Posts Tagged Cardinal Sean O’Malley
Cardinal O’Malley: Pope recognizes need to address Bishop Finn situation / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on November 14, 2014
Boston Cardinal Seán O’Malley, a key advisor to Pope Francis, has said the pontiff recognizes the need to address the situation in Kansas City, Mo., where Bishop Robert Finn was found guilty in 2012 of a criminal misdemeanor count of shielding a priest who was a threat to children.
“Speaking in a forthcoming interview with the U.S. television program 60 Minutes, O’Malley says the situation surrounding Finn is ‘a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently.’
“‘There’s a recognition of that — from Pope Francis,’ O’Malley continues during the interview, which is to air Sunday evening.
“CBS made a preview of the interview available online Friday (Nov. 14).”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Pope Francis names two Americans to key posts on sex abuse reform / the Boston Globe
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on September 10, 2014
Two priests from the United States, one with ties to Chicago and the other a veteran of the Boston archdiocese, have been named to key Vatican roles by Pope Francis in his clean-up effort with regard to the Church’s child sexual abuse scandals.
“At the same time, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston has also been confirmed as president of a new anti-abuse commission created by the pontiff in December 2013.
“Prior to this point the Vatican officially had described O’Malley only as a member of the commission, though behind the scenes he played the key role in its activities, including organizing a July 7 meeting for Francis with victims of abuse.”
By John L. Allen, Jr., The Boston Globe — Click here to read the rest of this story.
At Odds on the Church Scandal / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on May 9, 2014
Pope Francis’s new commission to protect minors got off to a candid start by warning that the scandal of pedophile priests has been a worldwide problem and requires reforms that hold diocesan leaders accountable. ‘In many people’s minds, it is an American problem, an Irish problem or a German problem,’ Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, a member of the commission, said after its first meeting in Rome last week (May 1-3). ‘The church has to face it is everywhere in the world.'” Editorial by The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this editorial.
Cardinal O’Malley’s Boston archdiocesan newspaper “The Pilot” ran this Catholic News Service interview with O’Malley in its May 9 issue — “Cardinal O’Malley: Sex Abuse Panel to Stress Acocuntability, Education.”
Pope Abuse Panel Will Address Accountability / Associated Press
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on May 4, 2014
Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston said Saturday that Pope Francis’ sexual abuse advisory board will develop ‘clear and effective’ protocols to hold bishops and other church authorities accountable if they fail to report suspected abuse or protect children from pedophile priests.
“Victims groups have long criticized the Vatican for refusing to sanction any bishop or superior who covered up for priests who raped and molested children. They have listed accountability as one of the key issues facing Francis and a key test for his new advisory board.
“Francis announced the creation of the commission last December and named its members in March after coming under initial criticism for having ignored the sex abuse issue. The commission’s eight members — four of whom are women — met for the first time last week at the pope’s Vatican hotel to discuss the scope of their work and future members.”
By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, in The Boston Globe — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Francis Names O’Malley to Vatican Antiabuse Panel / The Boston Globe
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on March 24, 2014
Pope Francis on Saturday named Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston and seven other figures with reputations as reformers to guide a new Vatican antiabuse commission, a move intended to demonstrate resolve about confronting the child sexual abuse scandals that have rocked Catholicism. O’Malley, already the lone American on the pope’s “G8” council of cardinal advisers, is also the lone American among the commission members announced Saturday. O’Malley’s new responsibility is not a full-time position, meaning he will not move to Rome and will continue to serve as the archbishop of Boston.”
By John L. Allen, Jr., The Boston Globe — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Also of interest — “O’Malley, Abuse Survivor Named Members of New Vatican Clergy Abuse Commission” and “25 Years into Fight Against Clergy Sex Abuse SNAP Soldiers On”
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.
Fr. Helmut Schuller Begins U.S. Speaking Tour
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful on July 18, 2013
Voice of the Faithful® was the major sponsor of the first two stops, July 16 and 17, on reformist Austrian priest Fr. Helmut Schuller’s 15-city U.S. speaking tour this summer, “Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations with Fr. Helmut Schuller.” Here is are a couple of early news stories about his talk:
Fr. Helmut Schuller Kicks Off ‘Catholic Tipping Point’ Tour
Fr. Helmut Schüller should be on summer vacation right now. Instead, the Austrian priest, who gained international attention in 2011 for his “Call to Disobedience,” has chosen to spend his time off from parish ministry offering a presentation titled “The Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations” in 15 U.S. cities. The tour kicked off Tuesday night at Manhattan’s Judson Memorial Church, a historic community in Greenwich Village with affiliations to the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church.” By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter
Read Jamie Manson’s entire article by clicking here.
Priest Says Grouping Parishes Will Weaken Church
An Austrian priest who advocates ordination of women and married men, a position that led Boston church leaders to bar him from speaking at a local parish, said Wednesday that plans like the one Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley has put forward to group parishes and priests into clusters weaken the church rather than strengthen it. The Rev. Helmut Schuller, who has long been concerned about how power is concentrated at the top echelons of the church hierarchy, is organizing a major priests’ movement in Austria that grew out of priests’ opposition to parish closings and restructuring plans that require clergy to minister to multiple churches. He argues that expanding the priesthood is a better answer than clustering plans that spread priests too thin, undermining their relationships with parishioners. By Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe
Read Lisa Wangsness’ entire article by clicking here.
Hundreds Pack Unitarian Church to Hear Reformist Catholic Priest
Hundreds of people, most of them Catholic, turned out Wednesday night in Dedham to hear a Catholic priest — a reformist — from Austria. The Rev. Helmut Schuller was scheduled to speak at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, but was barred by Cardinal Sean O’Malley due to his positions on several issues which run contrary to official Catholic church doctrine. So the meeting was moved to a Unitarian church. By Fred Thys, WBUR-FM
Listen to Fred Thys’ entire story by clicking here.
Voice of the Faithful® and nine other Roman Catholic Church reform organizations have formed a coalition to support Fr. Schuller’s tour.
Cardinal O’Malley Bars Fr. Helmut Schuller from Speaking on Church Property in Dedham, Mass.
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful on June 26, 2013
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley is banning an Austrian priest from speaking at a Catholic parish in Dedham because the priest advocates ordaining women and making celibacy optional, stances that place him in opposition to church teachings. The Rev. Helmut Schuller was invited to speak at St. Susanna Parish July 17 as part of a 15-city tour of the United States called ‘The Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations with Helmut Schuller,’ sponsored by a coalition of reform-minded Catholic organizations, including Voice of the Faithful, based in Needham.”
You may read Lisa Wangsness’s entire article from The Boston Globe by clicking here.
Cardinal O’Malley’s Transparency Efforts Applauded by VOTF’s Boston Council
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on March 9, 2013
Cardinal Sean O’Malley, among cardinals who will elect Benedict XVI’s successor, appears to be following a better path as a diocesan leader, according to the Boston Area Council of Voice of the Faithful®. “We value the contributions he’s made in Rome so far,” said VOTFBAC chair Anne Southwood of Marshfield.
“As diocesan leader in Boston,” she said, “he has faced Catholics directly about clergy sexual abuse, about transparency in diocesan financing and about other issues that concern us deeply and has given us financial transparency.”
“Equally important,” she added, “Cardinal O’Malley has said in media interviews from Rome that policies for dealing with accused abusers should include procedures for dealing with bishops who protect abusive priests.”
O’Malley also is among American cardinals in Rome who have been forthcoming about their General Congregation meetings before the conclave. “With daily press conferences,” Southwood said, “they appeared to heed our calls for transparency and were intent on communicating with us. Although the press conferences were stopped, ostensibly to avoid another ‘Vatileaks’ scandal, we should applaud their efforts. We hope the other cardinals recognize the value of this kind of connection with Catholics at a crucial time.”
As a follow-up to Southwood’s remarks, VOTF trustee Ed Wilson offered some perspectives on hopes for the next pope. “The next pope,” he said, “must be attuned to what is valid in societal changes of the past 50 years and must listen to the voices of honest people like those who responded to the recent Pew Forum opinion sampling and The New York Time-CBS poll of U.S. Catholics. We would not expect the Vatican to accept all of the conclusions from such polls, but, as the people of God, we do expect our leaders to listen and try to understand what is valid and what can be improved. They cannot simply dismiss every new idea as ‘relativism’ or ‘secularism.’ God lives in the 21st century, too, not just the 16th century. As Americans, we ask our church leaders to observe and respect the opinions of all the faithful.”
Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley Calls for Disciplining Bishops Who Coverup Clergy Sexual Abuse
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on March 6, 2013
Strong Policies on Abusive Priests Vital, O’Malley Says
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said Tuesday that the next pope must make sure the Roman Catholic Church adopts measures to deal with bishops whose “malfeasance” allowed abusive priests to remain in ministry. O’Malley said in an interview that the successor to Pope Benedict XVI will need to continue Benedict’s campaign to get bishops across the world to adopt policies for dealing with accused abusers. That should include procedures for disciplining bishops who protect abusive priests, said O’Malley.” By Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe
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.
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