The Spirit Rises

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 6/5/03)

The Spirit Is Rising in the South" was the theme of last week’s Catholic Press Convention in Atlanta. The convention provided numerous surprises, including the Arlington Catholic HERALD receiving seven awards for writing, photography and advertising.

The surprise was not that we didn’t deserve the awards, but rather that the judges viewed our work as worthy of recognition. We compete against quality publications in most categories, including The Catholic Review in Baltimore, The Catholic Standard in Washington and The Tidings in Los Angeles (which this year was named the outstanding diocesan paper with a circulation of more than 40,000).

Specific congratulations go to staff writer and photographer Alfonso Aguilar who received four awards (two for photography and two for writing), columnist Elizabeth Foss, and graphic artists Michelle Hoopes, Gretchen Cugno and Jackie DeForge.

The convention this year provided an outstanding litany of speakers, including Archbishop John P. Foley, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Catholic columnist and author George Weigel; Father Brian Hehir, executive director of Catholic Charities USA; and Kathleen McChesney, head of the bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection.

Archbishop Foley, when asked what charge he would give Catholic journalists this year, proposed that now is the time for the Church, despite the ongoing sexual abuse crisis, to renew its evangelization efforts. "The Catholic press should lead the way," he said. "Orthodox Catholics can help the world achieve its true destiny. We can no longer be mediocre."

The archbishop’s words were echoed by Weigel, who raised a few eyebrows by listing seven areas that he thinks are being under-reported by the media, including the Catholic press.

These areas include: "The New South"; converts and reverts to Catholicism are among America’s intellectual elite; the continuing impact of The Catechism of the Catholic Church on world culture; the renewal of devotional life in the Church; the new ecumenism; the shift in Catholic intellectual life from Georgetown, Boston College and Notre Dame to universities such as Aquinas, Christendom and Steubenville; and liturgical reform.

McChesney, formerly one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s top officials, was hired by the bishops’ conference last year to head the Child and Youth Protection Office. She recognizes that she has an enormous task ahead of her and will battle many skeptics.

The adoption of the charter for the protection of children last June by the U.S. bishops’ "was a defining moment in Church history," she said.

McChesney’s office will be working with the auditing team from the Gavin Group in Boston to determine which dioceses are implementing the charter. The diocesan audits begin in June and will run through October. A summary is expected in December.

Father Hehir, who is in residence at St. Mary Church in Alexandria, gave an abbreviated history of the Church’s "Just War" tradition and how it applies to the war in Iraq. When applying "Just War" principles to Iraq, Afghanistan or any other conflict, Father Hehir said, it’s important to note that trans-national terrorism (such as what occurred on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York and the Pentagon) has led to the "privatization of war."

Father Hehir said he thought the use of force in Afghanistan was justified, but was not convinced of its need in Iraq. The Holy Father and other Vatican officials, he noted, consistently spoke out against both Operation Desert Storm in 1991, as well as the recent Iraqi conflict.

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