When it comes to expressing his views of church values, Roman Catholic
Archbishop Raymond Burke has a habit of making headlines, not always to the
satisfaction of his flock.
Burke memorably declared that he would deny Communion to Sen. John F. Kerry
(D-Mass.) because the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee supports abortion
rights. He fought unsuccessfully to keep singer Sheryl Crow, who supports
embryonic stem cell research, from headlining an April fundraiser for the
Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, then resigned from the hospital
foundation's board in protest. Just this month, his office pushed St. Joseph's
Academy, a Catholic high school, to renege on its invitation to Sen. Claire
McCaskill (D-Mo.) to deliver this year's commencement address because of her
abortion-rights position, even though McCaskill's daughter was in the graduating
class. McCaskill was uninvited.
At a time when significant segments of the Catholic population are breaking with
the church on such issues as embryonic stem cell research and abortion, Burke is
adhering to Vatican orthodoxy endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI -- and he expects
the same of all Catholics in his archdiocese.
He tells his critics that he has "no agenda but the church."
Burke's decisions -- and their very public nature -- have roiled the church in
St. Louis, home to more than 500,000 Catholics. While some praise Burke for
firmness in an era of moral laxity, others complain that the church under his
direction seems out of touch.
There are certain parallels with Benedict's own experiences. The pope recently
questioned the propriety of pro-abortion-rights legislators accepting Communion
and told reporters that he agreed with excommunication for Mexican lawmakers who
voted to legalize abortion.
In response, 18 Catholic members of Congress declared that "religious
sanction in the political arena" violates American freedoms.
Burke "has relatively little concern for, let's say, negative
reaction," said James Hitchcock, a professor at Saint Louis University who
writes for the diocesan press and calls Burke "a very humble man in his
personal life."
"He sees himself as being obliged to do what he thinks is the right thing,
and he's not too concerned with strategy or how he might finesse the
thing," Hitchcock said. "There are quite obviously deep divisions
within the church. Archbishop Burke is one bishop who has chosen to confront
them directly, as opposed to other bishops who may prefer to minimize
them."
Following the dispute over Crow and the hospital benefit, Geri Redden, who
describes herself as a pro-choice former Catholic, said she considers Burke
"archaic and kind of an embarrassment. He seems to think he is back in the
old days when he could really tell people how to live their lives."
Burke, 58, is a canon specialist who warns that Harry Potter books are
"irreligious." He took a strong stand last year against a Missouri
constitutional amendment designed to protect embryonic stem cell research, a
high-profile political fight that pitted social conservatives against the likes
of Crow, actor Michael J. Fox and former senator John C. Danforth (R-Mo.). He
called it a moral crisis for Missouri and said taxpayer money would be spent on
"intrinsically immoral research."
The bishop's determination to challenge Catholic public figures was clear in
his previous post, as bishop of La Crosse, Wis. Among those he contacted was
Rep. David R. Obey, a long-serving Wisconsin Democrat, who traded letters with
Burke after the bishop privately voiced unhappiness with Obey's votes on
abortion-related issues.
Burke urged Obey to vote to deny permission to U.S. servicewomen seeking
abortions in military hospitals. He also wanted him to oppose embryonic stem
cell research.
"A few months ago, he wrote to me threatening to use his ecclesiastical
authority to punish me if I did not conform my voting record to his view of what
Catholic dogma required," Obey wrote in an essay titled "My
Conscience, My Vote," in America, a Jesuit magazine. "I told him I
could not do that."
While still in Wisconsin, Burke ordered Catholics not to participate in an
annual hunger walk sponsored by the Church World Service because some of the
proceeds paid for condoms in developing countries. It has been in St. Louis,
though, that his positions -- particularly the Cardinal Glennon hospital event
-- received the most attention.
Each year, the Catholic-run children's hospital's most profitable fundraiser is
a benefit for the Bob Costas Cancer Center, named for the sports announcer. Top
billing this year went to Crow and actor Billy Crystal.
When Burke, on the hospital foundation board, learned that Crow had campaigned
for the Missouri stem cell amendment, he demanded that she be uninvited. The
board refused, saying there would be no litmus test for people who wanted to
help sick children.
Three days before the gala, Burke called a rare news conference to say he could
not condone Crow's appearance. He resigned from the board, saying the singer
"promotes moral evils."
"What if, for instance, there were someone appearing who we discovered was
openly racist and who made statements and took actions to promote racism?"
Burke asked. "Do you think that I would let that go on?"
The leaders of St. Stanislaus Kostka church know Burke's wrath. They ran afoul
of the archbishop by insisting that their property remain independent of
diocesan control, as it has for decades. Burke responded by evicting the church
from the diocese and excommunicating the parish leadership, which has appealed
the decision to Rome.
"From his point of view, we are nonexistent," said the Rev. Marek
Bozek, the church's pastor. "I find it wrong to perceive the world in white
and black colors only. Unfortunately, he does. And we are wondering why the
church is losing its people?"
But when Burke declared the church out of line and parish leaders stood firm,
membership more than doubled, Bozek said. And when St. Stanislaus celebrated its
first Christmas Mass after 17 months without a priest, 2,500 people came.
"From the purely pastoral point of view, it's been nothing but good for
us," Bozek said. "It has revitalized the parish. We are growing
because people can't stand this any longer."
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