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Nov. 16, 2006
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Vote on referenda opportunity
for catechesis, dialogue |
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Leaders analyze outcomes on marriage, death penalty |
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ST. FRANCIS — When it came to referenda on the Nov. 7 Wisconsin ballot, voters agreed with Catholic leadership on one, and voted against the bishops’ position on the other. The marriage amendment, which had the support of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan and the state’s bishops, passed. However, the advisory death penalty referendum also passed which, according to the archbishop in his Nov. 2, 2006 Herald of Hope, is a “defeat for the culture of life.”
John Huebscher, the executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, public policy voice for the state’s bishops, said he was not surprised by the outcome of the referenda.
“They both came out the way I thought they would. Whenever you poll on the death penalty, the knee jerk reaction is to support it,” he said in a phone interview with your Catholic Herald. “But the more you talk about it, the more reluctant people are to favor it.”
Huebscher said that good things resulted from the months leading up to the election.
“I think anytime people seriously think about a public policy matter, it’s good,” he explained. “We live in a diverse society; we’re going to disagree from time to time, but I think if you examine your position more carefully, that’s always a good thing. With the death penalty, we got to look at the complexity of the issue. I think we’re well positioned now to continue the case that we don’t need the death penalty.
“The marriage amendment has allowed people to talk more with those of a same sex orientation and understand them better,” Huebscher continued. “They probably feel less threatened by a person with a same sex orientation and I think that increased understanding will pay dividends down the road.”
Addressing Fr. Bryan Massengale’s guest opinion piece in the Sept. 21 issue of your Catholic Herald, Huebscher said it produced good dialogue.
“I was not put off by Fr. Massengale’s article,” he said. “I thought it was a good contribution to the debate. I think the people who read the Catholic Herald in the last six weeks were subjected to a worthy conversation. I think if all debates and advertising were conducted at the same level as the Catholic community, we’d all be better off.”
Speaking on behalf of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Huebscher was confident that should the death penalty bill go to the state Legislature, it would not become a law.
“If there’s a hearing, we’ll testify against the bill and I’m confident we’ll be successful,” he said.
Huebscher cited a 1995 speech by Pope John Paul II, in which the pontiff spoke about the moral consequences of the death penalty, and how, with the advancements in prison security, the community is not in danger of incarcerated criminals.
“In 1995 (Pope) John Paul thought society had the means to protect the community without resorting to the death penalty, and for that reason, it’s not justifiable,” he said.
Huebscher said that passage of the referendum could be used to further educate Catholics.
“The referendum provided a special teachable moment,” he said. “But I think the effort to educate Catholics has been going on since 1995 and will continue no matter what happens with that issue.”
Rob Shelledy, director of Catholic Social Action for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, said he also thought the marriage amendment would pass, but thought it would be by a smaller margin.
“I wasn’t surprised that the death penalty referendum passed,” said Shelledy. “But I’ve been telling people, anything under 60 percent [in favor] is a moral victory.”
While the death penalty referendum passed with about a 55-45 percent margin, Shelledy said there is still action Catholics can take.
“I think it’s important for Catholics to let their elected officials know what their own opinions are and what Catholic teaching is,” he said.
Shelledy said he also feels that the dialogue that comes out during elections is very beneficial.
“Elections and democracy are at their best during debates about how we should proceed and live together as a community,” he said. “One of the good debates was the focus on the institution of marriage, which unfortunately is threatened by a lot of things — divorce, popular media images, work pressure — all sorts of things that are stressing marriage and family life today.... I hope that coming out of this election, we can look at ways to strengthen marriages.”
Shelledy and Huebscher agreed that the Catholic Church needs to reach out to Catholics who don’t regularly attend church.
“The exit polls don’t differentiate when they are identifying between folks who attend church regularly and who don’t,” said Huebscher. “I think it’s reasonable to assume those who attend church regularly and know about the archbishop’s opinion voted well above 60 percent.”
Prior to the election, Catholics for Peace and Justice, a local organization that supports Catholic teaching on the respect for all human life, formed a group to educate others about the death penalty referendum. Pat Roehrig, the group’s chairperson for those opposing the death penalty, said that changes in society affected the election’s outcome.
“I think we’ve gotten away from mercy and forgiveness,” she said. “We’ve become so vengeful and hateful and I think that shows up in the voting for the death penalty.” |
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