Archive for September, 2015
Pope Francis’ balancing act / The Boston Globe
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on September 22, 2015
Will Pope Francis come to America as a healer or a divider? A bit of both, I guess. A healer, surely, by intent. But by situation, for some, a divider. This pope has a double orientation — as the first pope to have a respected predecessor, with a loyal following, living next door to him; and as the first pope from the New World, with a populist instinct and gift. I think of him as a kind of Scarlet Pimpernel operating behind enemy lines. Well, not quite enemy lines, but alien divides. For there are two Catholic churches now, and each is in some degree alien to the other. One, the Second Vatican Council church, the people of God, is people-centered. The other, the church of the hierarchy, is pope-centered.”
By Garry Wills, The Boston Globe — Click here to read the rest of this commentary.
Pope Francis to find a church in upheaval / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on September 22, 2015
The Roman Catholic Church that Pope Francis will encounter on his first visit to the United States is being buffeted by immense change, and it is struggling — with integrating a new generation of immigrants, with conflicts over buildings and resources, with recruiting priests and with retaining congregants. The denomination is still the largest in the United States, but its power base is shifting.”
By Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Pope Francis’ U.S. visit spawns anxiety in clergy abuse victims / the Boston Globe
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on September 21, 2015
The news earlier this year that Pope Francis was coming to America hit Robert Costello “like a punch in the gut,” and as a survivor of clergy sexual abuse in the 1960s and ’70s, he is dreading the coming tsunami of media coverage of the papal visit.
“It has started already. At his job at Target, the pope’s face looks out from publications stacked in the magazine rack. ‘I have to stare at them at work,’ he said in a Globe interview. ‘It’s unsettling.’
“For many survivors, the hype around Francis’ visit feels misplaced, for they believe the pope has not done enough to bring transparency to the church and accountability to abusers and those who sheltered them.”
By Mark Arsenault, The Boston Globe — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Sex abuse survivor revives one-man play for Pope’s visit / America magazine
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on September 18, 2015
Ten years ago, poet, playwright and performer Michael Mack Googled the name of the priest who had sexually abused him decades earlier when he was an 11-years-old boy living in North Carolina. He found out his abuser was alive and living in Worcester, Mass., not too far from where Mack lived in Boston. After years of holding imaginary conversations with the priest who had molested him, Mack decided to seek him out to have a real one. What followed is the subject of “Conversations with My Molester: A Journey of Faith,” a play written and performed by Mack and directed by Daniel Gidron, which will open in New York City on Sept. 24, the day Pope Francis arrives there as part of his visit to the United States …
“The ongoing question, he said, is how to try and do something positive and effective.
“Towards that end, on Saturday, Sept. 19, the Catholic lay group The Voice of the Faithful is partnering with Mack in a day-long restorative-justice healing circle at the theater before a preview performance of the play that evening.”
By Margot Patterson, America magazine — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Catholic women sharply call for Synod to open to women’s participation, voices / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Women in Catholic Church, Women in the Church on September 17, 2015
A diverse global network of Catholic women is set to launch an expansive and compelling collection of writings before the opening of October’s Synod of Bishops, pointedly calling on the male prelates to include their half of humanity and its experience in the synod’s discussions.
“In 40 short essays mixing the sociological, theological, and sometimes deeply personal, the writers raise a number of weighty concerns for the hotly anticipated worldwide meeting of prelates on family life — centered on the fact that extraordinarily few women are invited or involved.
“At the heart of many of their concerns, however, is their own exclusion from the Synod process. While Francis has appointed 30 women to attend the Synod as auditors making contributions to the discussions, only the 279 male members of the meetings can vote …
“‘The absence of women’s perspectives at times of reflection on these issues is not only an act of disdain toward women, who make up more than half of religious and believers, it is also an impoverishment of Catholic life, writes (historian Lucetta) Scaraffia, one of 43 women writing for the essay collection, titled ‘Catholic Women Speak: Bringing Our Gifts to the Table.’”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
The collection of essays will be launched in Rome on Oct. 1.
Advocates for victims seek Vatican inquiry of Rigali, Burke / Associated Press on ABC News
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on September 16, 2015
Priests, nuns and canon lawyers who advocate for clergy sex abuse victims urged Pope Francis, on the eve of his U.S. visit, to investigate the child protection records of Cardinal Justin Rigali, the former archbishop of Philadelphia, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who led dioceses in Wisconsin and Missouri.
“The group, which calls itself the Catholic Whistleblowers, wants an inquiry of Rigali, who was Philadelphia archbishop from 2003 to 2011 and retired amid an uproar over grand jury allegations that he was keeping about three dozen suspected abusers in ministry. His successor, Archbishop Charles Chaput, has removed several priests from church work since he took over.
“The advocates are also calling for an investigation of Burke, who led the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis before leaving for Rome to lead the Vatican’s highest court. The advocates have accused him of insensitive treatment of victims and their families.”
By Michael R. Sisak and Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, on ABCNews.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Ahead of Pope Francis’ visit, survivors of sexual abuse take stock / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on September 16, 2015
Dan Ogrodowski stayed silent into middle age. He expected to go to the grave, he said, without speaking out about the Milwaukee priest who had raped him as a child. But now, embittered by what he calls the Roman Catholic Church’s continued betrayal of abuse survivors, he is publicly describing his childhood torment for the first time, hoping that Pope Francis will prioritize the needs of victims and will hold priests and bishops accountable during his visit to the United States this month.”
By Vivian Yee, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this story.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for September, 2015
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 ® 