'FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
FOR····SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSmS ..CAPI COD & 1'ttE ISLANDS VOL. 36, NO. 32
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Friday, August 16, 1991
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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$11 Per Year
Surrogate grandma contrary to church teaching, says ethicist WASHINGTON (CNS) - The case of a South Dakota woman pregnant with her own grandchildren "avoids many of the prob-· lems usually associated with surrogacy" but still is contrary to Catholic teachings, according to a church theologian and ethicist. Arlette Schweitzer, 42, of Aberdeen, S.D., is six months pregnant with twins, implanted after her daughter's eggs were fertilized in a laboratory dish with her son-in. law's sperm. Her daughter, 22year-old Christa Uchytil of Sioux City, Iowa, was born without a uterus. It is believed to be the first such case in the United States and the second in the world. A South African woman gave birth to her daughter's triplets in 1987. But Marianist Father John A. Leies, research fellow at the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Re-
search and Education Center in Braintree, Mass., said the Catholic Church "has a problem with any kind of in vitro fertilizatioJ;l, regardless of the circumstances." Father Leies, who also is a professor of moral theology at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, said some people wrongly assume that the church supports a married couple's "right to have their own genetic children." But there is no such right, he said. In its 1987 "Instruction on Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day," the Vatican Congregation for the Doc~rine of the Faith condemned surrogate motherhood as "an objective failure to meet the obligations of maternallove, of conjugal fidelity and of responsible motherhood." The Vatican stand on in vitro
fertilization is based on the fact that it does not fulfill "the two purposes of the marital act," Father Leies said. "The procreative aspect is there, but the unitive love aspect is not." When in vitro fertilization takes place, the "union" of man and woman occurs "in a petri dish by PRINCIPALS OF last week's Evening on Cape Cod with some lab researcher," he said. "This Bishop Cronin, held at the Tara Hyannis Hotel, included from is not what God intended." f . Ie t, Mrs. Bella Nogueira, first VIce president of the Diocesan Some of the moral difficulties raised by surrogate motherhood Council of Catholic Women, sponsor ofthe annual event; Rev. do not apply to the Schweitzer Edward C. Duffy, moderator of Cape and Islands district of case, however, Father Leies said. the Diocesan Council; Bishop Daniel A. Cronin; Very Rev. Because the daughter has no uter- James F. Lyons, Diocesan Council moderator; Mrs. Mary us, "it's not just for convenience Mikita, Council president. Additional pictures pages 14 and 15 sake," and because no money is (K h) involved, "it's not a case of a hired • • •e.a.r.n.s.p.o.t.o _ womb." He also questioned whether the surrogacy arrangement is "in the best interest of the child psychoTurn to Page 15
National Black Catholic Congress topic at diocesan meeting A recent day of reflection brought together African-American Catholics of the diocese in preparation for a 1992 National Black Catholic Congress. Each U.S. diocese is holding similar planning sessions to prepare an agenda for the national meeting, at which a national pastoral plan for black Catholics will be formulated. The congress is under the sponsorship of II black bishops, the National Black Catholic Clergy Conference, the National Black Sisters' Conference, the National Association of Black Catholic Administrators, arid the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver.
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Its official symbol is the acacia tree, native to Africa and also used as a symbol of the continent. The acacia is mentioned in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Isaiah. Its wood was used to build the Ark of the Covenant and it is cited in Isaiah as a symbol of the messianic restoration in Israel. It has deep roots, enabling it to survive in times of drought and it also provides nourishment, thus it represents stability and resilience. The Scripture passage chosen as a congress theme is also drawn from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 6, verse 8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' 'Here I am,' I said. 'Send me.'"
Congress organizers explain that the passage speaks of the prophet's mission of restoring the people of God to full citizenship in the Kingdom. "In this congress," they say, "we would like the participants to feel the special sense of being sent as prophetic voices speaking on behalf of the Lord to heal, to mend, to comfort, to build, to restore, to create a new Kingdom of justice, love and peace." The diocesan conference, coordinated by Permanent Deacon Antonio M. daCruz of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. John the Baptist parishes in New Bedford, was held July 20 at the Family Life Turn to Page 15
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PARTICIPANTS IN day of reflection and planning for National Black Catholic Congress meet at diocesan Family Life Center in North Dartmouth.
Shooting victim was Home resident
The death of 15-year-old Chris Rogers at the hand of Boston police officer James E. Hall in Dorchester earlier this month not only saddened the residents and staff of St. Vincent's Home, Fall River, but underlined the disastrous effects of recent social service cuts in the state. Rogers, who lived at the residential treatment center and special education facility one year ago, was recalled fondly by the staff. "Everybody knew him," Rev. Joseph M. Costa, executive director at the Home recalled, "He was a nice, capable kid with a lot of potential." The initial sadness, however, was soon replaced with frustration. "After working hard with these kids, we then are sending them back into a community where the supportive services just aren't there," he said. Father Costa pointed out that the staff works with the troubled children for a year or 18 months·in a structured program which involves counseling, education, and motivation. The residents live in home-like cottages with aroundthe-clock staff supervision and attend classes taught by certified special education teachers in a well-equipped school facility. Once the residential aspect of their treatment is completed, how. ever, the youngsters, who range in age from six to 16, are sent back into a situation which may not only be counterproductive, but downright destructive. "Kids and families are left to their own resources," he explained, adding that while family identity is important to the young people, it is unfair to leave them without other support.
He said that as recently as a year ago there would have been more support in the community, such as counseling, after-school care, and incentives for companies to provide vocational training. "Residential care is one of the few pieces of human services still intact after the cuts in the Commonwealth," Father Costa noted, adding, "The ramification is that kids are going to die." . This year alone, three former St. Vincent's residents, including Rogers, have been murdered on the streets of Boston. A current resident's brother was also killed in the city this year. The only way to stop such deaths, said Father Costa, is to provide community services to track troubled youths, possibly using school-based programs. There also need to be alternatives developed, he continued, like group or foster care for older teens which are less restrictive than a residential setting, but still supervised and monitored. The priest predicted that if something is not done soon, the death toll will increase. "The dismantling of the human ·services system, aside from residential care, will result in the deaths of more and more kids," he said, adding, "We need to ask ourselves if we're willing to pay that price."
Tbe Christian Response to Anti-Semitism Page Eight