Archive for December, 2013
Dutch Catholic Church Calls for End to Silence over Sexual Abuse / DutchNews.nl
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2013
Catholic church cardinal Wim Eijk has made a call in the Telegraaf for people to come clean about the sexual abuse of children by church officials. Eijk made the appeal two years after the publication of a major report into abuse in Catholic institutions. The cardinal noted in his appeal that a quarter of all ongoing and finalized cases were abandoned because of a lack of evidence.” By DutchNews.nl — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Pope Francis: Without Prophecy, Only Clericalism / Vatican Radio
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2013
Voice of the Faithful® has defined clericalism as an overriding set of beliefs and behaviors in which the clergy view themselves as different, separate, and exempt from the norms, rules and consequences that apply to everyone else in society.
“A church without prophets falls into the trap of clericalism. These were the words of Pope Francis during his homily at Mass on Monday (Dec. 16) morning in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.” By Vatican Radio — Click here to read the rest of this report.
Will Pope Francis Discipline/Remove Bishops Involved in Coverups?
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2013
Editor’s note: Kathy and I are so pleased that Pope Francis was chosen as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. It shows that the Catholic Faith can still be relevant in today’s society. It shows that a Christlike approach is appreciated by all – not just Catholics. Yet, all that can be undone by the evil and ignorance still thriving in regard to clergy child sex abuse.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Guest blog: by Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Will Pope Francis address the single most critical issue of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal?
Given the description of the pope’s commission on clerical child abuse, especially coming after a “United Nations panel criticized the Vatican over its handling of abuse cases,” with the Vatican saying, “that the responsibility for such cases rested with individual bishops,” expectations on such a significant level have been decidedly mixed.
Pope Francis’ words establishing this new…
View original post 269 more words
Conservative Cardinal Dropped from Key Vatican Post
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 17, 2013
Cardinal Raymond Burke Removed from the Congregation of Bishops
Pope Francis’ plan to reform the Roman Curia is primarily a two-pronged approach: changing the bureaucratic structures and changing the members of Vatican agencies. Today (Dec. 16) we saw yet another sign that the new pope wants people in synch with his more pastoral vision of the church, and in particular with his views on what makes a good bishop. U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke has been dropped from the Congregation for Bishops, an office that wields tremendous influence in shaping the world’s hierarchy.” By John Thavis from Vatican City on usanews.com — Click here to read the rest of Thavis’ article.
Sad Conjunction: Christmas & Child Abuse Reports
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 16, 2013
Statement from Voice of the Faithful® national office:
BOSTON, Mass., Dec. 16, 2013 – As Christians look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, recent events underscore again the sad story of clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church:
- The Minnesota Diocese of Winona today released the names of 14 priests credibly accused of child abuse. The priests had been known to the diocese for a decade.
- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia yesterday placed Fr. John Paul on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse. The archdiocese had uncovered additional evidence of abuse since last month, when Fr. Paul resigned after police had investigated him for allegedly abusing minors when he was a seminarian.
- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia also permanently removed five priests from ministry yesterday who had been among 26 priests suspended following the February 2011 grand jury report of its investigation into clergy sexual abuse.
- Archbishop John Nienstedt of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., apologized yesterday for failing to respond promptly to allegations of clergy sexual abuse in his archdiocese, saying in part that he was told seven years ago this whole issue of clerical sex abuse had been “taken care of.”
Like Archbishop Nienstedt, many believe that clergy sex abuse is “in the past.” Vigilance should never be slackened where children are concerned. Nor should bishops and parishioners assume that revelations today all refer to past offenses. They do not. Checks against the actions of pedophiles and ongoing priority for child protection remain essential in the Church as elsewhere.
Voice of the Faithful®: Voice of the Faithful® is a worldwide movement of faithful Roman Catholics working to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity and increase the laity’s role in governance and guidance of the Church. More information is at www.votf.org.
Studies Provide Insight on Synod Questions / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 13, 2013
Amid the scramble to gather new data ahead of next October’s synod on the family, a question arises: Will church officials incorporate the wealth of insights collected in recent decades by researchers inside and outside the U.S. church?
“In late October, the Vatican sent to national bishops’ conferences a preparatory document and questionnaire for the 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family with the directive to circulate them ‘as widely as possible.’ The questions ask about topics like knowledge and acceptance of church teachings, family transference of the faith, marital issues (including natural law, divorce/annulments, and same-sex unions), and contraception.
“Much attention has focused on how various bishops and dioceses would distribute the questionnaire, which NCR made public, and gather responses. While reform groups and lay organizations have joined the data collection push, valid research from social scientists already provides brushstrokes toward a portrait of the modern American Catholic family.” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Click here to read the rest of Roewe’s article.
Voice of the Faithful Distinguished Layperson Award Recipient Analyzes Pope’s New Abuse Commission
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 12, 2013
The author of the following story, Jason Berry, received the Voice of the Faithful® St. Catherine of Siena Distinguished Layperson Award in 2009. Berry, an author, investigative journalist, and documentary producer, began holding the Catholic Church’s clergy sexual abuse scandal up to the light more than 25 years ago.
News that the Vatican will create a commission to address its global sex abuse crisis comes 11 years after American bishops, amid devastating media coverage from the Boston scandal, met for their summer conference in Dallas, trailed by 700 journalists.
“With help from RF Binder, a Madison Avenue public relations firm specializing in damage control, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops by parliamentary vote enacted a youth protection charter, predicated on ‘zero tolerance.’
“They also announced the formation of a National Review Board of 12 blue-ribbon Catholics to research the crisis and offer an agenda for resolution …
“The report called for transparency and oversight of bishops to halt the practice of concealing and recycling sex offenders.
But as Justice (Anne) Burke (Illinois Supreme Court, member of the U.S. bishops’ initial clergy sexual abuse review board, and featured speaker at Voice of the Faithful 10th Year Conference®) told GlobalPost, “The bishops did not follow our recommendations. They set up barriers for our work from the very beginning.”
— Click here to read the rest of Berry’s story “New Catholic Sex Abuse Commission to Contend with ‘Medieval Organization'” on GlobalPost.com.
Pope Francis Changing the Church?
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 11, 2013
Vatican: Bishops Must Consult ‘Grass Roots’ on Family Synod
“In responding to a Vatican directive to listen ‘as widely as possible’ to Catholics’ views on issues like contraception, same-sex marriage and divorce, bishops globally must gather information from the ‘grass roots’ of the faithful, the Vatican official overseeing the process said Friday. The consultation, being taken in preparation for a 2014 Vatican meeting of Catholic bishops from around the world on issues of family life, cannot be limited only to the bishops’ advisers, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri told NCR.” By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of McElwee’s report.
To help ensure your voice heard, Voice of the Faithful® and 14 other organizations are conducting a survey based on the original survey sent out by the Synod of Bishops to collect Catholics’ opinion in preparation for the 2014 synod on the family. The deadline for submitting this survey is Dec. 15, so you still have a few days to submit yours. Click here to go to the survey.
Editorial: Things Are Different Under Pope Francis
“In Francis, we see a great deal of discontinuity with Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II. And it is about time. How can Francis’ Nov. 24 apostolic exhortation, ‘The Joy of the Gospel,’ be seen as anything but a clarion call for discontinuity?” Editorial in National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this editorial.
A Pope’s New Path on Child Abuse
After decades of Vatican indifference and evasion, Pope Francis has ordered the creation of a commission to study the rape and intimidation of schoolchildren by priests and to recommend measures for effective reform. The new commission, long overdue, will be composed of international experts, both lay and religious, reflecting the global scope of the scandal. Its task is to propose concrete recommendations for firmer safeguarding of schoolchildren and better training of Roman Catholic priests.
“A comparable study panel of laity and clergy was created over a decade ago by the American hierarchy to report on the abuse of schoolchildren in the United States, a scandal in which 700 priests had to be dismissed in a three-year period. The panel’s pointed recommendation was that “there must be consequences” for diocesan leaders who shielded offending priests from criminal prosecution and authorized hush money to victims. But no effective mechanism to make powerful diocesan offenders accountable was devised by the bishops, and only a few diocesan leaders faced criminal investigation.” Editorial, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this editorial.
Australian Catholic Church Paid $43 Million to Keep Abuse Secret / The Herald Sun
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 10, 2013
The Catholic Church has admitted paying at least $43 million in hush money to victims of its pedophile priests, as the church’s barrister outraged victims yesterday (Dec. 9) by quoting from the Bible. In some cases, victims were not even allowed to tell their husbands, wives or children about the secret settlements negotiated through the church’s controversial Towards Healing process.” By Janet Fife-Yeomans, The Daily Telegraph on HeraldSun.com.au — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Most U.S. Catholics Call Addressing Clergy Sexual Abuse a Top Priority
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 9, 2013
“Pope Francis is creating a new commission to advise the Vatican on how to deal with the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal, which continues to make headlines in the U.S. Effects from the scandal continue to ripple across the U.S. Catholic landscape … Most Catholics in the U.S. say the sex abuse scandal is one priority they want Francis to address.” By Michael Lipka, Pew Research Center Fact Tank — Click here to read the rest of this news item and to see chart of “Catholics Priorities for New Pope
-
You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2013
Voice of the Faithful
A lay movement for governance reform in the Roman Catholic Church, responding to the clergy sexual abuse scandal and supporting survivors.
Voice of the Faithful- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Voice of the Faithful ® 