Bishop crusades quickly on social issues

New leader considers himself a teacher; he's also flexing political muscle

At a meeting of the priest's council recently, Roman Catholic Bishop Michael F. Burbidge informed its members he intended to be active in public affairs. To the 25 gathered priests gathered, it was no big revelation.

Since assuming office in August, the bishop has been the company man, speaking out on nearly every Catholic social teaching there is. The speed with which he has prepared responses to issues such as embryonic stem cell research and immigration reform has heads turning.

And it marks a dramatic change from his predecessor, Bishop F. Joseph Gossman, who also spoke out on issues of the day but took his time to weigh in.

In the past two weeks alone, Burbidge dispatched his assistant to the state legislature to oppose a bill on end-of-life care. The bishop is concerned it might lead to euthanasia. He also came out in opposition to a bill that would expand sex education in the public schools beyond an abstinence-only curriculum. And today, he is holding a news conference to talk about immigration reform. Burbidge said people have a human right to immigrate and provide for their families.

"He looks at the issues in a more organized way than our Southern ways have been," said Sister Joan Jurski, the coordinator of the diocese's peace and justice office.

Catholics say Burbidge, who hails from Philadelphia, is more energetic than his predecessor, who was 76 when he retired.

Burbidge turns 50 next month; he works out daily.

Others say his willingness to speak out is part of his Philadelphia heritage. Coming from a large urban archdiocese that represents many of the city's residents, Burbidge is part of a tradition of bishops who wield power and influence over politics.

But Burbidge is also convinced that speaking out on issues of concern to Catholics is a big part of his role as bishop.

"I have a responsibility to inform our people of issues that will have an impact on public life," he said. "I don't want to sit by as a spectator. I want to be an active voice."

Burbidge's positions fall squarely in line with Vatican teachings on the sanctity of life. That means a strictly conservative view opposing abortion, embryonic stem cell research, comprehensive sex education, and any efforts to hasten death. It also means a more liberal view on immigration and a conviction that the death penalty is wrong.

"It makes him hard to label as a liberal or conservative," said the Rev. Joseph Vetter, the Catholic chaplain at Duke University. "He sees himself as a moral spokesperson, and that's the right approach."

Gossman, Burbidge's predecessor, also spoke out forcefully on issues dear to his heart -- the death penalty and labor rights. But he was more deliberative in issuing public statements and didn't feel the need to interject his views on all issues.

Priests and others say times have changed.

"The Catholic presence is more significant," said the Rev. Jim F. Garneau, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Mount Olive. "It's tremendous compared to what it once was."

A voice in politics

Today, there are more than 207,000 Catholics in the diocese, and that's not counting an even larger number of Hispanics who show up at Catholic churches but don't register. The diocese, which spans 54 counties from Chatham to Dare, is no longer a tiny enclave used to its minority status. Many of its leaders were born here.

When Gossman arrived in the diocese, in 1975, there were 38,000 Catholics in the diocese. At that time, there were more Catholics in China than in North Carolina.

That new sense of rootedness brings a willingness to flex political muscles. At Raleigh's Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi, for example, a coalition has been established to bring legislative changes on such issues as immigration, the death penalty and the environment.

The coalition, which will have three employees when it is fully staffed, is already meeting with state and federal legislators and intends to do more.

"This is a new day," said Megan Nerz of Raleigh, the director of the Franciscan Coalition for Justice and Peace. "There is a more deliberative focus on being active in the legislature."

No pet issues

But though the Franciscan Coalition is focusing on issues popular with more liberal Catholics, Burbidge has not picked pet issues. He sees his role as educating Catholics on the broad range of issues.

"Bishop Burbidge really feels he's the first teacher in the diocese," said the Rev. Dan McLellan, the pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham. In Catholic tradition, that is the role of the bishop -- to teach.

Catholics say it's too early to form an opinion for good or bad.

"Burbidge is a new entity," said Clara Milko of Cary, a member of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church. "I'm going to give him more time before I know what's what."

But it's not as if Burbidge hasn't given people an opportunity to weigh in. The bishop's homilies are available electronically on the diocese's Web site (www.dioceseofraleigh.org). And daily updates allow visitors to keep up with his schedule and read his statements on various issues.

"We can't wait to wake up one morning and see something happen that we haven't discussed or didn't have a chance to study," Burbidge said. "That puts more pressure on us to be vigilant."