News Briefs

George Weigel: Virtue, cultural renewal necessary for democracy

March 13, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

Washington D.C., Mar 13, 2018 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As populists across the U.S. and Europe express discontent with the current state of democracy, George Weigel has pointed to the importance of family and civil society in encouraging and cultivating the virtuous citizenry necessary for democratic renewal.

“Democracy is not a machine that can run by itself,” said George Weigel in the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s 17th annual William E. Simon Lecture held March 6 in Washington, D.C.

“The vitality of the public moral culture is crucial to the democratic project because it takes a certain kind of people, living certain virtues, to make free politics and free economics work so that the net result is genuine human flourishing.”

“The ‘culture of Me’ is incapable of defending the claim that the democratic project, for all its discontents and flaws, is nonetheless morally superior to the various authoritarianisms on offer in the 21st-century world, because it is itself committed to the authoritarianism of the imperial autonomous Self,” warned Weigel, who cited the continued influence of the 1960’s “unbridled self-absorption” and rejection of traditional virtues on today’s public culture.

Two elements of modern American culture that hinder democracy are moral relativism, the idea that “your truth” can be different than “my truth,” and expressive individualism, a certain self-centered notion that “the good” is defined by what an individual wills or wants.

Weigel pointed out that “a truth-starved and morally anorexic culture is incapable of sustaining free politics and free economics because it cannot answer the questions, why be civil and tolerant and why accept the electoral choice of the majority?”

A self-absorbed “culture of Me” is also linked to consumerism, in which “human worth is measured by what a person has rather than who a person is,” said Weigel.

The foundation for rebuilding a virtuous moral culture are the family, religious communities, and civil associations, according to Weigel, who stressed, “the family is of immense importance, because stable families are the first schools of freedom rightly understood as freedom for excellence, freedom for nobility, and freedom for solidarity.”

“The deconstruction of the family by the sexual revolution is closely correlated to many phenomena that now threaten the democratic project, from crime and substance abuse to aggressive forms of identity politics that seek to shut down public debate,” continued Weigel, pointing to the research of Mary Eberstadt.

“Americans must once again affirm that there are self-evident truths that can be known by reason; that knowing these truths teaches us both our obligations and the limits of the legitimate role of the state in our lives; and that affirming these truths is what makes an ‘American’, irrespective of anyone’s grandparents’ country-of-origin,” he continued.

Weigel says he has hope for a renewal of virtue in America’s democracy, but “both conservatives and progressives in these United States need a thorough examination of conscience about their respective responsibilities for our current democratic discontents, which are no longer just a matter of frustration with Washington political dysfunction.”

“Statesmanship requires a firm commitment to certain built-in truths about human beings and their communities, and the skills taught by the virtue of prudence in making those truths live in our common life. So let us measure ourselves, and those who would lead us, by those truths and by that virtue.”

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Catholic leaders reflect on Pope Francis’ 5-year anniversary

March 13, 2018 CNA Daily News 1

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2018 / 03:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- March 13, 2018 marks the 5-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as Bishop of Rome. In recognition of the anniversary, CNA asked Catholic leaders around the US for their reflections on the past five years and their thoughts on what the coming years might hold. Here is what they said:

Prayers and congratulations to Pope Francis on the 5th anniversary of his election to the throne of St. Peter. Pope Francis, by his words and his deeds, is calling us to a deeper friendship with Jesus and to a renewed commitment to missionary discipleship. His profound love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church, and his filial devotion to her, reminds us of the importance we all have to cultivate a deeper love and fidelity to Holy Mother Church. Ad multos annos.
-Bishop James Conley of Lincoln

Over the past five years, we have all been blessed by the focus and attention Pope Francis has given to the crucial issues of our time such as refugees and migrants, and stewarding our resources in Laudato Si. His call, to focus on the poor and to go out into the world, has been truly motivational. Long may his voice continue to speak out for the poor and oppressed in our world.
-Sean Callahan, president and CEO, Catholic Relief Services

I am delighted that Pope Francis has signaled loud and clear to the world the Catholic Church’s option for the poor and the immigrant. I hope the coming years will also reveal a noticeable movement forward on incorporating more women into church leadership and helping especially the poorer to achieve marital stability and permanence.
-Helen Alvare, chair, Catholic Women’s Forum

I thank God every day for the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. I hope that in the next five years of Francis’s papacy we keep in mind that the unity of the Church is entrusted to the pastoral care of the pope and the bishops in communion with him.
-John Garvey, president, The Catholic University of America

If I could sum up the first 5 years of Pope Francis’ vision for the Church, I would do it with one word ‘integrity’ – Better integrating the mind with the heart, better integrating humanity with our mission to be stewards of creation. My hope for the next five years is the fulfillment of this desire. A Magisterium united to the laity and a Church shepherding God’s creation through the Joy of the Gospel. I am grateful to Pope Francis for giving the Church and the world the Year of Mercy. I believe the Church continues to unpack the graces from that momentous season. May the words of the 266th vicar of Christ continue to resound throughout the whole world: God is always waiting for us. He never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence and hope – always!
– Martha Reichert, president, ENDOW

“I offer prayerful best wishes to Pope Francis as he marks the 5th anniversary of his Petrine ministry. I’ve admired and respected his keen focus on service to the poor since we first met as young bishops delegated to the 1997 Special Assembly for the Americas … He’s repeatedly challenged us to bear witness to Christ through concrete action—by serving the poor, by helping immigrants, by preserving families, and by protecting the sanctity of life. It’s the kind of challenge we can and should answer with a hearty yes each day. May God bless Pope Francis and may the Holy Spirit grant him wisdom as shepherd of the Universal Church.”
-Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia [excerpted from a public statement]

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In China, government-appointed bishops support Xi, Vatican-China deal

March 13, 2018 CNA Daily News 1

Beijing, China, Mar 13, 2018 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Government-backed bishops have spoken out publicly in support of the Vatican-China deal in a Chinese media interview at the Chinese Communist Party’s annual meetings this week.

Bishop Peter Fang Jianping of Tangshan is a member of the National People’s Congress, the Chinese government’s legislative body which voted to eliminate presidential term limits March 11.

Bishop Fang said Catholics should support President Xi Jinping “because we, as citizens of the country, should first be a citizen and then have religion and beliefs,” in a Chinese media interview at the congressional meeting.

Fang, who was ordained a bishop in Beijing in 2000 without Vatican approval and then legitimized by the Holy See two years later, is also reported to have expressed confidence that the Vatican and the Chinese government could reach an agreement on the appointment of bishops to promote the development of the Church in China, according to the The Union of Catholic Asian News.

Two currently excommunicated bishops also spoke favorably of a deal between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops to the Chinese press.

Bishop Paul Lei Shiyin of Leshan, who was excommunicated by the Holy See due to his unapproved episcopal appointment, spoke to the press as an official delegate at the government’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference saying that diplomatic ties between China and the Vatican would have a good impact on China’s international influence and and would allow the Church to conduct its work more normally on the mainland, reported UCA News.

“There are no obstacles [to a China-Vatican deal] if everyone just thinks of the benefit of the church for the sake of peace,” said Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu of Mindong, another excommunicated bishop, in an interview with China’s Sing Tao Daily on March 10.

It would be rare for anyone giving a press interview at the Chinese government’s annual two weeks of meetings to say anything critical of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Out of the 2,964 delegates in the National People’s Congress, only two people voted against giving Xi lifelong rule.

The vote confirming Xi’s consolidation of power has been highlighly censored across China. After the removal of term limits was proposed, the words “I disagree,” “emperor,” and even “Winnie the Pooh” were censored on China’s social media networks. (A meme comparing Xi to a drawing of Winnie the Pooh dressed as a king had gained popularity online in China.)

Beijing broke off diplomatic ties with the Vatican in 1951 and later established the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in 1957 to  regulate Catholics living in China.

It is estimated that there are about 12 million Catholics currently living in China, half within official state churches in the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the rest in the “underground Church.” Tensions between these two groups controversial episcopal appointments as the Chinese government appointed bishops without approval from the Holy See and vice versa.

“There are many communities here, in face, that don’t distinguish between above or under the ground with regard to where you most often associate yourself,” a source working with Catholics in China told CNA.

“Persecution can hit regardless of what side you belong to and all are united in the same general desire to draw closer to God … This was evident when the entire church came together a couple years ago in and around the Wenzhou region when crosses were being torn down, statues bricked up and churches bulldozed,” continued the source who expressed that there is a growing sense of unity between the two groups of Catholics in China on the ground due to persecution.

Since Xi took power in 2013, crosses have been removed from an estimated 1,500 churches, both Catholic and Protestant, as a part of an effort to “Sinicize” Christianity. New restrictions were put in place by the Chinese government Feb. 1 making it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to enter a church building.

A potential deal between the Vatican and Xi’s regime might result in Pope Francis recognizing seven bishops in China currently ordained without Holy See approval, while providing the Holy Father with a means to provide input on future appointments.

Last month, the New York Times reported that Vatican-appointed Bishop Joseph Guo Xijin of Mindong was asked by the Vatican delegation negotiating with China to step down so that Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, quoted earlier in this article, could take his place. Guo, who has been previously detained by Chinese authorities, said that he would be loyal to Rome’s final decision.

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