Archive for May, 2016
The pontificate might be stuck in the mud / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on May 9, 2016
A Christian is not supposed to give up hope. She is not to despair.
“But after three very uplifting and incredible years under the prophetic leadership and compelling personal witness of Pope Francis, many reform-minded Catholics have again become quite worried about the future direction of their church.
“It is not that their honeymoon with the first New World pope is over. (The memory of what a disastrous state the church was in before his election has prevented that from happening just yet.)
“But there are growing concerns that, despite being able to effect a seismic change in attitude and ethos throughout the worldwide Catholic family, Francis has done nothing to ensure that this will not all be tossed aside once he is gone.
“It should be stated again, without any gloss, that he must move more quickly to make structural and juridical changes that cannot be easily undone by one of his successors.”
By Robert Mickens, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Catholic Church focus of abuse inquiry / Australian Associated Press
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on May 5, 2016
The Catholic Church has produced some of Australia’s worst pedophiles, and the child sex abuse royal commission wants to know why.
“The commission’s numerous investigations into child abuse in a number of Catholic institutions throughout Australia will culminate in a final hearing into the Catholic Church in February, 2017.
“The commission is seeking submissions about any factors that may have contributed to child sex abuse in Catholic institutions or affected the church’s response.
“The structure and governance of the Catholic Church and the Vatican’s role are among the issues that will be examined, along with what the church has done and plans to do to protect children and prevent abuse.
“Other issues identified by the commission include canon law, mandatory celibacy and the selection, screening, training and ongoing support and supervision of working priests.”
By Megan Neil, Australian Associated Press, on News.com.au — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Church laws may justify calls for French cardinal’s resignation / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on May 5, 2016
The solution to this problem (of not reporting clergy sexual abuse) is for Pope Francis to agree to the demands of two United Nations Committees and the wishes of the Catholic Bishops Conferences of the United States, England and Wales, Ireland and Australia to impose mandatory reporting under canon law irrespective of whether there are civil reporting laws. Regrettably, in September 2014, Pope Francis rejected the requests of the United Nations Committees. He is an absolute monarch when it comes to canon law, and he can change it with the stroke of a pen. The problem of the cover up will continue to fester until he does so.”
By Kieran Tapsell, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this article. Kieran Tapsell is the author of the 2014 book Potiphar’s Wife: The Vatican’s Secret and Child Sexual Abuse.
End the statute of limitations on child sex abuse / Chicago Tribune
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Statutes of Limitations, Voice of the Faithful on May 4, 2016
At 53, Scott Cross had waited more than three decades to talk to anyone about the incident in which, he said, his high school wrestling coach sexually molested him.
“By the time he shared his story — with family, prosecutors and then to a packed courtroom — his alleged sexual abuser, Dennis Hastert, had escaped prosecution. Yes, the former coach and U.S. House Speaker was prosecuted, but on a relatively minor financial violation — a wrinkle in the high-profile case that has renewed debate in Illinois and other states over the statute of limitations for cases involving sexual abuse of children.”
Editorial by Chicago Tribune — Click here to read the rest of this editorial
Bookkeeper denies theft as U.S. church struggles with money controls / Associated Press on Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Church Finances, Voice of the Faithful on May 2, 2016
A bookkeeper has pleaded not guilty to charges that she stole nearly $200,000 from a Catholic church and school in Albert Lea, marking the latest incident suggesting to some observers a problem with lax financial controls in American Catholicism …
“The latest charge of shoddy financial controls comes against the backdrop of a 2006 study by Villanova University, which found that 85 percent of dioceses in the United States had experienced some form of embezzlement within the previous five years, mostly at the parish level …
“A retired U.S. Postal Service inspector and lifelong Catholic named Michael W. Ryan has examined money management in the Church in the United States. His estimate is that Catholic parishes in the the country may lose as much as $90 million annually due to inadequate controls over the collection plate.”
By Associated Press on Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Francis rails against child sexual abuse, saying abusers must be ‘severely’ punished / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on May 1, 2016
Pope Francis railed against the sexual abuse of children in a weekly address in St. Peter’s Square Sunday (May 1), calling any such abuse a ‘tragedy’ and saying the church cannot tolerate the matter and ‘must severely punish the abusers.’
“Greeting members of an Italian association that has worked to raise awareness against pedophilia and to report sexual abuse crimes, who were present in the Square for the recitation of the Regina Coeli prayer, the pontiff thanked them for their work before departing from his prepared text.
“‘This is a tragedy,’ said Francis off the cuff, his voice raised and his arm extended from the window of the Vatican’s apostolic palace above the Square. ‘We must not tolerate the abuse of minors. We must defend minors. And we must severely punish the abusers.’
“The Catholic church around the world has been embroiled in scandals over its handling of sexually abusive clergy for decades, with survivors, advocates, law enforcement agencies, and some local jurisdictions saying members of the hierarchy covered up crimes in order to protect the institution at the risk of children’s well-being.”While Francis did not specifically mention the church or its response to abuse on Sunday, he spoke in the plural using a remarkably forceful tone.”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
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