Firm Positions from the Archbishop

In an appearance at Marquette Law School Tuesday, Milwaukee’s new Archbishop, the Most Reverend Jerome Listecki, discussed, among other things, the approach he will take to those who differ from Catholic Church positions on issues such as abortion.

Listecki said he wants to show personal warmth and good humor in carrying out his duties as head of the ten-county archdiocese, and the most effective way to deal with people is in a caring, one-on-one manner.

But when it comes to advocating policies, he made it clear he will come down on what is generally labeled the conservative side of church issues, and he will not be reluctant to speak out when he feels it is necessary.  

Listecki told Mike Gousha, host of the “On the Issues” series at the Law School, and an audience of about 150 that he was “kind of shocked that someone had termed me a political bishop” because he had taken public positions emphasizing the church’s strong opposition to abortion.

He also defended his actions as Bishop of the La Crosse Diocese regarding cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests and indicated he felt that a recent statement by the police chief of Eau Claire that Listecki had been untruthful in statements to legislators bordered on libel. The police chief, Jerry Matysik, said recently that Listecki either misunderstood a question at a legislative hearing or misled the committee on practices in the La Crosse diocese on such complaints.

“We followed Wisconsin law,” which requires that suspected instances be reported to civil authorities, Listecki said. He said he wanted complaints from people who said they were victims of such assaults to be reported to him because that was required by church rules and he needed to know if he should take action to remove a priest from his duties. Critics have said the La Crosse diocese was slow to report cases to civil authorities.

Listecki told the Law School audience his goal in response to sexual abuse involving priests is “making sure that never, ever happens again.”

But the archbishop said he would not agree to meet with representatives of SNAP, an organization that has sharply criticized him and many church leaders for their handling of issues related to sexual abuse in the church. Listecki said he would meet personally with any victim, but would not meet with the organization.

“I do not believe in politicizing the issue,” he said. He said that with SNAP leaders, there is “an extra agenda that’s involved beyond victim advocacy.”

He said the “political” label was applied to him because of two situations, one in which he criticized Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, for what he said was wrongly stating Catholic positions on abortion, and one in which he criticized Notre Dame University for not consulting with the bishop of the diocese that includes Notre Dame before deciding to award President Barack Obama an honorary degree.

Listecki said he would continue to speak out in cases such as those, especially if someone misstates the church’s position, but in general would prefer to deal with people who disagree with Catholic teachings on a private basis and not publicly.

But he said if someone wants to describe him as a person who would “bully your opinion around, that’s certainly not my intention.”

Asked by Gousha whether a Catholic institution should ever honor someone who had, for example, an outstanding record of helping the poor, but who disagreed with the church on abortion, Listecki did not suggest circumstances where he would favor that.

Listecki said his main focal points as archbishop would be similar to those of his peers elsewhere: Personnel, school, and finances.

The archbishop said there had been an upward turn in the number of men being ordained or seeking ordination as priests in the Milwaukee area, although the numbers are small. He said there are plans to make sure all parishes are served by qualified religious leaders as a shortage of priests continues.

Asked about schools, he said, ‘We have to try to do our best to make sure Catholic education is accessible and affordable.” He said he hopes more Catholic parents can be convinced of the value of choosing church schools over public schools, and schools should aim to show those parents not only what they have that matches public schools but what they offer that is unique, such as development of Catholic identity. “Highlight the worth,” he said.

And asked what message he would have for Catholic lawyers, Listecki, who has a law degree from DePaul University, said they should keep in mind that it is “a noble pursuit.” They should stand for the ethics of the profession and understand that “your spirituality literally ignites you.” Your job is a way to serve God, he said.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Bill Henk

    Another great job of reporting. You’ve really captured the essence of the event as I perceived it.

    Based on the interview, I’m extremely hopeful that Archbishop Listecki will champion our K-12 Catholic schools.

    There will be notable challenges, though.

    We do not have a school system in the Archdiocese, but rather a loose system of schools. Consequently, it’s difficult to compel parishes and their schools to become part of a greater educational reform effort.

    Consequently, the academic superiority that Catholic schools have enjoyed for decades will be threatened unless the high standards and teaching excellence that exists at the more affluent, elite, and parent-supported schools becomes commonplace in schools that are less advantaged. And faith formation has also become less automatic in parochial schools as the supply of vowed religious has dwindled.

    To entice more Catholic families send their kids to Catholic schools, academics will have to be at least as strong as suburban public schools and the opportunties to inculcate Catholic values must be unmistakable. A soberting statistic is that only 15% of Catholic families nationally send their children to Catholic schools.

    Interestingly, one of the biggest value-added’s for Catholic schools these days are that they’re safe, and it would benefit Catholic education to promote that fact, which matters to parents.

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