COURTESY PHOTO
Father Patrick Sloneker
SIDNEY DEANERY — Father Patrick Sloneker, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Botkins and St. Lawrence in Rhine — neither of which operate charitable bingo games — has been particularly vocal in his personal and pastoral objection to a proposed Las Vegas-style casino gambling resort in Botkins. He has addressed the issue with parishioners in homilies and in personal discussions; he supports an ecumenical committee opposing the casino; and he has written a series of articles in church bulletins and local papers.
In his first bulletin article, Father Sloneker said he tried "to be gentle and even ride the fence with this issue out of genuine love and respect for those who favor the casino." However, "my personal integrity and my ordination to care for Christ’s flock as priest require that I go for broke and state publicly my opposition to the casino development."
In a series of bulletins, Father Sloneker said he believes the village is troubled and that "we are the underdog and will be defenseless." Botkins, he believes, was selected because it is small and unsophisticated and seen as easy prey.
Because details of the then "unnamed tribe," now identified as Shawnee, and names of developers remain in the shadows, he questions "whether it is wise to deal with people who don’t want to be known for who they are."
Father Sloneker said, "It is important to note that what is happening to our village is an example of how a casino actually makes a profit. Profit is not made through the controlled common-sense approach to gambling that says, ‘For recreation, I’m going to spend $50 and no more’ . . . Rather, profit is made through deceptive hopes and promises.
"A casino motivates someone to continue in an agreement, a gamble, in which a person can never win, losing too much to begin with and then throwing good money after bad, hoping for a big pay-off to make up for the initial loss. Is this what our village leaders and citizens are falling victim to as we continue to be deceived and lured into poverty?" he asked.
"The developer/tribe mocks us, thinks we are bumpkins, breaks its promise and hires people who do not inspire trust and may even be of questionable integrity," he said. "Why, I ask, do we continue down this path to perdition?"
In another article, Father Sloneker concluded the casino simply "does not make good business sense."
Supporters "are betting on the fact that gambling will become legal (in Ohio), and they are betting on the fact that gambling will pay big," he said. "However, if these bets pay off, why is the developer/tribe failing to mention an even better bet?" — the real possibility that numerous casinos will open in Ohio, thereby creating a competition frenzy for gamblers’ dollars.
These very public views and especially his pastoral position have not only raised eyebrows but angered and hurt some members of his congregation as well as some Botkins residents who support the casino project. It has also sparked specific questions about whether he is overstepping his bounds as a pastor in his anti-casino stand.
Concerns about Father Sloneker’s handling of the issue have even reached the archbishop’s desk.
In his response, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk voiced his support for Father Sloneker, noting that while the church does not support candidates or political parties, "the church has always reserved the right to speak on issues."
The archbishop said, "I believe that Father Sloneker has expressed the teaching of the church appropriately in the bulletins and has also made clear what his own personal opinion is on the matter.
"I do not believe that Father Sloneker has insisted on any one course of conduct as being the only one" that is consistent with "Catholic faith and morals," said the archbishop, who also expressed his hope that the "issue can be resolved in a way that respect’s everyone’s rights."
Support for the pastoral stand also is found in the Congregation for the Clergy’s 1999 The Priest and the Third Christian Millennium: Teacher of the Word, Minister of the Sacraments and Leader of the Community, which states:
"Pastoral sensitivity on the part of preachers must always be aware of the problems preoccupying the contemporary world and be able to identify solutions for them.
"Moreover, if priests are to give adequate answers to the problems discussed by people at the present time, they should be well versed in the statements of the church’s magisterium and especially those of the councils and the popes. They should also consult the best approved writers in theology as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church."
Father Sloneker was, however, apprised of an archdiocesan policy that excludes entries in the church bulletins that do not fall under the auspices of the church. Therefore, he did agree with casino supporters that bulletin space should not be given to a fund-raising anti-casino ecumenical group.
However, he continues to feel called to make his views known, primarily in print. And in his homilies, he said, he "tries to allow the Gospel to challenge both sides."
Such insight into political issues, offered as part of homilies, "is the bridge between the paradigm of the Scriptures and the reality of human life, and all homilies should make a statement of justice," believes Father Del Staigers, pastor at Our Lady of Mercy and Queen of Martyrs parishes in Dayton.
A past president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics, a member of the Academy of Homiletics and former assistant professor at St. Marys Seminary, Father Staigers writes in two articles, one in Liturgical Press and the other in Liturgy Training Publications, "All preaching makes a statement about justice because preaching always addresses the issue of living in right relationship with others and with God.
"All preaching has as its goal one outcome: conversion," said Father Staigers, but not coercion. "What we know is that true conversion is achieved when the message is one of invitation."
So, if "all preaching makes a political statement, the preacher will begin to address concerns of divine and human relationship, such as just wages in the church, the death penalty, care of the poor of society, racial injustice, gender equality, domestic abuse, fair distribution of the world’s resources, care of the mentally ill, violence due to sexual orientation or gender identity, the right to education, fair labor practices, abortion and the rights of all those who cannot speak, women in the church," etc.
And gambling? Yes, says Father Sloneker.
To illustrate, Father Staigers shared a personal letter of complaint from a man who criticized his stand on capital punishment. "Souls do not need political or social adjustment views from our altars," the letter stated. "We need to be led back to Jesus. We starve for spiritual food."
Father Staigers agreed with the writer’s conclusions but not his premise.
"We do need political and social adjustment views when we worship. That is exactly what we need. To live justly is to recognize that our political and social news have everything to do with what we believe and the way we live out those beliefs. . . . How else will we be led back to Jesus? How else will our starving for spiritual food ever be realized?"
Father Staigers said, "The homilist does not simply tell others what they must do to be just, but, in a conversational manner, invites people to ask the probing questions so they can choose the good, so they can change their spiritual garments. The preacher recognizes that silence is sinfulness. The preacher must break the silence."
Father Sloneker has consistently broken that silence.
He suspects, for example, that the "proposed" $550 million/4,000 employee/seven-stage project will be quickly downgraded into a "two-stage, casino building and motel/passable restaurant" if statewide casino gambling is approved and other casinos vie for gamblers.
"In other words, say goodbye to most of the millions of development, most of the jobs and the smokescreen of a development plan that has stages three through seven." The two percent promised payoff would become a reality, but "say goodbye to your land and many of the treasures of our community’s way of life," he said.
"Say hello to the social ills: up to five percent of the general population will be addicted to gambling. Countless others will lose more than they can afford. Social ills, such as increased bankruptcies, domestic violence, divorce, alcoholism and crime rates as well as pawn shops and adult entertainment facilities all accompany legalized gambling. To invite these evils and pretend that throwing money at them will solve such problems is ludicrous," he said.
The bottom line is, he said, the proposed development "is far too risky a business deal for a village/community. . . . Our village risks its patrimony, our land, which is a promise from God and our very livelihood.
"Our village risks its people and those of the surrounding communities, who might be helped by a gambler’s anonymous program but only after a significant loss. Indeed, Botkins is gambling its way of life and its heritage."
Father Sloneker urges Botkins to "send the developers packing," as other villages have. "I exhort parishioners, our village and its leaders to use the spirit of our ancestors that ‘confirmed our souls in self control,’ before we sell out our body, soul and village. And while some may be willing to risk personal wealth for such fools’ gold, it is not just and right to use our public patrimony in such manner."
By Lenore Christopher, www.catholiccincinnati.org
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