the money to build a
restaurant in Russia.
But obviously McDonalds, which is investing millions of
dollars in the Soviet Union with little prospect of any profits
for several years, thinks the Cold War is now over. So do
many Wall Street investors, who have been selling off their
defense industry stocks in recent months.
Three-fourths of the American people, according to a re
cent New York Times/CBS News poll, believe the changes
in the Soviet Union mean U.S. military spending can now be
cut—and by an overwhelming margin say they want the
money to be spent on things like drugs and homelessness
and education.
Only about half the people in the poll said they thought the
Cold War was actually over, but even among those who said
it wasn’t yet over about a third thought military spending
should be reduced.
Where Catholics as a group stand the poll doesn’t state,
but given the past voting record of American Catholics it’s
very likely they stand solidly in the center in this whole
debate—not sure the Cold War really is over, but ready to
take the obvious steps to cut the military budget if it is.
Which brings us back to the basic question posed by these
two recent events: If the Cold War isn’t over why are we
selling the Russians Big Macs? And if the Cold War is over
why are we still paying for it?
The Week In Review
NAMES AND PLACES — Dominican Sister Patricia
Siemen of Lithonia has been named to the U.S. bishops’ Na
tional Advisory Council as the representative of the Leader
ship Conference of Women Religious. The 60-member group
meets twice a year to offer recommendations on matters
being considered by the National Conference of Catholic-
Bishops and the U.S. Catholic Conference. Bishops joining
the council as members of the NCCB Administrative Com
mittee and USCC Admininistrative Board for three-year
terms are: Bishops Basil H. Losten of the Ukrainian
Diocese of Stamford, Conn.. James W. Malone of
Youngstown, Ohio, and James C. Timlin of Scranton. Pa.
* * * * *
AROUND THE NATION — A Missouri Senate committee
has approved in a 4-3 vote a bill that would expand current
law to allow families to end life-sustaining measures for
those who are terminally ill or in "a permanent un
conscious state.” The Missouri Catholic Conference has
criticized the proposal, saying decisions on medical treat
ment should be based on whether treatment is beneficial or
harmful and should be applied to everyone equally —
whether the person is conscious or unconscious. The pro
posal, approved Jan. 24. is supported by Missouri Attorney
General William Webster and the family of Nancy Cruzan,
32, the Missouri woman in a permanent vegetative state
whose fate was undergoing U.S. Supreme Court review on
the issue of nutrition and hydration. The proposal awaits
action by the full state Senate. The House has yet to act on
the bill.
SALVADORAN PRESIDENT Alfredo Cristiani. during a
recent trip to the U.S.. spoke with prominent Catholics
about the murder of six Jesuits in his country. Cristiani s
visit list included Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York
and Jesuit Father Leo J. O’Donovan, president of
Georgetown University. The Salvadoran president is a 1968
business administration graduate of Georgetown. At the
Salvadoran president’s request, little was revealed ot the
content of the meetings. Father O’Donovan said after his
90-minute conversation that he believes Cristiani is
“sincere” and "committed” to bringing peace to his nation.
The two men. who have spoken by telephone and exchanged
letters in the past, agreed to maintain contact.
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES announced Jan. 29 a
$15,000 gift to a Tunisian agency to buy blankets and
medicine for victims of flooding in that North African coun
try. CRS, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development
agency, said that torrential rains in the country left at least
25 dead, hundreds injured and 11.000 to 20.000 houses
destroyed.
*****
INTERNATIONALLY — Poland's primate. Cardinal
Jozef Glemp. suffered cardiac shock and a respiratory col
lapse after two operations Jan. 30 for a bleeding ulcer.
Polish newspapers reported Feb. 1. Medical sources said
the 60-year-old-cardinal spent several hours on respiratory
support machine after the Jan. 31 collapse.
Archbishop's Schedule
SUNDAY, FEB. II
3 p.m. - Speaker at worship service for Black
Heritage Month, Maxwell Air Force Base, Birm
ingham. Ala.
TUESDAY, FEB. 13
11 a.m. - Meeting w-ith representatives of Villa In
ternational, Catholic Center, Atlanta.
11:30 a.m. Meeting with representatives of USO,
Catholic Center. Atlanta.
7:30 p.m. - Speaker at RCIA class. Cathedral of
Christ the King, Atlanta.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14
Travel to Baltimore, Maryland.
5 p.m. - Mass and installation of seminarians
Patrick Kingery and Gregory Goolsby as lectors, St.
Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, followed by dinner.
FRIDAY, FEB. 16
3 p.m. - Meeting with Atlanta Conference of Sisters,
Atlanta.
7:30 p.m. - Confirmation at Our Lady of the
Assumption parish, Atlanta.
SATURDAY, FEB. 17
10 a.m. - Mass and ceremony for Atlanta Arch
diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s recognition
day for women and youth. Cathedral of Christ the
King, Atlanta.
6 p.m. - Confirmation at St. Mary’s parish, Rome.
SUNDAY. FEB. 18
10:30 a.m. - Confirmation at Queen of Angels
parish, Thomson.