More public support for SDACT's cause

The following letters to the editor appeared in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, March 29, 2008

It’s ignorant to give bishop free pass on talks with teachers

In her recent letter to the editor, Christina Fleury of Troy appears to be afflicted, like so many Catholics, with the attitude that “the bishop must be obeyed at all costs.”

Such an attitude reveals either an ignorance or avoidance of the role of dissent in the Catholic Church – not about dogma or moral principles, but on the way Catholics apply these principles to their everyday lives.

For example, the U.S. bishops refused to bind people in conscience to the recommendations made in the 1984 Peace Pastoral and the 1986 Economic Pastoral. As a result, Catholic foreign officers and military experts in 1984, and Catholic economic and political experts in 1986, were free to reject any or all of the bishops’ recommendations. Otherwise, why do the U.S. Bishops’ Conference and the State Catholic Conferences lobby on political issues with moral implications? They see the importance of applying moral principles to factual situations.

Unfortunately, Bishop Martino has removed the possibility of differences about the factual issues and simply attempted to make his interpretation a command for all in the Scranton Diocese.

Furthermore, Christina Fleury, like too many Americans, has bought the all-too-common corporate and media propaganda that unions are corrupt, dishonest, greedy and irresponsible. It’s an attack that has been around a long time, but one which ignores the fact that there is much more white-collar crime among corporate officials than among union officials.

Ironically, Christina Fleury echoes the unjust and unfounded accusations of Bishop Martino that the Scranton Diocese Catholic teachers are “selfish” and/or “self-interested” and are not interested in preserving the diocesan school system. Thus, her almost total agreement with Bishop Martino makes Christina Fleury one of many people who are quite unwilling to examine and thus understand the real nature of the diocese’s refusal to negotiate with teachers, as well as to understand the financial dealings of the Scranton Diocese.

Only public examination of such records can settle the dispute.


Back diocese teachers to show support for the American dream

It was a rather average day in late autumn when I found myself once again seated in a navy schoolroom chair of dubious constructional quality, mourning the passage of yet another summer and praying that the subsequent months would seem equally as transient. I struggled to maintain consciousness as faces new and old took their seats around me.

It wasn’t long before the room began to quiet – we students quietly awaiting the opening speech from our new American history teacher.

I must admit that I hadn’t expected the class to be anything special, and I certainly hadn’t expected to enjoy it. Yet not even 10 minutes into our first class period of the academic year, this man had uttered six ordinary words, which, in combination, have the ability to summarize the entire span of human existence, from prehistory to the present: “Perception is more important than reality.”

No matter how much “progress” has been made for society as a whole, the perception of one group will be the primary dictator of its motives, regardless of the perception of the other group.
Such are the conditions in which we find ourselves today, as the Scranton Diocese is permeated by the strife between Bishop Joseph Martino and the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers (SDACT).

Do not let ignorance and apathy reign during this crucial period for our beloved teachers. Become informed, and let your voices be heard.

I encourage you all – even those of you not affiliated with the Catholic community – to stand up and speak out against ignorance. I encourage you to become active participants in this battle, for idle hands shall do nothing for our cause – a cause which concerns not only the Catholic teachers of the Scranton Diocese but also all those who believe in the American dream of equality and justice for all.

I am reminded of that rather average autumn day four years ago, when the utterance of those words and those that followed throughout my enrollment transformed the way in which I viewed the history of our world and, more importantly, the way in which I viewed my relationship to that history.

Through the years that man had encouraged me to think beyond the mere facts and figures of history and to consider the human element responsible for that history – a lesson more valuable than one in any textbook .

Without his guidance and uncommon insight into the workings of humanity, I would have remained blind to the importance of issues such as this.

I would like to close with sincere thanks to this man to whom I can never truly express enough gratitude, Mr. Michael Milz, president of SDACT.

Elise Drobish Bishop Hoban High School Class of 2006 Pittsburgh