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Call Newsletter: March 26, 2010
The painful truth about the health care reform bill
The Catholic bishops have long called for health care reform. Sadly, what we got this past week is not what they had in mind.
Within hours after the President's signing of the bill, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement reiterating the bishops' opposition to the legislation based on the federal government's role in funding and facilitating abortion and plans that cover abortion. He noted the bishops' concerns that "the statute forces all those who choose federally subsidized plans that cover abortion to pay for other people's abortions with their own funds."
In the days leading up to the vote, CALL joined in the national effort to urge pro-life Democrats to stand firm on their opposition to the inclusion of federal funding for abortions. Despite our voice, and that of many others, we were unsuccessful in our plea to these key legislators.
In his statement, Cardinal George (pictured) stated, in part, "... we as Catholic bishops have opposed its passage because there is compelling evidence that it would expand the role of the federal government in funding and facilitating abortion and plans that cover abortion. The statute appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion, and it provides federal subsidies for health plans covering elective abortions. ... Stranger still, the statute forces all those who choose federally subsidized plans that cover abortion to pay for other peoples' abortions with their own funds. If this new law is intended to prevent people from being complicit in the abortions of others, it is at war with itself."
We share the intention of President Obama expressed in his pending Executive Order, where he states, "it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services." However, the fact that an Executive Order is necessary to clarify the legislation points to deficiencies in the statute itself. We do not understand how an Executive Order, no matter how well-intentioned, can substitute for statutory provisions.
Many in Congress and the Obama Administration, as well as individuals and groups in the Catholic community, have insisted that there is no federal funding for abortion in this statute and that strong conscience protection has been assured. Analyses that are being published separately show this not to be the case, which is why we oppose it in its current form. We and many others will follow the government's implementation of health care reform and will work to ensure that Congress and the current administration live up to the claims that have contributed to its passage. We believe, finally, that new legislation to address its deficiencies will almost certainly be required.
Click here to read Cardinal George's full statement.
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From the President/CEO
Next month a group of 59 Hispanic leaders from across the U.S. will attend CALL's Vatican Forum event. The event promises to be historic by all measures, featuring formal meetings scheduled with the following:
Papal Audience - Pope Benedict XVI (pictured)
Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace - Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson
Pontifical Council on Communications - Msgr. Paul Tighe
United States Embassy to the Holy See - Ambassador Dr. Miguel H. Diaz
Reception and dinner in honor of the United States Ambassador to the Holy See, His Excellency the Honorable Dr. Miguel H. Diaz
Pontifical Council on the Laity - Dr. Guzman Carriquiry
Pontifical Council on Migrants - Archbishop Antonio Marie Veglió
Pontifical Commission for Latin American - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re
Vatican Secretariat of State - Archbishop Fernando Filoni
General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops - Archbishop Nicola Eterovic
This is an opportunity for CALL to continue to establish itself as a credible force and voice within our Church.
While we will listen intently to the various presentations and updates we will receive, CALL's agenda is a simple one: We will not leave without impressing upon our Church leaders the reality of the changing face of the Church in the U.S. and how that new reality must transform our U.S. Catholic identity from our educational systems to social justice to pastoral ministry. This is the message that we must deliver.
I ask for your prayers as we embark on this historic and critically important mission on behalf of CALL for the greater good of our Church and our country.
In the name of Mary, our Universal Mother,
Robert B. Aguirre - President/CEO
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 Featured Article:
Ten points for Catholic citizens to remember
Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M C.A.P.
Archbishop of Denver
Personal witness is always the best proof of what we claim to believe. In "Crossing the Threshold of Hope," Pope John Paul II reminds us that all Christians are involved in "a struggle for the soul of the contemporary world." In every compartment of our lives - from our families, to our jobs and even to the solitude of the voting booth - God asks us to be His witnesses, His apostles. And this year, like every other year, with or without an election, we need to apply the idea of Catholic witness in a special way to our public life as citizens. Let's remember that as we consider our political choices. We might find it useful to remember 10 simple points as we move toward November.
1. George Orwell said that one of the biggest dangers for modern democratic life is dishonest political language. Dishonest language leads to dishonest politics - which then leads to bad public policy and bad law. So we need to speak and act in a spirit of truth.
2. "Catholic is a word that has real meaning. We don't control or invent that meaning as individuals. We inherit it from the Gospel and the experience of the Church over the centuries. We can choose to be something else, but if we choose to call ourselves Catholic, then that word has consequences for what we believe and how we act. We can't truthfully claim to be Catholic and then act like we're not.
To read the rest of Archbishop Chaput's article, click here.
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 Member profile: Marcela Garcini, Dallas, Texas
It took moving from Mexico to Dallas and from national director of parental outreach to Spanish Instructor, but Marcela Garcini is confident she is where she was meant to be. Now in her fourth year at Bishop Dunne Catholic School, Garcini feels she has arrived at a point where her family responsibilities can coexist happily with her desire to impact her community and live out her Catholic faith.
"Seeing the difference I make in these kids' lives gives me the grace from God to keep going and going," she says of her current work, where in addition to teaching Spanish she serves as a student council moderator. "I see that being the Spanish teacher allows me to bring a different background to them, that God is universal no matter what country you're from."
Garcini (pictured) cites Bishop Dunne's comparatively small population (635 students attending grades 6th through 12th) and the flexibility that teaching a private school affords her in developing her own curriculum as reasons she feels such strong ties to the students. "They find people they can approach at this school and we're able to make a difference in their lives. I keep a collection of letters from students that I'll never put away."
Garcini's effort to mold her students into leaders has made itself apparent inside the classroom, as well as outside the country. The success of a number of students in recent years on the National Spanish Exam has boosted Bishop Dunne's profile among competing schools. Beyond academics, Garcini's role as a student council moderator has enabled her to organize trips to Costa Rica. Twenty students took the trip last year and 18 are expected to go this year in June, with emphasis being on culture and natural science in the country.
The one constant in Garcini's educational platform, whether as an instructor, as a moderator or as a mentor to students outside of the classroom, is the importance of religious faith. "Religion is a big part of education, she says. " Integrating religion into school is a good way of building better leaders."
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