c. 1998 Religion News Service

NEW YORK _ Less than a month after taking Major League Baseball to task for holding games on Good Friday, Roman Catholic Cardinal John J. O’Connor has taken on a larger dragon to slay _ Little League Baseball and youth soccer leagues that play on Sundays.

Writing in the Thursday (May 14) edition of the New York archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic New York, O’Connor joined the growing ranks of clergy nationwide who have been urging youth sports organizers not to schedule Sunday morning games.

Little League Baseball, he said, like the big leagues, should find ways to avoid competition on holy days and the Sabbath.”Church has been traditional on Sunday mornings in our country since the earliest days of our republic and before,”he wrote.”Why is it religion that must always accommodate?”This is the constant erosion, the constant secularization of our culture, that I strongly believe to be a serious mistake.” O’Connor is among a number of religious leaders who decided to speak out against Sunday youth sports as church attendance has declined and families are forced to choose between faith and the playing field. “Why create this conflict for kids and their parents?”he asked.”Why must two helpful activities compete for a kids heart and give parents gray hair before their time?” He said it is time for a”reassessment of values and a reordering of priorities.” A spokesman for Little League Baseball, based in Williamsport, Pa., said it is rare for Little League games to be played during Sunday church hours.”There are probably dozens of religions represented in Little League,”spokesman Lance Van Auken told The New York Times.”So it became impractical and improper for us to mandate one day being more special than all others.” A month earlier, O’Connor announced he was boycotting Major League Baseball this year because games were played on Good Friday, which fell during MLB’s opening week.

The cardinal said the decision to hold games on Good Friday _ especially between the hours of noon and 3 p.m. when many Catholic churches hold special services to mark the hours the crucifixion was believed to have occurred _ was”cheap.” At that time, O’Connor said that although he loves the Yankees and the Mets, he would not be attending any of their games this year.

His criticism drew a sizable response from parishioners throughout the archdiocese, most of them supporting his position.

O’Connor acknowledged the flood of mail in a homily in late April at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, telling worshippers:”When I suggest that perhaps baseball not be played on Good Friday, the post office has to work overtime.” Archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling said Thursday that O’Connor has not yet had an official response from Major League Baseball officials.

But he added O’Connor feels baseball officials are displaying a”greater sensitivity”toward the situation as a result of the prelate’s column.

MLB officials said neither acting commissioner Bud Selig nor the American and National leagues have issued a formal reaction to the archbishop’s boycott but stressed the Good Friday scheduling was”not intentional.” National League spokesman Bob Melcher said with Good Friday falling later than usual this year, it was simply the way the calendar worked out.

Melcher said his office received a number of calls from baseball fans protesting the Good Friday games and that next year’s schedule complete.

DEA END WORDEN