Archive for December 21st, 2015
Francis exhorts Vatican prelates to be more mature, recognizes ‘smallness’ of work / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 21, 2015
Pope Francis has strongly urged the bishops and cardinals who head the various Vatican offices to act with more respect, honesty and maturity — and has told them that reform of the church’s central bureaucracy will go forward ‘with determination, clarity, and firm resolve.’
“In an annual pre-Christmas meeting with the leaders of what is called the Roman Curia, the pontiff also quoted a prayer long attributed to slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero to emphasize the ‘smallness’ of their work in the context of ‘God’s great project of salvation.’
“Referencing a similar speech he gave at this time last year — when the pope outlined 15 diseases he said were affecting the Vatican’s work — Francis said some of those diseases had manifested themselves in 2015, ‘causing not a little pain to the entire body [of the church] and wounding many souls.’”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Archdiocese of St. Paul settles complaint on child abuse / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 21, 2015
The Roman Catholic archdiocese here has reached an agreement with prosecutors in a civil case accusing church officials of failing to protect children from sexual abuse.
“The unusual settlement, announced Friday in a Ramsey County courtroom, calls for more transparency when claims of child sexual abuse are raised and would allow prosecutors and courts to monitor the church’s progress on such matters for three years …
“In June, Mr. Choi filed six criminal charges, misdemeanors with maximum fines of $3,000 each, accusing the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of failing to protect children from sexual abuse. Both sides said they continued to discuss the charges, which are pending, even as the deal was struck on the civil petition that accompanied them.
“Though not unprecedented, a criminal prosecution of an entire diocese is rare. The charges filed here are among the most severe actions taken by prosecutors against a diocese, amounting to a broad, stinging critique of how the institution here handled abuse cases even after changes were announced.”
By Todd Nelson and Monica Davey, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this story, which contains links to earlier stories from The New York Times about criminal charges regarding clergy sexual abuse filed against the St. Paul Archdiocese.
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