THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY OCT. 25, 201 0 $3.50 OF MANY THINGS

PUBLISHED BY JESUITS OF THE UNITED STATES o r y e a r s I c a r r i e d a t e n n i s r a c k e t pared for sweat, sunburn, insects, wind on vacations and played in some and accidents involving permanent color. EDITOR IN CHIEF Drew Christiansen, S.J. Fbeautiful, memorable places— I have learned (almost) not to care what high on a mountainside in Bellagio, onlookers say and readily oblige anyone EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

Italy, for instance, above the fork in Lake who asks to take my photo. And I love MANAGING EDITOR Como. These days, however, having the children who, fascinated by the colors Robert C. Collins, S.J. taken up painting (or, more accurately, and the act of painting, stand reverently EDITORIAL DIRECTOR having been seized by painting), I pack beside me until some adult calls them, Karen Sue Smith paper, a pencil, an eraser and a travel set still rapt, away. Mark-making binds peo- ONLINE EDITOR of watercolors (so small it fits into my ple, even if they can’t say 10 words to Maurice Timothy Reidy hand) and spend hours in plein-air pur- each other in a common language. CULTURE EDITOR suits. Watercolors have accompanied me Imagine me folded onto a six-inch James Martin, S.J. to Canada, Spain, Poland, Norway, curb in Krakow, painting a streetcar LITERARY EDITOR Portugal and France. Yet the quality of passing through a crowded intersection. Patricia A. Kossmann the art I make might cause a fair-mind- Imagine me, fingers half-frozen, paint- POETRY EDITOR ed viewer to wonder why I bother. I’m ing solo on a bench overtaken instantly James S. Torrens, S.J. no John Singer Sargent, no J. M. W. by Japanese tourists, the day’s last bus- ASSOCIATE EDITORS Turner, and no amount of practice will load, as night falls over a totem at a George M. Anderson, S.J. ever change that. Canadian national monument. See me Kevin Clarke A rank amateur, I have found that in Vancouver, straddling a felled tree on Kerry Weber studying portraiture and the human fig- the beach trying to catch on a 10-inch Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. ure has not prepared me to paint by 14-inch page the spectacle of the set- ART DIRECTOR cityscapes, seascapes or landscapes, ting sun. Imagine me painting vignettes Stephanie Ratcliffe though I thought it would and think it of children as they swim and jump into ASSISTANT EDITOR ought to, if only I were doing it correct- Lake Annecy in the French Alps. Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. ly. When painting trees, skies, water Why try if the paintings are not the ASSISTANT LITERARY EDITOR and architecture, I’m tempted to dial reward? After all, one can effortlessly Regina Nigro 911 for emergency assistance. make a picture-perfect video or photo. Painting outside in public also has My answer: Because effort is the thing; BUSINESS DEPARTMENT its challenges. In art class, no one ever the joy is in the doing. It is fun to imag- PUBLISHER walks between artist and subject, but ine oneself painting a lovely frameable Jan Attridge outdoors people routinely linger in the keepsake, but the joy comes in the CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER narrow space between the artist and the application of the paint. Also, I remem- Lisa Pope statue or flowers or boat she has chosen ber each subject, sitting before it, relat- ADVERTISING to immortalize. In class, no one gawks ing to it, giving it my best. While I am Julia Sosa from behind or comments on the work often proud of my paintings—enough in progress. No dripping leaf, bird or to display them at home and at the 106 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 sudden cloudburst mars the image one office—it is the experience of painting has spent hours making; no gale rips that satisfies. I choose a subject, sketch Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 the sheet from one’s tablet. In class, it, experiment with colors and stroke E-mail: [email protected]; other students sympathize with com- with the brush. I love the grand absorp- [email protected] Web site: www.americamagazine.org. mon errors—like the troubling blooms tion, oblivion for hours. Often I take Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533 that form from an excess of water. too long. The light changes so much © 2010 America Press, Inc. Outdoors, though, these blooms call that my finished image shows the pas- out to passersby: “Come here and look sage of time by its incongruous shad- at this mistake!” As anyone who has ows. Yet looking intensely at a subject, ever painted in the medium knows, examining how it is constructed, what watercolors do not tolerate mistakes. lies in front of it, behind it, next to it, Outdoors, the paintings seem to take watching it change with the light—is a Cover: Eboo Patel speaks at an inter- them personally. huge reward. faith conference in Oct. 2009. The plein-air painter must be pre- KAREN SUE SMITH Photo: Deanna Mandarino CONTENTS www.americamagazine.org VOL. 203 NO. 11, WHOLE NO. 4909 OCTOBER 25, 2010

ARTICLES 11 THE TALKING CURE Eboo Patel promotes interfaith dialogue as a defense against anti-Islamic prejudice. Kerry Weber

16 TRUTH AND POWER Putting faith to work in Washington David Golemboski

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 16 5 Editorial Voting Block 6 Signs of the Times

9 Column Left Out Maryann Cusimano Love

19 Faith in Focus Guantánamo Pilgrimage Luke Hansen 29 Letters

31 The Word Out on a Limb Barbara E. Reid 19 BOOKS & CULTURE 21 TELEVISION Five new comedies for fall BOOKS Faith; Longing to Love; Between Human & Divine

ON THE WEB ON THE WEB Melanie Thernstrom, right, answers questions on her new book, The Pain Chronicles, and Luke Hansen, S.J., discuss- es his recent visit with former Guantánamo Bay detainees on our podcast. Plus, Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., reviews “Waiting for Superman.” All at americamagazine.org 21 CURRENT COMMENT

egger has rebuked Koch Industries and two Texas oil com- It’s Nonsense to Compromise panies for meddling in local politics. How can any self-described “deficit hawk” argue for an Prior to the publication of Ms. Mayer’s article, the Koch extension of President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest brothers may not have been called out by name; but her Americans? It defies reason and the economic evidence. investigation has focused much-needed attention on how Extending the tax cut for America’s highest earners, the top much influence one company can exercise in American 2 percent, would withhold $700 billion from the federal politics. Unfortunately, in the wake of Citizens United v. government over 10 years. Tax revenue, of course, enables Federal Election Commission the political power of corpo- the government to pay down the deficit and to refrain from rations will only grow. The clout of corporations will further borrowing. Yet for the last two years, the recession harmfully affect many areas of public life, but perhaps has caused federal tax revenues to drop even as demand for none more than the environment, where America’s services like extended unemployment benefits, health care immense energy companies will fight fiercely to protect for children, increases in food stamps and aid to the states, their profit margins. There is little chance that Congress for example, have increased. Who needs the money more— will step in to check their power before the mid-term elec- the nation’s wealthiest (who for eight years under President tions; but perhaps, come November, the growing political Bush received the largest cuts among taxpayers) or those muscle of corporations will focus legislators’ minds on the who require government assistance? Already, the nation’s urgency of electoral finance reform. top 1 percent of taxpayers earn nearly a quarter (23.5 per- cent) of the nation’s total income. And within that, a tenth Horse Sense on Immigration of one percent (0.1) earn 6 percent of the total. Meg Whitman, a candidate for governor of California and That’s not all. Data from both the Reagan and Bush tax a frequent critic of employers who hire paper-challenged cuts for the wealthy show that top earners tend to save their workers, found herself in a paper jam of her own this excess, which does little to stimulate the economy. The month. It was revealed that Ms. Whitman fired her long- other 98 percent of the population, by contrast, tend to time housekeeper in June 2009 after a belated discovery spend their “extra” income because they can actually use the that she had been dusting chez Whitman for years without money. Such spending, spread across the country, would legal residency. The champion anti-immigration bloviator boost both the economy and citizens’ morale. If President Lou Dobbs had similar paperwork problems at his 300- Obama’s current plan proceeds without compromise, all but acre New Jersey estate and horse farm. An investigation by the top earners receive a tax cut, and earners from the top The Nation magazine turned up undocumented workers tier will be able to take a bow for helping reduce the deficit. tending its grounds and horseflesh and no doubt ducking every time the self-appointed border watchman made his Corporate Muscle rounds. It is always great fun to catch public figures in The political reach of the conservative Koch brothers is glass estates, but the apparent hypocrisy about immigra- now well documented, thanks to Jane Mayer’s must-read tion is a less striking aspect of these gotcha news stories exposé in The New Yorker. David and Charles Koch, the than what they reveal about our national bipolar disorder principal owners of Koch Industries Inc., a private energy on illegal immigration. company, have bankrolled numerous think tanks and polit- The truth is that for decades the United States has tac- ical action groups, including Americans for Prosperity and itly accepted, even encouraged, the expansion of a vast Citizens for a Sound Economy, to advance their libertari- undocumented labor force that now has a significant pres- an, free-market philosophy. The most troubling aspect of ence in virtually every U.S. industry and community— the Kochs’ activism, however, is their lobbying on environ- even in the homes and horse stalls of some of its fiercest mental causes. Greenpeace alleges that Koch Industries is antagonists. These workers cannot be “outsourced” back to the “kingpin of climate change denial,” having funded sev- their native countries without mass disruption to U.S. civic eral organizations working against energy legislation. In life and, of course, great suffering and more dislocation in California Koch-funded entities are among those leading their own lives. Despite overstuffed Dobbsian rhetoric, a the fight for Proposition 23, a referendum that would sus- more compassionate and rational approach—opening pend implementation of the state’s landmark climate- doors to legal immigration and legalizing workers in change bill of 2006. In response Gov. Arnold Schwarzen- place—is the only practical way forward.

4 America October 25, 2010 EDITORIAL Voting Block

he end is near. Candidates are hoarse and woozy; a bar-room shouting match instead of a the public recoils in exhaustion from a final assault legislative forum that remains some- Tof candidate mailers and attack ads; the cable pun- what familiar with the concept of com- ditry contemplate mid-November Caribbean getaways. A promise. good number of pollsters and commentators have already But despite the relentless anger predicted the outcome of these 2010 Congressional elec- depicted on cable news, this year’s vote tions, but the vote itself, the only poll that matters, still may not prove as extreme as many predict. A Newsweek remains to be actually taken by actual people: Tuesday, Nov. poll reports that “angry” voters are no more likely to vote 2. Will you be joining your fellow citizens in the voting than more even-tempered folk. Hot-button social issues booth? that turned heads in previous elections or the Islamophobic Past performance suggests probably not. Mid-term distractions churned up earlier this year turn out to be of lit- races are notoriously poor draws—historically less than 40 tle interest to 2010 voters. According to a New York percent of registered voters bother to mark a midterm bal- Times/CBS News poll, voters are focused on two issues: an lot—and if members of the chattering class can be believed economy on life support and an unemployment rate that has this year, many Americans are so turned off by the state of turned obstinate. That is not surprising after an unprece- our electoral process that they will surely sit this one out. dented 17 months of stagnant employment figures that Young people, African-Americans and Latinos who enthu- threaten a generation of workers and their children. siastically ushered the Obamas into their historic White Catholic voters need to be mindful that the econo- House residency in 2008 are showing significantly less my is not the only issue that should direct their decisions interest in this race. Will America’s crucial independent vot- in the voting booth. Our comprehensively pro-life camp ers head to the polls, or are they too falling into the “enthu- needs to make decisions that are based not only on what siasm gap” that is swallowing so many? The only apparently is best for the economy but also on what will do the most dependable voting bloc this year may be the members of the to protect the most vulnerable among us during this espe- emerging demographic of the disgruntled—especially the cially dangerous time, to safeguard what is left of our hyper-motivated, if anarchic and unpredictable, members of social safety net during a period of accelerating poverty, to the Tea Party movement. These are the folks hurrying to get bring an end to overseas conflicts that squander human government off our backs by propelling their candidates lives and increasingly scarce national resources, and to into it. Partisans on the left appear equally eager for the first interrupt the collusion between corporate interests and Tuesday of November. government agencies that threatens our democracy and If the nation’s political extremes swarm voting booths our environment. while the befuddled, exasperated moderate middle elects to Owing to the many geopolitical and economic haz- stay home and watch television reruns, we will once again ards of our times, this is no throwaway election. It will achieve the government we deserve. A motivated minority determine the fate of a nation at war and struggling with a will set national policy for the rest of us who were too unin- fragile economic recovery that could at any time relapse into spired, too tired, too turned off and tuned out to vote. That something far worse. It is a nation finally facing up to the is, in the best of times, merely an unworthy outcome for a ethical necessity of a health care system that protects instead mature democracy. In this accidentally crucial election, it of bankrupts its citizens. There is cause, through the murk proposes to become a tragedy. of the season’s ceaseless prognostification, to make out some The Tea Party has driven out Republican moder- signs of hope. According to a recent Pew poll, 70 percent of ates—a problem for the G.O.P. no doubt, but also a disser- all likely voters say they plan to take part in our democracy vice to the nation. If the moderate center cannot hold, on Nov. 2. If it is true, as Woody Allen once said, that 80 things fall apart in America. Little legislative progress will percent of success is just showing up, that figure suggests we be achieved during this time of profound national uncer- may have a decent chance this year of voting in not just the tainty and civic crisis if a hyperpolarized Congress becomes government we deserve, but the one we need.

October 25, 2010 America 5 SIGNS OF THE TIMES

SUDAN Independence Vote Could Reignite Civil War he planned referendum on independence for Southern Sudan scheduled for Jan. 9 is simply a “formality,” and efforts must be undertaken to Tensure that the fragile peace that exists in Sudan continues after the vote, said members of a Sudanese delegation to the United States. “The people of the South are beating day and night the drum of secession, independence,” said Bishop Paride Taban, retired bishop of Torit. Bishop Taban, joined by Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum and John Ashworth, acting director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute in South Africa and an adviser to Catholic Relief Services in Sudan, spoke at the Universtity of Notre Dame on Oct. 5 at a conference sponsored by C.R.S., the U.S. bishops and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, among others. The group said that the need to preserve peace after the referendum is vital to the region’s future. “Southerners are going to vote overwhelmingly for separation,” Ashworth said. “But the government in Khartoum doesn’t want separation to happen.” The trio warned that a return to civil war would only preserve the power of the Islamic government and allow for the continued oppression of Sudan’s ethnic and reli- gious minorities. Ashworth said that even if the vote is overwhelmingly in favor of indepen- 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement voters turn out in order for the referen- dence, the outcome could be nullified. that ended decades of civil war requires dum to be official. “Given the difficul- He explained that a provision under the that at least 60 percent of registered ties of a country like Sudan, without

MIDDLE EAST Middle East were represented in the synod: Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Eastern Church Leaders Maronite, Melkite and Syrian. As the Seek More Autonomy synod opened, various prelates from those churches proposed that patri- astern bishops at the Synod of Egypt, the synod’s recording secretary. archs and other heads of Eastern Bishops for the Middle East, But freedom to practice their faith churches should have authority over Eassembled at the Vatican from within different Middle Eastern soci- their communities all around the Oct. 10 to Oct. 24, began their eties was not the only church freedom world, not just in regions of origin. extraordinary meeting with expres- the bishops sought. Within the The bishops also argued that Eastern sions of concern for the future viabili- Catholic Church itself, the Eastern churches in Europe, North America ty of the Christian presence in the bishops demanded greater respect for and elsewhere should be allowed to region and a call for religious freedom Eastern authority and tradition. Many have married priests, according to their in the Middle East. “We must emerge bishops protested the lack of autono- tradition, anywhere it takes root and from a logic in defense of the rights of my their churches experience and sug- not just within their historical Middle Christians only and engage in the gested that structural reforms would Eastern boundaries. defense of the rights of all,” said the be required to preserve the identity, The Eastern Catholic churches introduction to the synod prepared authority and heritage of the 22 have their own canon law and disci- and read by the Coptic patriarch Eastern churches. plines, their own liturgies, spirituali- Antonios Naguib of Alexandria, Six different churches from the ties, histories and heritage. While they

6 America October 25, 2010 among people that ghost voters will be been discussed. The absence of an registered and then not vote.” agreement would feed the possible The role of the church will be vital renewal of hostilities, Ashworth said. to maintaining peace, both bishops Whether such complex issues can be said. Bishop Adwok, who chairs the resolved by Jan. 9 remains question- Justice and Peace Commission of the able, he said. Sudanese bishops’ conference, said the “What is clear is that southern peo- Catholic Church has gained the ple want to secede and there’s a real respect of people of all faiths because possibility they will declare indepen- of its efforts to provide shelter, food dence unilaterally,” Ashworth said. and other basic necessities to war vic- “What we’re hearing is if they declare tims. “The church plays a major role, independence as a last resort and fol- and it plays it in the eyes of the people,” low all legal means, then it will be rel- he said. “They look at the church as atively easy for the international com- another government, an alternative munity to recognize that indepen- government.” dence. If they don’t exhaust all legal The situation in southern Sudan is means, it will be more difficult to rec- complicated by the presence of oil ognize independence.” reserves, the lack of specific bound- Ashworth urged the United Nations A voter casts her ballot in Malakal, aries marking the south from the to send in large numbers of election Sudan, in April, during the country’s north and questions about displaced monitors as soon as possible in an effort first multiparty election in 25 years. people from the south who remain in to promote a free and fair referendum. northern territories, the panelists said. He also called for the world body to communication, without roads, it’s Specifically, about 85 percent of “provide protection for the people” so going to be very difficult to get people Sudan’s oil reserves are located in the they do not fear casting their ballots to vote,” Ashworth said. “There is fear south. Revenue-sharing has so far not under the shadow of war. tend to be identified with one country Antonios Aziz Mina, the Coptic matically have the right to cast votes in or geographical region, many of them bishop of Guizeh, Egypt, said that papal elections and should even take now find that the majority of their especially when there are more faithful precedence over cardinals. They faithful live abroad. Bishop Vartan of an Eastern church living outside than requested that the process of papal Waldir Boghossian, the Argentina- inside the church’s territory, “it is not approval of the election of bishops by based bishop for Armenian Catholics entirely logical that some faithful who the synods of Eastern churches should in Latin America, used paticularly belong to a sui iuris church have no rela- be simplified and accelerated. strong language regarding limits tionship with the church they placed on Catholic patriarchs. He said, belong to, other than liturgically. “Of the 23 churches in their own right “My request is that the patri- that make up the Catholic Church, arch be granted personal jurisdic- only one—the Latin church—is not tion over the faithful of his church subject to this limitation” of its author- wherever they might be,” he said. ity within the bounds of its ancient The Coptic bishop also asked geographical borders. For example, Pope Benedict XVI to revoke a while the bishops of the Armenian decision made in the 1930s that Catholic Church elect bishops for dio- Eastern churches can ordain mar- ceses in Armenia, it is the pope who ried men only in their homelands. Prelates leave the opening Mass of the Synod selects Armenian bishops for dioceses The Eastern bishops said that of Bishops for the Middle East in St. Peter's in the United States or Australia. Eastern patriarchs should auto- Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 10.

October 25, 2010 America 7 SIGNS OF THE TIMES

New Agency at Vatican For New Evangelization NEWS BRIEFS Pope Benedict XVI unveiled a new The Hong Kong Catholic Justice and Peace Vatican agency to promote “new evan- Commission joined human rights groups campaign- gelization” and assigned it the task of ing for the release of the Chinese dissident Liu combating the “de-Christianization” of Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. • countries that were first evangelized U.S. doctors announced on Oct. 11 that they have centuries ago. The new council, named begun the first publicly known use of human embry- the Pontifical Council for Promoting onic stem cells, treating a patient at an Atlanta facil- New Evangelization, will encourage a ity for victims of severe spinal cord injuries. • The Protest in Hong clearer understanding of the faith and Archdiocese of Los Angeles launched a creation sus- Kong help “remake the Christian fabric of tainability ministry on Oct. 4 to inspire Catholics “to act out of rev- human society.” In an apostolic letter erence and respect for God’s creation.” • Khartoum police arrested a dated Oct. 12, the pope identified a man subdued after rushing toward the altar with a dagger during a variety of factors in the weakening of Mass celebrated by Khartoum’s Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako on religious faith in the West: advances in Oct. 11. • As scientists gathered in Detroit for the World Stem Cell science and technology; the widening Summit on Oct. 3, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit said of individual freedom and lifestyle research that destroys human embryos “deserves our scrutiny and choices; profound economic changes; scorn.” • The president of Australia’s United Retail Federation has the mixing of cultures and ethnic u r g e d P o p e B e n e d i c t t o i n t e r c e d e a g a i n s t t h e A u s t r a l i a n g o v e r n m e n t ’s groups brought about by migration; decision to curtail the merchandising use of the name of the newly and the growing interdependence canonized Mother Mary MacKillop. among peoples. Such changes have brought many benefits but often are accompanied by “a worrisome loss of ber of city poor in the largest U.S. establishment of full communion. the sense of the sacred,” he said. metro areas by 1.5 million. Although The second statement, Celebrating the collapse of the housing market and Easter/Pascha Together, focuses on the Poverty Grows high unemployment are driving subur- importance of a unified celebration of In U.S. Suburbs ban distress, “Forty-five percent of Christ’s resurrection. The statements providers report substantial increases identify areas where the churches Poverty has grown in America’s sub- in the number of clients coming from diverge in leadership and other prac- urbs, but suburban poor are finding it households where one or both adults tices, such as the role of the pope, that hard to get help, according to Suburbs are working but cannot earn enough to must be reconciled before the nearly in Need, a study released on Oct. 7 by make ends meet,” Allard said. 1,000-year separation between the the Brookings Institution. One of its churches can end. Ronald Roberson, a co-authors, Scott Allard, an associate Paulist priest who is the associate professor in the School of Social A Vision of Unity director of the U.S. Conference of Service Administration of the Developed by the North American Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for University of Chicago, said, “Few of Orthodox-Catholic Theological Con- Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, the suburban communities have a sultation during a three-day meeting said the divided churches now “dimly social services infrastructure in place at Georgetown University in perceive” what a united church would to address the challenges this Washington, two “unprecedented” look like. “Obviously for that to hap- increased poverty poses.” Existing sub- statements released on Oct. 7 offer a pen,” he said, “Catholics would have to urban social service entities are experi- vision of what the unity of the two adjust and Orthodox would have to encing reduced funding because of churches might look like. Steps adjust.” state budget shortfalls. The report Toward a Reunited Church offers a found that by 2008 the rising number vision of the possible shape of a of suburban poor exceeded the num- reunited church resulting from the re- From CNS and other sources.

8 America October 25, 2010 MARYANN CUSIMANO LOVE

Left Out erlie “Milet” Mendoza knelt Christian,” she said. In Milet’s dreams, Diego’s conference “Precarious and prayed. A peace builder Father Rey and Mary visited her, reas- Progress,” notes that since 1992 only Min Mindanao, the southern sured her and led her to Mass, where 2.5 percent of the peace signatories islands of the Philippines plagued by she joined hands with her friends from who were involved in the 24 U.N.- longstanding conflicts among Catho- the Oblates and her peace-building sponsored peace processes were lics, Muslims and indigenous people, colleagues. women. Milet prayed the rosary daily. This time In the seconds before what she Exclusion of women from the peace she felt the presence of Mary by her thought would be her execution, a table has consequences. Though rape is side and, on her other side, her friend movie played in Milet’s mind. It was used systematically as a tool of war, only and colleague, Rey Roda, a priest of the not her life flashing before her eyes, 18 of 300 peace accords since 1989 Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Father but the centuries of violence and injus- mentioned sexual-based violence in the Rey had been murdered 18 months tice done by the invading conflicts. Of the interna- earlier while conducting peace-build- Catholics to the Moro and Peace tional monies budgeted ing work. Milet felt Mary and Father indigenous people who had for post-conflict recon- Rey holding her hands. She also felt lived in the Philippines for cannot be struction, less than 2.9 the butt of a gun forcing her head for- centuries before colonial percent are directed ward, toward the machete poised to conquest. Her mouth was built while toward women’s needs. behead her. bound by masking tape to excluding Less than 29 cents out of Kidnapped by the Abu Sayeff ter- stifle her screams. But she every $10 budgeted for rorist group, Milet was imprisoned for was moved to try to speak a a majority post-conflict reconstruc- 61 days in a 4-foot by 4-foot cell, iso- few words: “On behalf of of the tion goes to women. lated from her co-worker, who had the sins of all the This sets up a per- also been captured, deprived of the Christians, I ask for forgive- population. verse incentive system. basics of life, beaten and taken on ness for the harms done to Male combatants who forced marches through the forest. the people of Mindanao.” She survived commit human-rights abuses are given One of her 18-year-old captors the ordeal and was released. a seat at the peace table and are offered warned her: “You may see us as young Mendoza, who was later honored as financial incentives to demobilize and but we are used to beheading a Kroc Institute of Peace 2010 Women disarm and are given jobs to reintegrate Christians. Sympathy and compas- PeaceMaker, by the University of San them into society. Their female victims sion are the first virtues we rid our- Diego, is one of many women on the are offered nothing. selves of.” front lines of building peace. Vaiba This culture of impunity invites Instead of a desire for vengeance or Flomo mobilized women to bring more violence against women and girls. violence, Milet felt empathy. “What peace to war-torn Liberia, as portrayed Several U.N. Security Council resolu- monster have we made of this young in the documentary “Pray the Devil tions were supposed to change this, but man?” she wondered. Throughout her Back to Hell.” Sarah Lochodo, an too little implementation has been captivity, prayer sustained her, and African chief from Kenya, works to done. remembrances of every good deed reconcile warring pastoralists and This month, on the 10-year done for her throughout her life. Milet farmers. These women put their lives anniversary of Resolution 1325, non- vowed never to lose respect for the on the line to work for peace. Yet too governmental organizations are pres- many Muslims who treated her like often women are excluded from official suring the United Nations and mem- family. “Because of them I am a better peace processes and from international ber states to include women in peace and institutional support. and security processes. Sustainable A U.N. report, to be delivered to peace cannot be built while excluding a MARYANN CUSIMANO LOVE is a professor of international relations at The Catholic the secretary general this month and majority of the population. It is time University of America in Washington, D.C. highlighted at the University of San women had seats at the peace table.

October 25, 2010 America 9 Eboo Patel with Interfaith Youth Core leaders in Chicago in June 2010. PHOTO: IFYC/MAURYA ORR

10 America October 25, 2010 EBOO PATEL PROMOTES INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AS A DEFENSE AGAINST ANTI-ISLAMIC PREJUDICE. The Talking Cure BY KERRY WEBER

he subject line of the e-mail message read: “Why Muslims can’t be good Americans.” Audrey Allas, 22, had received the chain message from a member of the Tchurch in which she grew up but no longer attended. She knew the content of the message was full of lies, yet she chose to respond—kindly, respectfully—with the truth. As Allas typed her reply, she drew on her experience working at the Interfaith Youth Core. As an intern with the organization, she col- laborated with Muslims daily, befriended Muslims and participated in dialogue and service projects with them. She clicked “Send” and hoped for the best. The response that came from the church’s members was not as kind, however. Many were angered by what Allas had written and told her so, even going so far as to accuse her of being a “secret Muslim.” Her parents, who had responded as well, also received angry, accusatory e-mail messages. They are now searching for a new church. “Interfaith Youth Core gave me that motivation to stand up,” Allas told America. “If I hadn’t been involved in the movement, I might have been silent in that issue. I’ve met Muslim people, and I care about them.” The courage and commitment to truth displayed by this young woman is the kind Eboo Patel hoped to foster when in 1998, at the age of 22, he co-founded the Interfaith Youth Core. The Core— spelled this way to represent its place at the center of a larger move- ment—works to provide the tools and support college students need

KERRY WEBER is an associate editor of America.

October 25, 2010 America 11 to become leaders in interreligious dialogue. These leaders, Distinguishing Islam From Terrorism Patel says, are young men and women “who have the frame- This propaganda feeds into the worst fears of many work, the knowledge base and the skill set to bring people Americans. “People see acts of violence committed in the from different religions together to build understanding and name of Islam, and then they hear somebody say, ‘This is cooperation.” In light of the ongoing and much-publicized what Muslims are called to do,’” said Patel. “What these controversy surrounding Park51, the proposed Islamic cen- anti-Muslim bigots do is effectively confirm that narrative ter a few blocks from ground zero in New York City, as well and say, ‘Yes, the narrative of Osama bin Laden is the true as the anti-Islam protests popping up in cities across the Islam.’” country, these skills are especially needed today. Such misinformation is not coming only from the “The Park51 controversy, in a way, exposed the levels of fringes. Patel says the mainstream media sometimes play a anti-Islam sentiment and Islamophobia in America,” said part—albeit a less deliberate one—as well. Osama bin Patel. “The part of it that I find so disturbing is that it’s Laden videotapes beheadings because he knows that the what I call an educated bigotry, which means that people American media will show the footage, said Patel. “For Bin have sought information that confirms their worst fears Laden the videotape is even more important than the about Muslims and Islam.” beheading because the videotape poisons the image of Islam Patel says that while being interviewed on National in the world,” he said. “It creates an us-versus-them sce- Public Radio he has heard from callers who use words like nario: that Muslims are opposed to the world. If all you Shariah, dawa and taqiyya, but few of the callers truly under- know about Islam is that videotape, that’s your image of stand the meaning or implication of these terms. Patel cred- Muslims.” its the “industry of Islamophobia” for this, which he But the distinction between Islam and terrorist organiza- describes as those “peddling a distorted image of Islam and tions is key to understanding the situation at Park51 and to Muslims and advancing the line that all Muslims want to rebutting claims that establishing the center shows insensi- dominate.” These individuals have books, Web sites and tivity toward the families of those who died on Sept. 11, speaking tours and use the terms as “a kind of anti-Islam 2001. Patel says when the difference is made clear, so is the propaganda,” he said. fact that the center poses no threat to America or to the memory of those who died at ground zero. “How is it insen-

Fool For Christ, Sarah Melici’s one-person play will make you sitive for a group of Americans in a mixed neighborhood— cheer, laugh and cry as you experience Day’s loves, hopes, one that includes strip clubs, off-track betting parlors and spirituality, her wit, compassion and untiring pursuit for peace restaurants—to start an interfaith center in the neighbor- and justice. hood that they have been present in for two decades?” Patel asked. A look at the history of American Catholics, and the prejudice they have faced, can offer some perspective, Patel says. “One hundred years ago, the line against Catholics was that Catholics were the ‘alien Roman,’ that they were papists, that their fidelity to the Vatican meant that they could never be loyal Americans. You literally hear the exact same charges leveled against Muslims: Their fidelity to the Quran means they can never be loyal Americans. Muslims WARRIOR FOR PEACE AND are Islamists. It’s the alien Muslim.” CHAMPION OF THE POOR John T. McGreevy and Scott Appleby, both of the University of Notre Dame, drew similar parallels in a recent article in The New York Review of Books titled “Catholics, Muslims, and the Mosque Controversy.” It took Catholics “Passionate, funny, heartfelt - Dorothy lives!” more than a century to gain acceptance, but eventually, —Daniel Berrigan, S.J. McGreevy and Appleby write, American Catholics earned Author, teacher, poet, activist that acceptance both by transforming their own church and “by serving (and dying for) their country, and building their own churches, schools and health care systems alongside public counterparts, which they also frequented and sup- To purchase a DVD or to schedule a performance visit www.FoolforChrist.com or call 732-345-0573. ported with their taxes.” An overwhelming majority of American Muslims, the authors argue, are now trying to do

12 America October 25, 2010 the same. According to the authors, Park51 is just one more sign of the desire among American Muslims for full partic- ipation in American society, and the builders must not be denied that right: “If the Catholic experience in the United States holds any lesson,” they write, “it is that becoming American also means asserting one’s constitutional rights, fully and forcefully, even if that assertion is occasionally taken to be insulting.”

Collaborative Action Patel hopes that the Interfaith Youth Core will help young adults gain confidence in their ability to express their faith to others, so that common misconceptions of American Muslims and of people of all faiths can be broken down and those working toward inclusion might be able to offer an organized and respectful response to all prejudice. 100% “A good bit of this anti-Muslim hatred is being sacral- OF PROCEEDS ized,” said Patel. “It’s being articulated in theological terms. FROM CARD SALES The guy leading the Quran burning in Florida says, ‘This is what Jesus would do.’ The people who are in favor of burn- BENEFITS POOR AND ing the Quran in the name of Jesus preach from the pulpit ISOLATED about that message every Sunday…. Those of us who CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES believe in embracing our neighbors of different backgrounds THROUGHOUT [have to ask ourselves]: Are we as loud? Are we as AMERICA forthright? Are we as compelling? Are we as cogent?” What those seeking inclusion need now, Patel says, is a renewed sense of urgency and a renewed commitment to dialogue and deliberate collaborative action. “It’s not about saying all religions are the same; it’s not even about saying all religions are equal,” he said. “It’s about saying that people from different faith backgrounds ought to come together in ways that build understanding and cooperation. We consid- er intolerance and bigotry a severe threat to pluralism.” Patel envisions congregational partnerships between churches and mosques, which might include religious leaders giving speeches at the other’s house of worship and religious groups working together on interfaith service projects. The idea of service is key to a successful dialogue and is particularly effective in a college campus setting, since col- lege students often have the resources, infrastructure and enthusiasm to organize effective and far-reaching projects, Patel said. Interreligious service projects allow students to relate not only to peers of other faiths, but can easily include students who do not subscribe to a particular faith or who may have given up on the idea of God altogether. Individuals of all backgrounds are able to draw upon com- mon values or influences. “What we really put at the center of the table is the shared values of service, mercy and com- passion,” said Patel. “And then we invite people to speak to how their tradition inspires them to apply that shared value.” | | Patel’s own religious experience has been influenced by

October 25, 2010 America 13 a diverse group of spiritual men and women, all of whom Years ago, as a 22-year-old interested in his faith—and have helped him to strengthen his own Muslim faith. His the faith of others—Patel noticed that most of the individ- interest in the life of Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the uals interested in interreligious dialogue were not his con- Catholic Worker Movement, led him to embark on a tour temporaries. Many who were actively participating in dia- of Catholic Worker houses along the East Coast during logue were decades older, while many young adults closer to college. his age seemed to spend time with others like themselves or even to favor more fundamentalist views. The Core came Campus Volunteers out of Patel’s desire to challenge his peers to enter into con- College is a formative time for many young adults, and Patel versation with one another. In the 21st century, most people believes that Catholic colleges and universities have a special view religion in one of four ways, said Patel: “It can be a ability—responsibility even—to foster interfaith dialogue bubble of isolation, a barrier of division, a bomb of destruc- on campus. “I really think that the Catholic universities tion or a bridge of cooperation. And what those four things have a leg up on many other universities, because they have have in common is this: They are answers to the question, taken volunteerism seriously for many, How do I respond to diversity?” many years,” Patel said. “They naturally ON THE WEB While negative influences encourage connect faith to volunteering. So many A conversation with Eboo Patel. some to respond with barriers or bombs, Catholic universities have diverse student americamagazine.org/podcast the major faith traditions do not urge such populations or exist in areas in which action. “There are resources within our diversity is around them. Catholic universities, because they faith communities and a call from the divine to build a bridge take their own faith seriously, have appreciative understand- to diversity—a bridge of cooperation using the raw materials ing of other people’s faiths…. I think every college campus of the theology of your faith—and to walk across that bridge ought to consider itself a model of interfaith cooperation.” to serve others,” he said. “There are really fruitful dialogues Colleges can effectively live that model by offering courses, to have on shared values—mercy, service, compassion.” lectures, training and service projects with an eye to reli- Patel said that the way these values manifest themselves, gious diversity and dialogue, he said. however, can differ. “Just because Muslims believe in mercy The Core has worked on more than 150 campuses across and Catholics believe in mercy doesn’t mean we believe we the nation, including more than 30 Catholic universities, walk the same path toward mercy,” he said. “So the interest- like Chicago’s DePaul University, Loyola University of ing dimension of that dialogue is: What is it in your tradi- Chicago, Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., Loyola tion of Catholicism that inspires you to act in mercy? You University of Maryland, Saint Mary’s College near San get these very rich stories from Catholics about the works of Francisco and Xavier University in Cincinnati. As the orga- Jesus, about a Scripture from the Bible, and you get these nization grows, Patel hopes the dialogue will grow with it. rich stories from Muslims about Muslim prayers about mercy and about stories relating to Muhammad.” Get a Daily Glimpse of In sharing these stories, individuals of faith must recall, retell and reflect on God’s Amazing Grace them once again, which often gives par- ticipants new perspective on their own Written by best-selling author Margaret Silf, faith. “The way we frame our ques- this tenth-anniversary edition of A Book of tion—How does your tradition inspire Grace-Filled Days follows the Cycle A lectionary you to serve others?—is constantly for 2011. Beginning with Advent 2010, each referring young people back to a tradi- daily page lists the Scripture readings from the tion,” Patel said. “Our process helps Mass for that day, an excerpt from the readings, reconnect young people with traditions and a brief, inspiring refl ection. that they might have felt, for whatever SPECIAL DISCOUNT for America readers reason, estranged from or they have Makes 1-9 copies, just $8 each! gone astray from. I hear with some fre- a great 10 or more copies, just $5 each! quency young people saying the process of interfaith service compelled me to go gift! Regular price: $11.95. Use promo code 3188 to receive discount. Off er expires 12/30/10. back to church because I saw, in explain- ing it, how my religion inspired me to A JESUIT MINISTRY To order: Call 800-621-1008 or visit www.loyolapress.com/2011 serve others.” A

14 America October 25, 2010 ANNUAL FALL MCGINLEY LECTURE


 Promoting Peace and Human Security in the Holy Land

Prophetic Faith

AWARDS BANQUET and the Critique of Tradition

Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives

The Reverend Patrick J. Ryan, S.J. Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society

RESPONDENTS

Rabbi Daniel Polish, Ph.D. BANQUET KEYNOTE SPEAKER Congregation Shir Chadash, Poughkeepsie, New York Professor Amir Hussain, Ph.D. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS & TOPICS: The lecture will be delivered at two locations:

Monday, 15 November 2010, 6 p.m. 12th-floor Lounge | Lowenstein Center Lincoln Center Campus | 113 W. 60th Street | New York City Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 6 p.m.

Flom Auditorium | Walsh Library Rose Hill Campus | Bronx, New York

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For more information, please contact (718) 817-4745 or e-mail [email protected].

cchoices Peace vs. No Peace?

ToTo rregisteregister oonline,nline, oorr fforor moremore informationinformation aaboutbout thethe conferenceference oorr HCEF,HCEFF,, visitvisit WWW.HCEF.ORGWWW.HCEFF..ORG OROR CALLCALL 330101 995151 94009400 EXTEXT 219219

October 25, 2010 America 15 Truth and Power How I put my faith to work in Washington BY DAVID GOLEMBOSKI

n a religiously diverse society like that of the Sister Simone Campbell, director of Network, and United States, all citizens must be given an equal Sayyid M. Syeed, of the Islamic Society of North chance to participate in government of, by and for America, at an interfaith event in Washington. the people. By law the government cannot exclude Icitizens on the basis of religion or require them to adopt any particular religious beliefs or practices. Nor can any citizen force another to live by the standards of any par- ticular faith tradition—all of which brings me to a con- flict I encounter every day. I work for Network, a faith-based lobby in Washington, D.C., that engages in advocacy to influ- ence national legislation. The organization’s mandate is to raise the voice of Catholic social teaching to the lead- ers who shape the country’s laws and direction. As Catholics, we on the staff believe in the social message of our faith—that living the Gospel is not a private matter and that institutions, systems and structures should reflect solidarity with the poor, concern for the vulnerable and the overwhelming mercy of God. My colleagues and I spend our days telling members of Congress that their decisions, which affect the whole country, should be made based on the values of our particular faith tradition. See the problem? If not, don’t worry; few people do. As a Catholic organization, Network fits within the alarm to warn that Network (or any other Catholic lobby) is mainstream of the American religious landscape, so it does breaching the wall of separation between church and state? not raise many eyebrows on Capitol Hill. But imagine if, These questions are not merely hypothetical. During the instead, it lobbied for legislation that was, say, more faithful health care reform process, the U.S. Conference of Catholic to Islamic law. The resulting uproar would be forceful and Bishops played a highly visible and controversial role. Their immediate. We advocates would be blasted for trying to leg- advocates pushed for the inclusion of specific provisions islate morality and impose our values on the rest of society. regarding abortion funding and achieved success early on. Legislators would not give us the time of day, news media When a reform package including the bishops’ preferred would treat us as a scandal, and we would have to struggle language passed the House of Representatives in early just to keep our doors open. November, there was much talk of the influence that the Network does not generally face this kind of opposition, U.S.C.C.B. was enjoying in Congress. Some questioned because Catholicism is familiar and acceptable to most whether the conference had played too large a role. An arti- Americans. But the question remains: On what grounds do cle in Ms. magazine titled “Bishops, Keep Your Hands Off I get to tell lawmakers that they should organize society Healthcare!” exhorted the bishops to “keep the separation of around my church’s teaching? Is that not legislating morali- church and state clear.” Representative Lynn Woolsey ty? Am I not trying to impose my values on the rest of the (Democrat of California) even suggested that the Internal country? Should non-Catholics (and anyone who does not Revenue Service reconsider the U.S.C.C.B.’s tax-exempt want the United States to become a theocracy) sound an status. DAVID GOLEMBOSKI, of Washington, D.C., is an associate lobbyist for Not only do others have questions about religion in the Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby. public sphere; I myself wonder whether I am justified in my

16 America October 25, 2010 daily work. I respect and revere our secular democracy. I on many days of religious significance. Practically, it often think it is the best way to protect against religious discrim- refers to financial separation, although some faith-based enti- ination and ensure religious liberty. I do not support prayer ties do receive public funding to carry out charitable func- in public schools; I do not think America is properly called tions. Nor can it mean personal separation, since countless a Christian nation; I do not think that manger scenes belong people of faith serve in official public capacities. Elected offi- on the lawns of city halls. So how can I, in good conscience, cials are often quite open about their religious beliefs, and work for a Catholic lobby? nobody suggests this violates the Constitution. (Concerns only arise in the case of minority religions: the worries about Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, or the rumors that President Obama is a “secret Muslim.”) Individual voters, who exercise I do not think a critical public function, represent all sorts of religious com- mitments. Indeed, every citizen is also a spiritual being, and America is there is no way to “separate” these parts of a self. The “separation” phrase is not found in the U.S. Constitution; the wording comes from a later document properly called penned by Thomas Jefferson. What is found in the Constitution is the First Amendment’s protection of “free a Christian exercise” of religion and its prohibition of state preference for one religion over another. These principles are specific. nation. So how Wrestling with the actual constitutional language will bear more fruit than relying on the politically charged and high- ly unclear rhetoric of “separation.” can I, in good Most major American Christian denominations have offices in Washington, as do numerous other faith-based conscience, advocacy organizations. Every office has a particular focus. And while there is outright disagreement over some issues work for a (abortion rights and the Israel-Palestine conflict are two prime examples), there is a wide area where values and poli- Catholic lobby? cy priorities overlap. On many issues Christians and non- Christians work in coalitions on behalf of values shared by millions of people of faith across the country and throughout the world. If there is a simple answer to my conflict, I have yet to Advocates from non-Catholic traditions have often said find it. There is no shortage of legal, philosophical and the- to me that they envy the Catholic Church for its richly ological scholarship surrounding religion in the public developed and clearly articulated social principles. Catholic sphere. A host of thinkers far more brilliant than I, includ- teaching resonates outside Catholicism. And the language ing generations of Supreme Court justices, have failed to of Catholic social teaching (human dignity, civic participa- settle the matter. tion, preferential option for the poor) is used widely by Yet a few insights from my work may help point toward faith-based coalitions to express shared priorities. an understanding of how people of faith can act on their Catholic faith values are often entirely comprehensible in convictions in the secular realm without undermining the secular terms as well and are shared by many who seek the Constitution. common good. The public sphere can be a fertile ground on which to nurture and strengthen shared values. By working No Such ‘Separation’ together for justice, we Catholics can grow closer to our reli- Like most other stock political phrases, the words “separa- gious and nonreligious partners and with them build a bet- tion of church and state” are uttered far more often than ter world. they are understood. What separation is supposed to mean is far from obvious. Raising the Moral Voice Separation surely does not mean simply physical separa- I am often struck by the limited domain in which moral lan- tion, though at times this is its sense. Religious displays, for guage is employed publicly. In contemporary political dis- example, are not permitted on public land. Separation does course, moral principles tend to be used to stake out posi-

PHOTO: CNS/JESSIE ABRAMS not imply temporal separation, since we enjoy federal holidays tions on sexuality and sexual relations. Around these one

October 25, 2010 America 17 finds no shortage of voices claiming moral authority. In the rest of the policy arena, by contrast, the rhetoric is dominated by prudential, rather than moral, reasoning. Decisions about war, economics, education, health care and global trade, for example, are usually argued and explained on the basis of cost, economic or strategic advantage and the “national interest.” One unique contribution of people of faith has been a willingness to bring moral considerations to public discussions. Take, for example, the topic of global economic justice. Whereas American politicians will often fight poverty in the America is the perfect gift United States as a service to those who elected them, they feel for birthdays, graduations, less accountable to impoverished people abroad. People of weddings and other special faith, however, see themselves as accountable not only to their constituents, shareholders or immediate neighbors. Christians occasions. are accountable to a God who knows no national boundaries and who is not swayed by “national interests.” Celebrate joyous events by In its injection of moral reasoning into public policy debate, sharing the gift of thought, faith-based advocacy enhances public discourse. This holds true whether any particular set of moral reasons wins out or inspiration and hope. not. It is an achievement merely to have shifted public discus- sion from self-interested politics to concern for others in need. Religion is not limited to words, of course, in its contribu- tion to the public sphere. It is not limited to articulating values and persuading lawmakers. Rather, the church can influence To give a gift subscription, society whenever its adherents live in accord with Christian or to subscribe yourself, just teaching. As the theologian Stanley Hauerwas has said, “The call 1-800-627-9533. first social ethical task of the church is to be the church.” The invitation to discipleship has never been a matter of persuasion or of a detailed comprehensive philosophy. Or write to us at: Christ did not convince people to follow him. Rather, the Jesus we find in the Gospels offered a fresh vision of how to America live, in defiance of reigning social norms, proclaiming that a new kind of world is at hand. To some onlookers this vision Subscription Department appeared repugnant, even dangerous, but to others it was PO Box 293159 compelling. Indeed, it was compelling enough to motivate Kettering, OH 45429-9159 centuries of prophets who have faced rejection and persecu- tion for their refusal to abandon that vision. Christ merely extended an invitation. www.americamagazine.org The church in the world today should not assume that its job is to convert officials, institutions or systems. It can work at these things, of course. But the church’s greatest hope should rest on the capacity of the reign of God to draw oth- ers in on its own. If the church can commit itself to radical compassion, radical nonviolence and radical forgiveness, it will inevitably draw attention. To some, it will appear repug- nant and even dangerous. But to others, it will be compelling. When hearts and minds are changed, legislation and pol- icy will follow. If Christians can truly live as the church in the world—the pilgrim people of God, witnessing to the transforming love of Christ—all we will need to do is extend the invitation. A

18 America October 25, 2010 FAITH IN FOCUS Guantánamo Pilgrimage BY LUKE HANSEN

ince the terrorist attacks of In large part, U.S. courts have Sept. 11, 2001, a particu- accepted the argument that in Slar narrative has dominat- wartime it is legal for the execu- ed the American consciousness. tive to use indefinite detention. It goes like this: Terrorists are Guantánamo and Bagram remain unconditionally committed to a open for business. While the religious ideology that requires number of people held has been them to kill “infidels” without reduced in the last year-and-a- any regard for their own lives or half, currently almost 1,000 men any effort toward reconciliation; are detained in these two facili- therefore, there is but one realis- ties. tic option for the United States The Bush and Obama admin- as it relates to such persons: per- istrations have also claimed that manent incapacitation through there should be no independent killing or detention. This narra- judicial oversight of these deten- tive seeks to rationalize a perpet- tions, that in wartime military ual war against terrorism and authorities, not the courts, deter- keeps places like Guantánamo mine whether a person has been and the detention facility at accurately classified as an enemy Bagram Air Base open. I reject it, combatant. But at least in regard however, and its conclusion that to those detained in Guantá- the United States must continue namo, the U.S. Supreme Court its war and detention policies. has rejected that claim. Rejecting the legitimacy of In a historic case, Boumediene such an outlook, I pray for the grace to and women at the Bagram base. The v. Bush (2008), the court ruled that live the Christian alternative faithfully: U.S. government has reported to the Guantánamo detainees possess a con- love of one’s enemies. Jesus command- United Nations that about 100 of stitutional right to have their deten- ed his followers to “do good to those these detainees have been juveniles as tions reviewed in U.S. federal courts. who hate you, bless those who curse young as 13 years of age. The Obama administration has you, pray for those who mistreat you” Concerning these detentions, the opposed extending habeas corpus to (Lk 6:43-44). He did not instruct Bush and Obama administrations Bagram detainees, however, even when them to kill their enemies or detain have made substantially the same detainees were initially captured out- them indefinitely. Since each enemy is claim: Since the nation is fighting a side Afghanistan and later transferred a human being, there is always hope war, the law allows the executive to to an “active theater of war.” In April for relationship and dialogue, redemp- indefinitely detain those declared to be 2009 a U.S. district judge rejected the tion and transformation. “an unlawful enemy combatant” with- administration’s argument, but in May Since 2002 the United States has out ever charging them with a crime or 2010 a federal appeals court over- detained about 800 men at giving them due process in a court of turned the district court ruling. Now it Guantánamo and about 3,000 men law. As long as military authorities is up to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine that a person either consti- decide whether to hear the case. LUKE HANSEN, a Jesuit scholastic of the tutes a threat to national security or Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, is possesses valuable intelligence about The Guantánamo Detainees currently coordinating the Red Cloud volun- teer program on the Pine Ridge Indian terrorist activities, detention may con- According to the prevailing U.S. view

Reservation in South Dakota. tinue indefinitely. of who the enemy is, permanent inca- ART: SEAN QUIRK

October 25, 2010 America 19 pacitation through killing or detention tently dehumanized by Rush • The Witness Against Torture appears a plausible or even necessary Limbaugh and others who have called community, founded by Catholic response. If the enemy is irredeemably them “human debris” and “bottom-of- Workers and friends, made a pilgrim- evil, he or she cannot and will not the-barrel dregs.” Whatever the accu- age to Guantánamo in 2005 to per- change. If the United States sets them sations against the Guantánamo form a corporal work of mercy: visit- free, they will inevitably “return to the detainees, however, they retain their ing the imprisoned (Mt 25:36). Even battlefield” to kill more Americans. inherent dignity and basic rights as though the pilgrims were stopped at a Civilian leaders have continually human beings. These men are fathers, military checkpoint outside the U.S. reinforced this narrative. Secretary of sons, uncles and brothers. Naval Base and prohibited from going Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice any farther, they were able to hold a President Dick Cheney repeatedly Living the Gospel 24-hour fast and vigil near the characterized the detainees as the As I learn more about the barbed-wire fence as an act of solidar- “worst of the worst” terrorists in the Guantánamo detainees, I have experi- ity with the prisoners, who were world, captured on the battlefield enced a deep desire to enter into rela- informed that the vigil was taking fighting U.S. soldiers. The available tionship with them. These days I am place. evidence does not support these accu- less interested in collecting informa- • Marc Falkoff, a professor of law at sations. tion from legal briefs and newspaper Northern Illinois University and an Since 2008, when federal courts articles. Instead, I want to meet these attorney for 17 Guantánamo prison- finally began to review detentions at men, shake their hands, engage in dia- ers, edited Poems From Guantánamo: Guantánamo, judges have concluded logue and imagine a new way forward. the Detainees Speak (Univ. Iowa Press, that in 36 of 50 cases the executive I want to be a brother to them. I want 2007). The collection presents the branch failed to provide sufficient evi- to be a faithful companion of Jesus, voices of detainees, who share their dence to support its claim that the who invited his followers to love their experiences of darkness and light, detainee in question is an “enemy com- enemies. I want to sit down with despair and hope. batant” who can be lawfully detained Guantánamo detainees and learn their • Brandon Neely, a former guard at for an indefinite amount of time. In stories, to ask: Where did you grow Guantánamo, traveled to London in nearly 75 percent of cases, the courts up? What did you do as a child? What December 2009 to meet with two for- ruled the detention unlawful and did you dream of? What formed you mer Guantánamo detainees. During ordered the detainee released. and shaped you as an adolescent? the meeting, he expressed regret and In May, President Obama’s What is important to you now? What sorrow for his complicity in their suf- Guantánamo Review Task Force final- are your values? fering. ly released its review of detainee cases If the person is one of the few Prophetic acts entail risk. Will it be and recommendations for disposition. Guantánamo detainees who is a com- possible to build trust between so- The report admits that only 10 per- mitted member of Al Qaeda, I want to called enemies? Will Americans who cent of the 240 detainees (when hear his reasons for joining the terror- seek reconciliation be labeled “terrorist Obama came into office) had a “direct ist organization. I want to ask: “What sympathizers”? role in plotting, executing, or facilitat- motivates you? What are your I think Jesus would understand ing” terrorist acts. A majority of the grievances against us?” I want to learn such a loss of good repute. For touch- detainees, the task force reports, were what has compelled him to resort to ing lepers and talking with “low-level foreign fighters” who violence. Samaritans, Jesus was declared “lacked a significant leadership or He might ask similar questions of unclean. For dining with sinners, Jesus other specialized role” in a terrorist me: “Why does the United States was called a glutton and a drunkard. organization. (Note: these classifica- wage war against Muslims? Why Jesus took this risk and entered into tions reflect the task force’s own inves- invest $800 billion in soldiers and these relationships because he believed tigation, not the assessment of an weapons each year? Why resort to vio- that redemption is possible for all peo- independent court that has objectively lence in an attempt to solve the world’s ple. In doing so, Jesus provides a scrutinized the available evidence in problems?” counter-narrative to the dominant each case.) Such a relationship might seem far- belief that perpetual war and indefi- Not only have the Guantánamo fetched were it not for the prophetic nite detention are the regrettable, yet detainees been wrongly characterized witness of communities and individu- inevitable responses to alleged terror- as the “worst of the worst” terrorists in als who have creatively incarnated ism. He showed us another way, the the world, but they have been consis- Jesus’ love for enemies. Here are three: way of love. A

20 America October 25, 2010 BOOKS &CULTURE

TELEVISION | JAKE MARTIN this point, it is also the funniest new show on the docket. The show follows COMIC TIMING the adventures of the vacuous playboy Steven Wilde (Will Arnett) as he Can five new comedies survive the fall rush? reconnects with childhood sweetheart Emmy (Keri Russell), now grown up. n autumn hope springs eternal, ing executives decide where to put She is an environmental advocate and and usually lasts about a week. their money. a single mom to daughter Puddle (yes, IThen the Nielsen ratings come in. Any show with “CSI” as its prefix is Puddle), residing in the Peruvian rain- In network television that is when a safe bet to see springtime; others, forest with her eco-terrorist fiancé. executives can garner a sense of particularly comedies, are not nearly as The downside for “Wilde” has whether the new shows they have easy to track. The following overview nothing to do with the show itself. spent the previous six months primp- of five of the most buzzed-about new Rather, because “Wilde” was created ing and priming will see the light of comedies considers whether they are by the team behind the critical darling the May sweeps. Industry types spend worth the hype. “Arrested Development,” it suffers by July and August buzzing over which The most highly anticipated come- comparison. To put it in sitcom terms: shows will hit and which will miss, as dy of the fall, Fox’s Running Wilde is if “Arrested Development” is Marcia pilots are bandied about and advertis- engaging, light-hearted television. At Brady, then “Wilde” is Jan. Perhaps it

The cast of “Raising Hope” PHOTO: RAY MICKSHAW/FOX is unfair that “Wilde” is held to such a has all the makings of a dissertation on her own with the boys but usually out- high standard, since it is a good show what’s wrong with contemporary tele- shines them. in its own right, but “Wilde” winds up vision, “Bleep” is not as bad as it could The fundamental problem with looking pedestrian next to its innova- be or should be. While the writing of “Bleep” is the premise: the show has tive predecessor. “Bleep” will not change the face of com- nowhere to go after the one-liners have Arnett’s Steven Wilde is the show’s edy, it manages to be clever and sharp, run their course. That puts in question high-status buffoon, a character both particularly the one-liners delivered by the show’s staying power. utterly ridiculous and lovably human. the eponymous father, portrayed by the Staying power seems not to be a He is a fundamentally good man in television legend William Shatner. problem for NBC’s Outsourced, need of a moral compass, which is The show should which has the come- where Emmy enters. Russell has the be commended for ON THE WEB dy legs to last. NBC thankless role of playing “straight attempting to move Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., reviews the has put so much documentary “Waiting for Superman.” woman” to Arnett’s comedic brilliance, beyond the one-lin- americamagazine.org/culture faith in this show but her gentle underplaying and lika- ers of its gimmicky that it appears in the bility complement her co-star’s histri- premise and to venerated Thursday onics. Though “Wilde” is not one for explore the complicated, often messy night lineup alongside such heavy- the ages, it is solid, and the skill and relationship between Shatner and his weights as “The Office” and “30 Rock.” likability of its two leads should make younger son Henry (Jonathan The network’s faith is not unfounded. for a steady run. Sadowski). But the father/son The show, based on the independent The self-explanatory idea for CBS’s “moments of truth” feel contrived, and film of the same name, is a fish-out-of- S#*! My Dad Says came from a Sadowski’s Henry comes across as water tale about Todd Dempsy (Ben Twitter feed with a similar but more petulant and whiny. Nicole Sullivan, Rappaport), an American 20-some- explicit name. While the concept of the the lone female voice, portrays the wife thing thrust into the heart of India as show (and its title, to which reviewers of Shatner’s dim-witted elder son, the manager of a call center for a nov- are referring as “Bleep My Dad Says”) Vince (Will Sasso). She not only holds elty catalogue that sells such items as whoopi cushions, fake blood and

bacon wallets. His staff is made up of a “Ordained is a book group of misfits, called “the B team,” that raises the questions who have little understanding of the we need to discuss,   kitschy Americana they are hawking not deny, not ignore, depends on over the phone. not repress if we are really The writing never plays to the low- going to be church.” est common denominator in terms of cultural stereotypes. And while cultur- Joan Chittister, OSB   al disparity is the foundation of the show, the laughs come from a sense of discovery rather than disdain. Rappaport, highly likeable in the lead please role, steers the ship with ease; that’s no remember small feat, since the temptation for  
 smugness is ripe with this kind of in character. He is amply supported by a your cast of unknowns, who showcase their Available from will. quirkiness with a clear sense of ensem- Singing River ble that hearkens back to the early sea- Publications, Inc. sons of “The Office.” Most great shows P.O. Box 72 do not hit their stride until their sec- Ely, MN 55731 ond or third season. “Outsourced” 218/359-3498 our america press inc., could be such a show. One can only www.singingriver legal 106 west 56th street hope that NBC maintains its faith in it publications.com title new york, ny long enough for that to happen. is: 10019 CBS’s Mike & Molly has a one-

22 America October 25, 2010 joke premise, and that one joke is a fat ages the difficult task of fusing bitter- relevance through the fundamentally joke: both the titular leads (portrayed ness with tender affection. Cigarette self-sacrificial nature of parenthood, in by Billy Gardell and Melissa dangling from her sour-milk lips as spite of the less-than-ideal circum- McCarthy) are obese. The show looks sardonic platitudes fly, Plimpton never stances in which he finds himself: sin- at the blooming romance between the lets the audience doubt for a second gle, unemployed and living with his two, a police officer and an elementary that she is one protective mama bear. parents. In many ways Jimmy is a clas- school teacher, respectively, who meet With his wide-open gaze and blank- sic American protagonist, restless and at an Overeater’s Anonymous meet- slate delivery, Neff is wonderfully clue- yearning for self-discovery. Yet rather ing. Hijinks and fat jokes ensue. less as Jimmy, yet he manages to con- than going west or moving inward in The show works. Yet having seen vey a powerful sense of hope and spir- the hope of finding himself, Jimmy only the pilot episode, I find it hard to itual depth, which drive Jimmy and moves outward and discovers himself predict how long it may run, given that help him to identify the importance of in the face of a child. As Jimmy says: “I the well of obesity humor is relatively the journey he is about to begin. just want the chance to do something shallow. From Ralph Kramden Almost all contemporary American good. This is [my] chance to do some- onward, television has presented its film and television, mirroring the cul- thing good.” And something good fair share of iconic overweight charac- ture at large, prioritize the value of aptly describes much of what’s hap- ters. While size always played a role in career and sex, not necessarily in that pening with this show. their humorous appeal, however, order. The beauty of “Hope” is its weight was never the whole joke. The emphasis on the significance of voca- JAKE MARTIN, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic, teaches writers of “Mike & Molly” have yet to tion outside the realms of occupation theater and theology at Loyola Academy in find the layers beneath the fat. and romantic attachment. Jimmy finds Willmette, Ill. Although the supporting cast is appealing (Katy Mixon as Molly’s morally bankrupt sister is especially BOOKS | NANCY HAWKINS funny), the show relies entirely on the skill of its two leads. Both Gardell and LIVING IT McCarthy bring a depth and sincerity to their performances rarely seen on television, let alone in the cartoonish FAITH What It Is and What It Isn’t world of sitcoms. They are more than ready to take the show to another level. By Terrence W. Tilley If you can wait out the first dark Orbis Books. 152p $22 and uncomfortable 10 minutes of the pilot of Fox’s Raising Hope, you will It is not easy to explain faith, nor is it be more than rewarded. It could easy to write about it. But Terrence become a fine show. Jimmy Chance Tilley has done so in a fine manner in (Lucas Neff ), a bumbling slacker in this small book, which unpacks vari- the midst of an existential crisis, finds ous aspects and nuances of faith. It is himself the sole caregiver to his new- always wonderful to come across an born daughter after unfortunate accessible book that can be used with events leave the infant motherless. those beginning to explore their life of (This unseemly plot contrivance may faith, and also with those starting their or may not involve an electric chair.) study of theology. Tilley’s work will Jimmy recognizes fatherhood as an also be useful for those of us who are opportunity to give direction and not new at pondering what it means to meaning to his aimless life. In its abili- be a person of faith. ty to tease out the extraordinary from Tilley, a professor of Catholic theol- the mundane, “Raising Hope” leaps ogy and department chair at Fordham beyond the standard television fare. University, is correct when he states to state that one has faith, but that is The talented cast includes Martha that faith is a powerful human reality usually where the conversation ends. Plimpton as Jimmy’s no-nonsense that is often ignored and misunder- This book explores misunderstand- mom, Virginia, who somehow man- stood in our public discourse. It is easy ings about faith, various ways to define

October 25, 2010 America 23 faith, what it means to express one’s religion as illusion, humanism and deism, because it seems to be the “faith faith in public, how one lives faith and universalism—if for no other reason expression” of so many young people finally how it is possible to justify the than to be able to respond to such cri- today. It is a fascinating topic that faith one professes. tiques. deserves to be looked at in depth. I found the first chapter, on misun- When discussing the various It is one thing to have faith and it is derstanding faith, to be quite rele- expressions of faith, Tilley offers the another thing to live one’s faith. Tilley vant, especially since so many people reader a valuable explanation of creeds explains well the importance of narra- today are taking it and how they pre- tive when one is embracing and living a upon themselves to sent the tenets of a faith life. Human beings have respond- judge (and often ON THE WEB faith. At Sunday ed to the power of the story since condemn) the faith Melanie Thernstrom discusses her new liturgy I am often ancient times, and while creeds are book, The Pain Chronicles. of others in their americamagazine.org/culture aware of how the important for stating the tenets of midst. The reader assembly “rattles” off faith, stories are what draw us in. needs to be remind- the Creed, and I Tilley lays out the types or genres of ed that “faith always involves risk. wonder if we ever ponder the signifi- stories of faith and is careful to explain Blind faith is irrational risk.” Tilley cance of the words we say. This chap- that he is not engaging in literary crit- clearly explains that faith is not the ter on expressing faith, though, lacks icism. He is looking at how stories same as morality, nor is it the same as the focus of the other chapters. Tilley shape our faith. I greatly enjoyed this hope. Neither is all faith connected to dips in to humanism, St. Augustine’s section of the book and, like many religious beliefs or expressions, for as theology, moralistic therapeutic deism people, am fascinated with the narra- Tilley states, “people without reli- and Buddhism all in fewer than 10 tive expressions of story. Our various gious faith also do have faith.” Those pages. It is a bit much to cover in such religious communities rely on the with “religious faith” will greatly ben- a short space, even for a book of this power of faith, especially when we cel- efit from Tilley’s explanation of scien- kind. I wish the author had expanded ebrate our significant feasts. tific materialism, Freud’s critique of the section on moralistic therapeutic The chapter on living faith needs to be read slowly and carefully in order to appreciate Tilley’s explanation of The Chaapplain and the Board of Trustees of myths, sagas, action stories (biograph- Saint Thomas More ical stories set within a particular The Catholic Chaappel & Center at Yaale University world) and parables. Each narrative preessent form is unique and functions in a spe- Th Honorable Guido Calabresi Fellowship in Religion & Laaww cific manner to inform one’s faith. hard W. Garnett Tilley is correct in stating that “stories ociate Dean and Professor of Law flesh out the answer to crucial ques- versity of Notre Dame tions of faith.” One automatically edom for RReeliigggiion: Understtaanddiinngg the Separattiion ooff Church and Sttaattee thinks of the significance of the infan- dnesday, October 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm cy and resurrection narratives to Christianity and the power of the n, Jr. Center, 268 Park Street, New Haven CT Exodus story at Passover. I wish Tilley had mentioned the postmodern con- TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW EB0909 viction that there are no longer any ❑ New subscription ❑ Renewal metanarratives. What impact has this Yearly rates are $56 for each subscription. Add $30 for postage, handling and GST on Canadian orders. made upon the faith of contemporary Add $54 for foreign subscriptions. Payment in U.S. funds only. individuals? ❑ ❑ Payment enclosed Bill me Tilley is to be commended for On occasion America gives permission to other organizations to use our list for promotional purposes. If you do not want to receive these promotions, contact our List Manager at our New York offices. reminding readers of the necessity of For change of address and renewal: Please attach the mailing label from the front cover when writing about examining and assessing our faith. service or change of address. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for change of address to take effect. Thank you

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24 America October 25, 2010 reference with regard to the faith authentically human, then it has done investigated and exhausted. He also claim, the plausibility of the faith claim its job. The promotion of my human shares his reluctance to embrace the over time and, finally, whether or not good also serves to promote the good possibility of adoption, even as his wife our faith promotes authentic human of the community in which I dwell. eagerly does so. development. Of all the criteria (each is highly significant) I most appreciate NANCY HAWKINS, I.H.M., is associate profes- A part of me has wanted to keep sor of systematic theology at St. Bernard’s the final one. If faith helps us to School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester, the subject at bay but since last become more liberated, real and N.Y. autumn I’m committing myself to praying about it. I suppose I could have taken a hard line, strong-armed our conversations: MARK MOSSA “We’re not about to raise some- one else’s child!” But I cannot MARRIAGE COUNSEL utter that sentiment, no matter how often it lingers in the back LONGING TO LOVE together and the difficulties of their of my mind. It wouldn’t be the A Memoir of Desire, young marriage. best me talking, the me that she Relationships, and Spiritual One is drawn by Muldoon’s passion deserves. Transformation and self-effacing honesty. Describing By Tim Muldoon the first days of his marriage, he It takes time for him to come Loyola Press. 144p $13.95 (paperback) affirms: “My heart was full. Never around, but his love again urges him before had I known such a pervasive on: “I cannot imagine her—God’s In a time when spiritual memoirs are sense of rightness, of being at home in beloved, and mine—living without long on dysfunction, anger and this world. Never before had I felt so being a mother to a child. I’m begin- tragedy, Tim Mul- right in my own skin, ning to believe now that our challenge doon’s Longing to this flesh made word is first to learn where that child lives.” Love offers a refresh- to her....” Yet the Answering that question eventually ing contrast. Though author’s passion is took the Muldoons to China. It is not a story absent a tempered by his there that we, having shared in the tragedy of its own, it accompanying aware- young couple’s struggles, see is primarily a memoir ness of a lack of sen- Muldoon’s passion enflamed anew: of falling in love and sitivity to the affec- staying in love. It is a tive needs of the I am falling in love. Even in spite compelling portrait woman to whom he of the many ways I have pre- of what many col- has committed his pared for this experience, I am lege-aged young men passion and his life. surprised and amazed at how it experience but rarely He humbly shares his is happening. But the simple write about: negotiat- repeated failures to truth is that this child has cap- ing the demands of appropriately attend tured my heart; I am smitten and romance and practi- to her concerns. But out-of-control in love with her. cality while falling from the first to the The only comparison I can draw headlong into love. last we see his is falling in love with Sue eleven While Muldoon recalls his earliest increasing awareness of this shortcom- years ago. forays into dating and relationships, ing, and are pleased by his growing the main object of his narrative is ability to both recognize the error and He falls in love once more, after Sue, the woman who would become set about correcting his course. returning to China to adopt a second his wife. Muldoon, a Catholic theolo- Tragedy enters in when the two daughter. Settled now with his sur- gian and spiritual director at Boston realize that their dream of having chil- prising family, he concludes, “I have College, recounts the joys and travails dren together may not be possible. learned to attend to the whisperings of of their budding romance (including Muldoon admits his stubbornness in desire to find the places where God a long-distance separation), his grow- accepting what Sue seemed to know might be inviting me to grow, to ing certainty about their future even before all their options had been change, and to stretch toward the free-

October 25, 2010 America 25 dom of the real me, the person who book. Every young couple could bene- the contention of Mary R. Reichardt, a can share joy with the women he loves fit from the glimpse into the passions, professor of Catholic studies and liter- most.” the practicality and the piety required ature at the University of St. Thomas The book, appropriately, includes of marriage and family life that in St. Paul, Minn., and the editor of “discussion points” for young couples. Muldoon offers. His account, while Between Human and Divine: The This is a fine addition, except that the inspiring and beautiful, also can serve Catholic Vision in Contemporary marginal notes on some pages are dis- as a “reality check” for couples contem- Literature. Reichardt notes in her tracting and interrupt the flow of plating marriage. introduction to this interesting and Muldoon’s emotionally absorbing nar- The Muldoons’ is a story of how informative volume of essays that rative. The book’s brevity is no doubt longing and learning to love—and while she finds no shortage of authors deliberate. But as a reader I wanted to more than a little faith—can sustain exploring the Catholic vision in the hear more about the author’s experi- two people devoted to each other, contemporary literary world (and in ence of his daughters beyond the early especially when, as often happens, fact considers the genre to be thriv- days after adoption. (Perhaps that is a things do not turn out quite as ing), rare is the reader in or outside the future book.) planned or imagined. Indeed, Longing Catholic tradition who can identify Besides simply appreciating its to Love serves as a poignant reminder them. introspective honesty, its practical to the young and old, single, married These 15 essays by scholars from attractions for me—a single person— or otherwise committed, of the impor- throughout the English-speaking were twofold: It heightened my sensi- tance of love in everyone’s life. world and Japan introduce and explore tivity toward the challenges of married Catholic works in the fields of fiction, life; and, as a priest called upon to pre- poetry and memoir, though the very pare young couples for marriage, I also MARK MOSSA, S.J., studies and teaches at term “Catholic author” takes on a vari- Fordham University. He is the author of knew early on in my reading that I Already There: Letting God Find You ety of meanings for different scholars. would encourage them to read this (St. Anthony Messenger Press). Hard enough to define in a pre-concil- iar church often presented as some- what monolithic, the label is not JAMES T. KEANE always a useful one in a more frag- mented contemporary religious and HOLY WRIT literary era. Must an author be a bap- tized Catholic? Must his or her work BETWEEN HUMAN & DIVINE period preceding Vatican II saw J. F. include the trappings of Catholicism? The Catholic Vision in Powers win the 1962 National Must they be somehow sacramental or Contemporary Literature Book Award for Morte D’Urban, redemptive in their themes? Reichardt Edited by Mary Reichardt Edwin O’Connor the wisely writes instead Catholic University of America Press. 1962 Pulitzer Prize of a “Catholic vision” 304p $69.95 for Fiction for The that incorporates Edge of Sadness, and many of the conven- Half a century has passed since the Walker Percy the tional notions of end of the literary era generally recog- 1963 National Book what Catholic litera- nized by scholars and readers alike as Award for The Movie- ture is about but the golden age of Catholic authors in goer. The decades requires no litmus the English-speaking world. The since have seen their test for inclusion— decades leading up to the Second share of talented after all, one finds no Vatican Council produced so many Catholic writers, to be birettas or incense in prodigious talents recognized as sure, but where are the work of Flannery “Catholic authors” that it is not the Graham Greenes, O’Connor—and the uncommon to wax nostalgic for the the Muriel Sparks, the authors treated here writers of that time; their names and Evelyn Waughs and are diverse enough to works are often what come to mind Flannery O’Connors include non-Catho- when one thinks of the roughly- of today? lics as well as a few defined genre of Catholic literature. In They’re out there; it’s just that no lifelong Catholics who spent years the United States alone, the two-year one knows where to find them. Such is rejecting the label.

26 America October 25, 2010 These brief studies vary in their use vision than with their participation in Mystery, of explaining the infinity and of academic jargon, so some are more modern existence: a conscious grap- numinous using the finite, imperfect accessible to the general reader than pling with the notion of mystery and language of the world of phenomena.” others (may I plead here for the retire- its possibility in contemporary life. In other words, we are all in search ment of “othering” as a term in literary What is sacred, what is ineffable, in a of the sacramental, regardless of how analysis?). Some of the fiction authors world of the glow-in-the-dark plastic that might be defined or how we might treated are well-known literary figures Jesus and drive-through spirituality? define ourselves. In that sense, who need no real introduction, like Jon And where can the individual find Catholic literature today may be less Hassler, Shūsaku Endō and Alice mystery when nothing is sacred? As identifiable as such than in previous McDermott; but other essays intro- Daniel S. Lenoski notes (“How Far generations, but it remains just as ger- duce lesser-known writers and estab- Can You Go to Therapy— mane to any writer or reader’s explo- lish their relevance as important Catholicism and Postmodernism in ration of the human condition. Catholic authors. I found the three the Novels of David Lodge”), even essays on Catholic poets (Robert P. postmodern atheists like Derrida have JAMES T. KEANE, S.J., a student at the Jesuit Lewis on Mary Karr, Stephen focused much of their philosophical School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif., was an McInerney on Elizabeth Jennings and work on their struggle with “the associate editor of America. Les Murray, and Gary M. Bouchard on Dana Gioia, Desmond Egan and Sherman Alexie) to be particularly informative and insightful. Bouchard, for example, makes unexpected but fruitful connections between the cen- tral theme of loss in almost all poetry and its particular resonances with such typically Catholic themes as redemp- Principal Search tion, sacramentality, incarnational spirituality and the central mysteries St. John’s Preparatory School, a Catholic, Xaverian Brothers spon- sored secondary school for young men, is conducting a Principal of Christian faith. search. Founded in 1907 and located on a 175-acre campus in There are some curious additions Danvers, Massachusetts, St. John’s enrolls 1,250 students from as well as omissions in the collection, 80 communities. As primary instructional leader, the Principal though Reichardt acknowledges its reports directly to the Headmaster. Position begins July 1, 2011. 304 pages are not meant to be an We invite interested candidates to review the qualifications and exhaustive catalog so much as an invi- application process at www.stjohnsprep.org/search. Applica- tions should be submitted electronically by November 1, 2010. tation to explore further. I was sur- prised that the American fiction writ- ers Ron Hansen and David Plante did not receive more mention, as well as by the inclusion of only a single essay on memoir (Nan Metzger and Wendy FREE TEACHER NEWSLETTERS A. Weaver’s “Some Contexts for For many years America has been a trusted educational Current Catholic Women’s Memoir: Patricia Hampl and Her resource for high school teachers, college professors and Contemporaries”). As the 800-pound directors of religious education. As America enters its second gorilla of the literary world in the past century of publication, we hope today’s teachers and educa- two decades (and the preferred genre tors will continue to make use of the magazine in the class- for many a disaffected or “returned” room. To help with that, we are happy to provide lists of arti- Catholic), the memoir is for better or cles from our pages on important Catholic topics, from for worse quickly becoming the bil- Scripture and the sacraments to social justice and Catholic dungsroman of our time. identity. A striking commonality among all the authors covered in this volume has Visit www.americamagazine.org/education. perhaps less to do with their Catholic

October 25, 2010 America 27 CLASSIFIED orphanage and school for special-needs children. PRESIDENT, FRANCISCAN SCHOOL OF THE- Visit fair trade shops. Next scheduled pilgrimage: OLOGY, a Roman Catholic seminary and graduate Baptism Garments May 8-21, 2011. Visit www.HolyLandInstitute school of theology operated by the Province of St. .org, or call Claudia Devaux at (805) 544-9088, Barbara, Order of Friars Minor, and a member BAPTISM GARMENTS FROM BETHLEHEM in Pacific time. school of the Graduate Theological Union, timeless design that recalls the baptism of Jesus. Six Berkeley, Calif. The Franciscan School of infant sizes, embroidery inspired by mosaics in the Theology seeks an experienced academic leader Church of the Nativity. Purchase supports Holy Positions and administrator with a proven record of institu- Land Christians. Visit www.BaptismGarment.com DIRECTOR OF LITURGY. St. Mary’s Seminary tional advancement and relevant Ph.D. or equiva- or call (805) 544-9088, Pacific Time. and University in Baltimore invites applications lent. Applicants must support the Franciscan the- from Roman Catholic priests for a position as ological tradition/educational mission and the ecu- Books Director of Liturgy for the School of menical mission of the Graduate Theological HELP SEVERELY AUTISTIC adults. Buy a book at Theology/Seminary program, beginning fall 2011. Union. Preference will be given to a vowed reli- douglasacres.com. The Director is responsible for the planning and gious member of the Franciscan family or other supervision of all seminary liturgies. He works vowed religious who has demonstrated commit- Parish Missions with the Director of Liturgical Music and reports ment to and understanding of the Franciscan FAITH BEGINS IN FAMILY LIFE. This mission to the President-Rector. Graduate-seminary level vision. 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28 America October 25, 2010 LETTERS tion. The few voices that speak out ners for peace. They are not. They against this corporate model are treat- hold all the cards and can do to Catholic and Corporate ed like “crank” shareholders at annual Palestinians what they want. This is Drew Christiansen, S.J., rightly says in corporate meetings. They get very lit- the reason they always refuse interna- “A Conspiracy of Bishops and tle attention. Their influence is almost tional watchdogs with any clout like Faithful” (9/27) that a revival of the nil. Desmond Tutu or independent church in the United States “will be Practically speaking, only the hier- United Nations observers. As one fully realized when there is wide con- archy, through concerted effort, can Palestinian told us in August, “How sultation and cooperation by the bish- change things. Is there any significant can you negotiate over a pizza when ops with Catholics of varying shades evidence that it is interested in “wide one side keeps eating it?” The only way of opinion bringing the Gospel to life consultation and cooperation”? settlements will stop is by external in our increasingly secular culture.” BERNARD P. DAUENHAUR pressure, and Obama has political Bethlehem, Pa. Unfortunately, the “official” church, Anaheim, Calif. energy only for the economy. He will both here and in Rome, all too often not go to the well on this issue and presents itself in the guise of a global You’re Eating My Pizza stop the settlements. monopolistic corporation. The hierar- Your editorial “Israel’s Choice” Another annoying point is the chy too often presents itself as the (10/11) reminds me that Gideon Catholic groups, potential witnesses to senior management and board of Levy, Israel’s pre-eminent journalist, the oppression, who embark on nostal- directors who have the right and was in the United States in September gic tours to buildings, holy places and power to determine, on their own, the and saw no hope for negotiations with the like but miss the “living stones“ of “corporation’s” policies, practices and Netanyahu at the helm. The meetings the Palestinians. senior appointments. are largely photo-ops to keep the TED SCHMIDT Toronto, Ont. Lay people are encouraged to United States and Europe at bay. Israel assume that they have nothing to say continues to play the United States The Elephant in the Room about these matters. And for the most like a harp, always holding out some As I read your editorial “Israel’s part, they are satisfied with the situa- dismal hope that they are sincere part- Choice” (10/11), it seemed to me there

Xavier High School Honors the 2010 Hall of Fame Inductees November 5, 2010 I Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers

Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67 Amb. John R. Countryman ’50  Arthur D. Cashin, Jr. ’59 Rev. Robert E. Lauder ’52
Thomas A. Conniff ’52 Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan 1900 John W. Spollen, Esq. ’62 Jesuit Education in the Heart of New York City Since 1847 www.xavierhs.org

October 25, 2010 America 29 is one person truly suitable to bring hydration is considered ordinary care I returned recently from two peace to this troubled land: a man who even when medically administered.” months in southern Africa, where I can understand the Jewish way of I agree that food and fluid are truly saw many catechetical activities at thinking and pretend to understand “a natural way of conserving life” and Mass each Sunday. The elderly, mid- that of the Arabs, who is aching for his so can be considered “ordinary” in that dle-aged, young adults, teens and chil- place in history and has all the ability context. But when food and fluid are dren, over the course of three hours of to do it—Bill Clinton. delivered in a medical way, they are celebration, sang, danced, processed, If President Obama were to give “extraordinary.” Reasons: They are pre- presented offerings and received the him this job and carte blanche, he scribed by medical doctors, using med- Eucharist. With no choir practice and would come closer to the holy grail ical solutions processed for use only by no accompaniment except a single than anyone else. His experience in prescription and delivered by medical drum, their multipart singing surely Ireland and his failed experience in the personnel using invasive procedures in rivaled that of the angels. They knew Arafat dealings would place him in a medical situation. Considered in a why they were there, what they were good stead. He understands the need worldwide context, where poverty, the doing and to whom their prayers of to temper idealism with pragmatism, lack of medical expertise and the lack praise were directed. and the saving of countless lives there of proper, medically safe products and Catechesis has many expressions could make amends for his position on equipment are scarce, too expensive or and can overcome difficult circum- abortion. entirely lacking—how can artificially stances. It should be guided by the If Clinton were to work full time on administered nutrition and hydration General Directory for Catechesis. If this problem, I am sure that within a be classified as “ordinary”? regulations get in the way, keep our couple of years we would see real Father Coleman uses two papal eyes and ears focused on the theme: progress. I hope the president is aware sources and one from the U.S. bish- intimacy with Christ. of the seriousness of this matter and the ops; but he omits the Catechism of the ELAINE MCCARRON, S.C.N. need for resolute action. The Palestin- Catholic Church: “Discontinuing medi- Nazareth, Ky. ians are the wounded elephant in the cal procedures that are burdensome, American dining room. dangerous, extraordinary, or dispro- Acid Plus Debris Equals Steel DAVID POWER portionate to the expected outcome Kyle T. Kramer’s “Appalachia’s Rome, Italy can be legitimate; it is the refusal of Wounds” (10/4) makes the evil of ‘over-zealous’ treatment. Here one mountaintop removal obvious. But The Means Is Extraordinary does not will to cause death; one’s mining corporations have long been The article “What’s Extraordinary,” by inability to impede it is merely accept- engaged in destroying the environ- Gerald D. Coleman, S.S. (8/30), both ed.” ment of Appalachia’s residents by pol- informed and concerned me. I write as JOHN OSTDIEK, O.F.M. luting rivers and streams with acid a retired professor of biology and hos- Quincy, Ill. mine drainage and blocking up valleys pital chaplain. He uses the term “nutri- with debris and causing destructive Eyes on That Intimacy tion and hydration” 14 times. I wonder flooding. whether he thinks the two are co- Robert Brancatelli argues in In addition, property owners often joined in medical practice. The two are “Liberating Catechesis” (9/13) that we own only the surface of the land and unequal in importance, physiologically have too many rules and regulations find that the property becomes under- and medically, and should be treated for catechesis, many coming from mined and collapses. If these concerns that way by ethicists as well. He men- church publications. He has in mind had been part of the equation, so that General Catechetical tions “tube feeding,” which bypasses perhaps the mine tunnels were not left to collapse Directory General the mouth by placing food/fluid (1971) and the and debris was not dumped into valleys, Directory for Catechesis directly into the stomach. Fluids can (1997). The it would be possible to morally support also be delivered by intravenous infu- second, considered a revision of the the extraction of coal, since it is unfor- sion, which bypasses the entire diges- first, shined as a bright star for the tunately needed to manufacture steel, a tive system. world of catechesis. It could liberate metal we cannot do without. If I read Father Coleman correctly, catechesis. Its theme is intimacy with MARIE REHBEIN he accepts that “giving of nutrition and Jesus Christ. Las Cruces, N.M.

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30 America October 25, 2010 THE WORD Out on a Limb THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C), OCT. 31, 2010 Readings: Wis 11:22–12:2; Ps 145:1-2, 8-14; 2 Thes 1:11–2:2; Lk 19:1-10 “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost” (Lk 19:10)

esus was accustomed to going out quisling of Rome, he would also have repay four times over. In addition to on a limb for people who were been despised for lining his own pock- his dignity and reputation, Zaccheus J poor, sick, possessed by demons ets with money extorted in his now risks his financial security or marginalized. He deliberately work. No one would take and his social standing sought out such people. So when Jesus the job of tax collector among his rich cohorts. got to Jericho, with its luxurious villas unless he were desperate. The Gospel is not spe- of the rich, he did not even plan to stop Rare would be one who cific about the ways in there (Lk 19:1). The elite gravitated could work the system to which Zaccheus felt there because it was balmy all year make himself as rich as lost, nor what prompt- round. Only 23 miles from Jerusalem, Zacchaeus. One won- ed him to look to Jesus which has an elevation of 2,700 feet, ders what it had cost to be found. Nonethe- Jericho lies 770 feet below sea level— him to become chief less, Jesus perceives Zac- the lowest city on earth. Moreover, the tax collector. What chaeus’ need and leaves with Dead Sea lies only 10 miles to the values had he com- south, with its spas and healing waters promised? What peo- laden with salts and minerals. With its ple had he defrauded? PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE perennial spring, Jericho is an oasis in What relationships had • Pray with gratitude for the times that the desert, dotted with palm trees and been sacrificed? Jesus has gone out on a limb for you. producing luscious fruit all year round. In an instant Zacchaeus risks the The people who could afford to live or social stature he has so carefully built • How does Jesus empower you to take vacation there were not the sort who up. Small in physical stature, he acts risks for the sake of the Gospel? were looking for what Jesus had to offer. in a most undignified way, racing • Join the chorus of all the saints who In addition, Jesus may have wanted ahead of the crowd and climbing a praise God for the gift of salvation. to move quickly past Jericho because tree. When Jesus sees how far out on the Herodians, who wanted to kill him a limb Zacchaeus has gone, he does ART: TAD DUNNE (13:31), had winter palaces there. the same. Calling him down, Jesus him the saving grace to negotiate the Luke notes that Herod (Antipas) had announces he must stay at Zacchaeus’ challenges ahead. long had a desire to see Jesus (9:9), a house. Grumbling and criticism of Jesus does not ask Zacchaeus to desire that is finally fulfilled after Jesus’ Jesus for staying with a sinner immedi- leave behind his profession nor to give arrest (23:8). In today’s Gospel, ately follow. But the risk Jesus takes for away the rest of his possessions. Zacchaeus also desires to see Jesus and Zacchaeus is worth it. Rather, he meets him in the place of goes to extraordinary lengths to do so. Like Martha, who received his seeking and opens up a saving way Zacchaeus has become rich him- (hypedexato) Jesus into her home forward within his circumstances. One self, but through a most ignoble pro- (10:38), and like Mary Magdalene, wonders what it will cost Zacchaeus to fession. Hated by his own people as a whose discipleship was expressed in live out of this saving grace. Will he be financial service (8:3), so Zacchaeus ostracized by the Jericho elites? Will BARBARA E. REID, O.P., a member of the receives (hypedexato) Jesus with joy, he follow Jesus out onto the final limb, Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, Mich., is opening his heart and his wallet in the tree of the cross? Will his life, like a professor of New Testament studies at generous outreach. Zacchaeus declares that of Jesus, seed new shoots of hope Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Ill., where she is vice president and academic that half his possessions will go to the and life? Will ours? dean. poor, and any ill-gotten money he will BARBARA E. REID

October 25, 2010 America 31