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Bishop: Penny a pittance for poor

As the tax vote looms, the Catholic leader laments it does little for human services.

By SHERRI DAY, WILL VAN SANT AND DEMORRIS LEE
Published March 12, 2007

Bishop Robert N. Lynch, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, continued his campaign Sunday to raise doubts among the faithful about the Penny for Pinellas sales tax extension.

During a parish visit at Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport, the bishop said he had "grave concerns" about the way Pinellas County funds social services.

"This tax will realize $1.9-billion over the 10 years from the year 2010 to 2019," Lynch told parishioners after his homily. "They have, to their credit, allocated 1.5 percent for affordable and low-cost housing. They've never done that before ... But I believe that $30-million out of $1.9-billion is a pittance, and we should be ashamed of that."

The bishop's message reverberated Sunday at churches throughout the county, which is home to more than 112,000 Catholics. On Wednesday, Lynch sent a letter to Pinellas County pastors that questioned the allocation of Penny funds.

He argued that too much of the income raised would fund infrastructure improvements at the peril of human services, particularly in light of the recent homeless crisis in St. Petersburg.

Parishes across the county slipped Lynch's letter into church bulletins and ushers' hands Sunday at congregations large and small.

The bishop also took out a full-page ad in Sunday's St. Petersburg Times in which he laid out the pros and cons of the tax and asked voters to make an "informed decision" in Tuesday's election. His "Out of the Ordinary" column, published in the Florida Catholic newspaper last week, also tackled the issue.

Lynch will have one more opportunity to address the Penny tax before voters go to the polls Tuesday. He said he plans to attend a meeting of the religious consortium, Faith and Action and Strength Together or F.A.S.T., tonight at Pasadena Community United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg. The interfaith group plans to present city and county leaders with their concerns about affordable housing and education.

This is not the first time Lynch has spoken out about controversial social issues. Last year, he championed the cause of illegal immigrants at a time when the debate about immigration reform had reached a high point in Washington.

At the time, Lynch said he would rather go to jail than obey a law that makes it a felony to help needy illegal immigrants.

Though strident in his criticism of the Penny levy, Lynch has sidestepped telling Catholics how to vote. In doing so, he maintains a delicate equilibrium that keeps him from running afoul of regulations that prohibit nonprofits from lobbying for political candidates or causes.

Still, it is clear that the bishop opposes extending the penny tax. He has said voters could reconsider the penny levy next year after county leaders work to reallocate more funds to address human services issues.

The Rev. Gary Dowsey, the parochial vicar at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Largo, attempted to make plain the bishop's feelings regarding Tuesday's vote.

"The bishop doesn't tell you how to vote," Dowsey said of the letter.

"But if you read between the lines, he's telling you to vote 'No.' "

During the course of day, Dowsey said he expected the bishop's appeal would reach 5,000 churchgoers at his congregation alone.

At Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, the Rev. John Tapp urged parishioners to educate themselves and remain prayerful about their vote.

"I want you to ask God into your decision," Tapp said. "And please vote on Tuesday."

Stewart Goldie, who attends Holy Family, said it was about time that the church became more active when it comes to using its influence on behalf of the disadvantaged.

"We know there is a great need," said Goldie, 77. "And somebody has to speak for them."

He intends to vote against the Penny on Tuesday and hopes it's defeated. But he doesn't want the tax to disappear forever.

A bashing at the ballot box, he said, should wake up county leaders to their social welfare responsibilities.

Mary Naughton, a 70-year-old Holy Family parishioner, said she respected Lynch and the church for using their clout to help the poor and those in need of aid. But Naughton plans to vote Tuesday for the Penny, a move that she said did not put her at odds with her bishop, who, after all, did not give his flock an explicit directive.

Gary and Sara L'Eon at Holy Cross Catholic Church in St. Petersburg also said they plan to support the Penny because they value the infrastructure improvements it funds.

"But I'll also hound the county and city to put money in their regular budget for human services," said Sara L'Eon, 62.

"I hate to see us lose Penny for Pinellas and not be able to have it again."

Back at Most Holy Name, Alma Held said she voted early - in favor of extending the Penny. She wants the bishop to back off.

"I don't think we should get mixed up with politics," said Held, who lives in South Pasadena. "We have enough problems of our own."

Standing before the congregation, Lynch defended his decision to speak out.

"I hope that even if you don't agree with me on this, and you choose to do otherwise, you feel that somebody - and who better than the bishop - should raise the voice of concern for the poor and vulnerable," he said.

Word for word

What he said

Bishop Robert N. Lynch, after his homily Sunday at Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, told parishioners:

"I would never, ever put myself in the position where I would encourage people to vote for a particular candidate or against a particular candidate or even on issues. But I do have grave concerns about the way in which the poor, and the vulnerable elderly, especially, and the homeless are accommodated in Pinellas County. ... On the county level, you're being asked on Tuesday to vote for a renewal of a 1-penny tax that's been in effect for 17 years. You're being asked to vote for a renewal of a 1-penny tax that has in the past had zero in it for human services - nothing for the poor, the homeless or the vulnerable elderly. Now what do I mean about the vulnerable elderly? A lot of you in this church understand. You live on the edge of fixed incomes. And so many of our people who came here to spend their final years with us have found, for example, that the political jurisdictions have allowed the owners of trailer parks just to sell them and move everybody off. And they don't have any place to go. And in many other communities throughout the country, the community rises and provides low-cost housing as an alternative in these kinds of situations. We can't do it. We haven't done it. And if this penny tax passes as proposed, we won't be able to do very much. This tax will realize $1.9-billion over the 10 years from the year 2010 to 1019. They have, to their credit, allocated 1.5 percent for affordable and low-cost housing. They've never done that before. They've done it largely because of an organization like F.A.S.T., which has talked to them. I believe that $30-million out of $1.9-billion is a pittance, and we should be ashamed of that. And so I'm asking our Catholic people and others of goodwill to reflect this weekend on this particular political issue."

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 00:26:02]