Archive for December, 2013
Pope Talks Openly about Reform, Sex Abuse, Dutch Bishop Says / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Vatican II, Voice of the Faithful on December 9, 2013
Pope Francis told a group of Dutch bishops this week that the Vatican must continue reforms undertaken by the Catholic church in the 1960s and ’70s, according to one of the participants in the meeting. Bishop Jan Hendricks, who attended the meeting Monday (Dec. 2), later recounted that the pope said implementation of the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council is only half complete … The Dutch visit is one of the first for Francis, who has so far received visits only from bishops from several of the regions that make up the Italian episcopal conference.” By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of McElwee’s interview.
Pope’s New Commission to Tackle Clergy Sexual Abuse, Who Will Discipline the Bishops?
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 6, 2013
Religion News Service’s David Gibson has weighed in on Pope Francis’ announcement to create a commission to advise him on clergy sexual abuse by asking who will discipline bishops involved in the scandal. Gibson posed this question to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and a member of the Pope’s council of eight cardinal-advisors, who announced the establishment of the commission:
… O’Malley acknowledged that Catholics were most keen to hear how and whether the pope and the new commission would tackle the question of disciplining bishops who have shielded abusive priests.
“Quite frankly that’s something that the church needs to address,” O’Malley said, noting that he wasn’t sure whether the commission, the Congregation for Bishops or the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the Vatican department that has been handling most abuse cases — would take the lead on rogue bishops.”
Click here to read Gibson’s entire article.
St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese Names 32 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors / Star Tribune
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 6, 2013
The publication of the list, which came after a court order, is unprecedented in Minnesota. It marks the beginning of a new protocol within the archdiocese in which it has pledged to continue identifying any priests found to have abused a child. It also is spurring calls by the St. Paul police for victims to step forward and demands from victims’ advocates for names of “the rest” — priests they believe should have been named. By Jean Hopfensperger, Tony Kennedy and Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Additionally — St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese Releases Names of Abuser Priests, Brian Rowe, National Catholic Reporter
Legion of Christ Unveils Measures to Respond to Sex Abuse by Members / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 5, 2013
“The Legion of Christ, a religious order of priests still dealing with the fallout from revelations of sexual abuse by its disgraced founder, announced Thursday (Dec. 5) that a recent investigation has uncovered ‘significant evidence of sexual abuse’ by another Legion official who served as the order’s novice master at its Cheshire, Conn., seminary.” By Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Pope Francis Establishes Commission on Protection of Minors / Vatican Radio
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 5, 2013
At the briefing on Thursday (Dec. 5) alongside the Director of the Holy See Press Office, there participated Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, member of the Council of Cardinals, who gave the following Declaration: ‘Continuing decisively along the lines undertaken by Pope Benedict XVI, and accepting a proposal presented by the Council of Cardinals, the Holy Father has decided to establish a specific Commission for the protection of minors, with the aim of advising Pope Francis on the Holy See’s commitment to the protection of children and in pastoral care for victims of abuse.’” By Vatican Radio — Click here to read the rest of this announcement.
Additionally — Vatican Announces New Papal Advisory Commission on Sex Abuse from National Catholic Reporter
Vatican Refuses to Share Sex Abuse Investigations with U.N. Panel / Reuters
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 4, 2013
Editor’s Note: An earlier post on this topic has been taken down because a link in the post became corrupted.
The Vatican refused to provide a United Nations rights panel with information on the Church’s internal investigations into the sexual abuse of children by clergy, saying on Tuesday (Dec. 3) that its policy was to keep such cases confidential.” By Naomi O’Leary, Reuters — Click here, to read the rest of this story.
For Roger Mahony, Clergy Abuse Cases Were a Threat to Agenda / Los Angeles Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 3, 2013
“From the start of his tenure as the leader of L.A.’s Catholics, Roger Mahony had ambitious plans for the archdiocese. But clergy molestation claims were vying for his attention.”
A year after arriving in Los Angeles, the youngest archbishop in the U.S. Catholic Church had a schedule and an agenda befitting a presidential candidate … Among the thousands of papers that crossed his desk in September 1986 was a handwritten letter. ‘During priests’ retreat … you provided us with an invitation to talk to you about a shadow that some of us might have,’ Father Michael Baker wrote. ‘I would like to take you up on that invitation.’ The note would come to define (Cardinal Roger) Mahony’s legacy more than any public stance he took or powerful friend he made.” By Harriet Ryan, Ashley Powers and Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times — Read all of this major Los Angeles Times piece by clicking here.
Sex and the Single Priest / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Celibacy, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 2, 2013
“Much of the social agenda that church reformers like the Hydars (Sister Mary Robert and Fr. John Hydar, now married) advocate — full ordination of women, full equality for gays, an end to the widely ignored prohibition on birth control — is so entangled in past papal proclamations and historical precedents that I doubt Francis will take the issues on. An apostolic exhortation the pope released last week was a heartfelt appeal for inclusiveness — but on the Vatican’s familiar terms. There is one issue, however, where the internal politics, while difficult, are less difficult, where the case for reform is pressing, and where there are hints that Francis may be inclined to change. That is priestly celibacy.” By Bill Keller, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of Keller’s commentary.
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