More than a dozen Roman Catholic parishes and five Catholic schools will march in the South Side Irish Parade on Sunday. But some say parade planners chose a charity that runs afoul of church teaching.
At least one Catholic high school on the South Side has expressed concern that proceeds from the parade will support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which supports embryonic stem cell research in its pursuit of a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
Mary Louise Kurey, director of the archdiocese’s Respect Life office, said when the Catholic high school sought her advice on whether to march in the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade, she encouraged them to talk to organizers about directing a percentage of the proceeds to an alternative diabetes research fund.
“That type of research, praise God has been made obsolete because wonderful ethical alternatives have been found,” Kurey said.
While organizations such as Planned Parenthood are lightning rods, objections to JDRF are less well-known. In an e-mail, William Ahearn, JDRF’s vice president of strategic communications, said there have been instances when individuals have asked that their donations not support embryonic stem cell research projects.
“That is a simple request for us to honor, as only a small part of JDRF’s annual funding of research involves embryonic stem cell research,” he said. Out of $137 million raised last year, about $5 million went toward embryonic stem cell research and $2 million went toward adult stem cell research.
Kurey said that does not prevent the organization from lobbying or steering funds from other budgets toward stem cell research.
Parade coordinator Mary Beth Sheehan said she was not aware of concerns. The parade often tries to support causes devoted to children, she said. Few Chicagoans take issue with JDRF and many know of it because of Cubs broadcaster Ron Santo’s annual “Walk to Cure Diabetes.”
In the end, the high school, which the archdiocese declined to name, did not sign up to march and the archdiocese decided not to make an issue of it.
Kurey said the archdiocese must pick and choose its battles based on “what is the most efficient and effective way to communicate the gospel of life,” she said.
“We live in a sinful world where there are many problems,” she said. “We want to promote life saving cures of these diseases. That’s an extension of the respect life message. But we do want to make sure the organizations that are working toward this mission respect all human life.”
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mbrachear@tribune.com
