Two U.S. senators told an audience of several hundred Catholic social ministry workers Feb. 13 how observing Catholics they admire has influenced their views of living out one's beliefs.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, described their view of social service being affected by seeing the work of priests, nuns and lay Catholics.
The two senators spoke separately during an annual gathering of Catholic social ministry workers. It is co-sponsored by five agencies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and 12 national Catholic social service agencies.
DeWine told of meeting Oblate Father Tom Hagan, who runs an organization called Hands Together, which operates a variety of assistance programs in Haiti.
Hands Together feeds and educates about 4,500 children, DeWine said, but that's still a fraction of the number of those in need in Haiti.
"Yes, those kids still go home to absolute squalor ... and, yes, Father Tom knows that he can't solve the overwhelming poverty in Haiti," DeWine said. "But that doesn't stop him from trying -- and succeeding -- in improving the individual lives of so many."
DeWine said that, as a Catholic who tries to follow his faith, he believes he has an obligation "to stand up and speak out and find solutions to the problems we face -- whether it's getting food to the world's most hungry or getting desperately needed life-saving AIDS drugs to children dying in Africa and Haiti, or giving a voice to the unborn or safeguarding children and families through better health care and safer roads."
Reid told brief stories about getting to know four Catholic activists: a nun who has been arrested numerous times for protesting at the Nevada nuclear test site; a civil rights activist who has worked for desegregation and to protect the rights of immigrants; a priest who is currently in a Georgia prison serving a term for protesting U.S. involvement in training military forces for Latin America; and former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, who was Reid's high school football coach. Later, Reid served as lieutenant governor under O'Callaghan and he continues to be close to the family.
He said O'Callaghan's example especially has affected his view of one's moral responsibility to others.
"He was a man who lived what Paul said to Timothy -- he lived the Gospel unnamed," said Reid, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He gave the example of O'Callaghan, after he had left office, packing up his car with sandwiches and coffee his family had made and taking it directly to where he knew homeless people found shelter, such as under overpasses.
Both senators also made a few political comments.
DeWine talked about his support for pro-life legislation, for the testing of drugs specifically for use by children and for highway safety improvements.
Reid, who also opposes abortion, didn't bring up his own voting record, but said he believes the country is "in big trouble as it relates to the poor."
"We're taking care of people who don't need it," he said, by giving tax breaks to the wealthy by cutting programs that care for the poor.
"If we are actually representatives for the Lord Jesus Christ, we've got to be concerned about what's happening with the poor in this country," Reid said.
"I will do what I can if you do what you can," he concluded. -- CNS |