As Election Day Nears, Catholic Voters Should Look at Key Issues With ‘Mind of Christ,’ Experts Say

Currents News Staff

Faith is taking center stage in this year’s race for the White House as Catholic voters in critical swing states get ready to cast their ballot. Though many already have, abortion and a myriad of other social concerns are top of mind.

“It’s not easy being a Catholic voter especially when it comes to our modern day politics,” explains St. John’s University political science professor Brian Browne. “Catholics really have to discern and decide what is the most important issue for them.”

Browne says Catholics need to make informed choices as the candidates make their final pitches on big issues like abortion.

“I will always defend the sacred right to life,” said President Donald Trump, whose pro-life stance is unwavering.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is touting his commitment to other Church teachings.

“I grew up with Catholic social doctrine, which taught me that faith without works is dead.” said Biden

Those differing positions continue to divide the Catholic vote, but the Senate battle over the Supreme Court’s newest justice has put the rights of the unborn back on the front burner.

“It is the preeminent issue,” says Matthew Pinto, president of Ascension, a leading Catholic media company that works with thousands of parishes on adult faith formation. He believes that the right to life is paramount.

“It’s almost as if we can vote for the candidates after that issue is resolved,” he added. “We can look at the other nine, eight, or seven issues… but some are immutable.”

Not all Catholics agree, according to a Pew research poll. Seventy-seven percent of Democratic leaning Catholics think abortion should be legal in some form, while 63 percent of Republican leaning Catholics think it should be illegal in most if not all cases.

Another huge concern — especially among hispanic Catholics — is immigration. Ninety-one percent of Catholic Democrats oppose expanding the border wall, while 81 percent of Republicans favor expanding it. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemns the expansion plan.

Healthcare, climate change, the death penalty and euthanasia all pressing issues in this election — all of which are pulling Catholics in different directions.

“There’s so many different factors because our faith is so dynamic and incorporates every aspect of the human person,” says Brian Browne.

Catholics are united, however, over growing anti-Christian sentiment. According to a Real Clear opinion poll, 83 percent of likely Catholic voters are concerned about attacks on churches across the country in recent months.

“You have to vote,” Brian urges, saying that the most important thing is that you make your vote count.

Matthew Pinto added a little extra food for thought:

“If a Catholic is on the fence about what to do, think with the mind of Christ and think with the mind of the Church. Human — faults and all — was established by Christ to teach in his name. It has taught in his name for 2000 years. At the end of the day, the Church really does get it right on these big issues.”

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 10/22/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

We’re taking you inside the senior affordable housing being built by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court heads to the full Senate for a confirmation vote on Monday.

Then, it’s the last debate before the election – we’ll explore the issues that concern Catholics the most.

An Inside Look at Affordable Senior Housing Being Built by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens

By Emily Drooby and Bill Miller

ASTORIA — Construction of a new home for low-income people was about to start last spring in Queens, but the COVID-19 pandemic rattled all aspects of normalcy worldwide.

The Bishop Valero Residence, a project of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens, is expected to add 102 badly-needed apartments for seniors and formerly homeless adults. It’s located at 23-11 31st Road in Astoria, Queens.

Financing for this $62 million effort depended on several partners, including the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The pandemic forced that agency to cut back on its budget by 40 percent for the rest of 2020, plus next year, according to David Downs, the deputy director of Catholic Charities’ Progress of Peoples Development Corporation.

The project’s partners, realizing its importance, did not give up.

“All the players chipped in to make the project work in the time frame we needed,” Downs said. “A lot of people had to make some concessions and be flexible.”

David Downs, deputy director of Catholic Charities’ Progress of Peoples Development Corporation, discusses the Bishop Valero Residence under construction in Astoria, Queens. (Photo: Bill Miller)

For example, Downs said Catholic Charities and the city agreed to add more financing. The city’s portion of the funding was key because it involved $3.1 million in low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), which are expected to generate $30.8 million in equity over 15 years, nearly half of the money needed to build the project.

Other partners include Bank of America, Richman Housing Resources, and Barings, LLC. Dattner Architects designed the project and Monadnock Construction is the builder.

Although the project’s closing was a few weeks late, construction started on time in June, which was a great relief, according to Downs.

“We had our construction budget in place, but we could only guarantee costs through June,” he said. “Supply was a big concern for building materials like steel. So there was a lot of pressure on the team.

“We had a calm exterior, but on the inside, we were very nervous.”

Affordable Housing Shortage

The Progress of Peoples Development Corporation started making affordable housing in the 1970s — serving families, formerly homeless people, senior citizens, and people with HIV.

The task has only gotten harder as New York City’s population swelled to about 8.6 million people, the biggest of all U.S. metropolitan areas. The city’s expensive real estate market adds even more hurdles for land acquisition.

Tim McManus, vice president of Progress of Peoples Development Corporation, said a 2016 study showed there were 200,000 applicants for 20,000 affordable housing units in New York City.

“Demand for senior affordable housing is a mess throughout the city,” McManus said. “We don’t have numbers to suggest what’s happened since COVID, but we know that number has grown.”

The Bishop Valero Residence is the second affordable housing project from Catholic Charities to start in 2020. In January, ground broke on the eight-story, 135-unit Catholic Charities Loreto Apartments on Sackman Street in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn.

This site is the former address of Our Lady of Loreto Church, which was demolished in 2017. Nearby is the Catholic Charities Monsignor Anthony J. Barretta Apartments, which was opened in 2013 on the former site of Our Lady of Loreto School.

The Brownsville project began a few weeks before the pandemic’s onset in March and continued uninterrupted.

However, projects planned by other developers are not as fortunate, being stuck in a COVID-wrought financing limbo, adding to the frustration of advocates struggling with an existing shortage of affordable-housing citywide.

“A lot of projects,” McManus said, “are still on the sidelines.”

Build a Community

The six-story Bishop Valero Residence is expected to open in 2022 with nearly 85,000 square feet of space and environment-friendly features like solar panels.

It’s located in a former parking lot for the existing Catherine Sheridan Senior Housing project, another property in the Progress of Peoples Development Corporation’s affordable-housing portfolio.

The Catholic Charities Bishop Valero Residence will be located at 23-11 31st Road in Astoria. (Rendering: Dattner Architects)

About 6,500 square feet are set aside for a ground-floor, 200-seat community center operated by Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services. Other amenities include a commercial kitchen serving hot meals, an exercise area, a computer lab, and a landscaped patio area.

“We build buildings we’d like to live in ourselves,” Downs said.

Of the 102 units, 71 are designated for low-income senior citizens, while the other 31 are for formerly homeless seniors. All residents will have access to on-site social services.

“We really are trying to put together a comprehensive model, providing not just for housing, but also social services to address the residents’ physical and social needs,” McManus said.

Father Patrick Keating, deputy chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens, explained that low-income tenants deserve safe homes, hopefully in the neighborhoods where they’ve lived and near their longtime parishes.

“What we try to do is build a community,” Father Keating said. “But it’s not just buildings; it’s a greater integration of bricks and mortar with services. All our programs are interconnected.”

Father Keating credited Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, chief executive officer, for devising a “holistic” approach to integrating services.

“The Church teaches the dignity of every single person,” Father Keating said, “and by providing a safe home, you’re serving that person, which allows us to fulfill our ministry.”

Brooklyn Kosher Restaurant Mixed Greens Has Summons Over COVID-19 Red Zone Violation Rescinded

By Jessica Easthope

The phone has been ringing off the hook at Mixed Greens. The kosher restaurant in part of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn’s COVID-19 “red zone” has had a landslide of orders since Oct. 20, when an inspector from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs issued a summons leaving employees shocked and confused.

“Apparently the doors are not allowed to be open, and I need to operate my business with the doors closed and I can give people food only by the door,” said Mike Green, the manager of Mixed Greens.

Mike started recording the inspector when he felt he was being unfairly ticketed.

“Emotionally it’s devastating,” he told Currents News. “It’s so hard running a business as is, and to add on top of everything adding false violations is something other people might just take and pay the ticket. But I thank God I was able to stand for myself, so you guys can see.”

The city ultimately rescinded the summons after pushback from the restaurant, community and Councilman Chaim Deutsch.

“I don’t remember in the guidelines it saying anything about the doors being shut or anyone not being able to walk inside to pick up an order,” Councilman Deutsch said. “I don’t think it’s acceptable for any inspector to walk into a business and not know the guidelines correctly and write a summons.”

Mixed Greens says the mix-up has sparked an outpouring of support, not just from the surrounding area but from all over the country.

“We have people from Arkansas, from Utah, from here ordering on our site and saying give it to the person that needs it. It’s amazing,” said Jacob Green, the owner of Mixed Greens.

On Thursday a line formed safely in the restaurant of brand new customers who heard about the blunder and wanted to support.

“It’s not just our community or the local New Yorkers but all Americans, We’re in this together and we love to hear these positive vibes during this tough time,” said customer Charles Kattan.

“Things happen and we come together and it’s beautiful and that’s what community is, thank God,” said Norma Sitt, who also ordered from Mixed Greens.

“I’ve gone out of my way to come here. I’m a new customer and I just want to show support, that’s why I’m here,” another person in line said.

What Mixed Greens is asking of its customers now is to spread support and positivity to other small businesses.

“We hope we can take this curse and turn it into a blessing and that’s what it’s all about,” Jacob said.

“The next step really is trying to help out these businesses that are struggling,” Mike added. “instead of adding salt to the wounds, I think someone should be there to help them out during these rough times.”

Currents News had reached out to the city and the Department of Consumer Affairs for a comment on what happened, but was only given confirmation that the summons was rescinded.

Vatican Extends Provisional Agreement With China on Naming Bishops

By Currents News Staff and Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican and the Chinese government will extend an agreement signed in 2018 regarding the appointment of bishops.

As the initial agreement expired Oct. 22, the two sides “have agreed to extend the experimental implementation phase of the provisional agreement for another two years,” the Vatican said in a communique the same day.

“The Holy See considers the initial application of the agreement — which is of great ecclesial and pastoral value — to have been positive, thanks to good communication and cooperation between the parties on the matters agreed upon, and intends to pursue an open and constructive dialogue for the benefit of the life of the Catholic Church and the good of Chinese people,” it said.

The agreement was first signed in Beijing Sept. 22, 2018, and took effect one month later.

The provisional agreement, the text of which has never been made public, outlines procedures for ensuring Catholic bishops are elected by the Catholic community in China and approved by the pope before their ordinations and installations, according to news reports at the time.

Vatican officials always had said that giving up full control over the choice of bishops would not be what the Vatican hoped for, but that it could be a good first step toward ensuring greater freedom and security for the Catholic community in China.

Pope Francis told reporters in September 2018 that the agreement envisions “a dialogue about potential candidates. The matter is carried out through dialogue. But the appointment is made by Rome; the appointment is by the pope. This is clear. And we pray for the suffering of some who do not understand or who have many years of clandestine existence behind them.”

The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published an article Oct. 22 explaining the motivations for and objectives of the provisional agreement.

But the article also said it is important to recognize many situations of “great suffering” still exist for the faithful in China.

“The Holy See is deeply aware, is taking this well into account and does not fail to draw the attention of the Chinese government to the promotion of a more fruitful exercise of religious freedom,” it said.

“The journey is still long and not without difficulty,” it added.

While some political leaders have scrutinized the pact through a merely geopolitical lens, it said, for the Holy See, the agreement centered on conforming with the two principles: “Where Peter is, there is the church,” in reference to the primacy of the pope as bishop of Rome; and “Where there is the bishop, there is the church.”

The special role of the pontiff in the naming of bishops and among the community of bishops is what “inspired the talks and was the reference point in drawing up the text’s agreement,” the article said. “That will assure, bit by bit along the way, both the unity in faith and communion among the bishops, and full service fostering the Catholic community in China.”

The agreement has meant that, for the first time in decades, all of the Catholic bishops in China are in full communion with the pope and there will no longer be illegitimate ordinations, that is, bishops ordained with government approval, but not the Vatican’s consent.

In the two years since the agreement was first signed, two bishops acceptable both to the Vatican and to Beijing have been named and a number of other appointments are at various stages, the article said.

While that does not seem to be a big number, it said, it still marks a very good beginning in the hopes of continued positive results.

The main objective, it said, is to “support and promote the proclamation of the Gospel in these lands, reinvigorating the full and visible unity of the church.”

As top Vatican officials have already underlined, the article said the agreement focused only on the nomination of bishops, not the many other issues and situations that remain and “still cause concern for the church.”

It would be impossible to confront every issue at the same time, it said, which is why the provisional agreement also represents a starting point for broader and “forward-thinking” agreements in the future.

The current “experimental” agreement is the product of “an open and constructive dialogue,” it added.

Dialogue that is fostered by respect and friendship “is intensely desired and promoted by the Holy Father,” it said.

“Pope Francis is well aware of the wounds brought to the communion of the church in the past, and, after many years of long negotiations begun and pursued by his predecessors and in undeniable continuity with their thinking, he has reestablished full communion with Chinese bishops ordained without papal mandate and has authorized the signing of the agreement on the naming of bishops, the draft of which had been already approved of by Pope Benedict XVI.”

In an interview Oct. 21 with the Catholic newspaper, Avvenire, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said that, on the whole, Vatican officials have been satisfied with the agreement.

However, he said, they also hoped there would be improvement and consistency in how its terms were carried out.

“It is hoped that the church in China rediscovers, thanks also to this agreement, unity and then through this unity it may become an instrument of evangelization” and the promotion of authentic development for everyone, he said.

When asked if he was referring to the persecution of Christians, the cardinal replied, “What persecution! It is necessary to use terms correctly. There are rules that are imposed and that apply to all religions, and they certainly appertain to the Catholic Church.”

[China-Vatican Negotiations Frustrating for Local Chinese Clergy, Parishioners]

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 10/21/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Raising money for a brighter future – families in the Brooklyn Diocese will now be able to give their kids a Catholic education.

Restrictions are being lifted where the number of COVID infections are going down.

Fighting childhood hunger behind the scenes- how one nonprofit is getting food to students and their families even when they’re not in school.

A new documentary about Pope Francis is generating headlines.

Futures in Education Annual Gala Goes Virtual to Hit Catholic School Scholarship Fundraising Goal

By Emily Drooby

On Oct. 20 a virtual version of the annual Futures in Education gala was thrown. The event usually raises millions of dollars in scholarships — it’s money that’s crucial in helping to give kids a Catholic education in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“To lose it would be a disaster,” Monsignor David Cassato, the Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, told Currents News.

“We give out every year, about eight million dollars in scholarships, so we cannot have something like this just pass by,” explained Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello. “Two million dollars is like 25 percent of our yearly donations. So, it’s very important that we have this.”

The money goes to those who need it the most.

“Many people want to come to our schools but what’s the issue? Tuition, can’t afford it,” said Monsignor Cassato.

Over 30 percent of their families live at or below the poverty line and have a median income of $35,000 per year. This year even more families have been hurting because of financial strain caused by the pandemic.

“The need is greater, there’s more kids who have been affected and families, by the pandemic and they don’t have the funds to attend our schools so we really have to help even more children,” said Monsignor Gigantiello.

With unemployment skyrocketing during the pandemic, families need more help. Futures in Education has seen more requests for aid.

The gala featured an appearance by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, singing, an inside look at Catholic schools, a testimonial from a family helped by Futures, and of course, fundraising.

Even with the gala completely reimagined, they still hit their two million dollar fundraising goal. It’s a major triumph and one that will help the kids.

After a Wildfire Destroyed His Sacramento Parish, Deacon Charles Werner Says They Won’t Give Up

Currents News Staff

In California, more than 7,000 firefighters remain on the frontlines of 22 wildfires across the state including the Slater Fire. On Sept. 8, that fire tore through Sacramento and burned All Saints Church – a mission of Sacred Hearts Parish – to the ground.

Deacon Charles Werner serves that parish and joined Currents News to tell us how they’re holding up.

Bay Ridge Nonprofit ‘ Grandma’s Love Delivers’ Redesigns Food Initiative to Support Students During COVID

By Jessica Easthope

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Dept. of Agriculture reported the number of American children who are food insecure has gone from 11 million to 18 million. Theresa Monforte-Caraballo is trying to feed as many of those children as she can.

“We do this because our kids, really really need us,” Theresa says.

Theresa is the Founder and Executive Director of Grandma’s Love, a nonprofit that feeds hungry children in Brooklyn and Queens in a way that guarantees they feel no shame.

“We had very plain, nondescript backpacks they were given out on Friday at the end of the day,” she explained, “so no one really noticed that there was an extra backpack going home with certain children.”

But the pandemic turned Grandma’s Love’s operation upside down. Children attending school online made it hard and in some cases impossible for Theresa and her team to get food to those in need.

“We started delivering to houses,” Theresa told Currents News. “We called it our door drop offs. We had a staff member do some deliveries and then we hired a delivery gentleman. He would come in twice a week and he would drop off all of the bags to the children we would normally drop off at school for.”

Grandma’s Love had to adapt and do it quickly because the number of families who needed food was growing by the day: 2.4 million New Yorkers are food insecure.

“Every day you came in, the phone was ringing off the hook and the need was there and it just kept increasing and increasing,” said Tina Raeder, a volunteer at Grandma’s Love, “and we just rose to the occasion because we had to and we wanted to.”

Before the pandemic, Grandma’s Love was feeding 125 students and their families. During the pandemic, that number rose to 450 families.

The organization went from a backpack of food that could be returned and refilled to this:

“We ended up doing a week’s full of groceries,” Theresa explained. “It cost us more, but again this was COVID, some people can’t get out, some people are afraid to go out.”

Every bag feeds a family of four, but some bags can be customized to fit more or include a personal touch that makes a world of difference.

“Especially if the kids,” Tina added, “we would send a small bag of cereal and that was theirs. We saw a picture of that and that just tugs at your heart.”

Fighting for every single dollar of funding, Theresa says even when Grandma’s Love has had nothing, she held on.

“Through the grace of God, even when we’re down with nothing something happens,” she said. “It’s faith that keeps us going. We strongly believe if you do good, good will continue to come to you.”

The bags that Grandma’s Love packs with care are full of so much more than food.

“We’re giving them hope and they know there are people out there who care for them,” Tina says.

Virtual school could be the future for many students.But as long as there are children who need food, Grandma’s Love will find a way.

John Allen on Pope Francis’ History of Defending Marriage, but Being Open to Some Civil Unions

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis often has expressed openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights.

The pontiff’s comments in a brief passage in the documentary film, “Francesco,” are similar to the position he took while archbishop of Buenos Aires and echo remarks he has made in several interviews during his pontificate: “Marriage” is only between a man and a woman, but civil union laws could provide legal protection for couples in long-term, committed relationships.

Speaking in Spanish in the film, Pope Francis says, “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.”

The film premiered in Rome Oct. 21.

Pope Francis repeatedly has said publicly that parents should not and must not disown a child who is gay, and, on several occasions, he has spoken about the rights all people have to have a family.

In a 2019 interview on Mexican television, he was asked about his opposition to gay marriage in Argentina and his openness to LGBT people as pope.

“I have always defended doctrine,” he said. “It is a contradiction to speak of homosexual marriage.”

But he also told the interviewer, “Homosexual persons have a right to be in the family; persons with a homosexual orientation have a right to be in the family and parents have the right to recognize a son or daughter as homosexual; you cannot throw anyone out of the family, nor make life impossible for them.”

In “A Future of Faith: The Path of Change in Politics and Society,” a book-length series of conversations with the French sociologist Dominque Wolton, the two spoke about gay marriage and civil unions in the context of a discussion about tradition, modernity and truth.

“‘Marriage’ is a historical word,” the pope said, in the book published in French in 2017. “Forever, throughout humanity and not only in the church, it’s been between a man and a woman. You can’t change it just like that. It’s the nature of things. That’s how they are. So, let’s call them ‘civil unions.’”

In a 2014 interview published in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis was asked about moves across Europe to legalize gay marriage or adopt civil union laws.

“Marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “Secular states want to validate civil unions to regulate different situations of cohabitation, driven by the need to regulate economic aspects between people, such as ensuring health care. These are cohabitation pacts of various kinds, of which I could not list the different forms.”

“It is necessary to see the different cases and evaluate them in their variety,” he said, implying that some forms of civil unions would be acceptable.

According to “The Great Reformer,” a biography of Pope Francis by Austen Ivereigh, then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio went head-to-head with the government in 2010 when it began a drive to legalize gay marriage.

“He told a Catholic gay activist, a former theology professor named Marcelo Marquez, that he favored gay rights as well as legal recognition for civil unions,” Ivereigh wrote. “But he was utterly opposed to any attempt to redefine marriage in law.”

The future pope, the book continued, “had not raised strong objections to a 2002 civil unions law that applied only to Buenos Aires and that granted rights to any two people cohabitating for more than two years, independent of their gender or sexual orientation. He regarded it as a purely civic, legal arrangement that left marriage unaffected.”

In 2003, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had issued a document urging Catholics to oppose giving “legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons,” particularly when such recognition would equate the unions with marriage and would allow the couple to adopt children.