Union-busting bishop hires high-priced lobbying firm

Our friends in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives have told us they have been receiving new visitors lately, urging them to oppose the passage of HB 26. No, they are not the army of union-hating parents the Diocese had recently tried to recruit. Instead, the new visitors bearing the Diocese’s union-busting message are lobbyists working for the Harrisburg based Bravo Group, whose services have been retained by Bishop Martino. And, those services don’t come cheap by any means. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that in 2008, Bravo was charging one of its customers $26, 350 per month. That’s several thousand dollars more than many Catholic school teachers earn in a year.

Our friends in the State House find this latest turn of events more than a little puzzling, particularly considering that the Diocese had previously presented the following facts to lawmakers in support of their opposition to HB 26:

• Dozens of Catholic schools have been closed for good.
• Half the parishes in the Diocese will soon be shuttered.
• The Bishop’s Annual Appeal is millions of dollars behind its fundraising goal.
• The Diocese owes its teachers nearly 2 million dollars in severance and sick day pay, but has not paid this legal debt.
• Bishop Martino busted the teachers union because it would make unreasonable financial demands on the Diocese.
• HB 26 must not become law because it will allow teachers the right to have a union of their own choosing which would mean the end of Catholic education.
  

What has justified all of these decisions? According to Bishop Martino, it is the disastrous state of Diocesan finances.

In the face of the Bishop’s hue and cry over the financial stress of the Diocese, he will, however, expend considerable sums of money to subvert the rights of his lay teachers. To prevent the passage of HB 26, the Diocese hired an extremely high-priced lobbying firm. "How," our lawmakers ask, "can an organization in such dire financial shape afford this?"

Besides our legislators, that’s a question we hope all Diocesan parishioners demand that the Bishop answer. However, we know it is highly unlikely they will ever get one.

Such actions , we believe, indicate that Bishop Martino’s desire to prevent the passage of HB 26 has now reached maniacal proportions. With Bravo added, the Diocese now has two lobbying groups on the payroll. The Bishop is also continuing to pay for the services of the lobbyists who work for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. Evidently, he must be unhappy with the lack of traction the arguments of the PCC have had in the House of Representatives. Hiring Bravo is another sign of the Diocese’s desperation.

The Bishop can spend every last dime the people of the Diocese are willing to give him and he will still fail to prevent the passage of HB 26. Last year during one of the hearings held before the House Labor Relations Committee, one member of the Committee told the crowd that he thought the Bill would pass “unanimously.” At the time, even our most ardent supporters thought his comments a bit hyperbolic. Not now. We have found no one in the legislature who is unsympathetic to our cause. All see our issue as one of basic fairness. We could not hope for more, for as the only group of workers to lack coverage under either federal or state labor laws, that is our argument in a nutshell.

Finally, we hope that all who give money to their parish or to the Bishop’s Appeal stop and think for a minute. Do you want your money squandered in such a way as this? Do you want to assist the Bishop in his fanatical desire to deprive our teachers of their rights? If not, send him a message by putting your donations in escrow until the Bishop changes his union-busting ways.

Bishop’s changing role should change again

The following letter to the editor of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice appeared on February 21, 2009:

Bishop’s changing role should change again

Editor:

We see a lot of Bishop “no-no” Martino in the paper reminding Catholics of their duties.

Seems anytime a Catholic does something that might go against the rules of the church, the bishop sticks his head out and says “no-no!” From churchgoers who might be thinking about backing a teachers union to a college opening its doors to someone who doesn’t share their collective beliefs.

I wonder how many of these people now rubbing their bishop-slapped wrists know that long ago the role of the bishop was that of a spokesman for various congregations across the land. The people would air their concerns on various matters of the church to the bishop who would then relay them to Rome.

Then, with the coming of the dark ages, Barbaric hordes swept across Europe. Towns were destroyed, people slaughtered and places of learning laid waste.After a while, most people were uneducated so Rome changed the role of the bishops. They would now tell the masses what to do because these masses didn’t have the brains to have input on matters concerning themselves.

Today, most people are again educated, but it seems the church doesn’t realize that the dark ages are gone, for they never changed the role of the bishop back to the “spokesman” for the masses he once was.

Joseph Hapeman
Wilkes-Barre

Martino’s actions demand complaints

The following letter to the editor of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice appeared on February 21, 2009:

Martino’s actions demand complaints

Editor:

I am not one who takes to writing letters, but I must confess that I am sick of reading about Joseph Martino, the Scranton-based dictator of the “Catholic faith.” I offset this in quotation marks because many of my friends who are Catholic (including those who have recently given it up) do not hold with his ideals. His decrees and seemingly daily epistles are bad enough, but to see papers such as The Citizens’ Voice providing him with a platform for his incessant ranting is a bit distressing. I understand that your publication is entitled The Citizens’ Voice, but it is not entitled “Catholic Light.” I think that the latter publication would be more closely aligned with Mr. Martino’s “news” items.

My true disgust occurred on the morning of Feb. 19, when I read about his latest threat to close St. Peter’s Cathedral if pro-choice officials were featured in the parade. I say close your cathedral; it’s less money you will take in collections, in essence, cutting off your nose to spite your face. As I understand it, the Catholic Church really can’t afford fewer donations right now.

As an Irish Episcopalian, I find horrible the idea that the planning committees of the St. Patrick’s Day parade would allow themselves to be intimidated by someone who is obviously attempting to thrust the region back into the middle ages. He goes on as if he were a father chastising children for spilling milk on the rug. If the Catholics of Northeastern Pennsylvania wish to tolerate this, fine for them. I just don’t think that the rest of the readership should be annoyed each morning by this man’s jejune tantrums.

As for the Catholics of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I have only this to say: this man has closed your schools, your churches, threatened to withhold communion if you don’t “think” like him and has even gone so far as to blemish the academic reputation of your colleges and universities by suggesting they censor scholarship (be careful, Misericordia, you may be teaching creationism, next). Don’t you all think it’s time you complained to someone? Jesus did say to turn the other cheek; I don’t recall his saying to stand there and get your teeth kicked in.

Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D.
Wilkes-Barre

Courageous stance

The following letter to the editor of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared on February 20, 2009:

Courageous stance

Editor:

Praise be to Jesus, who, if he was still in the tomb, would be rolling over at Bishop Martino’s rantings.

The Sisters of Mercy, Misericordia University, and the university’s Diversity Institute are to be commended for their courage to host speakers who present a plethora of perspectives. In recent days, right here in NEPA, we heard about court proceedings for individuals accused of killing a homosexual, and a racially motivated homicide.

It is hard to fathom that in the year 2009, prejudice and discrimination continue to mar our landscape. However, one need only look to the Diocese of Scranton, where its hierarchy has silenced and even banished individuals who do not march lockstep. Is this not an insidious form of discrimination?

I prefer to promote the opportunity for critical thinking, particularly in the world of academia. Kudos to Misericordia.

VICKY CASTAGNA
MADISON TWP.

Bugaboos galore

The following letter to the editor of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared February 19, 2009:

Bugaboos galore

Editor:

This week, Gerhard Wagner withdrew from his recent nomination by the pope as auxiliary bishop of Linz, Austria. Wagner notoriously blamed Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans residents’ permissive sexuality, referred to homosexuality as “curable” and called Harry Potter books “satanic.”

The Wagner scandal came as controversy continued to rage over another recent papal decision — the rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier, and several other bishops belonging to the Society of St. Pius X, an extreme, conservative group that protests the reforms of Vatican II, defends the Inquisition, takes a soft stand on slavery and, strangely, abhors shorts.

Locally, Bishop Martino criticized Misericordia University’s plan to host speaker Keith Boykin. That Boykin holds an opinion in conflict with orthodox Catholicity apparently makes him unfit to engage a Catholic audience (though the wacky opinions expressed above prevent none from holding positions of influence and authority within the church).

Bishop Martino’s own conflict with the Catholic tradition of supporting unions has not prevented him from speaking and acting to squash local Catholic schoolteachers’ attempts to secure their jobs and earn a living wage. Concerns over his engagement in such political activities, including his recent “list-making,” must fall into the category he calls, “bugaboos about separation of church and state.”

While the pope does back-flips to defend the indefensible, Bishop Martino marginalizes anyone who questions the church’s positions or his personal politics. The hierarchy rockets into deep space while the population of alienated Catholics grows.

Church, you’re breaking my heart.

LENORE ROGAN
LORDS VALLEY,PIKE COUNTY

Catholic teachers union is needed

The following letter to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader appeared on February 15, 2009:

Catholic teachers union is needed

Once again Bishop Joseph Martino has shown why the Catholic teachers in the Diocese of Scranton need a union.

An announcement about the introduction of Pennsylvania House Bill 26, which would give teachers in religious schools the same rights as other Americans, prompted a response from the bishop that would make the union busters at Wal-Mart blush.

The diocese announced that if the teachers get a union, all the Catholic schools in the diocese will close.

If any other employer did this, it would be slapped with an unfair labor practice charge and heavily fined. The teachers also were referred to as defiant – exactly the way King George referred to the cheeky colonists who demanded their rights.

This is exactly why the teachers need a real union, not the bishop’s phony employee relation council. The bishop pretends the employees have representation through the council, but he still makes all the final decisions.

After attending a rally in support of a teachers’ union, I went to Mass at my home church in Swoyersville – to which my family has belonged since my grandfather helped to build the church a hundred years ago.

While waiting for Mass to start, I couldn’t help but think how Bishop Martino has taken the diocese backward.

My grandfather was a miner and was at the rally in Scranton a hundred years ago when Bishop Hoban and Teddy Roosevelt joined to support union rights.

I was at a rally in almost the exact same place a hundred years later at which Bishop Hoban’s successor Bishop Martino is trying to take away these rights.

What a shame!

Eugene Gowisnok
Swoyersville

Vote should solve it

The following letter to the editior of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared on February 16, 2009:

Vote should solve it

Editor:

A recent article in The Times-Tribune regarding attempts by the Scranton Diocese to defeat HB 26 by compiling lists of parents opposed to the bill and “asking” them to contact their legislators is intriguing to say the least. Apparently the diocese does not believe the rhetoric posted on its own Web site.

According to the diocese, the SDACT only “represented a minority of teachers in the Diocese of Scranton Catholic Schools,” and gives the impression that the employee relations program is running smoothly. If that is accurate, the surest way to defeat HB 26 would be to render it unnecessary. Allowing the teachers to vote on whether they should be represented by the SDACT would do just that. If what the diocese claims is true, it would seem logical that the vote would not be in the union’s favor.

As far as the passage of HB 26 heralding the demise of Catholic education in our area, perhaps Bishop Martino and the diocesan school board should consider that if Jesus and his followers had said that “government interference” would mean the end of the church 2,000 years ago, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion today.

DR. ROBERT E. GAN
HONESDALE

Words of the Holy Father

The following letter to the editor of the Towanda Daily & Sunday Review appeared on February 13, 2009:

Words of the Holy Father

EDITOR:

In a recent letter to your newspaper, Scranton Diocesan spokesman Bill Genello defended Bishop Martino’s obvious union-busting tactics, saying that the ruling of a Vatican tribunal meant that the Church was on his side. “Unions are not a necessity,” Genello claimed. However, it seems the Holy Father has recently taken exception to Genello and the bishop’s point of view.

In a recent speech, Pope Benedict XVI said labor unions have an important role to play in finding a way out of the global financial crisis and establishing a new culture of solidarity and responsibility in the marketplace. (The full text of the Pope’s speech can be found on-line at: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0900492.htm)

In that speech, the Pope said, “The great challenge and the great opportunity posed by today’s worrisome economic crisis is to find a new synthesis between the common good and the market, between capital and labor. And in this regard, union organizations can make a significant contribution.”

The Pope emphasized that the inalienable dignity of the worker has been a cornerstone of the Church’s social teaching in the modern age, and said this teaching has helped the movement toward fair wages, improvement of working conditions and protection of vulnerable categories of employees.

“Workers are facing particular risks in the current economic crisis, and unions must be part of the solution,” he said. “In order to overcome the economic and social crisis we’re experiencing,” he continued, “we know that a free and responsible effort on the part of everyone is required. In other words, it is necessary to overcome the interests of particular groups and sectors, in order to face together and in a united way the problems that are affecting every area of society, especially the world of labor.”

“Never has this need been felt so urgently,” he warned. “The problems tormenting the world of labor push toward an effective and closer arrangement between the many and diverse components of society.”

He noted that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had underlined labor as the key component in social questions and had described the labor union as an indispensable element of social life in modern industrialized societies.

So whose ideas should prevail? In the past, when his brother bishops took positions opposite his, Bishop Martino said that “Other bishops don’t speak for me. There is only one teacher in this Diocese and these points are undebateable.”

It will be interesting to hear Genello’s and Bishop Martino’s response to the Holy Father’s speech. Will they consider Pope Benedict merely the Bishop of Rome or should the successor to Peter carry a bit more weight?

Michael A. Milz, President
Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers
Mc-Entee Keller Labor Center
DUNMORE, PA

Group critical of diocese letter

The following article appeared in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader on February 12, 2009:

Group critical of diocese letter


SCRANTON – Calling it “desperate,” “despicable” and “intimidation,” the group trying to unionize Catholic school teachers railed against a letter Diocese of Scranton Superintendent of Schools Joseph Casciano sent to principals. Noting that Casciano asks for lists of parents who will urge state legislators to reject a pro-union bill, the union likened the letter to “tactics associated with Joseph McCarthy.”

Michael Milz, president of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers, said he had obtained a copy of the letter from several principals who told him “They would have no part of it because it’s divisive.”

A copy of the letter provided by Milz repeats the diocesan contention that the bill, known as House Bill 26, “Could close our schools.” The bill would amend the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act to cover Catholic teachers, thus allowing the Labor Relations Board to force the diocese to let teachers vote on unionization by secret ballot.

The letter says that Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty “has asked that each school have parents contact their respective legislator and ask him/her to refrain from supporting this bill,” adding that “they do not have to take a position of support for or against unions.” Milz said his association has no objection to parents contacting their legislators.

But the letter also says “the Bishop has asked that we gather a list from each school with the names of the individuals who will be contacting their representatives. Please forward them to the office ASAP.” That, Milz said, is what prompted some principals to show the letter to him. “To what purpose?” Milz asked.

A statement posted on the union Web-site said “Our guess is that soon another list, perhaps a ‘blacklist,’ will be put out with the names of the parents and their children who, knowing right from wrong, refused such a Faustian bargain and would not allow themselves to be intimidated.
“We hope all local citizens will contact their legislators and tell them how they feel about HB 26 … However, no one should ever be forced into a political position because they fear retribution for themselves or, worse, for their children.”

The union lost the right to represent teachers during a 2007 restructuring because the diocese eliminated the small local school boards and parish councils that had negotiated contracts, replacing them with four regional boards. Bishop Joseph Martino formed an “Employee Relations Committee he insists represents all school employees fairly.

Diocese spokesman Bill Genello did not respond to an e-mail and phone message seeking comment.

Diocese of Scranton making list of supportive parents

The following article appeared in the Scranton Times Tribune on Februray 12, 2009:

Diocese of Scranton making list of supportive parents

The Diocese of Scranton is asking its school principals to compile lists of parents who oppose allowing teachers to unionize and are willing to voice their opinion to state legislators.

The diocese has stated the passing of House Bill 26, which would expand state labor laws to cover lay teachers in religiously affiliated schools, “will mean the end of Catholic schools” in the diocese. Since January 2008, Bishop Joseph F. Martino has refused to recognize the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers as a collective bargain- ing unit and has instead implemented an employee-relations program.

The letter, sent to principals this week by school superintendent Joseph G. Casciano, states John M. Dougherty, auxiliary bishop, has “asked that each school have parents contact their respective legislator and ask him/her to refrain from supporting this bill since we love our schools and wish them to continue into the future.“They do not have to take a position of support for or against unions but rather that we are seeking the assistance of the legislators to allow this matter to resolve itself in time.”

The principals are asked to forward the lists of the diocesan office “ASAP.”News of the letter sparked outrage among some parents who support the teachers’ union effort. Some parents said they fear they will be “blacklisted” if they fail to speak out against the bill.

“Maybe we should just sign the blacklist,” said Sharon Hourigan, spokeswoman for a parents group that supports the teachers’ union efforts. “It’s outrageous.”

William Genello, diocesan spokesman, denied there would be any type of “blacklist,” and officials simply want to be able to provide parents interested in speaking out against the bill with information.“There was no intention to coerce anyone or intimidate anyone,” Mr. Genello said.

“Principals will be talking to parents who have expressed concern.”After Ms. Hourigan was forwarded a copy of the letter, she forwarded it to a couple hundred parents. Ms. Hourigan pulled her daughter out of Holy Redeemer High School before this school year, but is still the spokeswoman for the parent group supporting the teachers’ efforts to unionize.

Parents said the principal-made lists would force them to declare whether they were for or against not only the bills, but the rights of the teachers.Robert Suchoski, whose daughter is a freshman at Holy Redeemer, said he was “fed up and disgusted” by the latest move by the diocese.“I think it’s despicable,” he said.

Other parents also expressed outrage, and questioned the diocese’s involvement in a political matter.

Rob Boston, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said even though the diocese is asking parents to become involved politically by writing letters, laws regard its tax-exemption status are not being violated.The laws apply strictly to supporting candidates, and not the issues, Mr. Boston said.

Unfair attack

The following letter to the editor of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared February 11, 2009:

Unfair attack

Editor:

An early Christian bishop once wrote that a silent bishop is a revered bishop. Recent events have shown us the wisdom of his words. I, too, would prefer to keep silent, but love does not allow us to keep silent in the face of Bishop Martino’s unkind and unwarranted attack on Sen. Bob Casey’s good name, which could result in his being denied Holy Communion.

Instead of guiding us through today’s uncertain waters, drawing us closer to the mind of Christ by his humility and love, Bishop Martino has chosen the path of violence and power. He is a Juno, who out of insecurity and fear has unleashed a terrible storm against those he should be serving and protecting. Surrounding himself with bitter men, he has exiled or ignored everyone in this diocese who sees things differently than he. He has sown seeds of discord and distrust; he has tempted us to despair. And in his simplistic and uncatholic reduction of every truth to a moralistic code, he has forgotten that the church on earth is first and foremost a culture, a people, sinners all — the one body of Christ. Yet, he would have us shun the good senator.

Our Lord built his church on St. Peter, the Rock, not in spite of his weakness and failure, but because of his weakness and failure, to remind us that those who would lead us must first humble themselves, and that those who would love Christ must first feed his sheep. Oh help us, St. Peter.

GLEN JOHNSON
SCRANTON

McCarthyite Tactics Will Fail

Today, Diocesan Superintendent of Schools, Joe Casciano sent out a letter to all school principals. In a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable – which is the certain passage of HB 26 - it looks like Bishop Martino and his minions have turned to what might be their most despicable tactic yet.

Realizing that few parents and parishioners are buying into their big lie program alleging that HB 26 will mean the end of Catholic education, and seeing that the personal campaigning of Bishop Dougherty with local legislators has likewise gone nowhere, the Diocese now appears to be trying to intimidate parents into opposing the Bill.

In his letter, Casciano, not merely content with simply asking for the parents’ support of such an unpopular position as voicing opposition to HB 26, wants to use the intimidation factor to ensure compliance.

Here is what Casciano had to say:

"I am asking that we have the president of the parents’ organization send a letter or email to the representative expressing that the families (give the number) in your school value Catholic education and want it to continue which would be helped by him/her refraining his/her support of this bill. We are told that the legislators need to hear from our families. The Bishop has asked that we gather a list from each school with the names of the individuals who will be contacting their representatives. Please forward them to the office asap."

Why make a list if you're not planning to use that list? Our guess is that soon another list, perhaps a “blacklist,” will be put out with the names of the parents and their children who, knowing right from wrong, refused such a Faustian bargain and would not allow themselves to be intimidated.

Politics is politics. We hope all local citizens will contact their legislators and tell them how they feel about HB 26. That's the American way. However, no one should ever be forced into a political position because they fear retribution for themselves or, worse, for their children.

As we've noted before on this blog, the Diocese has used several tactics associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his hysterical campaign against peoples' freedom during the 1950's. It didn't work then, and it won't work now.

We need to get the word out to our good parents. We know that the vast majority support us and HB 26. Tell them not to be intimidated. Ask them to let Bishop Martino know how despicable his tactics truly are and, most importantly, why they will not work.

Don’t let Bishop Martino intimidate teachers’ union

The following letter to the editor of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice appeared on February 10, 2009:

Don’t let Bishop Martino intimidate teachers’ union

Editor:

Well it came, another edict from the throne in Scranton: pass a law that fills a loophole and guarantees protection to teachers at religiously affiliated schools and bring an end to Catholic education.

Parents, students, teachers and the faithful in the Diocese of Scranton have endured considerable change in the past year and a half. We have seen schools closed and consolidated, institutions void of their previous identity. In the coming months churches will be closed forever.

And, in a way, it was all inevitable, church attendance is down and allegedly money is “dwindling” in the Diocese. None of this however is an excuse for the actions of Bishop Martino regarding the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers.

The Martino “establishment,” including spokesman Bill Genello and superintendent Joseph Casciano, has continually blasted the teachers’ union, saying that its motives are out of greed and selfishness. They have accused the union of intimidation tactics. Unfortunately it appears that when they accuse the union of these things, they are looking in the mirror and watching their own actions reflect back at them.


The fact is that the diocese fired the union president. The diocese has made it known to the faithful that it will eliminate Catholic education if HB 26 passes. That sounds like intimidation to me.

To accuse a Catholic school teacher of being greedy shows, for lack of a better word, ignorance. These teachers make a sacrifice every day to work in Catholic schools. They understand that the Church does not have the financial resources of a public school district. From what I understand pay is not the issue here. The issue is that a man in Scranton will not “lower” himself to speak with the very people he is supposed to protect.

In this scope of protection though, there is no provision for a “father knows best” attitude which emanates from Bishop Martino every time he speaks. He approaches the issue with a tone of arrogance that is undeniable.

My teachers will not give up the fight for justice and equality in the workplace. They are not afraid of you, Bishop Martino, or what can be considered an empty threat.

You know (I would hope) in your heart of hearts what the right and just decision is. The quote often used is “no one can deny the right to organize without attacking human dignity itself.”

I am hopeful that you will reconsider what I and many believe is a serious mistake. For everyone else I encourage you to write to your state legislator to show your support for HB 26. Don’t let the rhetorical nonsense of the diocese fool you or intimidate you. If you believe in justice for all working men and women you will see this bill for what it is: the closing of a loophole to allow all workers their God-given right to organize.

Leann Ziobro
Hudson

The following article appeared in The Catholic News Service, February 2, 2009:

Pope says labor unions important in resolving financial crisis

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said labor unions have an important role to play in finding a way out of the global financial crisis and establishing a new culture of solidarity and responsibility in the marketplace.

"The great challenge and the great opportunity posed by today's worrisome economic crisis is to find a new synthesis between the common good and the market, between capital and labor. And in this regard, union organizations can make a significant contribution," the pope told directors of the Confederation of Italian Labor Unions Jan. 31.

The pope emphasized that the inalienable dignity of the worker has been a cornerstone of the church's social teaching in the modern age, and said this teaching has helped the movement toward fair wages, improvement of working conditions and protection of vulnerable categories of employees.

Workers are facing particular risks in the current economic crisis, and unions must be part of the solution, he said."In order to overcome the economic and social crisis we're experiencing, we know that a free and responsible effort on the part of everyone is required," the pope said.

"In other words, it is necessary to overcome the interests of particular groups and sectors, in order to face together and in a united way the problems that are affecting every area of society, especially the world of labor," he said."

Never has this need been felt so urgently. The problems tormenting the world of labor push toward an effective and closer arrangement between the many and diverse components of society," he said.

He noted that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had underlined labor as the key component in social questions and had described the labor union as an indispensable element of social life in modern industrialized societies.

Pope Benedict has been working on his first social encyclical, tentatively titled "Caritas in Veritate" ("Love in Truth"), which is expected to be published sometime this year.

Drop the Shield

The following letter to the editor of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared Februrary 8, 2009:

Drop the shield

Editor:

Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino should reconsider his refusal to submit to interviews by The Times-Tribune and other media on his continuing involvement in politics. It isn’t enough for his spokesman to insist that the bishop “doesn’t do interviews.” (Times-Tribune, Feb. 6).

People in public life, such as Sen. Robert Casey, often do media interviews about issues in representing constituents and fulfilling their oath of public office under the United States Constitution. Bishop Martino should speak out on religious issues. But when that involves politics, the writ should extend beyond the pulpit and the diocesan newspaper where his views can’t be questioned.

HERB LINNEN
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Writer recommends merger of diocese

The following letter to the editor appeared in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, February 6, 2009:

Writer recommends merger of diocese

Since Bishop Joseph Martino came to oversee the Diocese of Scranton and the Catholic flock, I have been somewhat interested in the approach taken to solve some very difficult problems.

The issues facing the diocese include:

• Catholic churches with runaway budgets.
• Low attendance at Mass.
• Low church contributions.
• A decreasing population of young men interested in becoming priests.

In many of the above situations, Bishop Martino and his staff have proposed resolving the issue using a close or merge strategy. In many cases, merge has been a prelude to close. While it is clear to all but the most imperceptive observer that these are serious issues that cannot continue to be ignored, it is also very apparent that there must be other more ingenious ideas that could be considered prior to resorting to closing – which should be a last resort.

Unfortunately, ingenuity sometimes provided by the Catholic laity appears to be something the bishop and his staff cannot or will not consider. This is most evident during the deliberations conducted last year over the closing and merging of the four Luzerne County Catholic schools into a single campus in Wilkes-Barre. Ideas brought forward by members of the community for keeping at least two of the schools open were ignored.

As we enter the next phase of merge and close, it struck me that one particular merge and close idea has not yet been suggested. I am suggesting the merger of the Diocese of Scranton with either the Diocese of Allentown or the Diocese of Harrisburg, with the concomitant closure of Saint Peter’s Cathedral.

This particular idea has the added benefit of returning at least two priests currently holding the rank of bishop to the management of a parish. In addition, the elimination of a considerable number of redundant staff members would significantly reduce expenses and waste.

After all, do we really need to have a shepherd when there is no flock?

Ralph C. Gatrone
Kingston