The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers is accusing Bishop Joseph Martino of making "a mockery" of Pope Benedict's newencyclical with his refusal to allow teachers to unionize. Pope Benedict issued his third encyclical Caritas in Veritate Tuesday, an exhaustive look at the world economic situation, the Times Leader reports.
The encyclical touches on unions with relative brevity, considering the scope and length of the encyclical.
The pope notes that "through the combination of social and economic change, trade union organizations experience greater difficulty in carrying out their task of representing the interests of workers."
Near the end of the encyclical he repeats the church's long-standing support of labor unions, but notes they "should be open to new perspectives that are emerging in the world of work," urging them to "turn their attention to those outside their membership."
The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers posted a notice on its Web site lauding the pope's pronouncement and contending that Martino's refusal to allow teachers to unionize runs counter to the encyclical.
"It seems that no matter what the Holy Father or his brother bishops (who only last week gave a ringing endorsement of the rights of church employees) have to say about workers rights, Bishop Joseph Martino will not relent in his harsh opposition to grant these very same basic human rights to those who work for him," the posting says.
The association represented many Catholic school teachers in the area, but lost that right when Martino restructured schools diocesewide, eliminating the local school boards and parish councils with which the union had negotiated.
Martino rejected a request to unionize under the new system, insisting a new "Employee Relations Program" offers all school workers fair representation, the Times Leader says.
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