In an appearance at Marquette Law School Tuesday, Milwaukee\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Listecki told Mike Gousha, host of the \u201cOn the Issues\u201d series at the Law School, and an audience of about 150 that he was \u201ckind of shocked that someone had termed me a political bishop\u201d because he had taken public positions emphasizing the church\u2019s strong opposition to abortion.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe followed Wisconsin law,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Listecki told the Law School audience his goal in response to sexual abuse involving priests is \u201cmaking sure that never, ever happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not believe in politicizing the issue,\u201d he said. He said that with SNAP leaders, there is \u201can extra agenda that\u2019s involved beyond victim advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the \u201cpolitical\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Listecki said he would continue to speak out in cases such as those, especially if someone misstates the church\u2019s position, but in general would prefer to deal with people who disagree with Catholic teachings on a private basis and not publicly.<\/p>\n
But he said if someone wants to describe him as a person who would \u201cbully your opinion around, that\u2019s certainly not my intention.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Listecki said his main focal points as archbishop would be similar to those of his peers elsewhere: Personnel, school, and finances.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Asked about schools, he said, \u2018We have to try to do our best to make sure Catholic education is accessible and affordable.\u201d 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. \u201cHighlight the worth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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 \u201ca noble pursuit.\u201d They should stand for the ethics of the profession and understand that \u201cyour spirituality literally ignites you.\u201d Your job is a way to serve God, he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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