Pope Francis visits one of the city’s
notorious “favelas”, or slums in RIO
DE JANEIRO ,and denounces
corruption and a “culture
of selfishness”.

Dear Holy Father Francis,

Before details of your trip to the USA was announced I wrote you two letters offering our house, Willi Graf House of Hospitality, for your stay. As the letters noted I had ulterior motives for requesting your presence.

One, I was hoping you would take a strong moral stand with Marquette University, the only Catholic Jesuit, that is home to three Department of Defense military bases that teach war and ‘reflex killing’, killing without conscience. Someone you may have known Salvadoran Jesuit Ignacio Ellacuria, talked about military training, ROTC, at Georgetown in a 1985 interview with a Jesuit. He said “Tell the Jesuits of Georgetown that they are committing mortal sin because they are supporting the forces of death which are killing our people.’ The Jesuits at Marquette ignore this moral issue but we continue to say: Marquette University, Be Faithful to the Gospel, and No Longer Host Departments of Military Science. You can find more on this moral issue at Teach War No More. “Faith and Violence are Incompatible.”

Two, Milwaukee is the most racially segregated city in the USA and the second poorest. The neighbors of poverty are the African American area on the North side and the Hispanic area on the South side. The Catholic church and in particular, the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Milwaukee, have lost their way in serving the poor and marginalized in Milwaukee. I was a proud member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, having made, with my wife, over a thousand home visits to people in need. However, when the local society central office decided to spend millions of dollars of money donated to the poor in building a thrift store in the suburbs that may,or may not, have some ‘trickle down’ to poor in years in the future, I and others had to speak out. For this I was suspended from the Society I love. However my concern is not so much for my hurt feelings but for the poor whose voice I was trying to speak for. At a time of great need in African American and Hispanic neighbors of poverty the local Society has abandoned its local mission of “person to person visit with people in need.” (See Mission of St. Vincent de Paul )

Despite my 13 years of Jesuit education my voice for poor and be faithful to the Gospel has been marginalized. Your voice on these two issues of justice and peace would be heard and might make a difference. In Washington DC you will be meeting with our Commander in Chief that approves a “kill list” each week for people in Somali, Yemen, Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Maybe you have time to join Father Ellacuria in denouncing the military training center at Georgetown. In New York say hello to Cardinal Dolan, former Archbishop of Milwaukee. We were friends till he changed his mind on the Iraq war when it started and weakened Archdiocese support of poor and marginalized which continues today.

On the positive side we are blessed to have you as our leader of the Catholic Church. You have brought for many of us, hope, by your words and actions. My first two letters were sent to you by regular postage. This one will go by email to your associates since you do not have email. My hope that you will get the message.

May God share the blessings and grace God only gives to the poor with you,

Bob Graf

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