- [Narrator 1] Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, a proud supporter of WQPT has been serving Quad City families since 1889.

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- A new voice for the Catholic faithful in Western Illinois, and the economic side of a war that doesn't involve us, but really does in the cities.

(bright music) Formally, he's known as his excellency, the most Reverend Louis Tylka, Bishop of the Peoria Catholic diocese, but to hundreds of others, he's known as Bishop Lou.

This month, Bishop Tylka took over as the ninth Bishop of the Catholic faithful in the Illinois quad cities down to Monmouth, Galesburg, Peoria, and then east to the Indiana border.

It's home to about 132,000 Catholics, less than 10% of the population and those numbers, which have been falling is a concern for the church and the Bishop.

We talked with Bishop Tylka from his offices in Peoria.

So good of you to join us.

You said that you still feel unworthy of this office.

Is that just modesty?

- Well, it's a real feeling inside knowing that I have my limitations, I have my own sinfulness.

I have my own self doubts, but that sense of inadequacy is certainly overcome by the grace of the spirit who gives me the guidance necessary and the strength each day to try to do what the Lord has asked me, which is now to serve as Bishop.

- You've been, co-adjure to Bishop Jenky now for about 19 months, you said that you've traveled throughout the diocese, I guess, first off, what have you learned about the church and what have you learned about this region in these last 19 months?

- Church is very much alive in our diocese.

There's wonderful faithful people who love the Lord, who love the church, who wanna do good and want to grow closer to the Lord each and every day.

So there's a lot of hope, a lot of energy across the parishes of the 26 counties.

Our diocese is a mixture of rural and urban areas.

There's some fairly large parishes and some rather small parishes, there's a lot going on in our Newman centers.

We have a great effort at vocations.

We're blessed to have many religions in our church here in the diocese of Peoria.

So there's a lot of activity, a lot of life, and there's a lot of hope coming back from the pandemic.

- Yeah.

And that's, and I do wanna talk about the pandemic, but I did wanna talk about this 26 county region, because as you said, no two people are the same, no two Catholics are the same, really no two parishes are definitely the same.

- That's for sure.

And yet what is the same is our faith in Jesus Christ and our belief in the church that he has instituted and given us to carry on.

And so whether I'm in a parish that's made up of just 40, 50 families, a small little parish, or whether I'm at one of the larger parishes in one of the more urban areas or around our universities, people are faithful and want to live with in and for the Lord and that's the beauty is to see how that then plays out in the different ways in which these communities come together to celebrate their faith and to share the gospel.

- And a week ago, you were able to serve your first mass as Bishop under these lessened restrictions throughout the state of Illinois, as well as throughout America.

Tell me first off, what kind of a relief there is in the church now that COVID appears to be waning?

- Well, we are still in the midst of a pandemic and there's a lot of good signs that we are moving in the right direction, but there's still a lot of concern that we need to show taking care of ourselves and taking care of each other.

The celebrating mass publicly for the first time as the diocesan Bishop was a wonderful experience, a lot different from when I was ordained a Bishop in the same cathedral back in July of 2020.

In July of 2020, of course there was limitations of how many people could be there.

There were a lot of social distancing, people were wearing masks, I myself wear a mask and a face shield for part of the ceremony.

So the fact that the restrictions seem to ease, and we're moving in the right direction is a good thing.

But I don't think we should consider ourselves completely out of the pandemic.

We're learning to live more with it, and certainly learning to how we can better navigate now, especially because of the blessing of having vaccines and having therapeutic drugs that can help us to fight off the coronavirus, if we were to get it.

- But what a crushing impact it had for the last two years, for the faithful of all faiths, the fact that you couldn't gather for funerals, the fact that there were limitations when it came to baptisms, even communion, all the things that I think in so many ways we took for granted, really, we had to question over the last two years.

- Yes.

The experience that we've all shared in the last two years has really changed the way we live.

And we hear a lot of talk about going back to normal.

It's a new normal, it's not the same normal, the experience of living through a pandemic, reshaped how we live our life.

And certainly we struggled and so often had to make decisions so quickly because things were changing so rapidly as the pandemic began and we were just learning what we were dealing with.

Some of those decisions were so important and were the right decisions to help us stay safe along the way.

I'm sure there were other decisions that perhaps we might look back in hindsight and say, well, maybe that wasn't necessary, or we could have done it differently, but it has reshaped how we live our life and we can look back and see what we lost, which we did lose a lot.

Most importantly, we lost people's lives, but we also can look back and see what we have gained.

We've gained an awareness of how much we need each other, how much we have to care for one another, how much our human nature wants to be with the other people.

And that cannot be replaced by, even as we're doing this interview over zoom.

I mean the physical proximity, the closeness that we need to be around people to show them love and support and compassion and we need that ourselves that cannot be replaced to be at computer or a phone, or even through a window.

We need to be around each other.

So there's a lot of good things that have come out of the pandemic that, and perhaps one of the best things is that awareness of our desire to be with each other and to actually physically be with each other, be close to one another to have a good relationship.

- And does it not, I mean in times of personal crisis, perhaps build our faith even stronger?

- Absolutely.

There's many stories that I've encountered with people who perhaps have fallen away from their faith, perhaps not even ever been experienced, exposed to a faith life that when you're confronted with existential questions, when you're confronted with the reality of your world, not being what you're used to, that helps you to step back and ask the bigger questions.

What is my purpose?

Who am I and who does God want me to be?

And so in many ways, the experience of the pandemic has invited people into a deeper experience of faith.

And perhaps for some even just open it up for them as a new possibility in their life.

- As you so well know, Catholic church has been facing so many struggles in keeping the faithful going to church, having their families go to Catholic schools as well.

You've seen declining enrollments.

We've seen it in the Quad City area.

Talk me through that as far as your plans for the future, perhaps specifically for schools such as Alman High School that has seen a large decrease in student attendance.

- Well, I would back that up and say that there's been a decrease in participation in people's faith, not just the Catholic faith, but across all faith traditions, that decline has been going on for decades.

People tend to have become much more individualistic, thinking they can do it on their own live without God, if they're gonna live without God that usually means they're gonna live without a church or a faith tradition.

The pandemic only heightened that reality.

And as the holy father reminds us quite often, we are living in a new age, a change of the ages, because what we can rely on in the past has shifted because the world has moved so much in a different direction today.

And so our task of bringing people to church is first a task of bringing people to God.

That's personal encounter with Jesus Christ, that transforms them that they realize how much God loves them and cares for them.

That makes all the difference in going day to day.

When that gets moved further on into living as a part of a faith community, participating in worship of God, that obviously has to, become central to who we are if we are going to say that we are a follower of God, follower of Jesus Christ.

Furthering that out into the mission that the church has to teach the faith in our schools, we certainly have to continue to invite people into that reality and that possibility.

Just talking specifically about Alman High School up in the Quad Cities area, Alman along with the four others of our six Catholic high schools.

One of the pro high schools, central Catholic in Bloomington already did a strategic planning process a couple years ago, but the other five high schools, including Alman have been working on the strategic plan process over the last seven, eight months, and that's nearing completion.

And so they have hopefully a good plan on how to grow the school for the future and make it sustainable.

And most importantly, keep it true to the mission of its Catholic identity that it's not just a school to go learn about math and science and the many subjects that fill up the school day, but most importantly, learn to be a place where people encounter Jesus Christ and want to live their life for Christ.

- You do believe that there is still growth potential then inside of parochial schools run by the diocese.

- Absolutely, absolutely.

Unfortunately we will have to look at our schools and evaluate them, each of them, whether it's the six high schools or whether it's the 36 grammar schools that are in the diocese.

The cost of educating a student continues to rise, the responsibilities and requirements that schools have to deal with, and sometimes called unfunded mandates in that, those continue to be a reality.

So, we have challenges we face, but there is a desire for people to provide their children, not just a good education, but a good Catholic education.

To provide them in a environment where their children can go and learn about their faith, learn to live out their faith, in a context that helps them to really shape their life for being a disciple Jesus for the rest of their lives.

- So when somebody comes walking up to you, do they say good morning, his excellency, the most Reverend Louis Tylka, or do they still call you, 'cause you're going by Bishop Lou.

- Yes.

So, depending on the situation and depending on the person, they will address me in different manners.

So my title is most Reverend, the office I hold is Bishop.

One of the more traditional references is your excellency.

So I'm comfortable being addressed.

However, the person feels they need to address me sometimes because of the office they want it to be more formal, but I'm also very, I'm just a regular guy.

So, Bishop Louis is the way that I most often refer to myself or encounter people because I want people to know that they can relate to me.

- Our thanks to the new Bishop of the Catholic diocese of Peoria, the most Reverend, Louis Tylka.

In a moment the economic impact of sanctions against Ukraine is Russia really going to feel any real pain?

But first, welcome to spring finally, right?

Laura Adams always has some great ideas for you, your friends, your family, if you all want a venture out and about.

- [Laura] This is out and about from March 18th through 24th.

The RiverCenter hosts the gathering of the green conference through March 19th and its QC Restaurant Week.

So check out our local restaurants through March 27th.

The Figge Arte Museum host community through quilts through the 20th and the environmental film inhabitants March 20th at two, while the QC women in action entrepreneur career fair takes place at the Butterworth Center, the 20th at three, join the Bucktown Revue for their St. Paddy Show, March 18th and Chamber Music Quad Cities performs March 19th at seven 30 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Bettendorf with the guest vocalist, Lily Abesorf.

Circa '21 opens Just Desserts, a Musical Bake-off.

Rabbit Hole, a drama takes the stage at Playcrafters Barn Theater through the 27th.

Wisenheimer, long form improb along with Dubuque comedian, Dan McCullough, perform at the Black Box Theater, the 19th at 7:30 and One Night of Queen performed the 19th at the Tax Layer center.

While RME host Todd Snyder pick and grinning telling stories, taking requests tour on the 21st at eight, followed by Elton Dan and the rocket band on the 23rd at 7.30.

A free concert by the High and Mighty Brass Band at Dewitt community library takes place the 22nd at 6:30 and Struggle Jennings performs at the Rust belt, the 24th at six.

For more information, visit wqpt.org.

- Thank you, Laura.

The list of sanctioned items against the Putin government in Russia is increasing, but will its intended target really feel any pain?

Probably, but so will tens of millions of other people.

We talk with Western Illinois University economics professor Dr. William Polley about the likely impact we're going to continue to see as the west tries to tighten the grip to help defend Ukraine.

Dr. Polley, how effective can sanctions be on a nation as big as Russia?

- Well, countries tend to impose sanctions on other countries when they would like to affect some kind of change in policy or even to affect some kind of regime change.

Most notably for the United States, we've imposed sanctions on Cuba, on North Korea, Venezuela.

And in those cases, certainly regime change would've been something that the United States was hoping for, but the effectiveness of sanctions is quite varied when they've been used across the world by different countries at different times.

Obviously you look at our sanctions against North Korea or Cuba have not perhaps produced the desired result that we wanted when they were imposed.

So they do not always have the intended result, but against a large country like Russia, it is even more difficult because Russia has other options besides trading with the United States or Europe.

They have countries within their sphere of influence.

Most notably these days, China is becoming very closely allied with Russia.

And so for example, when the European nations and the United States decided to remove certain Russian banks from the swift financial system this past week, it's unknown just how much of an effect that is going to have because Russia and China were working on a system of their own.

So if they have other options that they can use to get around those sanctions, then that certainly weakens power of the sanctions.

- But we're seeing sanctions right now from so many different nations, all of well, virtually all of Europe, all of the Western economies, all going against one country, Russia.

Is that gonna have impact you think?

- Well, I think it will.

And certainly it is going to hurt Europe more than it hurts the United States because they do trade more with Russia in terms of natural gas and oil, which are two of Russia's largest exports.

And that it's money that they very dependent on for their own domestic economy in Russia, as well as for their military spending.

That is certainly a big key component of where they get that income.

And for Europe, it's going to be very difficult if they were to have to say, boycott all Russian oil or natural gas.

The United States, I was just listening to some news today, President Biden was asked if we would boycott Russian oil and gas.

And he said that that was still on the table, but we have obviously not done that yet at this point.

United States gets very little of its oil from Russia.

It's about seven or 8% of our imports.

And we import roughly about half of our domestic consumption.

So in terms of total oil consumed in the United States, Russia makes about 3%.

So it would not affect us nearly as much as it would Russia, as it would Europe.

- As we've seen time and again, sanctions not only hurt the nation that's being sanctioned, but also the countries that are doing the sanctioning.

But in some ways there's really no alternative for Western nations that don't wanna go to actual physical war as opposed to an economic war, so to speak.

- Right.

No one wants to be involved in a hot war with Russia or any major power.

And so sanctions are a way to try to inflict some economic damage without actually having to fire missiles at each other.

And like I said, it works sometimes better than others, but it is oftentimes it is the only option or it is symbolic certainly.

And a lot of our sanctions in the past, have tended towards the symbolic.

And I think a lot of people may have, including Russia may have been thinking that whatever sanctions the United States and Europe would've... - Dr. Polley, hold on one second.

We think we may have lost you, you're frozen right now.

I don't know if you see anything on your end.

- Don't see any change.

- Oh, there we go.

Now you're back, you're back.

You froze there for a second.

So I mean, we can continue from there.

Russia had to fact are in the fact that it expected these sanctions in the first place.

- Oh, I think they, they definitely expected some sanctions, but I think they may have expected them to be more symbolic, maybe not as harsh.

I don't know that anyone was really expecting things like the kicking the banks off of Swift or sanctioning the Russian Central Bank, which of course has had some, some very serious effects within Russia.

The value of the Rubal dropped about 30% over the weekend and very startlingly the Russian Central Bank interest rate rose from about nine and a half percent to about 20% over the weekend, just Sunday night into Monday morning.

And that was, you can imagine if that were to happen in a country like the United States.

Now the Russian economy and the United States economy are different, I think there's perhaps a little bit less impact on some of the day to day things, but certainly on businesses and on government.

That kind of an interest rate increase is going to be very, very difficult for them work around.

- We do know that, as far as the economies are concerned, every nation is interconnected with one another all across the globe.

Are you surprised at the unity that you've seen so far among the Western economies?

- A little bit surprised.

I think when the tension started to escalate over the last few weeks, I think a lot of people were expecting this to be a fairly short duration war.

I think a lot of people were expecting Russia to have less resistance going in and that was probably some of the expectation around our European allies as well.

They may have been taking more of a wait and see approach before really digging deep into the bag of sanctions to both against Russia.

When they saw that Ukraine was actually mounting a pretty good resistance to the Russian invasion, then I think it gave Europe and the United States a little bit more courage to be able to impose some more significant sanctions than we may have expected in December or.

- Well, let's be honest, we're in the midst of inflation, serious economic turmoil because the pandemic, Russia must have factored that in as well thinking, oh, they'll never go this far, I mean the western nations, 'cause they're already suffering.

- Well, that's an interesting question.

Russia certainly suffered as a result of the pandemic as well.

And I think that that's one of the points that, that maybe some of the major news outlets and commentators have have left out of the discussion when we had the lockdowns world wide and economies worldwide slowed down, that decreased the demand for Russian oil.

And we don't know exactly how much that impacted them over the last couple of years, but it was probably fairly significant.

And so Russia's economy is probably not doing as well as we may have have thought a couple of years ago because of the pandemic 'cause of the decline in oil.

Remember a year ago, oil prices were down around $60 a barrel and that's definitely had an effect on Russia's economy.

Now for the United States, and most of the rest of the developed world, we have really pulled out of that COVID recession.

Our economy is back on track for the most part to the point where now we're more worried about inflation than we are about unemployment.

And I think what this action in the Ukraine does to us from a domestic economic policy perspective, it makes it very difficult for the fed, the federal reserve, to control inflation going forward because oil prices are going to go up.

Supply chains are going to be disrupted.

That's going to affect prices more broadly.

And so inflation is going to be even more of a problem, but the fed does not want to risk spooking the markets with an interest rate increase that would be larger than would be warranted.

And so a few weeks ago we were wondering, is it going to be a half percent increase or a quarter percent increase in March when the federal reserve raises interest rates, as we know they're going to do.

Well, as soon as Russia started moving into Ukraine, all the analysts said, half a point is off the table.

It's going to be a quarter percent increase in March, but that makes it more difficult for the fed to, address inflation in the future.

- Well, let's be honest.

I mean, any economic forecast that you had for 2022 in January has to be totally revised now in March, does it not?

I mean, the economies of of the world are so much different now than just even three weeks ago.

- Uncertainty has definitely increased and uncertainty is always bad for economic performance.

Uncertainty tends to raise prices.

For example, take oil prices that have now gone up over a hundred dollars a barrel as a result of what's happening in the Ukraine.

That's not only a result of decreased production, though certainly there will be some decrease in the production and movement of oil across the world, but more the uncertainty about what is going to happen 2, 3, 6 months down the road.

And so that has an immediate impact on us today.

It raises our gas prices, raises prices for transportation, more generally contributes to inflation.

So yes, the forecast that you might have had in January is definitely going to change.

I think we're going to probably see a fraction of a percent more inflation is what would be expected.

I think the fed is going to wait longer to raise interest rates.

And that may mean that they have to raise them higher in the long run than they would have otherwise.

And I think we're going to be over the next year or so watching very closely to make sure that this uncertainty does not turn into any kind of a recession.

- Our thanks to Dr. William Polley, Economics Professor with Western Illinois University.

On the air, on the radio, on the web, on your mobile device and streaming on your computer, thanks for taking some time to join us as we talk about the issues of the cities.

(bright music) - [Narrator 1] Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, a proud supporter of WQPT, has been serving Quad City families since 1889.

They now have livestream capabilities for viewing your loved one's funeral or Memorial service.

- [Narrator 2] At IHMVCU, we've always been here for you.

You are, and always will be our top priority.

We care about your financial and physical health and we are here.

IHMVCU is a proud supporter of WQPT.