Posts Tagged Cardinal Timothy Dolan
New York Archdiocese parishioners see system of secrets as they fight church closings / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful on February 13, 2015
For aggrieved parishioners at churches ordered closed or merged by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan last November, it seemed like a simple task: Get a copy of the formal decree of his decision on their parishes, so they could properly appeal to the Vatican.
“So across the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, they began calling and writing letters to Cardinal Dolan and his senior aides, asking for the decrees. Some seven weeks later, a definitive answer came back: No, they could not have copies.
“But archdiocesan officials said they would allow parishioners to view the documents — under certain conditions.”
By Sharon Otterman, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Getting to the crux of why Catholicism matters / The Boston Globe
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on September 2, 2014
Among the things New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan would like to see Pope Francis do: “Providing ‘more precision … about putting some teeth’ into accountability for bishops who drop the ball on abuse allegations, beyond simply ‘spiritual and fraternal solutions,'” quoted from column linked below.
Getting to the crux of why Catholicism matters
The Boston Globe’s John L. Allen, Jr., associate editor for Catholic news, rounds up his notes on all things Catholic over the past week, including commentary on what Pope Francis’ recent bishop appointments might mean and a preview of an interview with New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, to be published at length later, on fighting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Click here to read Allen’s column.
Austrian Reformist Priest Fr. Helmut Schuller Concludes U.S. Tour in Front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful on August 14, 2013
Austrian reformist priest Fr. Helmut Schuller started his 15-city U.S. speaking tour, Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations with Helmut Schuller, in New York City July 16. He concluded his tour there Aug. 8 in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He brought his Roman Catholic Church reform message to more than 5,000 people during his tour and received a good deal of media coverage in the U.S. and Europe. After speaking to supporters in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fr. Schuller delivered thousands of actual and virtual red ribbons symbolizing the Holy Spirit and support for reform goals to the office of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also delivered the following letter to Cardinal Dolan:
August 8, 2013
Dear Cardinal Dolan:
Over the past three weeks, I have met with thousands of Catholics – laity and clergy – in 15 cities across the U.S. to share experiences and to learn from one another. At each place I visited, participants in our conversations wore red ribbons, signifying the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all the faithful. These ribbons as well as nearly 2,000 online signatures have been collected, and we offer them to you as a sign of our commitment to our church, a community where the People of God should be represented at every level of leadership and decision-making.
I learned much during my conversations with American Catholics. I discovered very many who are working hard to meet the challenges facing us all and to give voice to their needs, as is their right and obligation under Canon 212. I also heard from many priests who are concerned about the future of their parishes and their ministries. Sadly, many do not feel free to speak openly about their concerns. This must be a matter of concern to you as president of the USCCB. I do not believe that there is any place for fear or intimidation in our Church, and yet I found it time and again in my talks with fellow priests. I also found this same intimidation in the attempts to prevent Catholics from hearing me in Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit.
My hope is that my visit contributed to an authentic Christian conversation that must take place across our Church in every country. As we all are inspired by the example of Pope Francis, we should engage in an honest dialogue about the challenges we must overcome in making our Church a sign of the Kingdom and a sacrament to the world of the 21st century. As you know, I and my fellow priests have been working in Austria and in other parts of Europe to cultivate this dialogue. We stand ready to assist you here in the U.S. in any way we can to encourage the same honest and fearless exchange of views.
In the peace of Jesus Christ,
Rev. Helmut Schüller
Dolan Sought Vatican Permission to Shield Assets / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on July 1, 2013
Files released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Monday revealed that in 2007, the diocese’s archbishop at the time, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund in order to protect the assets from victims of clergy sexual abuse who were demanding compensation.”
You can read Laurie Goodstein’s entire article, “Dolan Sought Vatican Permission to Shield Assets, in The New York Times by clicking here.
USCCB 2012 Audit Shows Major Weaknesses Remain in Child Protection Process
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on May 10, 2013
The Catholic Church’s process for protecting children from clergy sexual abuse still has major weaknesses.
Annual audits assessing compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People still do not allow fully independent auditors complete access to all information. And auditors still are discovering weaknesses in compliance at the parish level. Everyone knows it, and no one is doing anything about it.
In a news release today, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops outlined the results of its 2012 annual diocesan audit, from which the folling is taken:
StoneBridge (Business Partners) cited limitations, including “the unwillingness of most dioceses and eparchies to allow us to conduct parish audits during their on-site audits.” It said that “the auditors must rely solely on the information provided by the diocese or eparchy, instead of observing the program firsthand.”
Another limitation is staff turnover in diocesan child abuse prevention programs. As a result, “records are often lost, and successors to the position are often placed in key roles without formal orientation,” StoneBridge reported.
Al J. Notzon, III, chairman of the National Review Board (NRB), which oversees the audits, echoed StoneBridge concerns in a letter to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Notzon highlighted the importance of good record-keeping “and the great significance of involving parishes in the audit process.”
Voice of the Faithful® began calling for fully independent audits with full access to all information soon after the Charter was promulgated in 2002. And VOTF’s early child protection efforts saw the same problem of compliance in parishes cited above, where already overburdened staffs were hardpressed to assume the paperwork burden required by new child protection guidelines and programs.
That was more than a decade ago. Heightened awareness and attempts to create more secure environments may have made children safer, but while these discrepancies in the Church’s audits remain, what are we to believe when Cardinal Dolan says in USCCB’s news release, “We seek … to assure that our audits continue to be credible and maintain accountability in our shared promise to protect and our pledge to heal.”
Wisconsin Archdiocese Will Release Files on Abuse / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on April 4, 2013
The Archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome E. Listeki, announced on Wednesday that he has authorized the release of thousands of pages of documents on sexual abuse by Catholic priests, including cases that date back 80 years. His announcement came one day before a judge was scheduled to hear a motion from abuse victims asking for the documents to be released. The files, which will be posted on the archdiocesan Web site by July 1, include the legal depositions of former Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, now the archbishop of New York.” By Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times
Cardinal Dolan Deposed in Milwaukee Sex Abuse Cases Before Leaving for Rome to Help Elect Pope
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on February 21, 2013
Lawyers Question New York Cardinal in Milwaukee Suits
A week before Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is set to leave New York for Rome, where his name is being floated as a candidate for pope, he was questioned in Manhattan for three hours on Wednesday behind closed doors in a legal deposition concerning the sexual abuse of children by priests.” By Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times
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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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