Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION FEBRUARY 19, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Feb. 22: Mass (8 a.m.) and speaker (9:30 a.m.) for Deacon Convocation Day, JPII Center Feb. 23: Mass and confi rmation, St. Mary Parish, Greeley (3 p.m.) THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE GEORGE WEIGEL When the Holy See signed the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, a friend knowledgeable in legal matters said, with considerable vehemence, that the Conven- tion was a snare and a delusion that would eventually come back to bite the Vatican. The bite came earlier this month, in a deeply tendentious report from the Geneva-based U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee, as might have been expected, fl ogged the Holy See for alleged inadequacies in responding to the abuse crisis. But it did not stop there. The Committee also demanded that the Church "review its position on abortion" and amend Canon Law "with a view to identifying circumstanc- es under which access to abortion services can be permitted." And that the Church work to "overcome all barriers and taboos surrounding adolescent sexuality" by, among other things, increasing "access to family planning and contraceptives." And that the Church concede that its teaching on the morality of ho- mosexual acts leads to "social stigmatization and violence." And that Canon Law be changed so that the defi nition of "family" is altered "to recognize the diversity of family settings." And that the Church take seriously the child's "right" to sass (i.e., "freely express their views" to) parents and other adults. And, perhaps with sassing in mind, the Committee urged that both Canon Law and the laws of Vatican City State be changed "to explicitly prohibit" spanking. Really. That various Vatican offi ces were slow to respond to the abuse crisis has been conceded by the Holy See: and it has been conceded by being corrected with remedial action, not by the logorrhea that characterizes U.N. agencies deploring various human ills. But it doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to understand that the Committee's report has far less to do with protecting young people than with deploring the Catholic sexual ethic, using the abuse scandal as a weapon. One might even describe such behavior by international bureaucrats as shameless. But then this is the U.N., where shamelessness is the coin of the realm, rhetorically and otherwise. That having been said, and meant, let's move on to the real issue: Why did the Holy See set itself, and the Catholic Church, up for this kind of rancid attack? Why, to return to 1990, did the Holy See sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which at numerous points is out of sync with Cath- olic understandings of family life, the relationship between parents and children, and the nature of child-rearing? Here's my answer: Too many Vatican offi cials still think of the Church's interface with world politics as if the Holy See were the Papal States—a class-B European political entity, trying to punch above its weight in international diplomacy. And if you're thinking within that framework, it becomes im- portant to sign on to this, that, or the other international legal instrument contrived by the U.N. Signing on tells you that you're a player. Signing on tells you that you're in the game. Yet the past four decades have demonstrated that the Holy See's ability to shape world politics comes, not from playing the game by the conventional rules, but by raising moral ar- guments and appealing over the heads of politicians to pop- ulations who don't want their representatives in international forums to kowtow to the U.N.'s terminal political correctness. That was the approach that ultimately made a difference at the 1994 U.N. Population Conference in Cairo and the 1995 U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing. Throughout the world, the Catholic Church has disentangled itself from the Babylonian captivity of legal establishment: the Church no longer seeks the "blessing" of the state, it simply asks (and if necessary, demands) that the state allow the Church to be itself. It is past time to consider a parallel re-set in the Holy See's relationship to world politics. That re-set might well begin by determining whether there are international legal conven- tions from which the Holy See should withdraw, because adher- ence to them is theologically incongruous, imprudent, or both. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Weigel's column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the offi cial newspaper of the Archdiocese of Denver. Phone: 303-715-3215. Beyond the Papal States LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should be no more than 250 words and should include the writ- er's name, address and telephone number. We rely on our readers to recognize that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Archdiocese of Denver. Letters containing plainly misstated facts, misinformation or libelous statements will not be printed. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters may be edited. Send letters to: Editor, Denver Catholic Register, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or fax to 303-715-2045. E-mail us at: editor@archden.org. Thank you for your lovely ar- ticle about Lucille Dupuis and the poustinia she brought to our archdiocese ("Our Lady of Ten- derness closes with poustinik's death," Feb. 12 Denver Catholic Register). The board of Our Lady of Tenderness covets prayers for wisdom and discernment as we discover over time how our Lord wills the ministry of love, listen- ing and prayer to carry on over the coming years. What Lucille founded has not stopped, but, for the board of directors, the com- ing months will be a quiet time of prayer and seeking God's will. There is a Denver address where people can write who would like timely information about pous- tinia, or who have questions about the future of Our Lady of Tenderness, or who would like to make a memorial donation for its continuation. The address is: Our Lady of Tenderness, P.O. Box 460506, Glendale, CO 80246. God bless you for all you do. Molly Archibold, Secretary Our Lady of Tenderness Estes Park In gratitude and a heads up How can I help? That is a beautiful question. And those who answer it by serving the hungry and the homeless are performing acts of mercy. Yet, charity is something each of us can do in every mo- ment of every day. It's simply saying "hello" and "God bless." It's listening to your neighbor. Helping your child. The most important thing may seem like getting your child to soccer practice. It's really getting them to Mass, to the Eucha- rist, to confession. It's sharing the love that you have for Jesus Christ. The greatest charitable act that we can do—as parents—is to share our faith with our chil- dren. If you are raising children of faith, children who believe in Jesus Christ, they will take that charity into the world. It's not easy. Looking back, I thank God that my picture was not used as the poster boy image for the seven deadly sins. We're all broken. We're all searching for one thing, God. Fortunately, he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to search for us, searching our hearts to bring us home. Pope Francis said that, to be like Christ, "we should not put ourselves above others, but indeed lower ourselves, place ourselves at the service of others, become small with the small and poor with the poor. It is regrettable to see a Christian who does not want to lower himself, who does not want to serve." At Catholic Charities—sup- ported by your time, talent and treasure—we serve those we may not know. But that's not separate from serving those that you do know. They're both charitable activ- ities. Charity may be giving something to someone: a coat, a sandwich, a place to sleep. That's important. But charity is also living love and mercy at home, in the Church, in our neighborhoods and in the public square. When you truly think about your neighbors as yourself, it changes the whole dynamic of charity. If that continues to happen, Catholic Charities will remain vigorous because the graces of so many lives lived close to Christ can't help but overfl ow into our mission of Fami- ly and Child Care Services, Shelter Services and Women's Services. Larry Smith is the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Denver Archdiocese. Visit us online at www.ccdenver.org or call 303-742-0828 to learn more, volunteer or make a donation. Charity begins at home BEACON OF HOPE GALA Tickets and sponsorships for the March 8 event support- ing Lighthouse and Women's Services are available at http://www.ccdenver.org/ gala-registration. LARRY SMITH CALL TO CHARITY to remedy moral shortcom- ings with condoms or drugs. In medical terms, they are treating the symptom but not the illness. All of us, me included, need to routinely commit to examining the values we are living our lives by and ask if they lead to the greatest good anyone can hope to attain – eternal life. Jesus came to this earth to "fully reveal man" to him- self, the Vatican II document "Gaudium et Spes" said, and left to our own devices, we will always come up short. Our society needs Catholics who share the transformative power of a relationship of love with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who express how that experience leads to a life of true satisfaction, how it re- orients us to a life built on the true, good and beautiful. Do not be afraid to speak up for the faith and the divinely revealed truths God has en- trusted to us through his Son. The world needs this gift more than ever. Aquila From Page 2

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