Local Bishop Says Government Abandoned
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OF MANY THINGS 106 West 56th Street merica’s marketing department an hour well spent. New York, NY 10019-3803 Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 likes to remind people that at After lunch, I headed down Fordham Subscriptions: 1-800-627-9533 the time of my appointment, I Road and boarded a train to Grand www.americamagazine.org A facebook.com/americamag was the youngest editor in chief in the Central Terminal. (Not to be too magazine’s history. It’s not, however, as pedantic, but while Grand Central twitter.com/americamag impressive as it sounds. For one thing, is often called a station, it’s actually a PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF the Catholic priesthood is one of the few terminal because the rail line terminates Matt Malone, S.J. places where 40 is actually considered there.) EXECUTIVE EDITORS young. My nieces and nephews, for If you’ve ever made this trip from Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy example, a couple of whom have just north of the city down to Grand Central, MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber started college, probably think that I’m as millions do every year, then you know LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. more than a little out of touch. They what a delight it is to emerge from the SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT listen respectfully but with healthy dank and dusty rail platform into the Kevin Clarke skepticism whenever I talk about my magnificent, even breathtaking main EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. own university years. I don’t blame them. concourse. Students of philosophy will POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. In my middle age, I find it increasingly liken this transition to the ascent from ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT Gerard O’Connell difficult to say anything of significance Plato’s cave, the journey from a dark ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley McKinless to someone under the age of 30 that world of shadow and distortion to the ASSISTANT EDITORS Francis W. Turnbull, S.J., Olga doesn’t sound patronizing to my own world of light and truth. Segura, Joseph McAuley ear the very moment it passes my lips. The main concourse of Grand ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder I have a different though related feeling Central Terminal—with its bronze COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., whenever I’m called upon to counsel and stone carvings and ornamental Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Don- someone who is much older than I and inscriptions, all spanned by a ceiling nell, Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider yet, strangely enough, calls me father. Yes, that is 125 feet high—seizes travelers CORRESPONDENTS it’s obviously all relative; that’s clear from and lifts them up, directing their gaze to John Carr (Washington), Anthony Egan, S.J. (Johannesburg), Jim McDermott, S.J. a look around America’s editorial office. something larger, as if to say: “You have (Los Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), Steven We recently had a summer intern who arrived in a great city populated by a Schwankert (Beijing), David Stewart, S.J. (London), was born while I was a senior in college; noble people. Welcome.” Judith Valente (Chicago), Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M. (U.S. Church) on the other hand, our assistant editor Yet Grand Central Terminal is MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB Frank Turnbull, S.J., started working at both triumphant and aspirational, a Kevin Spinale, S.J. America when I was 12. masterpiece of public architecture from a EDITORIAL E-MAIL Just last week, meanwhile, I had time when our civic culture was neither [email protected] lunch in the Bronx with a man who was overly cynical nor overly romantic but serving as an associate editor here on simply hopeful. Grand Central is from PUBLISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER the day I was born: Joseph A. O’Hare, a time when we believed that we could Edward Spallone DEPUTY PUBLISHER S.J., America’s 10th editor in chief and always be better than what we are rather Rosa Del Saz the president emeritus of Fordham than already the very best there is. It was VICE PRESIDENT/ADVANCEMENT University. Father O’Hare was the a time when we knew enough about our Daniel Pawlus previous “youngest editor in chief,” a fact past to cherish it and to allow it to shape DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR of which he reminded me very soon after our future. Kerry Goleski OPERATIONS STAFF my appointment. As we head to the polls again this Chris Keller, Glenda Castro “How’s things at our favorite November, we’d do well to remember ADVERTISING CONTACT magazine?” Joe asked when he greeted that young and old alike have something [email protected]; 212-515-0102 me. I told him things were great and to offer; that if we are to know where to SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT/ADDITIONAL COPIES asked how he was getting on. “Better go, then we must remember where we [email protected]; 1-800-627-9533 than an Irishman deserves,” he said, a came from, that while the United States classic O’Hare witticism, delivered with is neither the last nor the best hope for © 2014 America Press, Inc. a wry smile and impeccable timing. We humankind, it is a very bright light in talked for a while about the magazine, a very dark world whose ideals are ever Cover: Catholics pray outside the state Capitol in Austin as Texas legislators considered measures politics and the latest Jesuit news. An ancient and ever new. restricting abortion in July 2013. CNS photo/ hour in conversation with Joe is always MATT MALONE, S.J. Reuters. Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 211 NO. 12, WHOLE NO. 5066 OCTOBER 27, 2014 ARTICLES 16 IDENTITY POLITICS What happens when faith is put to a vote? Robert David Sullivan 20 FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES When the Churchills met the Kennedys Thomas Maier 24 INTERfaiTH AffiNITY The shared vision of Rabbi Heschel and Pope Francis Harold Kasimow and John Merkle 16 COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 5 Editorial Listening to Ebola 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Washington Front Party Favors John Carr 28 Vatican Dispatch ‘Rough Diamonds’ Gerard O’Connell 29 Generation Faith Finding My Foundation Katherine Luchette 39 The Word Bodies and Souls John W. Martens 20 BOOKS & CULTURE 31 FILM “St. Vincent” OF OTHER THINGS The Soul’s Food BOOKS The National Catholic Reporter at Fifty; Beyond the University; Teach Me to Be Generous ON THE WEB Gerard O’Connell reports from the Synod on the Family at the Vatican, and the Rev. James Alison writes on the global inclusion of L.G.B.T. people in Catholic communities. Full digital highlights on page 19 and at americamagazine.org/ webfeatures. 31 CURRENT COMMENT however, to provide refugee assistance, beginning with an Mercy on the Mediterranean increase in the number of visas provided yearly by the United “We don’t know where to go to cry for them,” one survivor States Refugee Admissions Program. told Pope Francis at a gathering on Oct. 1 to mark the In 2013 the United States distributed 69,926 refugee anniversary of the Lampedusa tragedy. A year after more visas, with the largest allocations made for religious than 360 migrants perished in a shipwreck off the tiny minorities from Iraq, Bhutan and Iran. Only 4,400 were Italian island, many families still do not know where the given to individuals from Latin America and the Caribbean. recovered bodies of their loved ones were laid to rest. The This is not enough. In 2014 the number of unaccompanied question for the international community is: Do we know minors entering the United States from Central America— how to cry for them at all? so far over 60,000—will likely surpass the total refugee visas Violence and instability in the Middle East and North distributed last year. President Obama should allocate more Africa are driving unprecedented numbers of migrants and visas and provide better guidelines for Central American refugees to risk their lives on the ramshackle, overcrowded children. His plan must take into account the recent surge in boats of opportunistic smugglers with the hope of washing minors and bear in mind the violent situations these children up on Europe’s shores. So far this year, 130,000 irregular are risking their lives to escape. migrants have made it to Europe’s southern border; over 3,500 have died at sea trying. To its credit, Italy has launched a search and rescue ‘Coercive and Discriminatory’ operation, called Mare Nostrum, that saved over 140,000 The decision by the State of California to require that all people in the past 12 months. But James Stapleton, head of health insurance policies cover voluntary abortions is so communications for Jesuit Refugee Service International, radical that one wonders about the political calculation says that Italy and the other southern European countries involved. The decision clearly violates the Weldon do not have the capacity to confront this crisis alone. J.R.S. Amendment, a federal law enacted in 2005 to protect the has called on the European Union border agency to take conscience rights of institutions and individuals. Is the state responsibility and go “into international waters, where most trying to appease an influential constituency, knowing that people are losing their lives.” their decision will not likely withstand judicial review? As long as desperate populations are willing to take The decision is shocking in its sweep. For the first to the sea, however, some lives will likely be lost.