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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 (USPS) 574880 Most Rev. Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J. Publisher Gretchen R. Reiser Editor Rita Mclnerney Associate Editor Bus(ne*i Office 600 West Peachtree, N.W. Atlanta. Georgia 30300 Phone: M8-7832 U.S.A. $15.00 Canada $15.00 Foreign $17.50 DEADLINE: All material far publication mutt be received by MONDAY NOON for Thursday's paper. POSTMASTER: Send Change of Address to THE GEORGIA BULLETIN 501 East Sixth Street, Waynesboro. Georgia 30030 Send all editorial correspondence to THE GEORGIA BULLETIN 500 West Peachtree Street N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30300 Second Class Postage Paid at Waynesboro, Go. 30030 Published Weekly except the second and last weeks in June, July and August and the last week In December at 501 East Sixth St., Waynesboro. Ga. 30030 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.