Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2008 / Cardinal Maida hails auto aid package
Cardinal Maida hails auto aid package
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published December 26, 2008
Detroit – Cardinal Adam Maida praised last Friday's announcement by President George W. Bush of $17.4 billion in bridge loans to help General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC avert a cash crisis that could have plunged the two domestic automakers into bankruptcy by the end of the year.
"As a spiritual leader and resident of southeast Michigan, I'm grateful the government stepped in and stepped up to help stabilize the domestic auto industry," the cardinal said Monday.
The financial aid package provides $4 billion for Chrysler and up to $13.4 billion for General Motors, with the first $4 billion available this month.
The automakers have three years to pay back the money, but only if they meet a number of deadlines – otherwise the loans must be paid back this spring.
'What was finally put forth is a complicated plan, but these are complicated times," Cardinal Maida remarked. Among issues to be addressed are the companies' wage and benefit costs, in addition to just which models will be offered to the public.
"Going forward, it's important that all of the stakeholders involved are treated fairly in the difficult and strategic decisions that will have to be made," Cardinal Maida added.
Besides the automakers themselves, a key player in the efforts to save the domestic auto industry is the United Auto Workers union, led by its president, Ron Gettelfinger, a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Canton Township.
Fr. George Williams, his pastor, said he believes Gettelfinger is relying on a strong spirituality amid the crisis. "Ron's here every week, which is kind of amazing, given the amount of traveling he must do, and you can sense a tranquility about him," he said.
St. John Neuman has many Ford and General Motors employees among its members, Fr. Williams continued. "They're praying and they're hopeful, and the rest of us are praying along with them," he said.
Fr. Terrence Kerner, who numbers Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally among his parishioners at St. Joseph Parish in Dearborn, said the financial aid package was "absolutely necessary, even though Ford is in a much better position than the other two."
Ford has said it is not in need of government money at this time, but would need assistance if either GM or Chrysler should file for bankruptcy, because of the impact on suppliers. The company has asked that the more comprehensive automaker assistance package expected from the new Congress in 2009 include a line of credit Ford could draw upon should either of its domestic competitors falter.
"I have a lot of Ford retirees in the parish, and I think they're very confident in Ford's leadership, especially in Alan Mulally," Fr. Kerner continued.
Still, he said the parish has included prayers for all those who are involved in the auto industry in the Prayers of the People at all Masses for the past six or eight weeks.
In Sterling Heights, Fr. Joseph Gembala said there are many GM and Chrysler employees at St. Malachy Parish, where he is pastor.
"We're certainly praying for an economic recovery, and not just for the automakers. The automakers' situation is not an isolated thing, but part of the whole financial crisis," he said.
While stressing that he would "never wish bad things on anybody," Fr. Gembala said one positive thing that might already be happening is that hard times could be causing many people to address their long-neglected spiritual needs. "This isn't something new. Read Exodus, read Judges; in times of trouble, people come back to God," he said, adding that he had been seeing more people in church in recent weeks.
In times of prosperity many people get so wrapped up in materialism they do not recognize their need to address their spiritual longings, and try to satisfy that aspect of their personality with more and more material things," Fr. Gembala continued.
"It's like being diagnosed with a Vitamin C deficiency and trying to compensate by doubling your consumption of Vitamin A," he added.
Cardinal Maida had had been urging the federal government to extend a financial aid package to the domestic automakers since Dec. 4, when he convened an interfaith gathering of local religious leaders – Christian, Jewish and Muslim – to discuss the issue.
"This is a time to stand in solidarity with all who are suffering loss of jobs or homes, and all those who are anxious about what will happen in the future to the automobile industry in metro Detroit," he said at the time.
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