ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) – If New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushes to have “a right to an abortion” codified in state law, he will face “vociferous” and “rigorous” opposition from Catholic and other pro-lifers, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

But the cardinal hopes it doesn’t come to that because Cuomo, he said, has told him “he wants to work hard on alternatives to abortion,” such as expanding adoption, having “greater latitude” in maternity leave and better assistance for pregnant women in need and those with small children.

The cardinal made the comments in a telephone interview with radio host Fred Dicker, whose show is broadcast on Talk 1300 AM from the state Capitol in Albany. Dicker is a political analyst and is state editor for the New York Post daily newspaper.

“The governor and I have worked closely on other issues,” Cardinal Dolan said, listing immigration, gun control, a call to civic responsibility and the recovery of some money owed to Catholic schools in the form of reimbursements for state-mandated measures such as standardized testing.

“We’ve been with him, and we’ve appreciated what he’s done. I want to believe he means it when he tells me he’s not going to expand what is already a terrible liberal abortion culture,” Cardinal Dolan said, but added that Cuomo has yet to release the details of the measure, called the Women’s Equality Act.

It is an “extreme oxymoron that abortion is seen as helping women’s health, especially if half the babies aborted” are female, the cardinal said.

Besides abortion, the provisions of Cuomo’s proposed 10-point Women’s Equality Act address pay equity; sexual harassment in the workplace; human trafficking; income, housing, family-status and pregnancy discrimination; stronger order-of-protection laws for victims of domestic violence; and recovery of attorney fees in employment and credit/lending cases.

“We’re in his corner on most of them – nine out of 10,” Cardinal Dolan said. “But just this one about expansion of abortion that causes us pause… Please, this is the last thing this state needs.”

New York decriminalized abortion in 1970, before the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal virtually on demand across the country.

“Unfortunately we’re known as ‘the abortion capital of the world,’” the cardinal told Dicker. “We have the highest rate in the country – in New York City 40 percent of babies are aborted; and among Latinos and African-Americans, it’s up to 60 percent.”

Cardinal Dolan said he hoped the gruesome details of how now-convicted Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell ran his abortion clinic and the late-term abortions he performed “will unmask some of the horror that is now obvious in this unfettered abortion-on-demand culture that we’ve got.”

by Carol Zimmermann

U.S. cardinals walk to board a bus from the Pontifical North American College to attend the Mass for the election of the Roman pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 12. Pictured, from left, are Cardinals Roger M. Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles; Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Timothy M. Dolan of New York; Edwin F. O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre; and Sean P. O’Malley of Boston.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Two U.S. cardinals described Pope Francis as an ideal choice to lead the Church in the modern world.

“He is the perfect choice for this moment in the church,” said Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told reporters that the pope met all of the cardinals’ qualifications.

He said they wanted to “choose the right man” who would be “a man of God, a man of good pastoral governance, with a sense of the church universal and a good communicator.”

“He fills those bills,” he said.

He also said the pope’s nationality is a plus.

“Where he comes from is gravy, and we got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from Latin America. You talk about a booster shot to the church in the Americas. This is going to be a real blessing.”

The cardinals noted that the pope has a style that will appeal to many Catholics.

Cardinal Wuerl said the pope’s style reflects the Church’s emphasis on new evangelization, “inviting people to take a look again at the church’s Gospel message.”

“His invitation is not just by words but by personal witness,” he added, pointing out that the new pope, former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, had been “an active presence” among Catholics in his archdiocese, often making parish visits and attending church events.

“He does this as pastor of souls,” he added, pointing out that this will “be a hallmark of his pontificate.”

Both U.S. cardinals said the pope’s style was particularly obvious in the way he greeted the massive crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square when he was first announced.

Cardinal Dolan said it was “magnificent” when the pope asked everyone in the square to pray in silence for him and the whole square was completely hushed.

He said another aspect of the pope’s personality was revealed right before the pope was supposed to appear to the crowds. Many people inside the apostolic palace wanted to speak with him first, but the pope had heard that it had been raining and said he should go to the balcony first because he didn’t want to keep the people waiting.

“That’s a very spontaneously, gracious remark to make,” the cardinal told reporters at the Pontifical North American College.

Cardinal Wuerl appreciated that the pope immediately greeted the crowd by saying good evening in Italian, which he said “pushed aside all formality.”

He noted that Pope Francis has “firmness in faith and gentleness in dealing with people.”

Today (Sept. 27) is the feast day of St. Vincent DePaul, considered by many to be the “star” saint of Christian charity and concern for the poor. Many people, including those who don’t know that much about this great saint from the 17th century, know of the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which is active in so many parishes and dioceses around the world bringing direct help to people in need.

Recent statistics sadly remind that today the poor do need a champion. Michael Powell, writing earlier this week in The New York Times’ “Gotham” blog, notes that while economic conditions have started to improve for some, there are still a shocking number of other people for whom poverty persists, if not worsens, and a recovery is nowhere in sight.

The statistics are overwhelming. For instance, Powell notes that both the Bronx and Brooklyn have unemployment rates above 13%, and, he adds, “Fully 21% (of New Yorkers) live below the poverty line; median income declined in nearly every group; 1.8 million New Yorkers now rely on food stamps.”

You can find great contrasts within a few miles of each other. In some communities families are finding decent jobs and earning sufficient income to provide for themselves and their families. Thanks be to God. However, close by, many other families do not have enough to eat, face the threat of eviction because of the disparity between their income and the rent payment.

One poignant statistic – in one zip code on the East Side of Manhattan, the average household income is about $101,000. In the South Bronx, another zip code’s average income is about $19,800.

This is not something confined to New York City, of course. The basic human needs of good jobs, food, and housing continue to challenge tens of millions throughout this country.

At the same time, we are fortunate that as a society we do try to provide for those struggling.

Government programs provide enormous support to poor Americans. In addition, generous Americans contribute billions to charities each year. And so there is much to be grateful for.

However, two things must be said.

1) It is not enough. Even with the generosity of the American people, and the work of groups like the St. Vincent de Paul Society and so many others, much more needs to be done, and not just by private charity. The government must continue to play its part as well.

2) There are very dark clouds. Too much rhetoric in the country portrays poor people in a very negative way. At the same time, this persistent sluggish economy and slow pace of recovery does two things that hurt the poor: it does not provide sufficient jobs for poor people to earn a decent living to support themselves, and it provides less resources for government to do its part for Americans in need.

This is creating a situation that is devastating to struggling families throughout the country.

As the Church celebrates the feast of St. Vincent DePaul, we affirm that the poor must receive our special attention to ensure that they have the basic necessities of life. While St. Vincent de Paul may be the “star” saint, the commitment of the Church to the poor comes directly from Jesus and was first formally recognized by the appointment of deacons to care for the Greek-speaking widows. Throughout the history of the Church, there has always been a preferential option for the poor. Archbishop Charles Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, said it simply and straightforwardly: “Jesus tells us very clearly that if we don’t help the poor, we’re going to go to hell.”

This commitment and dedication continues and grows today throughout Catholic hospitals, charities and educational institutions. All of these, in their own ways, make service to the poor the hallmark of their work in building the common good. Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn serve literally hundreds of thousands of people each year – the neglected child, the homeless family, the hungry senior, the new immigrant to our shores – through our soup kitchens, homeless shelters, family and youth services, and so much more.

There is too much finger-pointing and not enough joining hands. Solidarity is critical to ensure the dignity of all.

O.L.P.H. Hosts Seuss-tastic Celebration

“Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” — ah, they did try and indeed succeed to celebrate the joy of reading on the 108th birthday of beloved author Dr. Seuss at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, S. Ozone Park. 

Organized by teachers Peggy Breslin and Barbara Kingston, students in K-2 and 4-1 read Dr. Seuss books, created related crafts and made Cat in the Hat-themed snacks together in honor of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day, March 2.

Inspired by The Lorax movie, the two classes are also sponsoring the planting of a new tree on the school grounds in time for Earth Day, April 22. (Photos courtesy Frances DeLuca) 

Spring is a perfect time to infuse new life into your marriage during a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, April 20-22. (A Spanish-language weekend is also taking place April 20-22.) Take a closer look at your marriage, learn effective communication techniques and enhance the love you share. To register, call 1-877-697-9963 or e-mail marriageencounterbq@gmail.com. For the Spanish-language weekend, call Kathy, 646-201-8941, or Manny, 917-577-9268 or e-mail nycemm@live.com.

The annual Memorial Mass to commemorate the death of Msgr. Bernard J. Quinn, the Servant of God, will be celebrated at St. Brigid’s Church, Westbury, L.I., April 14 at 11 a.m.  Bus transportation is being provided from St. Peter Claver Church, Bedford-Stuyvesant, at a cost of $25 per person.  To reserve a seat, call 718-574-5772. To learn more about Msgr. Quinn, log onto www.fatherquinn.org.

A Lenten Blood Drive conducted by the New York Blood Center at Immaculate Conception Church, Jamaica, yielded 62 pints of blood — exceeding the parish goal by 19 pints. Way to go!

Quote of the Week: “Palm Sunday is like a glimpse of Easter. It’s a little bit joyful after being somber during Lent.” — Laura Gale

Renew your spirit this coming Eastertide on a special retreat with parishioners from St. Athanasius Church, Bensonhurst. Father John Campoli will conduct the retreat on the weekend following Easter, April 13-15 over the grounds of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, Long Island. Cost: $185, includes private room, meals and bus transportation. To register, call the rectory, 718-236-0124.

Don’t miss your chance to see America’s tenor Daniel Rodriguez in concert at St. Michael’s Church, Sunset Park, April 29. Concert features Rodriguez and his orchestra with New Zealand soprano Marla Kavanaugh. Concert begins at 4 p.m. Enjoy the concert, along with a cocktail reception and dinner for $75, or simply attend the concert for $50. Reserved seating. Tickets are going quickly. For tickets, call 718-768-6065.

This week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to the fourth grade at the Mount Carmel site of Queen of the Rosary Academy, Williamsburg. Boys and girls raised over $125, which they presented to Msgr. Joseph Calise, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, to help subsidize the repair/replacement costs to outdoor statues of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Jude following some recent vandalism.

Join the TALK. Tell Tablet TALK what’s happening in your corner of the diocese. Drop us a line at megiossi@diobrook.org or call 718-499-9705 ext. 326.

St. Saviour’s Third Graders Congratulate Cardinal Dolan

Third graders from St. Saviour Elementary School, Park Slope, recently made cards and wrote notes of congratulation to the newly elevated Cardinal Timothy Dolan. In addition to students’ cards and notes, French teacher, Rose Santangelo, sent the cardinal a beautiful statue of St. Michael with best wishes from the administration, faculty, staff and students. Above, Santangelo, seated, holds the statue. She is pictured with the third graders; Maura Lorenzen, principal; and Gail Harvey, assistant principal. (Photo courtesy Sister Felicia Ann Parise)

Our warmest congratulations and heartfelt sentiments of esteem go out to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. This tremendous honor, added to the dignity of his important office, is both fitting and well-merited. But Cardinal Dolan, with his familiar serio-comic humor, was quick to put his elevation in perspective, saying that he would sooner be a saint than a cardinal. And why not all of us, as he, aim for the heights of heaven?

Archbishop Dolan’s inspirited earthiness suggests to us that aspirations to sainthood do not require us to abandon our love for life and all created things. If we might be so bold as to indulge a thread of chit-chat that started before Ash Wednesday, rumor has it that the new cardinal’s first two decrees would be to ban the consumption of instant mashed potatoes and lite beer among his “subjects.” It is Lent now and we will postpone immediate indulgence. The cardinal himself promises to set the example by rationing his own pasta helpings, so that his new ring will fit less snugly.

As one who understands the almost sacramental value in the camaraderie of a good meal, he is, in effect, inviting us to enjoy the connection between the “liturgies” of everyday life and the eternal Liturgy of Heaven made present at every Mass. Taking the time to enjoy our friendships around a table and getting to know new friends is at least as important as the work we do. Or perhaps it is the work that we do best as Christians. A Trinitarian God, after all, is all about relationships: three Persons revolving totally around each other for all eternity in ecstatic communion.

In Lent, our focus on Jesus and His sacrifice intensifies as no other time during the liturgical year. Of course, our lives as Christians are always centered around Christ, but most especially now on the sacrificial nature of His mission as the Son of Man. The heart of Gospel conversion is that we will live no longer for ourselves, but for Him. That is why the Church, semper reformanda, understands its mission to extend beyond itself. In fact, its own reform depends upon its resistance to the temptations of triumphalism and its readiness to sacrifice its comfort by emptying itself, like our Lord, for the salvation of souls.

No one knows what sacrifices will be demanded of us as Catholics in America during the months and years ahead. We cannot be seduced by the delusion that “keeping up with the times” will enhance the relevance of the Gospel to the world in which we live. Two things that Christ did consistently throughout His public ministry was to put people’s lives back together by giving them the healing they asked for but also, by preaching and dying, revealing to them a deeper need that they did not know or ask for: forgiveness from sin.

To fulfill the mission that our Lord has given us as His Church, it is our role to continue both aspects of His saving ministry. Thus we cannot and will not be confined to our churches alone, but will reach out into the highways and byways as He did and as we have always done through our hospitals, schools, soup kitchens, orphanages, halfway houses, immigration services and many other agencies and apostolates. At the same time, we will proclaim the kerygma of the Gospel of life that, as we were reminded on Ash Wednesday, calls us to turn away from sin — to repent and believe the Good News! Thus the instruments of death that lead us into addiction or slavery of any form will always be opposed by the Church, even if means the witness of refusing to comply with unjust laws or ways of living that may be commonplace among our contemporaries.

As Cardinal Dolan suggests by his own higher aspirations, it is more important for us all to become holier than more popular in the eyes of the world. Lent is a particularly good time to ask ourselves whether or not we are living to please others who want us to conform to their expectations of us or to please the Lord in whose true image and likeness alone we were re-fashioned through our Baptism into Him.

His Eminence Timothy Dolan, who is a longtime Cardinals fan, is now a member of the team. And it’s only natural that we shared in the joy of the archdiocese as Archbishop Timothy Dolan became a cardinal last weekend.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is unique in that it shares the city with the Archdiocese of New York. Most Catholics in the city live in Brooklyn or Queens but they go to Manhattan every day to work, to play and to be.

Many from this side of the river travelled to Rome to be with the city’s new Prince of the Church. Our own Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano were among the 1,000 people from New York who were in the Eternal City for the red-hat festivities.

And our new communications agency, the DeSales Media Group, worked overtime as we broadcast live on TV the installation to the entire city, as well as beyond, via Internet stream.

Some of tech people worked through the night. Others were on call last Saturday at 3 a.m. at The NET’s studios in Park Slope on the day of the installation. Engineers were preparing for the feed from Vatican TV and commentary from Vatican Radio. I was at the anchor desk with Father John Cush, spiritual director of Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst, awaiting the red line that signalled we were on the air. At 4:30 a.m., the countdown ended and the light went on. In spite of the hectic pre-show preparations, the operation proceeded like a well-oiled machine, guided by Mike Geoghan, project manager of the event.

Father Cush, a last-minute replacement, was masterful as he brought expert commentary that relied on his days studying at North American College in Rome. He talked personally about Cardinal Dolan, who was rector of NAC while he was a student there. Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, a Bronx boy, was the outgoing rector, so he also could relate stories about the man who now serves as head of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher.

Father Cush also remembered new Cardinals Josef Becker and Prosper Grech, who taught him at NAC. Great theologians, demanding professors, he recalled.

In Rome, The NET’s new Currents’ anchor Liz Faublas was sending back packages for broadcast and they were shown following the ceremony along with an exclusive interview with Cardinal Dolan that had been taped in New York by Msgr. Kieran Harrington, our Vicar for Communications.

While it was technically a holiday weekend, Tablet staffers were busy compiling photos and copy from correspondents in Rome as we rushed toward our Tuesday deadline. The results are in your hands at this moment.

Kudos to everyone at DeSales for making the weekend such a success that it was. The names are too numerous to mention but special mention must be made of Ryan Stewart, the new program director for NET and director for the installation event, who spent most of the week making things happen behind the scenes in Rome.

This weekend, NET will bring you live coverage of the prayer service which Cardinal Dolan will celebrate at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10:30 a.m.

No, it may not exactly be a local story about our diocese, but it is our city, our church, and our story.