Category: Editorial

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Calls to abolish all nuclear weapons

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ve heard about the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. But seeing a picture of the remains of a statue of  Mary that survived one of those bombs made those tragedies a reality for me.

A scorched head of a statue of Mary (pictured with this editorial) remained after the blast that destroyed Nagasaki’s Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 1945. The statue once graced the main altar of the cathedral. The haunting eyes of the statue remind viewers of what it might have been like for the 75,000 people who died during the blast.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Endangered species?

One definition of an endangered species is “a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters.”

We usually don’t think about people as an endangered species. In fact, we seem to hear more about overpopulation than whether we have enough human beings in the world.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

National Day of Prayer: Our country should continue its long tradition of public prayer

Should we be offering public prayers for our country? Should there be events such as the National Day of Prayer?

These questions have come to the forefront because of a ruling issued on April 15 in Madison by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb. She said that the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer violates the First Amendment prohibition against laws respecting an establishment of religion. Judge Crabb did postpone enforcement of her ruling until all appeals are exhausted.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Pope Benedict XVI: In five years, he has proven to be an inspiring leader

Five years ago on April 19, the white smoke appeared and the bells were rung at St. Peter’s Basilica to announce that the Catholic Church had a new pope: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI.

As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger had attempted to retire and spend more time writing. Pope John Paul II had encouraged him to remain in his office.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Church is combatting sexual abuse

Almost every day we hear media reports concerning how the Catholic Church has handled cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. It is important for Catholics — and the public at large — to get the facts straight.

First of all, Pope Benedict XVI and countless bishops around the world have continued to repeat that sexual abuse is wrong, sinful, and must not be tolerated. For example, in his March 19th letter to the Catholics of Ireland, Pope Benedict says, “Like yourselves, I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the Church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious. I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them.”

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Media bias: Catholics continue to be targets

Individual Catholics and the Catholic Church itself continue to be popular targets for media bias in our country.

Whenever there is an allegation of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest, newspapers usually publish an article on the front page, while television and radio news reports lead with the story. Even if the alleged abuse happened 30 or 40 years ago, it gets prime coverage.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Make sure you’re counted: Why it’s important to complete the U.S. Census questionnaire

We should be receiving the 2010 U.S. census form in the mail soon. The Census Bureau assures us that this is one of the shortest forms in history. With just 10 questions, most people should be able to complete the form in 10 minutes.

Every person in each household is counted and must answer seven questions about name, gender, race, ethnicity, and whether they sometimes live somewhere else. The head of the household indicates how many people live in the residence; whether it is a house, apartment, or mobile home; and provides a telephone number for census workers to follow up if any information is incomplete or missing.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Generous response to Haiti relief: Catholic Relief Services is putting our donations to work

We can be proud of ourselves! People in the Diocese of Madison responded with an outpouring of financial support in the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti.

As you can see by the chart accompanying this editorial, people in our diocese have donated over $547,000 to Haiti relief. Contributions have been sent to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which was already on the ground in Haiti prior to the earthquake. CRS continues to deliver relief supplies to the Haitian people, but it is also working on long-term recovery plans for the country.

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Mary C. Uhler, editor

Stay alert on health care reform

Now that the health care summit convened by President Barack Obama is over, it seems that there will be tactical efforts used to pass a bill in Congress despite many concerns raised by lawmakers and citizens.

The U.S. Catholic bishops and other Catholic leaders have urged all parties to commit themselves to health care reform that is affordable, accessible, and protects the life and dignity of every person.

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