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When Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger joined other New York bishops at the State Capitol March 15, some of the issues on which he lobbied were very personal to him.

EDUCATION TAX CREDIT
Having just made the painful decision to close St. Augustine's School in Troy, for instance, Bishop Scharfenberger believes having had an Education Tax Credit in New York State could have brought about a different outcome.

"I certainly believe, if we had a system in which parental choice [in education] was taken into account and parents were able to have a [tax] credit, it would help," he told The Evangelist.

Annual tuition at St. Augustine's was only $4,200, he added, but, in a working-class Lansingburgh neighborhood, that can amount to 20 percent of a family's income.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the New York Archdiocese has previously stated that an Education Tax Credit "encourages increased charitable giving to public schools and to foundations which provide scholarships to help children in need escape failing public schools."

At the lobby day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised the state's bishops continued support for an Education Tax Credit, which was passed by the state Senate in January, but awaits approval by the Assembly.

Last year, Cardinal Dolan chastised state lawmakers for not following through on that promise in the state budget: "The legislation is supported by so many in our minority communities, where the financial need is the greatest and the disparity in educational outcomes between public and Catholic schools are so great. Parents in these communities are desperate for a better future for their children, a future that our schools can provide. Why their representatives are insensitive to them is a mystery."

In speaking with The Evangelist, Bishop Scharfenberger stressed the difference between a school voucher - a grant given to parents to use toward their children's education -- and a tax credit, which he said would keep the money in taxpayers' pockets.

"If we could have gotten more children into [St. Augustine's] School, even if they were paying half tuition, it would have at least helped us to balance out" the withdrawal of St. Augustine's parish from contributing to the school, he said.

The Bishop said he remains "reasonably hopeful" about the future of the Education Tax Credit. Catholic schools, he noted, are an important part of the Albany Diocese and the larger community because they provide a quality education not just for Catholic students, but for anyone who wishes to attend.

Like Catholic Charities and Catholic hospitals, he said, "we refuse no one" -- and parental choice in education "is a constitutional right."

MINIMUM WAGE
A statewide increase in the minimum wage was another agenda issue for the bishops. A "Fight for 15" group has been lobbying for a wage hike to $15 an hour, but the bishops did not ask for a specific amount, saying that was up to experts to evaluate.

They did, however, ask that non-profit agencies like Catholic Charities receive state reimbursements to accompany any increase in the minimum wage. Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese faces a potential $2 million increase in its budget over six years if the $15 minimum wage proposal is passed by the State Legislature.

"Any legislative proposal has impacts we don't always see up front," Bishop Scharfenberger said. While the Catholic Church has "always been in favor of a living wage, we will need to have some compensation" to balance it out, so the agencies can continue to provide needed services without having to cut programs or staff.

He said many Catholics aren't aware that Catholic Charities has historically partnered with state authorities to provide social services. In the Albany Diocese alone, Catholic Charities received about $33 million in state, local and federal funding last year to provide social services across 14 counties.

CEO Vincent Colonno told The Evangelist that "Catholic Charities in Albany is very supportive of an increased minimum wage for reasons of social justice, and we strongly feel the Governor and Legislature need to fund the increase in the state contracts for the many non-profits throughout New York that house the homeless, take care of people with disabilities, feed families and provide other critical social services."

However, he noted, without an increase in reimbursements for non-profits like Catholic Charities that provide these services, "already-stretched organizations will have to make some difficult choices, and the vulnerable populations that are served could be left out in the cold."

ASSISTED SUICIDE
Physician-assisted suicide may be the closest issue to Bishop Scharfenberger's heart. Officials at the New York State Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops, have warned that bills introduced in New York State to legalize assisted suicide (including Senate bill 5814 and Assembly bill 5261) could move quickly through the State Legislature.

The Catholic Conference has railed against proposed legislation on assisted suicide (read a related column by Kathleen Gallagher here) not just because the Church values human life from conception through natural death, but because the bills would not require counseling for depression among those requesting a lethal dose of medication, notification of their families about their intention, or safeguards to ensure that people who are elderly, impaired or disabled aren't coerced into suicide.

The idea of "valuing people less because of the medical state they're in" angers the Bishop.

"A person does not lose their human dignity because of any status, whether they're pre-born, emotionally or physically compromised" or dealing with any other condition that makes them vulnerable, he declared.

"When human beings are vulnerable, we care for them. We don't solve the problem of their pain by terminating their lives."

Bishop Scharfenberger recalled his own father's decline after a massive stroke in 2014. The Bishop has described his father, Edward P. Scharfenberger, as having gone through "a purgatory on earth" until his death in January 2015.

"He really fought" to stay alive, the Bishop said in this interview. Mr. Scharfenberger was able to have hospice care at home, and "I thanked him for giving us the opportunity to have this time with him.

"I believe he made his preparation" for heaven in those final months, said the Bishop. "I feel we are better off and he is better off" for it.

"It's changed us, too," Bishop Scharfenberger said of his family.

Recalling both his father's final months and those of a friend who died of cancer several years ago, the Bishop added that "suffering is not a good. We should do everything to be able to alleviate suffering."

The Bishop said his friend had palliative care that kept him from being in the "unbearable pain" often cited by assisted-suicide advocates as inevitable.

"Palliative care is very, very effective," Bishop Scharfenberger stated. "Hospice does so much good."

The Bishop is particularly concerned about vulnerable people like the elderly, who could potentially be encouraged to choose assisted suicide for the convenience of others -- especially if they don't have family and friends left to defend them.

"Nobody should feel pressured to die sooner because they're a drain on resources or because they do not believe they are valued. That's the real concern," said Bishop Scharfenberger. "Nobody should feel guilty for living."

CONCLUSION
Bishop Scharfenberger said that Gov. Cuomo told him advocacy by Catholics across New York is the most effective way to have an influence on state laws.

"The Catholic Church constitutes a good third of the population of New York State," the Bishop noted. "We're an important part of this dialogue."

He plans to spend more time at the State Capitol himself -- taking lawmakers and staff up on their statement to him that "you're welcome to come any time."

(Learn more about advocating on issues of concern at www.nyscatholic.org or by calling 518-434-6195.)[[In-content Ad]]

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