bishop stika ordination, part 4

ishop Richard F. Stikawalks into the office

at the Church of the An-nunziata on Feb. 20 bear-ing a University ofTennessee collar andleash, a gift a parishionerhad just presented to himthat morning.

Rosie, his 2-year-oldcockapoo, hops into hislap as he sits down, andshe is perfectly at ease asher master puts his rightarm around her and buck-les on her new UT Volun-teer collar.

East Tennessee Catholicscelebrated when theyheard the news that PopeBenedict had chosen thepastor of the church inLadue, Mo., to be theirnew bishop. Animal loversdoubly rejoiced when theylearned there would be aFirst Dog of the diocese.Rosie, a cross between acocker spaniel and a poo-dle, is a fixture at Annun-ziata and will soon be seenaround the Chancery of-fice in Knoxville.

“Rosie’s very popular,”said Bishop Stika. “I’llbring her there [to theChancery] from time totime. She’ll get to knoweveryone. She fits in likeone of the staff.”

Rosie barks when a visi-tor enters the office, whichis part of the Annunziatarectory, but quickly makesfriends.

“We’ve had a problemwith her barking everyonce in a while, but otherthan that she’s very hos-pitable when people cometo the door,” said BishopStika.

“She loves people. So of-ten, dogs absorb the at-mosphere that surroundsthem, and I think she’s avery gentle sort becauseour staff is like that.”

Rosie arrived at Annun-ziata as an 8-week-old pupin 2006, a Christmas giftto Bishop Stika from hisbrother Joe Calabro.

Annunziata bookkeeperClarie Samuel calls Rosie“a great dog” and has en-joyed taking care of herfrom time to time.

“She’s 2 and she has somany owners,” she said.“I’ll take care of her if[Bishop Stika] has to goout of town, or some-body’ll take her home. It’slike she’s become part ofour family. When she wasa little bitty puppy whenwe first got her, she usedto sit on my lap all dayand just nap.

“I’d go back and forthfrom my desk to my com-puter doing the bulletin,and everyone would say,‘Where’s Rosie?’ I’d scootout, and she’d be sitting

there on my lap.”One of Ms. Samuel’s du-

ties is placing inserts inthe bulletin after it arrivesfrom the printer. A 2006photo shows a months-oldRosie, barely bigger thanthe bulletin whose pagesshe is walking across onthe top of Ms. Samuel’sdesk.

“I will miss her. Sheused to sleep right downhere on the floor next tome while I worked,” saidMs. Samuel. “She was justa little one. She used toclimb on my desk when Iwas doing the bulletins.She’s gotten a little bigger,though.”

Office manager JulieGeorge says that “Rosiewill be greatly missed” atAnnunziata.

On that Friday morninglast month, Rosie could be

seen on her spinning seatby an office window. Per-haps having noticed thestacks of books and mem-orabilia in Bishop Stika’soffice as he prepared tomove to Knoxville, Rosieseemed wistful as shestared out of the window.

“She is more subduedthese days because sheknows something’s goingon,” said Mrs. George.“Rosie hasn’t been herselffor the last two weeks.”

A visitor can easily movefrom the office, where pic-tures of Rosie abound,into the kitchen and livingroom of the rectory. Asqueak toy here and therereminds one of the canineoccupant of the house.

“We will probably needto have a separate van tocarry all her toys down [toKnoxville],” said Mrs.

George.Bishop Stika has made

sure that Rosie doesn’t getcold on a Midwestern win-ter’s night.

“She has an electric dogbed,” said Mrs. George.“You plug it in, and it’slike an electric blanket.”

Father John Ditenhafer, aretired priest in residenceat Annunziata, “is going tomiss [Rosie] because shestays with Father Johnwhen Monsignor’s goneovernight,” said Mrs.George.

As parish paperworkand other duties occupyMrs. George, Ms. Samuel,and Bishop Stika, Rosie re-turns to her seat by thewindow. She may seeminattentive as she staresout of the window forsome time, but a faintnoise is heard at the rear

of the building, and Rosieis off like a shot to greetrectory housekeeper andcook Toni Hickel. Back inher regular collar now,Rosie rattles its tag as shescurries away.

“Did you see that? Youknow what that means?Toni’s here,” said Mrs.George.

“She knows when Toniwalks in the back door.We could come in and outof here a thousand times aday, and she won’t move,but when she knows Toni’shere, she makes a beelinefor her.”

Mrs. Hickel has cookedfor Bishop Stika since helived at the cathedral rec-tory in his previous as-signment. She followedher friend when he be-came pastor of Annunzia-

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Rosie continued on page D4

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC MARCH 22, 2009 ■ D1www.dioceseofknoxvi l le .org

A bishop’s best friendRosie, his 2-year-old cockapoo, accompanied him to Knoxville—and will visit the Chancery on occasion. By Dan McWilliams

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‘A GENTLE SORT’ Bishop Stika holds Rosie, who is sporting a new University of Tennessee collar and leash Feb. 20. A parishioner of theChurch of the Annunziata had just presented the gift to the bishop, and he tried it on his faithful friend the same morning.

Bishop Richard F. StikaSpecial ordination edition

Section D

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLICD2 ■ MARCH 22, 2009 www.dioceseofknoxvi l le .org


To Dickensfans myheadline willimmediatelysuggest thelead para-graph of ATale of TwoCities. Forthe uninitiat-ed, Dickens

begins his novelization of theFrench Revolution with a se-ries of contrasts: “It was thebest of times, it was the worstof times, it was the age ofwisdom, it was the age offoolishness . . . it was thespring of hope, it was thewinter of despair.”

For the faithful of the Dio-cese of Knoxville, this is thebest of times—the opportuni-ty to embrace a new bishop,chosen by Pope Benedict XVIas our shepherd. The ordina-tion of a bishop is an occasionof great joy, and we’re readyfor it, after the pain of losingBishop Joseph E. Kurtz toLouisville and Father VannJohnston to Springfield–CapeGirardeau, Mo.

The church too has recentlysuffered, as she has alwayssuffered. Unbelievable threatsto religious liberty have sur-

faced—such as the Connecti-cut legislature’s hastily scut-tled attempt to determinehow the Catholic Church inthat state will conduct herown parish affairs (see the“web exclusive” story avail-able in the right frame of thedioceseofknoxville.org homepage). In the past severalweeks significant dangers toinnocent life have appeared,with the removal of the banagainst federal funding of em-bryonic stem-cell research(see page D4) and the over-turning of the Mexico CityPolicy, which prevented feder-al dollars from being used tofund abortions overseas.

At the same time, recentsurveys indicate that religiouspractice in the United Statesis declining (see page B7).

These difficulties shouldn’ttempt us to despair, though,but to pray and also to act, asthousands of ConnecticutCatholics did by appearing inHartford to demonstrate tothe state legislature their sup-port of the church.

All these developments re-cently brought to mind a con-versation I had with FatherVann in Lent 2002, during theheight of the church’s sex-

abuse scandal. I commentedthat it was a painful time towork for the church. Hethought for a moment andsaid that actually, it was thebest time to work for thechurch—because she neededus. Indeed, the church needsall of us to witness to thebeauty of our faith.

You’re holding in yourhands the biggest ETC everpublished. The many congrat-ulatory advertisements in itspages underwrote the in-creased printing and postagecosts of this edition, makingit possible. We are grateful tothe many parishes, schools,and other organizations thatwelcomed our new bishopand supported this issue.

I can’t close without thank-ing my excellent staff, DanMcWilliams and MargaretHunt, for working so hardand so brilliantly. They wentabove and beyond the call ofduty—not just providing sto-ries and soliciting ads but alsodelivering meals and untolddoses of caffeine in the formof McDonald’s lattes.

We also owe an immensedebt of gratitude to BishopStika and his colleagues in St.Louis for all their help duringDan’s reporting trip lastmonth and practically everyday since. We offer specialthanks to Julie George andClarie Samuel of the Churchof the Annunziata and AnneSteffens of the archdiocesanChancery staff. ■

The best of timesWe embrace Pope Benedict’s gift—our new bishop—with joy.

HERE BY MARY C. WEAVERthe view from

We welcome submissions about parish andcommunity events. Send notices by e-mail([email protected]), fax (865-

584-8124), or mail (P.O. Box 11127, Knoxville, TN37939). To make sure we receive informationabout upcoming events in time for publication,please submit it by the following deadlines:■ Monday, March 30, for the April 12 issue■ Monday, April 13, for the April 26 issue■ Monday, April 27, for the May 10 issue■ Monday, May 11, for the May 24 issue■ Monday, May 25, for the June 7 issue■ Monday, June 8, for the June 21 issue.

When submitting photographs or articles aboutpast events, please keep in mind that we have abacklog of submissions. ■

Take note of ETC deadlines

Adult faith-formation classes to continue in 2009

The first in a new series of adult faith-formationclasses began Feb. 3, with additional classesscheduled throughout the year and in loca-

tions around the diocese. The adult faith-forma-tion program is one of the educational initiativesfunded through the Growing in Faith Togethercapital-stewardship campaign. Classes are of-fered at no charge to adults in the diocese. Allsessions begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9.

The Sacraments, taught by Amy Roberts. Ex-plores the foundations of what we celebrate asCatholics. The class will examine how we en-counter the living Christ through each of thechurch’s seven sacraments. Sessions take placeon Tuesdays except where noted.■ Thursday, Sept. 24, St. Stephen Church, Chattanooga■ Nov. 10, St. Dominic Church, Kingsport

Personal Morality, taught by Father Randy Stice.Explores the foundations of how we are to live asCatholics. The class will examine the concepts ofhuman dignity, freedom, law, sin, virtue, and con-science as well as current moral issues. Sessionstake place on Tuesdays.■ April 21, St. Therese Church, Clinton■ Sept. 15, Sacred Heart Cathedral■ Oct. 20, Sts. Peter & Paul Church, Chattanooga

What We Believe, taught by Deacon DavidLucheon. Explores the foundations of what weprofess as Catholics. The class will examine theprincipal truths of the faith as expressed in thecreeds of the church. Sessions take place onTuesdays except where noted.■ March 31, St. John Neumann Church, Farragut■ May 12, St. Bridget Church, Dayton■ Thursday, Oct. 8, Notre Dame Church,Greeneville■ Nov. 17, Sacred Heart Cathedral

To register, visit dioceseofknoxville.org, clickResources/ETC, then click Event registration inthe left frame. For details, contact Rich Arm-strong, director of the Office of Religious Educa-tion, at [email protected] or865-584-3307. ■

The quaintnotion thatThe NewYork Times isthe nation’snewspaper ofrecord tookanother hiton Feb. 23,when theGray Lady

ran a commentary on Mil-waukee archbishop TimothyDolan’s appointment as thenew archbishop of New York.Written by Michael Powelland headlined, “A genial en-forcer of Rome’s doctrine,” thearticle displayed a confusionabout what the CatholicChurch is and how theCatholic Church operates,that would embarrass a rea-sonably well-catechizedeighth-grader. (Yes, Virginia,there are “reasonably well-cat-echized eighth-graders.” But Idigress.)

The headline (“Rome’s doc-trine”) blew the gaffe at theoutset, as if there were Rome’sdoctrine, Berkeley’s doctrine,Tubingen’s doctrine, Cuer-navaca’s doctrine, and soforth, per omnia saecula saecu-lorum (translation for Times-men: “for ever and ever”). Infact, there is one Catholictruth. It is safeguarded and

transmitted by the church’smagisterium, and the locus ofthat magisterium is “Rome,”meaning the bishop of Romeand the bishops in commun-ion with him. That’s theteaching of the Second Vati-can Council in Lumen Gen-tium No. 25, not a hoarylegend from the past.

The church does not have“doctrines” the way adminis-trations have policies. Policieschange; the country remainsthe same. Doctrine can devel-op, but doctrinal rupture ordissent from the truth ofCatholic faith means schism—the fracturing of the church.

Those who deny the truth ofsettled Catholic teaching on,for example, the unique salvif-ic role of Christ, the immorali-ty of abortion, the nature ofholy orders and who is capableof receiving them, or the indis-solubility of sacramental mar-riage put themselves outsidethe communion of the church.

That some theologians (andclergy and religious and laity)deny these truths is obvious,but that doesn’t mean there’s“Rome’s doctrine” and a vari-ety of other doctrines. Itmeans that those in dissentare mistaken.

The Times article also con-tained a little dig about Arch-

bishop Dolan’s being an “en-forcer.” When a man is or-dained to the episcopate, hetakes a solemn oath beforeGod and the church to teachthe truth of Catholic faith. Tohonor that commitment is notbeing an “enforcer,” as thougha bishop were kneecappinglowlifes for Sonny Corleone.

Proclaiming the truth ofCatholic faith and admonish-ing those who stray from it isless a disciplinary act than anact of charity. Disciplinaryacts are sometimes necessaryto convey the message thatsomeone’s communion withthe church is in peril; the pur-pose of those acts is far moreeducational than punitive.

A few paragraphs into thestory Mr. Powell wrote thatRome’s “writ” was becoming“ever more conservative.” InTimes-speak, this means thatthe last several popes have de-clined to take instruction onhuman rights, human sexuali-ty, and the nature of marriageand the family from the ora-cles on Manhattan’s WestSide, who regard dissent fromtheir magisterium as stupidand oafish. These days, how-ever, the Times’s sense of itsinfallibility is somewhat iron-ic. Indeed, Timesmen mightconsider whether their stulti-fying political correctness,displayed in the news holeand on an op-ed page thatcould often be labeled “Notesfrom the asylum,” might havesomething to do with thefacts that the paper is hemor-

The Times flunks ecclesiologyThe newspaper’s editors are ‘whining about the revolution that never was.’

DIFFERENCE BY GEORGE WEIGELthe catholic

The East Tennessee Foundation

welcomes Bishop Richard F. Stika

and is a proud supporter

of his ordination.

bzzzzzzzc625 Market St., Suite 1400 • Knoxville, TN 37902

easttennesseefoundation.org

Weigel continued on page D4

Cardinal George releases YouTubevideo on conscience protectionsWASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George is urg-ing U.S. Catholics to tell the Obama administra-tion to retain Health and Human Servicesregulations governing conscience protections forhealth-care workers.

This is vital to keep the government from“moving our country from democracy to despot-ism,” said Cardinal George, president of the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He delivered the message in a video availableon YouTube at snipr.com/dzrui.

Those who wish to protect conscience rightscan speak out through an action alert atwww.usccb.org/conscienceprotection.

“Respect for personal conscience and freedomof religion as such ensures our basic freedomfrom government oppression. No governmentshould come between an individual person andGod—that’s what America is supposed to beabout,” Cardinal Francis George said.

“This is the true common ground for us asAmericans. We therefore need legal protection forfreedom of conscience and of religion—includingfreedom for religious health-care institutions tobe true to themselves.”

“I ask you please to let the government knowthat you want conscience protections to remainstrongly in place.

“In particular, let the Department of Health andHuman Services in Washington know that youstand for the protection of conscience, especiallynow for those who provide the health-care serv-ices so necessary for a good society,” he said.

Cardinal Francis George taped the message af-ter the Obama Administration announced in earlyMarch that it was rescinding the regulations guar-anteeing that health workers cannot be forced toprovide services that violate their consciences,including abortions. ■

BY CINDY WOODEN

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—BecauseChrist is truly present in the Eu-charist, adoration must be aCatholic’s primary attitude towardthe Blessed Sacrament at Mass aswell as when praying before thetabernacle, Pope Benedict XVIsaid.

“Our task is to perceive the veryprecious treasure of this ineffablemystery of faith both in the cele-bration of the Mass as well as dur-ing worship of the sacred species,”the pope told members of theCongregation for Divine Worshipand the Sacraments.

Members of the congregationmet the pope March 13 at the endof their plenary meeting, whichwas devoted to discussing ways topromote eucharistic adoration.

Pope Benedict said he hoped the

meeting would result in the identi-fication of “liturgical and pastoralmeans through which the churchin our time could promote faith inthe real presence of the Lord in theholy Eucharist and secure for thecelebration of the holy Mass theentire dimension of adoration.”

The Greek word for adorationincludes the concept of submis-sion, the pope said, whereas theLatin word “denotes physical con-tact, the kiss, the embrace that isimplicit in the idea of love.”

Together, he said, they highlightthe fact that in adoring the Eu-charist Catholics submit to andseek union with God, who is love.

Pope Benedict told congregationmembers that especially duringLent, with its emphasis on prayer,almsgiving, and fasting, Catholics


May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

the rains fall soft upon your fields and,

until we meet again….

may God hold you in the

palm of His hand.

In keeping with our Irish roots and true southern hospitality, the parishioners of

Saint Patrick Church welcome you to the Diocese of Knoxville with an Irish

Blessing!

St. Patrick Catholic Church

2518 W. Andrew Johnson Highway

Morristown, TN 37814

ta in 2004 and made another buddy when Rosie came along two yearslater.

“I’m going to miss her terribly,” she said.A reporter observes that Rosie has seemingly spent several minutes of

inactivity in her chair before the arrival of Mrs. Hickel.“Hours of inactivity,” Mrs. George corrects with a laugh. ■

Rosie continued from page D1

NAP TIME Baby Rosie snoozes in this photo, taken not long after Bishop Stika’sbrother Joe Calabro presented the dog to his sibling as a Christmas gift in 2006.

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Presi-dent Barack Obama’s executive or-der reversing the ban on federalfunding of embryonic stem-cellresearch represents “a sad victoryof politics over science andethics,” said Cardinal Justin Rigaliof Philadelphia shortly after theMarch 9 signing of the order atthe White House.

The chairman of the U.S. Con-ference of Catholic Bishops’ Com-mittee on Pro-Life Activities wasamong Catholic, pro-life, and oth-er leaders who criticized the rever-sal, which Obama had promisedduring his campaign.

Speaking in the East Room ofthe White House, Obama said thestem-cell policy of former Presi-dent George W. Bush, in effectsince Aug. 9, 2001, had forced “afalse choice between sound sci-ence and moral values.”

Obama also urged Congress toconsider further expansion offunding for such research. Since1995 the Dickey/Wicker amend-ment to the annual appropriationsbills for federal health programshas barred federal funding of re-search involving the creation ordestruction of human embryos.

But the president had strongwords against human cloning,which he said is “dangerous, pro-foundly wrong, and has no placein our society or any society.” Hesaid he would work to ensure that“our government never opens thedoor to the use of cloning for hu-man reproduction.”

Among the several dozen peoplepresent at the White House for thesigning were members of Con-gress, scientists, families who be-lieved their members could beaffected by stem-cell break-throughs, and representatives ofthe Episcopal and United Metho-dist churches, several Jewish bod-ies, and the Interfaith Alliance.

Obama said a “majority of Amer-icans—from across the politicalspectrum, and of all backgroundsand beliefs—have come to a con-sensus that we should pursue”embryonic stem-cell research.

But Cardinal Rigali said the ex-ecutive order “disregards the val-ues of millions of Americantaxpayers who oppose researchthat requires taking human life”and “ignores the fact that ethicallysound means for advancing stem-cell science and medical treat-ments are readily available and inneed of increased support.”

He reiterated points raised byCardinal Francis E. George ofChicago, USCCB president, whosaid in a Jan. 16 letter to Obamathat a change in the policy onfunding of embryonic stem-cellresearch “could be a terrible mis-take—morally, politically, and interms of advancing the solidarityand well-being of our nation’speople.”

Archbishop Rino Fisichella,president of the Pontifical Acade-

my for Life, said most scientistsrecognize embryonic stem-cell re-search has not proved promising,which led him to wonder whethereconomic interests might be driv-ing the push to use embryos.

Most scientists have affirmedthat “currently embryonic stemcells lead nowhere,” he told Vati-can Radio March 11, whereas“adult stem cells, on the otherhand, have already led to the cureof some 2,000 diseases.”

People should try to figure out“what special interests, probablyof some pharmaceutical compa-nies, are behind this ever-more-forcible interference in scienceand research and, in this case, inpolitics, too,” he said.

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, the formerpresident of the Pontifical Acade-my for Life, said allowing the useof public funds for embryonicstem-cell research was “withoutethical or scientific justification.”

The decision to reverse the banon federal funding was based on“utilitarian logic” that failed totake into account the fact that em-bryos are human beings, he toldthe Italian news agency ANSAMarch 9.

“It’s about the destruction of hu-man beings in order to turn theminto material for experimenta-tion,” he said.

Bishop Sgreccia said it was un-clear why research on embryonicstem cells would need to be pur-sued now that new discoverieshave been made with other kindsof stem cells.

He referred to the work of aJapanese biologist who found in2007 that adult stem cells couldeasily be reprogrammed to an em-bryonic state.

At the White House, Obamasaid he “cannot guarantee that wewill find the treatments and cureswe seek. No president can prom-ise that.”

“But I can promise that we willseek them—actively, responsibly,and with the urgency required tomake up for lost ground,” headded.

The Bush policy had allowedfunding of embryonic stem-cellresearch only when the stem-cellline had been created before Aug.9, 2001. The executive order Oba-ma signed permits federal fundingof stem-cell lines created sincethen but would not allow fundingof the creation of new lines, leav-ing that decision to Congress.

Obama also signed a “presiden-tial memorandum on scientific in-tegrity” March 9, ordering thedirector of the Office of Scienceand Technology Policy to developa strategy for ensuring that “theadministration’s decisions aboutpublic policy be guided by themost accurate and objective scien-tific advice available.”

He said scientific advisers shouldbe appointed “based on their cre-

‘Sad victory of politics’ The stem-cell-research funding ban is lifted. By Nancy Frazier O’Brien

WIREfrom the

Weigel continued from page D3

rhaging red ink and recently had to mortgage its building to pay its bills.Mr. Powell portrayed the Archdiocese of Milwaukee under Archbishop

Dolan’s predecessor, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, as a “liberalCatholic outpost, where debate about doctrine was vociferous and to begloried in.” True enough, but a serious investigation of the pre-Dolanyears in Milwaukee would have explored the relationship between offi-cially tolerated Catholic Lite and empty churches and scant vocations.

The Times editors could save themselves some grief if they recognizedthat the Catholic Church is not going to follow the sad trail blazed bythe once-great, now-dying denominations of the liberal Protestant main-line, in which belief and practice came to be determined by holding awetted finger up to the prevailing cultural winds. That’s one precondi-tion to the Times running interesting stories on the Catholic Churchrather than whining about the revolution that never was. ■

George Weigel is distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public PolicyCenter in Washington, D.C.

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Adoration continued on page D5

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Pope: adoration is key attitude toward Eucharist

should be encouraged “to rediscover fastingand live it with renewed fervor, not only as anascetic practice but also as a preparation forthe Eucharist.”

Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, the newprefect of the congregation, told Vatican Radio,“The liturgy is, first of all, adoration.”

In the life of the church, “the Eucharist isthe center of adoration; it is the recognition ofGod, the recognition that everything comesfrom him,” the cardinal said in an interviewMarch 10.

“In this moment of strong secularization—when people tend to forget God, to maintainthat he is not important in human life—it isnecessary to reaffirm that adoration comesfirst, in other words, that God comes first,” hesaid.

“The liturgy does not recount things thathappened in the past but is the manifestationtoday of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ,”Cardinal Canizares said. ■

Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Con-ference of Catholic Bishops


Adoration continued from page D4

WIREfrom the Pope encourages Catholics to maketime for silent prayer in LentBY CINDY WOODEN

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The day after ending hisLenten retreat—and spending most of the week,including mealtimes, in silence—Pope BenedictXVI encouraged all Catholics to make time inLent for silent reflection on the Scriptures.

“During this Lenten time I urge you all to findprolonged moments of silence, possibly of re-treat, in order to review your lives in the light ofthe loving plan of our heavenly Father,” the popesaid March 8.

Reciting the Angelus with visitors in St. Peter’sSquare, Pope Benedict said prayer was at theheart of the day’s Gospel story about Jesus’transfiguration.

“Prayer, in fact, reaches its culmination andtherefore becomes a source of interior light whenthe human spirit adheres to God’s spirit and theirwills fuse, becoming almost one,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict told the crowd gathered in thelate-winter sun that his Feb. 28 through March 7retreat, directed by Nigerian Cardinal Francis Ar-inze, retired head of the Congregation for DivineWorship and the Sacraments, was an intenseweek of silence and prayer.

Along with his closest aides, the pope said hewas able to dedicate his mind and heart “entirelyto God, to listening to his word [and] to meditat-ing on the mysteries of Christ.”

At the close of the retreat March 7 the popethanked Cardinal Arinze for guiding their medita-tions on the theme “The priest encounters Christand follows him.”

“You did not offer us theological acrobatics buta healthy doctrine, the good bread of our faith,”the pope told the cardinal in remarks released bythe Vatican.

“Your theology, as you told us, is not an ab-stract theology but is marked by a healthy real-ism,” the pope told him.

Cardinal Arinze told Vatican Radio that after-noon that “seeing everyone meditating, praying,with Jesus in the center, eucharistic adorationevery day, and individual time for everyone—incomplete silence—was edifying and very positivefor the church.”

The cardinal said he tried to explore with theretreat participants the fact that Jesus is knownand discovered only by meeting him in thechurch, the sacraments, and the Scriptures andin those who are suffering and crying out for jus-tice, peace, and solidarity. ■

Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Con-ference of Catholic Bishops

VATICAN CITY(CNS)—In a letter tothe world’s bishops,Pope Benedict XVIexpressed regret thathis lifting of the ex-communications offour traditionalistbishops gave rise to astorm of protests andbitterness.

The pope said thecontroversy overBishop Richard Willi-amson’s statementsdenying the extent ofthe Holocaust was“an unforeseenmishap”—one thatcould have been an-ticipated, however, bypaying more atten-tion to informationeasily available onthe Internet.

The pope said hewas particularly sad-dened at the reactionof some Catholicswho seemed willingto believe he waschanging directionon Catholic-Jewishrelations and wereready to “attack mewith open hostility.”He thanked “our Jew-ish friends” whohelped clarify thematter and restore asense of trust.

The Vatican pub-lished the 2,500-word letter in sixlanguages March 12.The Vatican spokes-man, Jesuit FatherFederico Lombardi,called it a “unique,exceptional docu-ment” for its directand personal style,and said it showedthe pope had listenedcarefully to what peo-ple were saying.

The pope said hewas taking the un-usual step of writingto the bishops be-cause the episode hadgenerated “a discus-sion more heatedthan any we haveseen for a long time,”

both inside and out-side the church.

He said his overtureto Bishop Williamsonand the other threebishops of the Societyof St. Pius X was de-signed to close awound and bring uni-ty to the church, bylifting excommunica-tions incurred in1988 and opening theway to dialogue withthe society.

But when BishopWilliamson’s com-ments about theHolocaust were circu-lated, “it suddenly ap-peared as somethingcompletely different:as the repudiation ofreconciliation be-tween Christians andJews, and thus as thereversal of what the(Second Vatican)Council had laiddown in this regardto guide the church’spath,” he said.

As a result, he said,“an avalanche ofprotests was un-leashed, whose bitter-ness laid barewounds deeper thanthose of the presentmoment.”

“I was saddened bythe fact that evenCatholics, who, after

all, might have had abetter knowledge ofthe situation, thoughtthey had to attack mewith open hostility,”he said.

“Precisely for thisreason I thank all themore our Jewishfriends, who quicklyhelped to clear up themisunderstanding andto restore the atmos-phere of friendshipand trust,” he said.

The pope acknowl-edged something crit-ics have pointed out:that a simple Internetsearch would have re-vealed Bishop Willi-amson’s views on theHolocaust and helpedthe Vatican anticipatethe reaction.

“I have been toldthat consulting theinformation availableon the Internetwould have made itpossible to perceivethe problem early on.I have learned thelesson that in the fu-ture in the Holy Seewe will have to paygreater attention tothat source of news,”he said.

Pope Benedict saidhe deeply regrettedanother mistake: thatthe lifting of the ex-

communications wasnot adequately ex-plained and gave riseto misinterpretationsabout the traditional-ist society’s status inthe church.

He emphasized thatthe removal of the ex-communications wasa disciplinary meas-ure that affects indi-viduals. But the factthat the Society of St.Pius X has no stand-ing in the church de-pends on doctrinalreasons, he said.

“Until the doctrinalquestions are clarified,the society has nocanonical status in thechurch, and its minis-ters—even thoughthey have been freedof the ecclesiasticalpenalty—do not legit-imately exercise anyministry in thechurch,” he said.

In view of the im-portance of the doc-trinal issues still tobe clarified with thesociety, the pope an-nounced that he wasputting the PontificalCommission EcclesiaDei, which has han-dled reconciliationefforts with tradition-alist groups, under

Pope responds to his critics in letterThe church cannot stop working for unity, Benedict says. By John Thavis

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ATTEMPT AT RECONCILIATION Altar boys stand in the sanctuary during a Triden-tine Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Chapel in Farmingville, N.Y., on Feb. 1. Thechapel is affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X.

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ADORE HIM The vigil light indicates that the BlessedSacrament is held in reserve in the tabernacle of OurLady of the Assumption Church in Boston.

Letter continued on page D6

Cardinal Pell calls for confrontation of religious intoleranceBY SIMON CALDWELL

LONDON (CNS)—Confrontingreligious intolerance regularlyand publicly is among the “cru-cial tasks” of Christians in the21st century, said an Australiancardinal.

Cardinal George Pell of Syd-ney said the Catholic Church’sfreedom was under pressurefrom a new and dangeroustrend of the use of anti-discrim-ination laws and human rightsclaims to attack the role of reli-gion in public life and individu-als’ right of conscience.

In a March 6 lecture titled “Va-rieties of Intolerance: Religiousand Secular,” he said Christiansneeded to “recover their self-confidence and courage” tocounter the problem.

“Put simply, Christians haveto recover their genius forshowing that there are betterways to live and to build a goodsociety,” he told the OxfordUniversity Newman Society.

“The secular and religious in-tolerance of our day needs to beconfronted regularly and pub-licly,” he said. “Believers need tocall the bluff of what is, even inmost parts of Europe, a smallminority with disproportionateinfluence in the media. This isone of the crucial tasks forChristians in the 21st century.”

As his primary example of

mounting intolerance, CardinalPell cited the treatment of U.S.Christians and Mormons whosupported Proposition 8, theconstitutional amendment thatreversed California’s gay-mar-riage law in November.

He described how churchesand temples were subjected toviolence and intimidation andhow some supporters of theamendment were forced fromtheir jobs and blacklisted.

“We should note the strangeway in which some of the mostpermissive groups and commu-nities, for example, Californianliberals in the case of Proposi-tion 8, easily become repres-sive, despite all their highrhetoric about diversity and tol-erance,” he said.

“There is the one-sidednessabout discrimination and vilifi-cation,” he said, because anti-Christian “blacklisting andintimidation is passed over insilence.”

The cardinal predicted a“major escalation in the culturewars” if President Barack Oba-ma signed into law the Free-dom of Choice Act, whichwould sweep away restrictionson abortion and deny medicalpractitioners and hospitals theright to conscientiously objectto participating in abortions.

“Clearly there is an urgent

need to deepen public under-standing of the importance andnature of religious freedom,”said Cardinal Pell. “Believersshould not be treated by gov-ernment and the courts as atolerated and divisive minoritywhose rights must always yieldto the minority secular agenda.”

He explained that the effectof the rising intolerance ofmodern liberalism was to “en-force conformity” and to stripChristianity of the power of itspublic witness.”

“There is no need to drive thechurch out of services if thesecularization of its agenciescan achieve this end,” headded.

The pressure against religionin public life, he said, stemmedmainly from a misplaced beliefin “absolute sexual freedom.”

He said that as sexual free-dom became a driver of con-sumption, people could see the“re-emergence of slavery in Eu-rope and Asia, the booming ex-ploitation of pornography andprostitution, and the commer-cialization of surrogacy, egg do-nation, and the production anddestruction of human embryosand human stem-cell lines.” ■

Copyright 2009 Catholic NewsService/U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops

dentials and experience, nottheir politics or ideology.”

But Paul A. Long, vice pres-ident for public policy at theMichigan Catholic Confer-ence, said the order “regret-tably places ideology andpolitical posturing ahead ofproven scientific therapeuticadvancements.”

“There are endless studiesand stories of patients whohave been treated, even curedof their debilitating conditionfollowing stem-cell therapiesthat do not necessitate the de-struction of human embryos,yet the . . . executive ordermakes every tax-paying Amer-ican citizen unwittingly com-plicit in the destruction ofhuman embryos for experi-mental research.”

Bishop Robert W. Finn ofKansas City–St. Joseph, Mo.,called Obama’s action the

“newest step by the presidentto eventually remove all legalprotections for innocent, nas-cent human life.”

“The president boldly pro-claimed that he was takingthe politics out of science,”Bishop Finn added. “Rather, itseems clear that he is only as-serting ‘his politics’ over lifeitself.”

Kristen Day, the executivedirector of Democrats for Lifeof America, said the presi-dent’s decision—which theorganization “is against, . . .period”—surprised the groupand signaled “a cooling ofour relations” with the Oba-ma administration.

“Although we have zeroconfidence that a call for a re-versal of this executive orderwill prevail, we are hopefulthat the president will heedour call for common-ground

solutions in dealing with pro-life Democrats,” Day added,citing in particular the Preg-nant Women’s Support Act.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., theauthor of a 2005 law authoriz-ing $265 million in federal re-search funds for adult stemcells from cord blood and bonemarrow, asked in a statement:“Why does the president per-sist in the dehumanizing ofnascent human life when bet-ter alternatives exist?”

“On both ethics groundsand efficacy grounds non-em-bryonic-destroying stem-cellresearch is the present and fu-ture of regenerative medi-cine—and the onlyresponsible way forward,”Smith added. ■

Copyright 2009 Catholic NewsService/U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops


Fr. Anietie Akata, Pastor

The Priests, Deacons, and Lay Faithful of St. Mary’s Church and School

in Johnson City, joyfully welcome and congratulate

Monsignor Richard F. Stika as the third Bishop of the

Diocese of Knoxville. May God bless you.

Fr. Randy Stice, Associate Pastor

the auspices of the Congregation for the Doc-trine of the Faith.

“This will make it clear that the problemsnow to be addressed are essentially doctrinal innature and concern primarily the acceptance ofthe Second Vatican Council and the post-con-ciliar magisterium of the popes,” he said.

He underlined what Vatican officials havesaid in recent weeks, that for the Society of St.Pius X full communion implies acceptance ofVatican II.

“The church’s teaching authority cannot befrozen in the year 1962—this must be quiteclear to the society,” the pope said.

At the same time, he said, some defenders ofVatican II need to be reminded that beingfaithful to the council also means being faith-ful to the church’s entire doctrinal history,without cutting “the roots from which the treedraws its life.”

After making his clarifications, the pope con-fronted the question: “Was this measure need-ed? Was it really a priority?”

He answered with a heartfelt defense of hisreconciliation move, saying the church cannotstop working for unity among its ranks.

“That the quiet gesture of extending a handgave rise to a huge uproar, and thus becameexactly the opposite of a gesture of reconcilia-tion, is a fact which we must accept. But I asknow: Was it, and is it, truly wrong in this caseto meet halfway the brother who ‘has some-thing against you’ and to seek reconciliation?”he said.

The pope also asked whether the churchcould be totally indifferent about a traditionalistsociety that has 491 priests, 215 seminarians,six seminaries, 88 schools, two university-levelinstitutes, 117 religious brothers, 164 religioussisters, and thousands of lay faithful.

“Should we casually let them drift fartherfrom the church?” he said.

He offered a special thought for the society’spriests, saying he did not think they wouldhave chosen the priesthood unless they had alove of Christ and a desire to proclaim theGospel.

“Can we simply exclude them, as representa-tives of a radical fringe, from our pursuit ofreconciliation and unity? What would then be-come of them?” he said.

The pope said he recognized that disturbingstatements have often come from the society’sleadership, reflecting “arrogance and presump-tuousness.” But he said he has also witnessed“an openness of hearts” among some members.

He said the traditionalist society deserves thesame kind of tolerance given to other membersin the church.

“At times one gets the impression that oursociety needs to have at least one group towhich no tolerance may be shown, which onecan easily attack and hate. And should some-one dare to approach them—in this case thepope—he too loses any right to tolerance; hetoo can be treated hatefully, without misgivingor restraint,” he said.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretaryof state, denied reports that the pope was iso-lated inside the Vatican or cut off from muchof the Roman Curia.

“The pope is not alone. His closest collabora-tors are loyally faithful to the pontiff and total-ly united with him,” the cardinal told bishopsparticipating in a Vatican meeting on commu-nications March 13.

Cardinal Bertone added that the pope had re-ceived many letters of support during the recentcontroversy, in contrast with “some out-of-tunevoices among bishops and journalists.” ■

The text of Pope Benedict’s letter in English canbe found online at snipr.com/dydas. Copyright2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops

Letter continued from page D5 Stem cells continued from page D4


Congratulations Bishop Stika

Welcome to Knoxville

Knights of Columbus of the Pope John Paul II

Fourth Degree Assembly No. 2920

Tom Viotti, Faithful Navigator Fr. John Orr, Faithful Friar


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St Bernard Council Father Gabriel Assembly

8152 2162 The Council and

Crossville, TN Cookeville, Crossville, the Assembly of

Harriman, TN Plateau welcome

and congratulate

our new Bishop

Brother Knight

Sir Knight

Richard F. Stika.

We are with you

Fraternally, in Faith,

and in Prayer.

The parish family of

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Crestwood, Missouri

Send heartfelt Congratulations to

Bishop Richard Stika

And wish him God’s blessings In his pastoral care of Knoxville.

St Henry Council 8860

Congratulations and welcome, Bishop Stika!

Our prayers and best wishes are

with you, both now and in the future.

Rogersville, Tennessee

The Knights of Columbus

Council # 14521

James R. Hedges CouncilSt. Augustine’s Catholic Church

Signal Mountain, Tennessee

Fr. Patrick Brownell,

Grand Knight Thomas Tidwell,

and The Knights of Columbus

would like to

graciously and formally welcome

Bishop-elect Richard J. Stika

as the Third Bishop of the

Diocese of Knoxville.

We extend all of our

duties and abilities to Bishop Stika

in helping him to further enhance this already

great Diocese.

We do this in the name of our Lord,

Jesus Christ.


The parish of St. Theresein Clinton welcomesand congratulates you,Bishop Stika.

BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA The parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima Church, Alcoa,

welcome you to East Tennessee.


Catholic Church Extension Society150 South Wacker Drive, 20th Fl

Chicago, IL 606061-800-842-7804

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Thanks for Listening.


Congratulations,Bishop Stika.

We are happy to congratulate

Bishop Richard Stika on his

appointment as the third bishop of

the Diocese of Knoxville.

Very Rev. Denis Robinson, OSB, and the students, faculty and staff of Saint Meinrad School of Theology

Saint Meinrad School of Theology, 200 Hill Drive, St. Meinrad, IN 47577www.saintmeinrad.edu

Pray for blessings upon you, the Most Rev. Richard F. Stika as God continues to guide you in your new ministry as Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Our prayers, and the prayers of the poor we serve, go out in celebration.

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Congratulations to the

Diocese of Knoxville

and Bishop Richard Stika

from

Messer Construction Co.,

proud builders

of St. John Neumann

Church, Farragut


Bishop Ronald W. Gainer,Second Bishop of Lexington,

andthe People of the Diocese of Lexington

extend their prayers and heartiest congratulationsto

Bishop-Elect Richard F. Stikaon his

Ordination and Installation asThird Bishop of Knoxville


We are delighted to

welcome Richard F. Stika

as the Third Bishop of

the Diocese of Knoxville

Congratulations,

BISHOP STIKA !!!

The Knights of Columbus Tennessee State Council

More than 11,600 members serving the Dioceses of Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville

State Chaplain Reverend Joey Kaump (Camden) State Deputy Michael J. Porter, Sr. (Hermitage) State Secretary Robert H. Rounsefell (Cordova) State Treasurer Michael L. Wills (West Knoxville) State Advocate John F. Park, Jr. (Nashville) State Warden James R. Bruun (West Knoxville) IPSD William L. Wicke (Farragut)

00544 Nashville 06730 Morristown 09787 Lebanon 00610 Chattanooga 06784 Greeneville 10010 Gallatin 00616 Memphis 06787 Humboldt / Milan 10327 Memphis Resurrection 00645 Knoxville 06992 Kingsport 10622 Clinton 01101 Jackson 07086 Paris 10641 Covington 02246 Lawrenceburg 07170 Bartlett 10743 Elizabethton 03175 Oak Ridge 07447 Columbia 11074 Lewisburg 03431 Winchester 07449 Germantown 11424 Dayton 03537 Clarksville 07820 Memphis Ascension 11542 South Pittsburg 03763 Madison 07838 Dyersburg 11742 Ashland City 03832 Alcoa / Maryville 08083 Savannah 11925 Nashville St Ann 03837 Union City 08152 Crossville 12012 Nashville St Henry 03991 Tullahoma 08241 Dickson 12256 Nashville Christ King 04264 Johnson City 08273 Harriman 12598 Fayetteville 04312 East Memphis 08354 Antioch 12633 Lenoir City 04563 Murfreesboro 08396 Athens 12838 Jefferson City 04572 Cleveland 08576 Chattanooga St Jude 12961 Seymour 04947 Loretto 08781 Farragut 13167 Centerville 04972 Donelson 08826 Collierville 13276 Memphis St Mary’s 05062 Whitehaven 08860 Rogersville 13551 Martin 05207 West Knoxville 09132 Hendersonville 14041 Memphis Nativity 05233 North Memphis 09168 Smyrna 14079 Soddy Daisy 06099 Chattanooga St Stephen 09232 Hermitage 14341 Knoxville UT 06321 Millington 09317 Cordova 14482 Somerville 06645 Cookeville 09586 Nashville St Edward 14521 Signal Mountain 06695 Bristol 09705 Springfield 14651 Parsons

09754 Camden

In service to one. In service to all.

bishop stika ordination, part 4

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