Pope Benedict vs. Bishop Martino

The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers today, July 7, welcomes the release of Pope Benedict XVI's new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate or "love in truth." The Holy Father dedicated this, his third encyclical, to the economy and labor.

We take special notice of the Holy Father's observation that through the combination of social and economic change, union organizations are experiencing greater difficulty in carrying out their task of representing the interests of workers. Pope Benedict then reiterated the repeated calls issued within the Church's social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum in 1891, for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend workers' rights. Those organizations, he said, must be honored today even more so than in the past.

Yet while the Pope is urging the rest of the world to note the importance of labor unions for the common good, we who work in the schools of the Diocese of Scranton continue to be denied our own right to organize. It seems that no matter what the Holy Father or his brother bishops (who only last week gave a ringing endorsement of the rights of Church employees) have to say about workers rights, Bishop Joseph Martino will not relent in his harsh opposition to grant these very same basic human rights to those who work for him.

Bishop Martino's actions make a mockery of the Holy Father's pronouncments. Those in America today who harass and fire their workers when they seek to form a union, or take other unlawful action to obstruct the right of workers to organize, can only feel inspired and emboldened when they see it happening here.

We urge all our brothers and sisters in the faith, who for the past two years have watched this contentious struggle between Bishop Martino and his teachers, to reflect on their position in light of the new Encyclical and consider how they can use their influence within our Church to bring this sad episode to a just conclusion.