Salt of the Earth: Bishops confront controversial issues

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July 2001

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Bishops confront controversial issues at their Atlanta meeting
From global warming, the Middle East, and refugees to health care and the Eucharist, U.S. Catholic bishops devoted three days in Atlanta this June to banging out official positions on a number of difficult issues. In the end they challenged the president's environmental positions, pushed for a Palestinian state, reprimanded Americans for not welcoming refugees, forbid Catholic health care institutions from cooperating in "immoral medical procedures," and reaffirmed the real presence of Christ in Communion.

Climate Change
In their statement on climate change, the bishops declined to endorse specific treaties or policies on global warming, but they demanded a new kind of discussion in the country, one free from the polarization that currently characterizes the debate. They said they could "make no independent judgment on the plausibility of 'global warming'" but argued that because so much evidence supports the possibility of a changing climate, prudent action must be taken to prevent the destruction of the environment.

Because of its many blessings, the United States bears a special responsibility in preventing that destruction, they said. "Affluent nations such as our own have to acknowledge the impact of voracious consumerism instead of simply calling for population and emissions controls from people in poorer nations," the statement says. The bishops asserted that poor countries have a "right to economic development" and richer nations should help them build industries that do not add to global warming.

They urged the country to consider the poor in adopting energy conservation and anti-pollution policies and said the United States "should offer incentives to corporations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assistance to workers affected by these policies."

While they refrained from criticizing specific treaties and policies, the bishops clearly called for the U.S. to take a lead in halting global warming, even if developing countries do not follow the same regulations.

Environmentalists have criticized President Bush for arguing all nations should be held to the same standard.

Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
In their statement on the violent conflict in the Middle East, the bishops called for a new trust between the Israelis and Palestinians and greater respect for human rights on both sides. They stressed their support for a Palestinian state and said Israel must end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. They also said Israel had a right to exist within secure borders.

The United States has an important role to play in securing peace in the region, the bishops added. "Our government, as well as the entire international community, must be actively engaged, in appropriate and significant ways, in working for a just and comprehensive solution to this conflict," they said.

Refugees
Despite the United States' history as a nation formed primarily by immigrants, the country has grown increasingly hostile to refugees, the bishops said in their statement on refugee protection. "Since 1992 refugee admissions into the United States have dropped by 42 percent, while U.S. overseas assistance to refugees has failed to keep pace with inflation," the statement says.

The bishops urged the country to admit more refugees and increase its support for overseas programs. They also said foreign aid for development and conflict resolution would prevent people from becoming refugees.

Catholic Health Care
At nine pages, the bishops' directives for Catholic health care providers made up the longest statement of the June meeting. In it the bishops reaffirmed their prohibition of immoral medical services, such as abortion, sterilization, and euthanasia, and clarified their rules for cooperating with non-Catholic institutions.

They said Catholic hospitals partnering or merging with other health care providers "are not permitted to engage in material cooperation in actions that are intrinsically immoral." The loophole had emerged because previous versions of the health care statement neglected to address partnerships.

The Eucharist
In response to surveys that showed a large percentage of Catholics do not believe the bread and wine at Communion actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the bishops released a detailed defense of the church doctrine. Prefacing their reasoning by saying the Eucharist "is an inexhaustible mystery that the Church can never fully explain in words," the bishops asserted that the "substance" of the bread and wine is changed during mass.

In their deepest realities the two become the risen Christ, not symbols of him, they said. They also said those who do not believe in the change cannot receive the full spiritual benefit of the Eucharist. If a person who understands the significance of the change but does not believe in it knowingly receives Communion, he or she commits sacrilege, the statement says.—Anne Graber

For more info:
National Conference of Catholic Bishops
June 2001 bishops' statements:
Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
Resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
Renewing U.S. Leadership in Refugee Protection
Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Fourth Edition
The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers

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