Posts Tagged Michael O’Loughlin
In an interview with Michael J. O’Loughlin, America’s national correspondent, on Jan. 14, Ms. Zagano and Father Pottier, who serve on the Vatican’s Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate, discussed their research on women deacons and the early church. (America: The Jesuit Review)
“Women served as deacons in Europe for about a millennium in a variety of ministerial and sacramental roles, according to Phyllis Zagano, an author and professor of religion at Hofstra University, and Bernard Pottier, S.J., a faculty member at the Institut D’Études Théologiques in Brussels, in an interview this week with America. ‘They anointed ill women; they brought communion to ill women,’ said Ms. Zagano.
“They also participated in baptism, served as treasurers and, in at least one case, participated in an annulment.
“Discussing that annulment, Ms. Zagano said a woman in Syria ‘complained that her husband was beating her. It was the woman deacon who examined the bruises and gave the testimony to the bishop. Well, to me, that’s an annulment—she is providing the information.’
“‘But to say that everybody did the same thing all over I think is disingenuous,’ Ms. Zagano added.
“Father Pottier said he was able to find strong evidence of women deacons in church records and histories, but ‘not everywhere and not always because it was also a choice of the bishop.’
In an interview with Michael J. O’Loughlin, America’s national correspondent, on Jan. 14, Ms. Zagano and Father Pottier, who serve on the Vatican’s Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate, discussed their research on women deacons and the early church …”
By Brandon Sanchez, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
America: The Jesuit Review, Bernard Pottier, Brandon Sanchez, catholic church, Michael O'Loughlin, Phyllis Zagano, roman catholic church, Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate, voice of the faithful, women deacons
“There isn’t a whole lot you can do because lay people are not in positions of power in the church,” he said. “Basically you’re outsiders, and the only way you can influence is as an outsider.” (America: The Jesuit Review)
Susan Reynolds, a Catholic studies professor at Emory University, took to Twitter to describe something she witnessed during Mass on Sunday (Aug. 19) that she said was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
“In a series of tweets, Ms. Reynolds described an encounter between the pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and a father at Mass with his young son, who is on the verge of making his first Communion.
“The priest, Mark Horak, S.J., had just delivered his homily, which was devoted to the news that 300 priests have been named in a grand jury report chronicling the sexual assault of more than 1,000 victims in Pennsylvania. Father Horak apologized to those feeling angry and let down by church leaders, and he lamented that lay people were not empowered to do more in the church.
In some ways, it was a call to action …
“‘There isn’t a whole lot you can do because lay people are not in positions of power in the church,’ he said. ‘Basically you’re outsiders, and the only way you can influence is as an outsider.'”
By Michael J. O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
accountability, America magazine, America: The Jesuit Review, catholic church, catholic priests, clergy sexual abuse, clergy sexual abuse scandal, coverup, Fr. Mark Horak, Michael O'Loughlin, Pennsylvania grand jury report, roman catholic church, sexual abuse scandal, St. Thome More Catholic Church, Susan Reynolds, voice of the faithful
As fallout from Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s resignation continues, at least one bishop is saying what Voice of the Faithful has been saying for the past 16 years: give the laity a voice in the governance and guidance of our Church. This is the way Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, N.Y., put it in America magazine when talking about a “high-level panel” of the USCCB suggested by Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl to “evaluate allegations or rumors of sexual misconduct by one of its member bishops”: “‘To have credibility, a panel would have to be separated from any source of power whose trustworthiness might potentially be compromised,’ he said … ‘Our laypeople are not only willing to take on this much-needed role, but they are eager to help us make lasting reforms that will restore a level of trust that has been shattered yet again,’ Bishop Scharfenberger said.”
Click here to read the rest of the story by Michael O’Loughlin in America: The Jesuit Review.
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In addition, “anyone accused of sexual misconduct will have his name removed from any place of honor,” (Bishop Ronald Gainer) said. (America: The Jesuit Review)
In a gesture meant to acknowledge the mishandling of sexual abuse against minors, buildings and rooms in the Diocese of Harrisburg honoring bishops dating back to 1947 will be stripped of their names, Bishop Ronald Gainer announced during a press conference at the diocese’s headquarters on Wednesday morning.
“‘The decision to remove names of bishops and clerics may prove to be controversial, but as bishops, I strongly believe that leaders of the diocese must hold themselves to a higher standard and must yield honorary symbols in the interest of healing,’ Bishop Gainer said.
“‘The leadership of the church did not in every case take adequate measures while handling matters related to offending clerics,’ he said. Bishop Gainer also released a list of every member of the clergy who has been accused of sexual abuse against children dating back to 1947.
“In addition, ‘anyone accused of sexual misconduct will have his name removed from any place of honor,’ the bishop said.
“Bishop Gainer also announced that he was waiving confidentiality agreements in settlements between the diocese and survivors of child sexual abuse. He said that the agreements had not been enforced “for some time,” but he had heard some people still did not feel free to talk about their experiences.”
By Michael J. O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
accountability, America magazine, Bishop Ronald Gainer, catholic bishop accountability, catholic bishops, catholic church, catholic hierarchy, catholic priests, Catholics, clergy sexual abuse scandal, Diocese of Harrisburg, Michael O'Loughlin, roman catholic church, sexual abuse scandal, voice of the faithful
“We need the voice of women here,” Father Zollner said, because women often “bring up the voice of those who are the most vulnerable in our society.” (America: The Jesuit Review)
One of the church’s experts on protecting children from abuse says that while today ‘there is much more awareness about the issue,’ the church has to invest more resources and include more women, especially in places where the church is growing fastest.
“‘What is still lacking is an understanding that the protection of minors and the justice done to victims is a priority within the church,’ Hans Zollner, S.J., who heads the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told America on Thursday (Jul. 19). He added that some bishops and other church leaders sometimes see combating sexual abuse as ‘one topic among others’ and have not grasped that ‘this has to be a priority for the church.’
“Father Zollner, a psychologist by training, launched the child protection initiative in 2012 in Germany and he moved to Rome in 2015 when Pope Francis requested that the center’s resources be used in the global church. He was then appointed to the Vatican’s Commission for the Protection of Minors, and he is a consultor for the Vatican office that deals with clergy …
“‘We need the voice of women here,’ Father Zollner said, because women often ‘bring up the voice of those who are the most vulnerable in our society.'”
By Michael O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
accountability, America magazine, catholic bishop accountability, catholic church, Center for Child Protection, clergy sexual abuse scandal, Father Hans Zollner, Michael O'Loughlin, Pontifical Gregorian University, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, sexual abuse scandal, vatican, voice of the faithful
“‘Amoris Laetitia’ calls for church leaders to accompany Catholic families, learning from them along the way.” (America: The Jesuit Review)
While much of the debate over ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ the controversial 2016 document from Pope Francis about pastoral outreach to families, has focused on the question of Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, more than three dozen cardinals, bishops and lay theologians gathered at Boston College this week to explore the broader implications of the letter—and to strategize ways to promote it in the United States.
“‘I would caution us that there are other dimensions of family life that the pope treats in ‘Amoris Laetitia’ that have to do not just with the moral questions but also the social life, the economic constraints and the difficulties that people face in raising families and raising children,’ Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago and a co-host of the conference, said on Oct. 5.
“‘We want to make sure that we keep in mind as pastors and theologians that we’re in touch with that reality as well, in terms of where God is revealing where God is working in the world,’ he continued. ‘What are some of the questions there that need to be looked at?'”
By Michael J. O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review — Read More …
America magazine, America: The Jesuit Review, Amoris Laetitia, catholic, Catholic families, Michael O'Loughlin, Pope Francis, Roman Catholic, U.S. Catholic bishops, voice of the faithful
If only clericalism could be quashed and the Vatican II promise of a broad, deep, significant, and effective participation of equal lay and ordained in the Church could be fulfilled — but we don’t see this happening anytime soon.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who led the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during the tumultuous years when the wide scope of the clergy sexual abuse scandal was brought to light, said in a new interview that clericalism is still hampering efforts to address the issue, even at the highest levels of the church.
“‘I would say there is a resistance to do the hard thing,’ the Atlanta archbishop told NPR affiliate WABE in a March interview broadcast on April 10. ‘I think it’s culturally driven as much as it is ideologically driven.’
“Archbishop Gregory addressed allegations by Marie Collins, an Irish laywoman and survivor of sexual abuse who resigned from the pope’s child protection commission. She complained that the Vatican refuses to implement recommendations from the group, even with the backing of Pope Francis himself. Ms. Collins, the archbishop said, ‘has touched on a truism.’
‘”‘It is the ugly face of clericalism that unfortunately still has too much influence in our church,’ Archbishop Gregory said. ‘Marie Collins is a very brave woman, and she is a very determined woman, and I believe she’s a grace for the church.’
By Michael O’Loughlin, America: The Jesuit Review — Read more …
accountability, America magazine, Archbishop Wilton Gregory, bishops, catholic bishop accountability, catholic bishops, catholic church, catholic hierarchy, child sex abuse, child sexual abuse, clergy sexual abuse, clergy sexual abuse scandal, clericalism, Michael O'Loughlin, NPR, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, sexual abuse scandal, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, vatican, voice of the faithful, WABE
One of the more intriguing questions Pope Francis prompted earlier this year when he announced that a Vatican commission would study whether the early church had women deacons was: How would Catholics react to women preaching?
“Some Catholic women hope to find out.
“A new website called Catholic Women Preach will publish videos showing just that, Catholic women preaching. The reflections will draw from the church’s weekly readings. The women backing the project say they hope the videos will help Catholics deepen their faith and become more comfortable with the idea of women preaching.”
By Michael O’Loughlin, America: The National Catholic Review — Click here to read the rest of this story.
America magazine, catholic church, catholic priests, Catholic women, Michael O'Loughlin, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, voice of the faithful, women deacons, women in the Catholic Church, women preachers, women preaching, women's roles
The pope’s decision to make two American archbishops cardinals is a message to other U.S. prelates that the church needs leaders less concerned with culture war issues and who are instead focused on building bridges and making the church a more welcoming place.
“In a move that will further shake up how the American hierarchy operates, Pope Francis on Sunday (Oct. 9) announced the creation of 17 new cardinals, including three American bishops: Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop Kevin Farrell, the former bishop of Dallas who was appointed by the pope to lead a new Vatican department on family life earlier this year.
“The impact on how the church operates in the United States could be immense.”
By Michael O’Loughlin, America: The National Catholic Review — Click here to read the rest of this article.
America magazine, American cardinals, Archbishop Blase Cupich, Archbishop Joseph Tobin, Bishop Kevin Farrell, cardinals, Catholic cardinals, Catholic Church reform, church reform, Michael O'Loughlin, pope, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, U.S. Catholic bishops, vatican
In yet one more sign of his growing confidence in the archbishop of Chicago, Pope Francis appointed Blase Cupich to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, the office that proposes candidates for the episcopacy.
“The announcement, made July 7, means the congregation retains two Americans. The other is Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C. The Cupich appointment comes just weeks after American Cardinal William Levada left the congregation. Levada turned 80 in June.
“The turnover of American personnel on the congregation during the past few years is significant for several reasons …”
America, Archbishop Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, catholic bishops, catholic church, Catholic Church reform, church reform, Congregation for Bishops, future of Catholic Church, Michael O'Loughlin, national catholic reporter, Pope Francis, roman catholic church, Tom Roberts, U.S. bishops, vatican, voice of the faithful
Voice of the Faithful ® 