7March 3, 2011 TH E E VA NG E L I S T

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Empire State Plaza • Corner of Madison Avenue and Eagle Street • Albany, NY

“The Pipes Are Calling!”At Your Cathedral

ALL ARE WELCOME

“NA PIOBAIRI AG GLAOCH”

Sunday - March 13

11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist

(Daylight Savings Time)

Members of the

Schenectady Pipe Band

and the Cathedral Choir

will provide the music

for the liturgy.

Please plan to join us.

www.cathedralic.com

In response to criticism thatGov. Andrew Cuomo should notbe receiving communion atMass since he lives periodicallywith his companion, televisionhost Sandra Lee, BishopHoward J. Hubbard said: “Thereare norms of the Church govern-ing the sacraments whichCatholics are expected toobserve. However, it is unfairand imprudent to make a pas-toral judgment about a particu-lar situation without knowing allthe facts.

“As a matter of pastoral prac-tice, we would not commentpublicly on anything whichshould be addressed privately,regardless if the person is a pub-lic figure or a private citizen.”

The issue of politicians whoreceive communion despitepublic positions that conflictwith Church teaching has arisenpreviously, often pitting pastoralconcerns against issues of pub-lic policy.

Several years ago, the U.S.bishops declined to issue abroad rule on the topic. Theyconfirmed the discretion thateach bishop has, under canoni-cal law, in handling such cases.

Mar Muñoz-Visoso, assistantdirector for media relations forthe U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, summarized their posi-tion: “It’s a matter of pastoral con-cern for each diocese and it’s upto the bishop to decide what’sappropriate.”

CUOMO CONTROVERSY

Bishop explains communion stance

CBA CHAMPSTHE BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM fromChristian Brothers Academy inAlbany bested Shaker in the ClassAA quarterfinals last weekend, 60-23, and moved on to play Albanyas The Evangelist went to print onTuesday. At right, CBA’s GalalCancer soars through the air afterbeing fouled during a layup. (NateWhitchurch photo)

heads in public. A Catholicschool and convent were ran-sacked in 2007. Later that year, aChristian bookseller was killedand, in 2008, a YMCA librarywas bombed.

Many observers blame theattacks on fundamentalist SalafiMuslims, who considerChristians to be modern-dayCrusaders.

“There is no official policyagainst Christians,” Father Her-nandez said. “We are part of thesame homeland and live in thesame circumstances, victims ofthe same blockade.”

Father Hernandez has servedin Gaza for just two years, but hesaid the community’s eldershave helped him understandhow practitioners of Gaza’s twofaiths share a long and relativelyharmonious history.

“The old people tell me howthey would make a pilgrimage toJerusalem crowded into thesame car with Muslims,” thepriest said. “This was when theborder was still open. Whenthey got there, the Christianswould go pray in church, theMuslims in the mosque, andafterward they met up and wentto eat in a restaurant together. Atnight, the families would returntogether to Gaza in an atmos-phere of joy.

“There was a mutual solidari-ty. Muslims would come to playgames at the church and stay forMass. No one made distinctions.That was Palestinian reality. Yettoday it’s different, and our apos-

tolate is to try and conservethose old values.”

When a Muslim dies in hisneighborhood, Father Hernan-dez said he visits the family.

“In the Islamic tradition, theybury the person immediately,but then have three days ofmourning. You sit around anddrink coffee and eat. It’s an Arabcustom that we respect, and I’lloften go each of the three days,”he said.

This pastoral accompanimentmakes for good diplomacy,albeit of the quiet type.

“I know all the governmentleaders personally and visitthem often, from the prime min-ister to the chief of police. It hasto be that way. Whether I like itor not, I’m the representative —although not officially — of theChurch here.

“And when problems arise,who is going to defend us? Noone. So I need to have good con-tacts, to be able to call them, togreet them at parties, to visitthem,” he added.

Father Hernandez’s predeces-sor, Rev. Manuel Musallam, wasan outspoken critic of Israel’streatment of the Palestinian peo-ple. Yet Father Musallam wasPalestinian, and FatherHernandez said that, as a for-eigner, he tries to maintain amore politically neutral stance.

But he admits some eventshave pushed him to speak out.

“When the aid flotilla fromTurkey was blocked from com-ing here, I went to the beach to

add my voice to the protest,” hesaid. “I didn’t speak specificallyagainst Israel, but I did say thatsuch violence only generatesmore violence.

“We’re working for peace inGaza and they made that muchtougher to achieve. I had to saythat. Israel will understand ithowever they want, as willHamas.”

The parish runs two schoolswith about 1,000 students, 90percent of whom are Muslims.Father Hernandez said he doesnot permit “even one word thatlacks respect toward another’sreligion, whether from theChristians or from the Muslims.Anyone who violates suchrespect suffers immediate judg-ment without mercy.”

The parish also works withyouth centers on responding toGaza’s unique challenges, FatherHernandez said.

“We’re going to see the conse-quences of the occupation andblockade of Gaza long into thefuture. Children grow up herewithout the idea of their fathergoing off to work and earning aliving. The father remains in thehome, because he doesn’t have ajob,” he said.

Helping young people envi-sion a different future is part ofthe Church’s mission.

“The majority of youth areworking hard in the university,yet they face a future of notbeing able to find work. It’s diffi-cult not to be able to envision afuture. These are very difficultthemes. So the Church is alsotrying to create employmentopportunities, so kids can growup with different values.”

Gaza church nurtures hope GAZA CHURCH NURTURES HOPE, FROM PAGE 1