Showing posts with label genocide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genocide. Show all posts

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Remembering the Armenian Genocide, Looking Ahead


(From an anonymous German traveler, via Project SAVE; Wikimedia Commons; used w/o permission.)
(April 1915: Armed Ottoman soldiers escorting Armenian civilians through Harput (Kharpert), to a prison in nearby Mezireh (present-day Elâzığ).)

The Armenian genocide's start is rather arbitrarily set as April 24, 1915. That's when Ottoman authorities rounded up and arrested about 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, and eventually got around to killing them.

Armenians had been rounded up and butchered in odd lots before that, though.

The Ottoman Empire 's 1915 ethnic cleansing wasn't limited to Armenians. The Ottoman government exterminated Assyrians and Greeks whose crime was living in Ottoman territory and having the 'wrong' ancestry or faith.

It wasn't called a genocide at the time. That word first showed up in Raphael Lemkin's book, "Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation - Analysis of Government - Proposals for Redress" (1944). He defined it as "the destruction of a nation or an ethnic group." (Wikipedia)

The Ottoman Empire ended in 1922, with the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate — thanks partly to the Turkish National Movement, revolutionaries who had gotten fed up with the Empire's mismanagement.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and others had established the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1920. Successors to this lot are running Turkey today. I'm oversimplifying the situation, of course.

Oddly enough, Turkey's current government — whose rule started in a revolution against the Ottoman Empire's government — doesn't want the wholesale slaughter of Armenians and others called a "genocide."

I don't understand why. From my viewpoint, it'd be like the American Congress taking umbrage at discussion of something done by a British governor in colonial times.

Maybe it's misplaced national pride. I really don't know.

"We Are Not Guilty!"


I rub virtual elbows in social media with several folks who have personal ties to Armenia.

One of these folks, Matthew Chinian, posted "My Grandfather's story: 100 years ago he survived the Armenian Genocide" on Tuesday. This is an excerpt:
"...Finally, it was our turn to move over the top of that hill. Now, there was among our company an Armenian priest. ... As the Circassians were riding up to push us up the hill and over, to our death, we begged the priest to give us Holy Communion. Having no bread for the purpose, he blessed a handful of sand and, as he muttered the litany of the dying, gave us a grain of that sand to swallow, as we knelt before him. As we swallowed the sand, the Circassians pulled up short, astonished at this display of faith. Then, to our amazement, they too fell to their knees and told us that they were only soldiers doing the bidding of the government. They earnestly asked us to understand that they were opposed to all this, but they had no choice but to obey. 'We are not guilty!' they cried.

"After this touching act of piety and contrition, the savages jumped up, took their rifles and began mowing us down....
"...I could hear the Arabs telling one another that this place belonged to them and that they did not want us to stay there. I raised my head through the hay and said, in Arabic, 'Brethren, have pity, where can we go?' They remained unmoved. One yelled at me, 'Get lost. It is of no concern to us.Go wherever you wish, but you can't stay here!'...

"...Sometime later, a band of Arab urchins came on us from nowhere and began to pelt us with stones. ... I do believe that those brats would have finished us off right then and there if an Arab Sheikh hadn't come up and asked if we could weave cloth. My friend answered that he had apprenticed as a weaver. I knew Arabic; he did not, so I was his interpreter. In Armenian, I told my friend to tell the Sheikh that since I was his brother I would have to come with him or else he would not go with the Sheikh. But before my friend could say another word, the Arab asked if I would like to come along with them. Naturally, I said I would.

"The Arab took us to the bank of the Khaboor river and hid us there until all gendarmes and Circassians had left the area. He told us that he had to do this because 'the gendarmes would have killed both of you on the spot if they had seen you.' When we came out of hiding, the Sheikh took us to his tent and gave us Arab clothing...."
(From "The Cilician Armenian Ordeal," Paren Kazanjian, Published by Hye Intentions, Inc, Boston MA (1989); via "My Armenian D.N.A.: My Grandfather's Story." Matthew Chinian)
There's a great deal more. I recommend reading what Mr. Chinian posted: and taking a look at his art, while you're there.

'I was Only Following Orders'


Words like "obedience" and "authority" have taken a beating over the years. Variations on "I was only following orders" in trials following the 'Thousand Year Reich' (1933-1945) didn't help. My opinion.

Growing up in the '60s, and a broad stubborn streak, left me with a certain attitude about "authority." My wife pointed out that I had no trouble with legitimate authority. It was pompous nitwits and outright villains who claim that authority that bother me. She's right, and that's another topic. (September 14, 2014)

As a Catholic, I must respect authority: and accept responsibility. We all have responsibilities: children, parents, subordinates, leaders. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1897-1904, 2199)

As a citizen, I have a "duty of obedience" to honor the authority of my nation's leaders. (Catechism, 1900)
"It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community."
(Catechism, 2239)
So — if someone from the government tells me to kill my neighbor, it's okay? Probably not.

This is where it gets a bit complicated. My faith requires accommodation of pacifists, but doesn't demand strict pacifism. However, "legitimate defense" doesn't extend to killing someone for having the 'wrong' ancestry. Not even close. (2263-2267, 2310-2311)

Let's take another look at the last part of that paragraph:
"...Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community."
(Catechism, 2239) [emphasis mine]
Here's where it gets interesting.

Authority, Love, and Genocide


Authority doesn't come from having a bigger gun, more votes, or a seat on Supreme Court.

Human laws are legitimate, right, only to the extent that they follow ethical principles which don't change. Murder was wrong before Hammurabi's day, and always will be. (Catechism, 1902-1903, 1954-1960)

I'm an American living in the early 21st century: so I drive on the right side of the road, file tax returns by April 15, and wear footgear in certain buildings. Those aren't unchanging principles. They're rules we've made to help us deal with our circumstances.

I've talked about positive law, human rules; and natural law, eternal ethical principles; before. (August 29, 2014)

The Circassians who said "we are not guilty" were in a difficult position. They had been told to kill those Armenians, and would probably have been punished if they didn't. On the other hand, at some level they realized that what they were doing wasn't right.

But saying that "they had no choice but to obey" wasn't accurate. We are all rational creatures, with free will: able to decide what we do, or do not, do. (Catechism, 1730-1738)

They apparently decided to ignore their conscience, and follow orders they knew were unethical. I hope I'm never in their position: having to choose between doing something I know is wrong, or being punished by a civil authority for doing what is right.

If that happens, I hope that I'd have the guts to follow my conscience. My obedience to civil authority is important, but does not outweigh my obedience to God's. (Catechism, 2242)

Many folks targeted by the Ottoman Empire were Christians — but don't expect a diatribe about folks who aren't like me. I'm a Catholic, so I must love God, love my neighbor, and see everyone as my neighbor. No exceptions. (Matthew 5:43-44, 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1825)

That doesn't mean I must approve of everything my neighbor does. Genocide is a very bad idea, and we're not supposed to do it. Ever. (Catechism, 2313)

Far From Home


"Circassians" is what we call the Adyghe and Kabarday people. Russia dumped many of these folks into the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Circassia is a nation that's not there any more, in land north of the Caucasus mountains.

I sympathize, a little, with folks who want to re-establish their ancestral territorial holdings.

But I'm also an American, descended from folks who came from Norway, Ireland, and Scotland. I'm not sure where I'd wind up in if I went 'back where I came from.' It would depend, I suppose, on how far back on the family tree I went.

What we're learning of humanity's past tells me that many of my ancestors left our homeland some 60,000 years back — promptly having kids with Neanderthals and other, earlier, pioneers. (February 6, 2015)

It's far too late for all of us to go back to eastern Africa: and in my case, impractical. Somewhere along the line, my ancestors lost our natural skin tone. Like other folks with northwestern European ancestry, I'm prone to sunburn. We've been away from home for a long time.

Getting back to the Circassians, my guess is that the Ottoman government regarded them as 'foreigners,' too: so they may have feared that they and their families would be targeted if they didn't kill the Armenians.

That doesn't excuse what they did: but I have no idea how their particular judgment went. I'm not allowed to judge them. It's the old "love the sinner, hate the sin" thing.
"...judging others leads us to hypocrisy ... a person who judges gets it wrong...because he takes the place of God, who is the only judge: taking that place is taking the wrong place!..."
(Francis I)
"...although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."
(Catechism, 1861)
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged."
(Jesus, in Matthew 7:1)

Humanity's Sad Heritage: and a Good Idea


Much of today's trouble around the eastern Mediterranean stems from a domestic dispute in the late Bronze Age. (Genesis 16:1-12, Genesis 21:2-14)

That, in turn, goes back to the tragic mistake our first parents made. I've discussed original sin, Catholic style; consequences; and personal responsibility; before. (February 1, 2015)

Humanity's sad heritage pretty much guarantees that we won't live in a perfect society any time soon.

But I must do what I can as an individual, and a member of my culture, to make things better. (Catechism, 1928-1942)

I can't end world hunger, establish a lasting peace in the Middle East, or cure the common cold: obviously. But I can pass along the idea that loving my neighbor, and seeing everyone as my neighbor, makes sense. We've been doing that for two millennia now.

There still isn't an "international authority with the necessary competence and power" to resolve conflicts without war, or stop genocides before they start. (Catechism, 2307-2317; "Gaudium et Spes," 79 § 4)

But these things take time. It was 19 centuries before a significant fraction of folks in a few countries started acting as if owning other people wasn't right.

Maybe, just maybe, sometime around the 38th century, enough people will decide that loving neighbors — all neighbors — really is a good idea: and we'll cobble together an approximation of Tennyson's "Federation of the World." (September 7, 2014)

Meanwhile, like I've said before, we have work to do.

More of my take on love and neighbors:
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Sunday, August 24, 2014

"All are Equal Before God" — Rights of Humanity and a Right of the Aggressor

James Foley is dead: the photojournalist, not the movie director. If someone had paid the $132,000,000 USD that ISIS apparently wanted, he might be alive. Or maybe not: there's a reason for United States policy about not paying ransom.

Folks who engage in kidnapping or terrorism have to have flexible ethics: I'll get back to that.

I learned that James Foley was Catholic from a post by Rebecca Hamilton, on Google Plus — indirectly. For a while, I thought I'd be writing about the Rosary, prayer, and family. Then I ran into this:
"...As Islamic State fighters have swept through northern Iraq, Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken out against the violence that has seen thousands of Christians and others, including Shia Muslims and members of the Yazidi sect, killed or driven from their homes.

"He said this week that Western countries would be justified in acting to stop the 'unjust' aggression...."
(Reuters Africa)
Ever since the European branch of Western Civilization took off, a few centuries back, "Western countries" have generally been the most active in world affairs: for good or ill.

Even so, saying "...that Western countries would be justified..." seemed oddly specific. The Catholic Church is literally catholic, universal. (July 25, 2014)

That started me wondering: was there something about the mess in Iraq and Syria that made it okay for only one set of countries to stop unjust aggressors?

I still think the 'Catholic' connection with the Foley family's loss is interesting, so I put excerpts from what I'd found at the end of this post: along with part of a transcript of what Pope Francis said.1

Unhappy About Change


Apparently ISIS, the folks who killed James Foley, aren't happy with today's world. They seem to yearn for the 'good old days,' when they believe Islam measured up to their standards and preferences. They're probably quite sincere: and certainly willing to kill anyone who doesn't agree with them.

Victims of their zeal include  Shia Muslims, Druze, Mandeans, Shabaks, Yazidis, and Christians. You'll find more about ISIS at "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." (Wikipedia)

Folks being unhappy about change isn't a uniquely Muslim experience.

I run into Catholics who seem convinced that we should return to the 'good old days' — as they remember them. Catholics who yearn for yesteryear occasionally get together and form their own little micro-church, but don't seem inclined to kill outsiders.

I'd say 'Christians are better than that:' but realize that now and then some of us go rogue.

The nearest thing America has had to ISIS are groups like the Ku Klux Klan: folks who seem convinced that they're 'protecting' America from 'foreigners' and our 'evil' ways.

Happily, America is nowhere near as WASPish as it was in my youth: but a burning cross does show up occasionally, expressing disapproval of 'un-American' people. (January 6, 2013; April 7, 2011); January 22, 2010)

Terrorism and Options


Kidnapping, terrorism, and torture, aren't just unpleasant. Subjecting others to that sort of pressure is wrong. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2297)

You've probably heard that 'Christian' rulers sometimes indulged in this sort of thing. That's true. Sadly, Catholic pastors sometimes did not protest these actions: and sometimes committed the same crimes. It's still wrong. (Catechism, 2297-2298)

I suppose one could argue that if a nation's ruler does something, it can't be a crime: but "legal" and "right" aren't the same thing.

I'm savvy enough to realize that some things, like which side of the road we drive on, have no universal "right" or "wrong." But I also recognize that natural law, ethical principles woven into the universe, are as real as physical laws: and that's another topic. (October 6, 2013)

Sadly, sometimes people are killed because they don't worship the 'right' way. When that happens, there are decisions. Should folks who are targeted head for the hills, let themselves be killed, start worshiping the 'right' way and hope for the best, or try to stop the attack?

Here's what Pope Francis said about stopping an unjust aggressor —

Stopping an Unjust Aggressor

"...Alan Holdren:

"Your Holiness, my name is Alan Holdren, I work for Catholic News Agency, ACI Prensa in Lima, Peru, and EWTN. As you know, United States military forces have just begun to bomb terrorists in Iraq in order to prevent a genocide, to protect the future of minorities – I'm also thinking of the Catholics in your care. Do you approve of this American bombing?

"Pope Francis:

"Thank you for your very clear question. In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I emphasize the word: 'stop'. I'm not saying drop bombs, make war, but stop the aggressor. The means used to stop him would have to be evaluated. Stopping an unjust aggressor is licit. But we also need to remember! How many times, with this excuse of stopping an unjust aggressor, the powers have taken over peoples and carried on an actual war of conquest! One nation alone cannot determine how to stop an unjust aggressor. After the Second World War, there was the idea of the United Nations: that is where discussion was to take place, to say: Is this an unjust aggressor? It would seem so. How do we stop him?' This alone, nothing else. Second, minorities. Thanks for using that word. Because people say to me: 'the Christians, the poor Christians…' And it is true, they are suffering, and martyrs, yes, there are many martyrs. But there are also men and women, religious minorities, not all Christians, and all are equal before God. To stop an unjust aggressor is a right of humanity, but it is also a right of the aggressor to be stopped in order not to do evil...."
(In-flight press conference)
We live in a world that has seen Mohandas Gandhi and Adolph Hitler, Mother Teresa and Osama bin Laden. If polite requests would stop the Hitlers and bin Ladens of this world from arranging the deaths of others, we would have no need for military force.

Unhappily, there are folks who are not nice: at all. Since being alive is preferable to being dead, we are allowed to defend ourselves. This principle, applied to outfits like nations, is called just war. (Catechism, 2307-2309)

Basically, using military force is acceptable if — the damage inflicted by the aggressor is "lasting, grave, and certain;" all other alternatives are "impractical or ineffective;" there is a reasonable chance for success; and using arms will not "produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated." (Catechism, 2309)

International Authority and Working With What We've Got


I don't trust the United Nations any more than I trust the American Congress. Flawed as they are, though, these are institutions we must deal with.

I hope that humanity will eventually cobble together an international authority "with the necessary competence and power" to end war and settle disputes with justice and mercy. (Catechism, 2308; "Gaudium et Spes," 79)

That won't happen in my lifetime, or my children's. My guess is that creating a close equivalent of Tennyson's "Federation of the world" will take generations. Centuries. And that's yet another topic. (May 26, 2014)

I'm quite sure that folks targeted by ISIS don't have time to wait for a perfect world. We must work with what we have.

Loving Neighbors: No Matter What


I think that Pope Francis is right, that "...it is also a right of the aggressor to be stopped in order not to do evil...."

The rules are simple: love God, love my neighbor, see everyone as my neighbor. (Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

Sometimes that means trying to stop my neighbor from doing something wrong, like driving drunk: or killing folks who don't worship the 'right' way.

By the way, even if I had the power to make others agree with me about my faith: I wouldn't be allowed to use it.

As a Catholic, I must support religious freedom: for everyone. And that's yet again another topic. (Catechism, 1738, 2104-2109)

More of what I think about living in a big world:
Background:
News and views:
1 Excerpt from News and views:
"Journalist Foley's parents, after call with pope, call for prayer and action"
Reuters Africa (August 22, 2014)
"Slain journalist James Foley on praying the rosary in captivity UPDATED"
Catherine Harmon, The CWR Blog, The Catholic World Report)

"The news broke late yesterday that Islamic State jihadists executed freelance journalist James Foley and posted a video of his beheading. Foley, 40, had been missing for two years while covering the conflict in Syria. I am not going to link to the video or include screen shots from it, but I will share another link that has been circulating since the news of Foley's brutal death: an article he wrote for the alumni magazine of Marquette University, his alma mater. The piece is about the time Foley spent imprisoned in Libya in 2011:
"I began to pray the rosary. It was what my mother and grandmother would have prayed. 
I said 10 Hail Marys between each Our Father. It took a long time, almost an hour to count 100 Hail Marys off on my knuckles. And it helped to keep my mind focused.

"Clare and I prayed together out loud. It felt energizing to speak our weaknesses and hopes together, as if in a conversation with God, rather than silently and alone. …
"Update 8/22: The Vatican confirmed Thursday that Pope Francis telephoned Foley's family and offered his condolences:
"Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope phoned relatives of the late James Foley on Aug. 21 to console them for their loss and assure them of his prayers.

"The call to the Foley family in Rochester, New Hampshire, came in the afternoon New Hampshire time. Father Lombardi released no additional details. …

"President Obama called Foley's parents, John and Diane Foley, Aug. 20 before addressing the nation about their son's death and told them: 'We are all heartbroken.'

"When the president was making his televised remarks about James Foley's death, his parents spoke to reporters on the front yard of their home.

"'We thank God for the gift of Jim. We are so, so proud of him,' said Diane Foley.

"She added that he was 'a courageous, fearless journalist -- the best of America.'

"John Foley told reporters: 'We think his strength came from God,' and his wife interjected: 'We know it did.' "
"Journalist Foley's parents, after call with pope, call for prayer and action"
Reuters Africa (August 22, 2014)

"The parents of James Foley, the American journalist killed by Islamic State militants in Iraq, on Friday called for prayer and support to free the remaining captives held by Islamic State fighters.

" 'We do pray, we beg the international community to help the remaining hostages,' his mother, Diane Foley, said in an interview with her husband, John, on MSNBC. 'We just pray that they will be set free.'

"Their plea comes after a long conversation with Pope Francis, who the Vatican said called the couple on Thursday afternoon to offer his condolences and support....

"...The United States has opened a criminal investigation into Foley's death and said the Islamic State is an imminent threat to U.S. interests. President Barack Obama also has called for a united international front to combat the group, which is still holding other hostages.

"Foley's parents said they drew "huge comfort" from their conversation with the pope, who himself was grieving the loss of relatives who died earlier this week in a car crash in Argentina....

"...As Islamic State fighters have swept through northern Iraq, Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken out against the violence that has seen thousands of Christians and others, including Shia Muslims and members of the Yazidi sect, killed or driven from their homes.

"He said this week that Western countries would be justified in acting to stop the 'unjust' aggression.

" 'Pope Francis, like Jesus, loves, like Jim. He understood Jim's heart,' Diane Foley said of her son, who 'was able to draw strength from prayer' during his capture...."
"In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis from Korea to Rome"
Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Republic of Korea on the Occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day (13-18 August 2014), Papal Flight (August 18, 2014)
(From c.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/august/documents/papa-francesco_20140818_corea-conferenza-stampa.html (August 23, 2014))

"Sung Jin Park:

"...you spoke first of all to the families of the victims of the Se Wol ferry disaster and comforted them. I have two questions. First, what were your feelings when you met them? Second, aren't you concerned that your gesture might be misunderstood politically?

"Pope Francis:

"Whenever you find yourself facing human suffering, you have to do what your heart tells you to. Then people will say: 'He did it for this or that political reason'; let them say what they want. But when you think of these men and woman, these fathers and mothers who have lost their children, their brothers and sisters, of the immense pain of such a disaster, I don’t know, my heart.. I am a priest and I feel the need to draw near! That's how I feel; that is the first thing. I know that the comfort that any word of mine might give is no cure, it doesn't bring the dead back to life, but human closeness at these times gives us strength, there is solidarity… I remember that as Archbishop of Buenos Aires I experienced two catastrophes like this one: a fire in a dance hall, where a pop music concert was being held, and 193 persons died. Another time, a trains disaster – I believe 120 people died. At the time, I felt the same way: a need to draw close. Human suffering is powerful, and if at these sad times we draw closer, we help one another greatly. As for that final question, I would like to add something. I took this (holding up a ribbon). After I carried it for half a day – I took it for solidarity with them – somebody came up to me and said: It’s better to take that off… You should be neutral …' 'But listen, where human suffering is involved, you can't be neutral'. That was my answer; that's how I feel...."

"...Alan Holdren:

"Your Holiness, my name is Alan Holdren, I work for Catholic News Agency, ACI Prensa in Lima, Peru, and EWTN. As you know, United States military forces have just begun to bomb terrorists in Iraq in order to prevent a genocide, to protect the future of minorities – I'm also thinking of the Catholics in your care. Do you approve of this American bombing?

"Pope Francis:

"Thank you for your very clear question. In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I emphasize the word: 'stop'. I'm not saying drop bombs, make war, but stop the aggressor. The means used to stop him would have to be evaluated. Stopping an unjust aggressor is licit. But we also need to remember! How many times, with this excuse of stopping an unjust aggressor, the powers have taken over peoples and carried on an actual war of conquest! One nation alone cannot determine how to stop an unjust aggressor. After the Second World War, there was the idea of the United Nations: that is where discussion was to take place, to say: Is this an unjust aggressor? It would seem so. How do we stop him?' This alone, nothing else. Second, minorities. Thanks for using that word. Because people say to me: 'the Christians, the poor Christians…' And it is true, they are suffering, and martyrs, yes, there are many martyrs. But there are also men and women, religious minorities, not all Christians, and all are equal before God. To stop an unjust aggressor is a right of humanity, but it is also a right of the aggressor to be stopped in order not to do evil....

"...Paloma García Ovejero:

"But afterwards: Mexico, Philadelphia?

"Pope Francis:

"No, I'll tell you why. This year, Albania was planned, that is true. There are those who say that the Pope tends to start everything from the periphery. But no, Why am I going to Albania? For two important reasons. First, because they have managed to form a government – we think of the Balkans! – a government of national unity between Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics, with an interreligious Council which is very helpful and balanced. And this is working well, it's harmonious. The Pope's presence is a way of saying to everyone: 'We can all work together!' I felt it would be a real help to that noble people. And another thing: If we think of the history of Albania, it was, in terms of religion, the one communist country whose Constitution enshrined practical atheism. If you went to Mass, it was a violation of the Constitution. One of the ministers told me that at the time – here I want to be precise in the figures – 1,820 churches were torn down. Torn down! Orthodox churches, Catholic churches… And other churches were turned into cinemas, theaters, dance halls… I felt I should go: It is close by, it can be done in a day… Then next year, I would like to go to Philadelphia..."
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Monday, November 5, 2012

Eugenics, Compassion, and Cooperating with Evil

"There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church - which is, of course, quite a different thing."
(Bishop Fulton Sheen, Foreword to Radio Replies Vol. 1, page ix (1938), via Wikiquote)
I think part of the problem many Americans, Catholic and otherwise, have with the Vatican is how the Catholic Church sees human life.

People, Love, and Genocide

The Church says that human beings are people: all human beings.

Every human being is a person, with a built-in dignity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1700) This includes people who are:
  • Not interesting or useful
    • Too young
    • Too old
    • Too sick
    • Weak
  • From the 'wrong'
    • Country
    • Church
    • Class
      • Social
      • Economic
We're also told that we should:
Going along with cultural values and civil authorities can get awkward, once a person believes that all human beings are people: 'real' people.

For example, we're told that genocide is wrong, and that we shouldn't do it. 'I was only following orders' isn't a valid excuse. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2313)

"Lebensunwertes Leben" - 1934 to 1945

I doubt that many Americans would say that they support a "lebensunwertes leben" policy.

For one thing, only a few percent of today's Americans speak German. For another, some of us might recognize where "lebensunwertes Leben," "life unworthy of life" or "life not worth living," came from. It was a term used by the German eugenic program in the 1930s and 1940s. ("Origins of the Nazi Genocide," A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust)

Western enthusiasm for eugenics faded a bit after we got a look at places like Dachau and Auschwitz. The idea of removing undesirable traits - and people - from humanity never really went away, and that's another topic. (August 24, 2012, , October 7, 2011)

Happily, leaders of a remarkable number of countries around the world now say that genocide is a bad idea. Maybe we learned something from the horrors of the 20th century.

Then again, maybe not so much.

Quality of Life - 1973 to 2012

I haven't heard "quality of life" used as a reason for killing a defective person for quite a while. The idea is still very much with us, though.

A significant difference between today's America and the earlier effort to 'cleanse' Europe's gene pool is, I think, the motives involved.

Contemporary America is, by establishment standards, very compassionate. I didn't accept the idea that:
  • 'Defective' people would be better off dead
  • A child conceived accidentally
    • Wouldn't be loved
    • Was better off dead
The 'quality of life' argument caught my attention, since I'm one of those 'defective' people. I'm glad that a half-century of pain ended when I swapped out my hip sockets, but I'm also glad that I survived to experience those decades.

By the way: there's an election in the United States tomorrow. I've posted about the current American administration's odd policies regarding health care and religious liberty before. (March 16, 2012)

I'm safe, so far, since I'm old enough to qualify as a 'real' person under current American law. But I'm going to vote for the other major-party candidate, anyway.

It has to do with formal and material cooperation with evil. More about those terms later.

Dealing With 'the Wrong Sort'

Another way that the Catholic Church rankles some folks is, I suspect, the habit priests and bishops have of not heaping verbal abuse on 'sinners.'

Not that I think the mythical 'typical American' would expect - or want - a member of the clergy to act like this lot:


(ArizonaLincoln (talk), via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)

On the other hand, I do think that there's often a desire to have a priest or minister treat 'those people' differently: politicians I don't like, used car salesmen, telephone solicitors, whatever.

A problem, as I see it, with wanting to heap abuse on 'those people' is that - they are people. Like me. Besides, my Lord gave a pretty good reason for accepting folks who were 'sinners.' (Luke 19:1-10)

On the other hand, this 'pillar of the community' was not shown as a good role model:
" 'The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income." ' "
(Luke 18:11-14)
I've been over this sort of thing before.(July 27, 2010)

Life: It's Complicated, Sort of

The basics are simple: Love God; love my neighbor; see everybody as my neighbor.

After two thousand years of folks trying to weasel out of those simple rules, explanations have gotten a bit complicated. Lengthy, anyway:
  • Human life
    • Is sacred
      (Catechism, 2258)
    • Begins at conception
      • (Catechism, 2270, 2274)
  • Murder is wrong
    (Catechism, 2259-2262, 2268-2270)
  • Legitimate defense is permitted
    • But not more violence than necessary
      (Catechism, 2264)
    (Catechism, 2263-2267)
  • Abortion is wrong
    (Catechism, 2270-2275)
    • Because even very young human beings are people
      (Catechism, 2273-2274)
  • Euthanasia is wrong
    (Catechism, 2276-2279)
  • Suicide is wrong
    (Catechism, 2280-2283)
    • But regarding the soul of someone who commits suicide
      • Despair is not an option
      • "The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives."
      (Catechism, 2283)
    (June 24, 2012)
Moving along.

Dealing With Sin

There's no way I can avoid dealing with sin. The Catholic understanding of original sin is that we live in a fallen world, and are affected by the sin of our first parents: "...but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it...." (Catechism, 405; and see Catechism, 390, 391, 402-406)

In a way, I'm always 'cooperating with evil:' doing something that is connected with a sinful act. If I obsessed about that, I might decide to isolate myself from everyone else - which doesn't seem like a sensible option.

Before I get into the difference between "formal" and "material" cooperation with evil, the usual disclaimer: I'm just "some guy with a blog." I don't speak for the Church. On the other hand, I do my best to check out what the Church says.

Formal and Material Cooperation With Evil

Let's say that some fellow decided to kill his neighbor.

This fellow buys a car at an automobile dealer. Then he runs over his neighbor, killing him. That's murder, and it's wrong: an evil act.

The salesman who sold the car might feel guilty, since he provided the murderer with a weapon.

I don't know how American law would sort that out, but unless the salesman knew that the car would be used to kill someone he hadn't formally cooperated with evil. Selling the car was material cooperation with evil: he took part in some of the physical aspects of the murder, but that's all.

Formal cooperation with evil is knowing that an evil act is being or will be committed: and helping anyway. If the salesman had been told that the car would be used to kill someone, and he'd sold it: that would be formal cooperation. Also a very bad idea.

Formal Cooperation With Evil, and the November Election

Maybe this sounds theoretical. Not many folks, even in America, sell cars: and I don't imagine that many of them sell a car to someone who's shopping for a murder weapon.

On the other hand, a great many Americans will vote tomorrow. As usual, none of the candidates are perfect, and that's yet another topic. (August 3, 2012)

I could panic, decide that since there are no perfect candidates I'll stay as far away from the polling place as possible. That doesn't seem to make sense.

Instead, I've got a list of candidates who I think are most likely to do some good; and least likely to continue the national government's current lethal policies.

Deliberately voting for a candidate who has demonstrated support of objective evils such as the (legal) killing of young human beings would be formal cooperation with evil.

I don't need that sort of trouble at my particular judgment. Still more topics. (August 27, 2011)

I put some material about formal1 and material2 cooperation with evil at the end of this post.

Related posts:
Background:
1 Formal Cooperation
"...Evangelium Vitae also reiterates Catholic moral teaching about the sinfulness of cooperation in evil actions. 'Christians, like all people of good will, are called upon under grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God's law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil' (no. 74). The Encyclical goes on to describe 'formal' cooperation: It 'occurs when an action, either by its very nature or by the form it takes in a concrete situation, can be defined as a direct participation in an act against innocent human life or a sharing in the immoral intention of the person committing it.' Examples of such formal cooperation might be the father of a child about to be aborted urging the woman to have an abortion, or consenting to it; in the case of a doctor performing an abortion, a nurse who prepares for and assists in the procedure willingly would be guilty of formal cooperation...."
("Reflections on Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion" (June 13, 2004)) [emphasis mine]
"...It is necessary to distinguish first of all between formal and material cooperation. To formally cooperate in the sin of another is to be associated with him in the performance of a bad deed in so far forth as it is bad, that is, to share in the perverse frame of mind of that other....."
("Accomplice," Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), via newadvent.org) [emphasis mine]
2 Material Cooperation
"...Perhaps the complex moral analysis of the liceity of material cooperation in evil can be helpful as guidance for Catholics in political life. When formal cooperation (evil as intended) is excluded, some degree of material cooperation may be justified, according to the analysis of an individual situation: Is the person's right intention known sufficiently? Will scandal be avoided? Does the cooperation aim at lessening the bad effects of the cooperation? ..."
("Reflections on Catholics in Political Life and the Reception of Holy Communion" (June 13, 2004)) [emphasis mine]
"...On the contrary, to materially cooperate in another's crime is to participate in the action so far as its physical entity is concerned, but not in so far as it is motived by the malice of the principal in the case. For example, to persuade another to absent himself without reason from Mass on Sunday would be an instance of formal cooperation. To sell a person in an ordinary business transaction a revolver which he presently uses to kill himself is a case of material cooperation...."
("Accomplice," Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), via newadvent.org) [emphasis mine]
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Thursday, April 12, 2012

The New Evangelization: Clear Voices

I was going to put this in tomorrow's "my take on the news" post, but Catholic Voices USA's deadline is barely more than a week away:

Heeding the Pope's Call for Public Witness

"Catholic Voices heeds Pope's call for public witness in US"
CNA (Catholic News Agency) (April 11, 2012)

"The recently-formed Catholic Voices USA organization is seeking volunteers to defend Church teachings, in response to Pope Benedict XVI's recent call for an effective witness in public life.

"At a January 2012 meeting with U.S. bishops in Rome, the Pope said that 'articulate and well-formed Catholic laity' were needed to 'counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society.'..."
The CNA article ends with a link to Catholic Voices USA:
My take on Catholic Voices USA, American culture, and all that, comes later in this post.

Looking for a Few Clear Voices

Back to the Catholic News Agency article:
"...In order to fulfill this call, Catholic Voices USA is seeking members of the Church in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas, who are less than 45 years old and can commit to a schedule of training sessions as well as public appearances.

"Applications for its upcoming training session, which will take place May 19-21, are being accepted until April 20.

"Volunteers will take part in what Pope Benedict called 'a primary task' of the U.S. Church, as they learn to offer 'a convincing articulation of the Christian vision of man and society' in different public forums...."
(CNA)
From Catholic Voices USA's home page:
"Do you find yourself at home arguing with TV news anchors, radio hosts and print columnists, wishing someone would defend your Catholic faith?

"Are you a practicing Catholic who prays for clear voices on news programs who actually believes what the Church teaches?

"Do you feel called to be one of those defenders?

"Catholic voices offers training to 'ordinary' Catholics who want to publicly make the case for the Church in truth and love. Based on a successful British program, Catholic Voices do not speak officially for the Church but answer the call for laypeople to publicly witness to their faith as an apostolic project of the New Evangelization...."
(www.catholicvoicesusa.org)
I stopped being 45 years old about 15 years back now. I live about a thousand miles away from "the New York and Washington, D.C. areas." I'm not one of the practicing Catholics they're looking for.

Warning! Old Coot Reminiscing

But that's okay by me. I'd probably enjoy going through Catholic Voices USA's training, and pick up useful skills. But I think I can do some good, right where I am.

My, ah, eclectic career(s) took me through degrees in history and English, with a minor in speech; I've had jobs as several kinds of writer, and was a reporter once; I've also chopped beets, sold books, and worked the graveyard shift as a radio disk jockey and computer operator. Not all at the same time, of course.

The point is that I've learned how to communicate: well enough for someone to pay me for using that skill. I've also learned how to get a job done in several different American subcultures. No bragging: it's just what happened when I tried to make the best of the package I got from God.

Along the way, I learned how to organized facts; and how to tell the difference between facts and assertions. And that's another topic.

Clear Voices, Practicing Catholics, and a Big Church

I'm a Catholic convert, with pretty good language skills, living in central Minnesota. Other folks started going to Mass shortly after they were conceived, are persuasive speakers, and live near America's northeast coast.

Catholics are prophets, teachers, healers, and administrators. Some of us speak in tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28) I don't think I'm 'better' because I've got the package God handed me: any more than I think my spleen is 'better' than my gallbladder. I've been over this before:
Bottom line? Practicing Catholics aren't all alike: and that's the way it's supposed to be. (1 Corinthians 12, 14; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 787-789, for starters)

"Catholic" in the Name

I wasn't impressed at Catholic Voices USA having "Catholic" in its name. I've learned to tune out what I hear from "Catholics United for Genocide." CUG isn't, as far as I know, a real organization. Not in my native country, anyway.1

There are, sadly quite a few Americans who apparently want to be called "Catholic," but don't want to go along with the Church on some logical extension of the "love God, love your neighbor" principles. Given our cultural quirks, it often has to do with the Church's insistence that a person should have sex only with a member of the same species, the opposite sex, in the context of marriage.

I think it's interesting that folks who don't want to live by the Church's rules want the Church to change. America has a long-established custom of folks dropping membership in one church, and joining another; starting their own church; or dropping out of 'organized religion' entirely.

Metaphorically speaking, there's no lock on the door of the Catholic Church: anybody who wants to leave may do so. I think that'd be a bad idea, and that's another topic. (John 6:68)

Related posts:
1 If you live in America, and are paying attention, sooner or later you'll probably read that the Catholic Church arranged for the Rwandan genocide of 1994. There's a (very) little truth to the accusation. That may help explain why notion keeps making the rounds:
  • Rwanda
    • Events
      • 1959 Hutus overthrow the ruling Tutsi king
        • About 150,000 Tutsis
          • Survive
          • Flee Rwanda
      • 1990: civil war
        • Started by some children of Tutsi exiles
      • 1994: State-organized genocide
        • Target: Rwandan Tutsis
    • People
      • Ethnic groups
        • Hutu (Bantu) 84%
        • Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%
        • Twa (Pygmy) 1%
      • Languages
        • Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular)
        • French (official)
        • English (official)
        • Kiswahili (Swahili, used in commercial centers)
      • Religions
        • Roman Catholic 56.5%
        • Protestant 26%
        • Adventist 11.1%
        • Muslim 4.6%
        • Indigenous beliefs 0.1%
        • None 1.7%
        (2001)
    ("Rwanda," CIA World Factbook (last updated March 6, 2012))
Some Rwandan Catholics are priests. Some of those priests were personally involved in the genocide. As individuals. That was wrong. But that's not the same as the Catholic Church sanctioning genocide. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2313) I've been over this before:
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Friday, January 20, 2012

My Take on the News: Down Syndrome; Religious Freedom; the Vatican's News Service, Beta Version

I don't see a point in believing that something's true, and not acting as if it is. I believe that:
  • Human life is precious
  • Folks should be free to say what's on their minds
  • Having another source of news is okay
Which is pretty much what I'm writing about today:
  1. Defective People and 'What Will the Neighbors Think?'
  2. Religious Freedom: All Week
  3. Vatican News: Beta Version

1. Defective People and 'What Will the Neighbors Think?'

I've seen 'improving the race' and 'what will the neighbors think' give way to 'my choice' and 'every child a wanted child' as reasons to kill people who fail to conform to some physical standard, or are in the way.

That's wrong, because
  • Human life is precious
    • Sacred
      (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258)
  • It's wrong to deliberately kill an innocent person
    (Catechism, 2258-2262)
    • "Innocent" doesn't mean "perfect"
When the victim is innocent and defenseless, I get more than a little peeved.
"Extreme abortion rate for disabled leads to DC conference"
Michelle Bauman, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (January 19, 2012)

"An upcoming conference in the nation's capital will address the staggering 90 percent abortion rate of babies with disabilities, while emphasizing the often unknown joys of caring for the disabled.

"Many people have a 'complete misunderstanding of the gift of a disabled baby,' said organizer Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.

"At the Jan. 21 'Council on Poor Prenatal Diagnoses and Therapeutic Intervention,' speakers will raise awareness about the dignity of all human life, including those with serious disabilities...."
What I see as good news in this article is that as many as 15% of people with Down syndrome aren't killed before birth. Given the sort of pressure on young parents to produce high-quality stock: that's doing pretty well.

Easy, No: Good, Yes

Culling 'defective' people from the herd is something I tend to take personally, since I was born with substandard hips. I've never lived a 'quality lifestyle,' from the point of view of someone who enjoys outdoor sports: but I'm rather glad to be alive.

Glitches in my brain's biochemistry didn't get diagnosed until recently: and even now, knowing that I've lived with major depression and ADHD-inattentive for most of my life, I'm glad that I'm alive. I've been over some of this before:
No, I don't understand from personal experience what it's like to have Down syndrome, or have someone with that particular deviation from average in the immediate family. On the other hand, I know a family who does, and they seem to be doing pretty well.

Back to that article:
"...A study published last October in the American Journal of Medical Genetics revealed that 99 percent of adults with Down syndrome reported being happy with their lives.

"The majority of parents and guardians surveyed also said they had a more positive outlook on life, and most siblings said they believed they were better people because of their family member with Down syndrome.

"Yet babies who undergo 'poor prenatal diagnoses' are among the most targeted groups for abortion, amounting to what Monahan described as 'essentially genocide.'

"Current estimates indicate that between 85 and 90 percent of Down syndrome babies are aborted, which shows the dramatic need for pro-life genetic counseling programs across the country, she said...."
(CNA)
I think that killing nine out of every 10 people with Down syndrome is a bad thing. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2268)

There's hope, though. One out of every 10 parents whose child doesn't live up to society's standards - resist pressure to kill that child. Considering how long we've been told that the unfit and unwanted should die, that sort of resistance is remarkable.

2. Religious Freedom: All Week

I'm a practicing Catholic, so I have to value religious freedom (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104-2109) For everybody. (Catechism, 2106)

I also think it's a good idea to live as if God matters: to do something about what I believe. (James 2:19-20; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021) There's more to being a Catholic than 'going to church on Sunday.'
"Pope warns of 'grave threat' to religious freedom in US"
David Kerr, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (January 19, 2012)

"Pope Benedict XVI warned today of a 'grave threat' to religious liberty in the United States that requires American Catholics to respond with intelligence and courage.

" 'It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres,' he said...."
I think two key words there are "intelligence" and "courage."

Courage

It takes courage to say "no" when authorities expect us to say "yes." When government authorities, medical professionals, and socially powerful people say otherwise, it's not easy to say that killing a defective child is wrong, or that caring for the sick is right. (Catechism, 2268-2275, 2276-2279)

Intelligence

Despite the cultural assumption that religion is, by definition, unreasonable: the Catholic Church says it's okay to use our brain. Actually, we're expected to use human intelligence. And wisdom. (Catechism, 156, 158-159, 1954-1960)

Conscience: Seven Days a Week

"...Meanwhile, other bishops raised the 'worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship' without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.

"At present, the Obama administration is considering imposing a contraception and sterilization mandate that would require all insurance companies to provide those services free of charge. The regulation has a religious exemption clause, but it provides very few exceptions for Church organizations.

"Some states are also pushing Catholic adoption agencies out of business or severely limiting their work because they refuse to compromise the Church's beliefs on same-sex 'marriage.'..."
(CNA)
Despite what 'everybody knows' in some circles, the Catholic Church doesn't hate homosexuals. And I've been over this before:Moving on.

Be Different: Make Sense

One of the reasons I became a Catholic was that what the Church says makes sense. What the Church teaches isn't always easy, and I didn't want some of what I was learning to be true. But I finally had to admit that some of the best minds of the last few millennia were right. And that's another topic.

Making sense is one thing. Getting heard is another. I think it's easier for someone with another 'end times prophecy,' or the secular equivalent, to get attention.

Happily, the Internet lets folks share ideas: without the approval of some editor or review board. That's a sort of good news/bad news situation.

Online, I've run into everything from the Vatican's website to a warning that squirrels are plotting to enslave humanity. I'm fairly confident that, given a level playing field, the marketplace of ideas will separate fact from silliness. Then there's SOPA, and that's yet another topic. Topics.

Back to what the Pope said:
"...Pope Benedict said these issues highlight the need for an 'engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture.' The American laity must have the 'courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate,' he said....

"...To read Pope Benedict's full address, please visit: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=1059"
(CNA)

3. Vatican News: Beta Version

"Vatican pleased news website is popular"
David Kerr, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (January 17, 2012)

"The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications says it is very happy with new figures that show over 10,000 people are using its online news site every day.

" 'I think that for an initiative that is only a few months old these results are really quite positive,' said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the communications council, in a Jan. 13 interview with CNA. The site, www.news.va, went live in June 2011...."
NEWS.VA's English-language page is listed as a Beta version, as are the Español and Italiano ones. If you think the English-language page seems to pay overly-much attention to what's happening in the English-speaking world: you're probably right. I checked, and the three home pages feature different articles.

For example, the second item on the right on the English page is "METHODIST VIEWPOINT ON ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE." On the Spanish page, it's "SE ULTIMAN LOS PREPARATIVOS DE LA MUESTRA CON DOCUMENTOS ORIGINALES DEL VATICANO II." (I think that's something like 'Preparations were completed - Sample with the Original Documents of Vatican II') The Italian page has "IL CATECHISMO IN EBRAICO" in that position. ("The Catechism in Hebrew," more or less)

I suppose I could fuss about how 'unfair' that is: but that would mean claiming that everybody's supposed to be interested in the same things. Instead, I'll see the different mix of news for the three languages as a reasonable effort to serve folks who don't all live in the same neighborhood.

I've added the English home page of NEWS.VA to this blog's "blogroll/Catholic Links page, under Media.

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.