BishopAccountability.org
	Catholic Bishops Name Lobbyist for Beacon Hill By Michael Paulson The Boston Globe [Boston MA] July 8, 2005 The four Catholic bishops of Massachusetts, seeking to strengthen their presence on Beacon Hill, have hired a veteran lobbyist to represent them as they seek to improve their relationships with lawmakers after a difficult period of scandal and controversy. The bishops of Boston, Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester have hired Edward F. Saunders Jr. as director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the state's four dioceses. Saunders will be charged with representing the church's broad interests at the State House, from opposing capital punishment and abortion to supporting aid to the poor. Saunders replaces Gerald D'Avolio, the lobbyist who headed the Massachusetts Catholic Conference for nearly 30 years before his retirement last year. Over the last several years, the bishops have faced increasing difficulty influencing public policy, with their credibility tarnished by the clergy sexual abuse scandal and their legislative agenda dominated by high-profile failures: the church's unsuccessful efforts to stop passage of the same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research bills. In the process of hiring Saunders, the bishops have made it clear that they expect the church's legislative agenda to be broader, reflecting the church's longstanding interest in social policy, but also intensified by the agenda of Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, who as a Franciscan Capuchin friar has tried to make support of the poor and immigrants his life's work. "Archbishop O'Malley obviously will be very vigorous on the right-to-life issues, but by instinct and background -- as well as by commitment to the teaching of the church -- he will also be strongly visible and active on the social and economic policy front," said the Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, president of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston. Hehir, who for a long time worked on the public policy staff of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, was a member of the search committee that hired Saunders. The bishops face an unusual challenge in Massachusetts with a Legislature that is overwhelmingly Catholic but whose members have been increasingly critical of church leaders. "I've been in front of legislative bodies for three decades now and there's no question, it just isn't the same," Hehir said. "We don't start from the same place we started in the past. We've got to rebuild trust, step by step." Saunders, a 55-year-old Quincy attorney, has lengthy experience on Beacon Hill. He worked for the last 16 years as a lobbyist for the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island Credit Union Leagues. He previously worked for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and briefly for the House of Representatives. A Roslindale native, Saunders attended a series of Catholic schools -- Sacred Heart elementary in Roslindale, Boston College High School in Dorchester, and Boston College. He currently worships at St. Gregory Church in Dorchester and St. Agatha Church in Milton. "The church has a responsibility to play an active role in social issues, for the welfare and quality of life not only of members of the Catholic faith, but all the citizens of the Commonwealth," Saunders said. He said he would represent the church's teachings "absolutely and without hesitation," but that he would await a meeting with the bishops before outlining specific policy goals. "We do have to go through a period of refocusing, because it has been a tough time, but that doesn't close the door to moving forward," he said. The bishops of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester did not return calls to discuss Saunders's appointment. O'Malley, who is on a retreat with other Capuchin friars this week, issued a statement saying, "Both the Church and the Commonwealth face broad complex issues directly affecting the protection of human life, human dignity and human rights. "Issues of social and economic justice, immigration and capital punishment are at stake in the legislative and executive branches of government. It is imperative that the Church's voice on this range of moral issues be competent, always civil and consistently faithful to a moral vision protecting and supporting the life and welfare of our citizens, especially the poor and vulnerable. Life at every stage of its existence deserves our moral and legal protection." A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston declined to say how much Saunders will be paid. Over the course of D'Avolio's tenure, he became a well-known and well-regarded presence on Beacon Hill, and the church enjoyed some significant victories, particularly in staving off capital punishment, before the abuse crisis erupted. Saunders is to start the job July 25 and will immediately face his first challenge: a legislative hearing, scheduled for Aug. 10, on legislation proposed by state Senator Marian Walsh, a West Roxbury Democrat, that would require religious denominations to file annual financial reports, including a complete list of real estate holdings, with the attorney general's office. The Protestant and Orthodox churches of Massachusetts, through the Massachusetts Council of Churches, have expressed opposition to the legislation. The Catholic bishops will also oppose the legislation, which O'Malley spokesman Terrence C. Donilon called "threateningly intrusive to the work of the church."