Jewish committee criticizes U.S. Catholic bishops' Mideast declaration

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The American Jewish Committee said it is ``deeply disappointed'' with a Wednesday pronouncement on the Mideast peace process from America's Roman Catholic bishops because

Thursday, November 16th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The American Jewish Committee said it is ``deeply disappointed'' with a Wednesday pronouncement on the Mideast peace process from America's Roman Catholic bishops because it did not call upon the Palestinians to ``fully respect the religious liberties of its citizens.''

The Jewish group, long active in significant discussions with the Vatican and U.S. Catholicism, noted that Palestinians have desecrated Jewish holy sites, including an ancient Jericho synagogue and the tomb of Joseph, and said some Muslim religious leaders had urged ``attacks on Jews worldwide.''

The Jewish group said ``these obscene words and deeds simply cannot be tolerated.''

The bishops said the Mideast peace process must be revived, and for the first time endorsed ``establishment of an internationally recognized Palestinian state'' as well as Israel's right to exist ``within secure borders.''

A 1989 policy statement spoke only of a Palestinian ``homeland.'' Cardinal Bernard Law, who chaired the drafting committee, said the change was ``rhetorical'' and continued the substance of the previous declaration.

The bishops also advocated full independence for Lebanon and ``withdrawal of foreign troops,'' but the Jewish committee noted they avoided mention of Syria by name.

The bishops' busy Wednesday sessions also discussed doctrinal limits for church-related colleges and hospitals. Other social statements demanded sweeping changes in the nation's criminal justice system and said the U.S. Supreme Court allowed virtual infanticide in its June ruling on late-term abortions.

The meeting's most dramatic moment occurred when lay professor Daniel Finn of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., told the bishops that their new policy to control who teaches what about religious subjects in Catholic colleges creates potential for the worst ``open conflict between bishops and theologians'' in a century.

Under Vatican prodding, bishops voted last year to require that all religion teachers receive an endorsement from their local bishops. The hierarchy is now trying to decide how to implement that.

Finn said his colleagues nationwide believe the impending system will violate due process, cause legal snarls and undermine the credibility of Catholic academicians.

But there's considerable confusion over how much power the bishops will exercise.

Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, who chairs the bishops' committee on the matter, said it's strictly up to a college what to do with a teacher minus the mandate. He said a bishop can announce that a theologian lacks the mandate or inform the college but ``he doesn't have the right or the power to say, 'You get fired and you don't.'''

The hospital issue involves Catholic hospitals that merge with non-Catholic facilities and whether they must forbid abortions and other practices that violate church teachings. The decision on hospital policy will be made next June, when the bishops also hope to set final rules for endorsing college theologians.

On abortion, the bishops declared that the Supreme Court's June decision to throw out Nebraska's ban on so-called partial birth procedures means ``even the killing of a child mostly born alive is protected,'' which ``has brought our legal system to the brink of endorsing infanticide.''

During discussion, Archbishop Elden Curtiss of Omaha, Neb., cited the presidential election as evidence of the need for bishops to do a better job educating their flocks.

``The last election, yet undecided, indicates a majority of Catholic people still do not make abortion the priority,'' he said, an apparent reference to the many Catholics who voted for Vice President Al Gore, an opponent of a ban on late-term abortions. Texas Gov. George W. Bush supported banning the procedure.

Exit polls indicated Gore got a slight majority of the Catholic vote.

A 38-page decree on crime reaffirmed the hierarchy's opposition to the death penalty, though polls indicate a majority of U.S. Catholics disagree. It also said punishment should be used only to protect society and rehabilitate criminals rather than expressing vengeance.

The hierarchy also opposed mandatory sentencing and treatment of young offenders as adults; said handguns should be eliminated from society with few exceptions; asked for broader use of parole and probation for non-violent criminals, and called for better prison conditions.