At the start of August, Professor Alexis Jay confirmed that the public inquiry she is chairing into child sexual abuse in England and Wales would focus its hearings during October and November on scandals at Benedictine schools and monasteries.
The Benedictines have been mired in controversy for 20 years following a series of revelations about sex abuse scandals at their prestigious private schools: Ampleforth, Downside, Worth and St Benedict’s, Ealing, west London.
Both the independent inquiry into child sex abuse, led by Professor Jay, and a separate Crown Court trial of a Benedictine Abbot on child sex abuse charges taking place this autumn, the order and its educational establishments will be under severe scrutiny.
The Benedictine Order, routed from England by Henry VIII in 1536, returned in the 19th century. The English Benedictine Congregation was founded and the monks engaged in parish work and the establishment of schools.
The English Benedictines have a long history of educating the children of England’s most influential and wealthiest Catholic families.
The Order is now about to join the ranks of so many religious communities which have fallen into disrepute for alleged sexual abuse of children.
Investigations by prosecutors representing the Crown have uncovered abuse at Benedictine schools dating to the 1960s. Three Ampleforth monks and a lay teacher have been convicted of assault. At Downside, four monks and two others have been put on restricted ministry.
A former Headmaster of the junior school at Ealing was convicted of abuse and the school’s deputy head of possessing child abuse images. The former Abbot, who also taught at the school, is awaiting trial. In the meantime, the institutions themselves have carried out their own investigations and changed their governance to improve child protection and safeguarding.
The reputation of the Benedictines has been sullied and tarnished, perhaps forever.
And yet, there are victims of this scandal among the monks as well. There is also need to consider the plight of those who have been accused of sex abuse and then cleared. At Ampleforth, the current Abbot was investigated by police and exonerated but has still not returned to his monastery nearly a year later as he awaits approvals from Church safeguarding officials.
In the past four decades, the Order’s numbers have fallen sharply. In 1973, there were 530 monks and 136 nuns but this has dropped to 280 monks and 35 nuns today. There are fewer than a dozen novices.
Abuse crises have beset the Catholic church around the world and the sad stories and scandals never seem to end. Now, it's England.
As Summer moves toward Autumn, the spotlight of shame will fall upon the English Benedictine Congregation. Holy your hat, the stories are likely to be both shocking and painful to hear yet again.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Thursday, September 7, 2017
POPE FRANCIS' VISIT TO COLOMBIA
Pope Francis’ efforts to consolidate Colombia’s peace process with a five-day visit produced a result even before the trip began: a cease-fire between the government and the country’s last major rebel group.
Francis is sure to hail the cease-fire with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, when he arrives in Bogota on Wednesday, seeing it as another major step forward in Colombia’s path of reconciliation after five decades of bloody conflict.
Even before the deal, Francis had a full plate in seeking to help heal the wounds of Latin America’s longest-running conflict while advancing his own pastoral agenda.
On tap for his 20th foreign trip are expected messages promoting care for the environment, denouncing the drug trade and urging Colombia’s political class to address the economic and social disparities that were at the root of the fighting.
And you can be sure that, somewhere in the mix of messages about the social and political upheaval in Colombia, Pope Francis will utter a strong condemnation of capitalism.
Somehow or other, the United States will be blamed for the conditions in Colombia and the Pope will strongly recommend that America make recompense by opening its borders even wider to refugees and immigrants from Central and South America.
The history of political chaos and anarchy in Colombia is as old as the country itself. It has always been bloody and the Church has not always shown itself to be on the side of the poor and downtrodden.
If the Holy Father, as he rightfully should, is to point out the reasons for the misery in Colombia, he needs first to condemn the corrupt Catholic hierarchy which so often has sided with the rich and powerful forces in the country.
Only then will whatever additional critiques he chooses to make have any credibility and integrity attached to them.
Francis is sure to hail the cease-fire with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, when he arrives in Bogota on Wednesday, seeing it as another major step forward in Colombia’s path of reconciliation after five decades of bloody conflict.
Even before the deal, Francis had a full plate in seeking to help heal the wounds of Latin America’s longest-running conflict while advancing his own pastoral agenda.
On tap for his 20th foreign trip are expected messages promoting care for the environment, denouncing the drug trade and urging Colombia’s political class to address the economic and social disparities that were at the root of the fighting.
And you can be sure that, somewhere in the mix of messages about the social and political upheaval in Colombia, Pope Francis will utter a strong condemnation of capitalism.
Somehow or other, the United States will be blamed for the conditions in Colombia and the Pope will strongly recommend that America make recompense by opening its borders even wider to refugees and immigrants from Central and South America.
The history of political chaos and anarchy in Colombia is as old as the country itself. It has always been bloody and the Church has not always shown itself to be on the side of the poor and downtrodden.
If the Holy Father, as he rightfully should, is to point out the reasons for the misery in Colombia, he needs first to condemn the corrupt Catholic hierarchy which so often has sided with the rich and powerful forces in the country.
Only then will whatever additional critiques he chooses to make have any credibility and integrity attached to them.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
ARCHBISHOP ZOLLITSCH OF FREIBURG PUBLICLY DENIES THE PASCHAL SACRIFICE OF CHRIST
The Archbishop of Freiburg and President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Germany, Robert Zollitsch, has publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death in a recent interview with a German television station.
According to Archbishop Zollitsch, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven
He said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat." Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."
The interviewer asked, "You would then no longer describe Christ’s death on Calvary as a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"
Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No."
He told Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard, the program’s host, that God gave "his own son in solidarity with us unto this last death agony to show: ‘So much are you worth to me, I go with you, and I am totally with you in every situation’." "He has become involved with me out of solidarity - from free will."
Christ, he said, had "taken up what I have been blamed for, including the evil that I have caused, and also to take it back into the world of God and hence to show me the way out of sin, guilt and from death to life."
Of course, any report of such an interview and the Archbishop’s reputed remarks needs to be fully investigated to determine if the reporting is both true and accurate. Fairness to the Archbishop and respect for one's reputation demands this.
Unfortunately, my investigation into this story reveals that the Archbishop’s remarks were indeed reported accurately.
The fact that a member of the College of Bishops can hold these opinions and publicly state them is beyond belief!
The most fundamental dogma of the Catholic Church describes the Life, Passion and Death of Jesus as “both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men,....and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the ‘blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’." (Article 613 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Catechism continues, "This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience."
What is happening to our Catholic Faith when Bishops can publicly deny the most fundamental of Church teachings based upon the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Tradition) with impunity?
And why is so much dissent and confusion arising within the Church under the Pontificate of Pope Francis?
Is this a coincidence? Or have those who hold such heretical, yes heretical, opinions been emboldened to articulate such errors with impunity?
Clearly, Archbishop Zollitsch should be publicly reprimanded for his statements and removed from his office as Archbishop of Freiburg and President of the German Bishops’ Conference.
No other resolution to the grave effects resulting from this scandal is possible.
According to Archbishop Zollitsch, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven
He said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat." Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."
The interviewer asked, "You would then no longer describe Christ’s death on Calvary as a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"
Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No."
He told Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard, the program’s host, that God gave "his own son in solidarity with us unto this last death agony to show: ‘So much are you worth to me, I go with you, and I am totally with you in every situation’." "He has become involved with me out of solidarity - from free will."
Christ, he said, had "taken up what I have been blamed for, including the evil that I have caused, and also to take it back into the world of God and hence to show me the way out of sin, guilt and from death to life."
Of course, any report of such an interview and the Archbishop’s reputed remarks needs to be fully investigated to determine if the reporting is both true and accurate. Fairness to the Archbishop and respect for one's reputation demands this.
Unfortunately, my investigation into this story reveals that the Archbishop’s remarks were indeed reported accurately.
The fact that a member of the College of Bishops can hold these opinions and publicly state them is beyond belief!
The most fundamental dogma of the Catholic Church describes the Life, Passion and Death of Jesus as “both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men,....and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the ‘blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’." (Article 613 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Catechism continues, "This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience."
What is happening to our Catholic Faith when Bishops can publicly deny the most fundamental of Church teachings based upon the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Tradition) with impunity?
And why is so much dissent and confusion arising within the Church under the Pontificate of Pope Francis?
Is this a coincidence? Or have those who hold such heretical, yes heretical, opinions been emboldened to articulate such errors with impunity?
Clearly, Archbishop Zollitsch should be publicly reprimanded for his statements and removed from his office as Archbishop of Freiburg and President of the German Bishops’ Conference.
No other resolution to the grave effects resulting from this scandal is possible.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
MORE AND DETAILED RUMORS ABOUT HUMANE VITAE REINTERPRETATION
Earlier, in the Spring of this year, a number of rumors began to circulate in the halls of the Vatican that Pope Francis was in the process of appointing – or even might have already formed – a secret commission to examine and potentially study changes to the Church’s position on the issue of contraception, as it was laid down in 1968 by Paul VI in the encyclical Humanae Vitae.
That was the last document signed by the Holy Father, and was his formalization of what the Second Vatican Council had developed on this issue.
Since the initial murmurs of these rumors, there has been no official confirmation of the existence and composition of this so-called secret commission.
In the meantime, the rumors have not only continued but have become quite specific and detailed.
It has been suggested that the commission will be tasked by Pope Francis to “re-interpret” the encyclical Humane Vitae by Paul VI, in light of and within the context of Amoris Laetitia. This re-interpretation is expected to be made public on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Humane Vitae’s promulgation (July 25, 1968).
Rumors have it that the commission itself includes Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri, Head of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute, Professor Philippe Chenaux, Lecturer in Church History at the Lateran Pontifical University and Monsignor Angel Maffeis, Head of the Paul VI Institute in Brescia. Its President, Monsignor Gilfredo Marengo, is a Lecturer in Theological Anthropology at the John Paul II Institute and member of the Steering Committee of the review CVII-Centro Vaticano II Studi e ricerche.
The commission is reported to have begun the preliminary task of procuring from the Vatican Archives, the documentation related to the preparatory work on Humane Vitae, which took place over a period of three years, during and after the Second Vatican Council. This was the first study group on the matter “of regulating births” and was constituted by John XXIII in March 1963. It grew to 75 members under Paul VI.
In 1966 the “experts” delivered their conclusions to Pope Montini, and suggested opening the doors to artificial contraception.
In April 1967 this document which was supposed to be reserved for the commission – the one from which the Francis’re-visitation of the encyclical will start – appeared contemporarily in France in Le Monde, in the U.K. in The Tablet and in the U.S.A in The National Catholic Reporter.
Immediately, a second report, objecting to the commission’s final report, was called for by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and a powerful church conservative at the time.
As many Catholics of my generation will recall, Paul VI unleashed a great deal of turmoil in the Church with the promulgation of Humanae Vitae.
The commission, called by Pope John XXIII in 1963 and later working on the aegis of Paul VI, eventually had ended its tenure with a report asking that the church’s ban on all forms of artificial birth control be lifted.
After widespread expectations Paul VI would take the commission’s report to heart, he issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae, affirming the church’s official ban on all forms of artificial contraception.
When Humanae Vitae arrived, it met strong opposition from Catholics — priests, bishops, and laity alike — who had already made up their mind that artificial contraception was just fine.
This division over the Church’s sexual teachings that had gained a beachhead in 1967 would open the wounds that would diminish the teaching authority of the Pope and the Church itself for generations to come.
There has still been no official confirmation or denial by the Vatican that a commission has been established by Pope Francis to study and perhaps reinterpret Humanae Vitae in light of the original commission’s findings and in the context of the teachings of Amoris Laetitia.
One thing is certain, however. If the rumors are true and such a reinterpretation of Humane Vitae is promulgated, it will mean little to the millions of Catholics who long ago made up their minds about artificial contraception and to the millions of younger Catholics who have never even heard of Paul VI’s Encyclical.
The simple and sad truth is this: Catholics no longer look to the Vicar of Christ or the Bishops as the source of their moral consciousness. The overwhelming majority of the Christian faithful simply form their conscience on their own, often under the compelling influence of the popular culture -- a recipe of failure and disaster for the Church which will continue to play out for centuries to come.
That was the last document signed by the Holy Father, and was his formalization of what the Second Vatican Council had developed on this issue.
Since the initial murmurs of these rumors, there has been no official confirmation of the existence and composition of this so-called secret commission.
In the meantime, the rumors have not only continued but have become quite specific and detailed.
It has been suggested that the commission will be tasked by Pope Francis to “re-interpret” the encyclical Humane Vitae by Paul VI, in light of and within the context of Amoris Laetitia. This re-interpretation is expected to be made public on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Humane Vitae’s promulgation (July 25, 1968).
Rumors have it that the commission itself includes Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri, Head of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute, Professor Philippe Chenaux, Lecturer in Church History at the Lateran Pontifical University and Monsignor Angel Maffeis, Head of the Paul VI Institute in Brescia. Its President, Monsignor Gilfredo Marengo, is a Lecturer in Theological Anthropology at the John Paul II Institute and member of the Steering Committee of the review CVII-Centro Vaticano II Studi e ricerche.
The commission is reported to have begun the preliminary task of procuring from the Vatican Archives, the documentation related to the preparatory work on Humane Vitae, which took place over a period of three years, during and after the Second Vatican Council. This was the first study group on the matter “of regulating births” and was constituted by John XXIII in March 1963. It grew to 75 members under Paul VI.
In 1966 the “experts” delivered their conclusions to Pope Montini, and suggested opening the doors to artificial contraception.
In April 1967 this document which was supposed to be reserved for the commission – the one from which the Francis’re-visitation of the encyclical will start – appeared contemporarily in France in Le Monde, in the U.K. in The Tablet and in the U.S.A in The National Catholic Reporter.
Immediately, a second report, objecting to the commission’s final report, was called for by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and a powerful church conservative at the time.
As many Catholics of my generation will recall, Paul VI unleashed a great deal of turmoil in the Church with the promulgation of Humanae Vitae.
The commission, called by Pope John XXIII in 1963 and later working on the aegis of Paul VI, eventually had ended its tenure with a report asking that the church’s ban on all forms of artificial birth control be lifted.
After widespread expectations Paul VI would take the commission’s report to heart, he issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae, affirming the church’s official ban on all forms of artificial contraception.
When Humanae Vitae arrived, it met strong opposition from Catholics — priests, bishops, and laity alike — who had already made up their mind that artificial contraception was just fine.
This division over the Church’s sexual teachings that had gained a beachhead in 1967 would open the wounds that would diminish the teaching authority of the Pope and the Church itself for generations to come.
There has still been no official confirmation or denial by the Vatican that a commission has been established by Pope Francis to study and perhaps reinterpret Humanae Vitae in light of the original commission’s findings and in the context of the teachings of Amoris Laetitia.
One thing is certain, however. If the rumors are true and such a reinterpretation of Humane Vitae is promulgated, it will mean little to the millions of Catholics who long ago made up their minds about artificial contraception and to the millions of younger Catholics who have never even heard of Paul VI’s Encyclical.
The simple and sad truth is this: Catholics no longer look to the Vicar of Christ or the Bishops as the source of their moral consciousness. The overwhelming majority of the Christian faithful simply form their conscience on their own, often under the compelling influence of the popular culture -- a recipe of failure and disaster for the Church which will continue to play out for centuries to come.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
A BOOK OF INTERVIEWS WITH POPE FRANCIS TO BE RELEASED THIS MONTH
Published in French, a 417-page book, Politique et Société (“Politics and Society”) will be released on September 6.
The book consists of a series of interviews with Dominique Wolton, a 70-year-old French sociologist and expert in media and political communication.
Catholic News Service obtained an advance copy, and excerpts have already begun appearing online.
The interviews cover a range of topics from same sex unions to the scandals of clergy sexually abusing minors, from issues related to abortion to questions pertaining to the role of women in the Church.
Perhaps what is most intriguing to me (from the excerpts I have been successful at finding) are the Pope’s comments regarding money constituting the gravest moral threat in the world today.
The Pope is quoted as saying: “the biggest threat in the world is money. In St Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus talked about people’s love and loyalty being torn between two things, he didn’t say it was between “your wife or God”, it was choosing between God or money.”
When asked why people do not listen to this message even though it has been clearly condemned by the Church since the time of the Gospels, the Pope said it is because some people prefer to speak only about sexual morality.
“There is a great danger for preachers, lecturers, to fall into mediocrity,” which is condemning only those forms of immorality that fall “below the belt”, he said.
“But the other sins that are the most serious: hatred, envy, pride, vanity, killing another, taking away a life … these are really not talked about that much,” he said.
“The most minor sins are the sins of the flesh,” he said, because the flesh is weak. “The most dangerous sins are those of the mind”, and confessors should spend more time asking if a person prays, reads the Gospel and seeks the Lord. (Thank you, Holy Father, for saying what I have always believed as a sinner and as a Priest.)
One temptation the Church has always been vulnerable to, the Pope said, is being defensive because it is scared.
“Where in the Gospels does the Lord say that we need to seek security? Instead he said, ‘Risk, go ahead, forgive and evangelize.'”
Another temptation, he said, is to seek uniformity with rules, for example, in the debate concerning his Apostolic Exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia.
“When I talk about families in difficulty, I say, ‘Welcome, accompany, discern, integrate …’ and then everyone will see the doors open. In reality, what happens is you hear people say, ‘They cannot receive Communion.’ ‘They cannot do this and that.'”
That temptation of the Church to emphasize “no, no and no” and what is prohibited is the same “drama Jesus [experienced] with the Pharisees.”
This closed, fundamentalist mindset like Jesus faced is “the battle I lead today with the exhortation”.
Jesus followed “another logic” that went beyond prohibitions as he did not adhere to customs – like not touching lepers and stoning adulterers – that had become like commandments, he said.
Church leaders are used to “frozen norms” and “fixed standards”, but when they ask, “‘Can we give Communion to divorcees?’ I reply, ‘Speak with the divorced man and woman, welcome, accompany, integrate and discern”, which opens a path and a way of communication to lead people to Christ.
Encountering Christ is what leads people onto a path of living a moral life, he said.
I find the Pope’s comments particularly refreshing, even as I confess that I was raised in a Church of do’s and don’ts. It’s difficult indeed for me to change my perspective on what was taught to me as irrefutable and immutable truths pertaining to the ministry of the Church.
We need many more messages and messengers of this same message of openness and forgiveness in the Church. May I and all of us in our small ways of influence be apostles of the bountiful mercy and forgiveness of the Lord.
The book consists of a series of interviews with Dominique Wolton, a 70-year-old French sociologist and expert in media and political communication.
Catholic News Service obtained an advance copy, and excerpts have already begun appearing online.
The interviews cover a range of topics from same sex unions to the scandals of clergy sexually abusing minors, from issues related to abortion to questions pertaining to the role of women in the Church.
Perhaps what is most intriguing to me (from the excerpts I have been successful at finding) are the Pope’s comments regarding money constituting the gravest moral threat in the world today.
The Pope is quoted as saying: “the biggest threat in the world is money. In St Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus talked about people’s love and loyalty being torn between two things, he didn’t say it was between “your wife or God”, it was choosing between God or money.”
When asked why people do not listen to this message even though it has been clearly condemned by the Church since the time of the Gospels, the Pope said it is because some people prefer to speak only about sexual morality.
“There is a great danger for preachers, lecturers, to fall into mediocrity,” which is condemning only those forms of immorality that fall “below the belt”, he said.
“But the other sins that are the most serious: hatred, envy, pride, vanity, killing another, taking away a life … these are really not talked about that much,” he said.
“The most minor sins are the sins of the flesh,” he said, because the flesh is weak. “The most dangerous sins are those of the mind”, and confessors should spend more time asking if a person prays, reads the Gospel and seeks the Lord. (Thank you, Holy Father, for saying what I have always believed as a sinner and as a Priest.)
One temptation the Church has always been vulnerable to, the Pope said, is being defensive because it is scared.
“Where in the Gospels does the Lord say that we need to seek security? Instead he said, ‘Risk, go ahead, forgive and evangelize.'”
Another temptation, he said, is to seek uniformity with rules, for example, in the debate concerning his Apostolic Exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia.
“When I talk about families in difficulty, I say, ‘Welcome, accompany, discern, integrate …’ and then everyone will see the doors open. In reality, what happens is you hear people say, ‘They cannot receive Communion.’ ‘They cannot do this and that.'”
That temptation of the Church to emphasize “no, no and no” and what is prohibited is the same “drama Jesus [experienced] with the Pharisees.”
This closed, fundamentalist mindset like Jesus faced is “the battle I lead today with the exhortation”.
Jesus followed “another logic” that went beyond prohibitions as he did not adhere to customs – like not touching lepers and stoning adulterers – that had become like commandments, he said.
Church leaders are used to “frozen norms” and “fixed standards”, but when they ask, “‘Can we give Communion to divorcees?’ I reply, ‘Speak with the divorced man and woman, welcome, accompany, integrate and discern”, which opens a path and a way of communication to lead people to Christ.
Encountering Christ is what leads people onto a path of living a moral life, he said.
I find the Pope’s comments particularly refreshing, even as I confess that I was raised in a Church of do’s and don’ts. It’s difficult indeed for me to change my perspective on what was taught to me as irrefutable and immutable truths pertaining to the ministry of the Church.
We need many more messages and messengers of this same message of openness and forgiveness in the Church. May I and all of us in our small ways of influence be apostles of the bountiful mercy and forgiveness of the Lord.
POPE FRANCIS: WRONG AGAIN ON IMMIGRATION
Europe is in shambles. Europe is witnessing the obliteration of its cultural identity and its Christian heritage under the onslaught of massive waves of Islamic immigration.
Street violence, sexual attacks upon women, and person-on-person crime has skyrocketed in capitals across the Continent which have been besieged with the influx of Muslim immigrants and refugees, so willing to accept social welfare but so reluctant to assimilate themselves into the cultural and political values of the countries which accept and host their presence.
Innocent citizens across Europe have suffered death and injury at the hands of radical Islamic cells composed of Islamists who have infiltrated themselves among the thousands who have inundated the Continent.
And so, the Holy Father’s recent statements to the nations of Europe and the world regarding immigration is both confusing and disturbing.
Pope Francis has told nations to prioritize the safety of asylum seekers over national security.
He also wants countries of migration to provide newcomers with health services, education, pension plans, a minimum amount to live on and the ability to open bank accounts.
The Pope stated: “For the sake of the fundamental dignity of every human person, we must strive to find alternative solutions to detention for those who enter a country without authorization.’’
"Children," he said, “must be spared from any form of detention related to migratory status, and must be guaranteed regular access to primary and secondary education. Equally, when they come of age they must be guaranteed the right to remain and to enjoy the possibility of continuing their studies. Temporary custody or foster programs should be provided for unaccompanied minors and minors.’’
The Pope said he wanted to encourage “a determined effort to promote the social and professional inclusion of migrants and refugees, guaranteeing for all — including those seeking asylum — the possibility of employment, language instruction and active citizenship, together with sufficient information provided in their mother tongue.’’
Francis issued the controversial statement on August 15, in a promotion for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Immigrants and Refugees on January 14 next year.
He urged Catholics to lobby governments to adopt open border policies.
Many Catholics,myself included, are less than thrilled with the Pope's politics, however.
An angry Priest said it would soon be impossible to fit another boat into the Mediterranean. "Muslim terrorists will be able to walk across to Spain and Italy,’’ he said. “Pope Francis clearly hates Europe.’’
Clearly, the Pope’s remarks regarding the political response to immigration are his personal opinion. He has not sought the wisdom or counsel of his brother-Bishops. His statement was not issued in any form which could interpreted to constitute a teaching which is integral to the Deposit of Faith. The Holy Father’s comments are purely personal and misguided political opinion.
As such, it is not binding upon anyone’s conscience other than the Pope’s alone.
And just as clearly, the Holy Father’s opinion is dangerous as it flies in the face of common sense and practical experience.
Just two days after Pope Francis uttered these remarks, the terror attack in Barcelona which resulted in the deaths of 15 people and the critical injury of scores more indicates how truly mistaken the Pope.
Compassion is one of the hallmark virtues of the Gospel, that is true. But virtues don’t trump other virtues. They work in harmony. And a misguided compassion which places innocent civilians in harm’s way and makes them vulnerable to those who would destroy their personal and national security is foolish and perilous as well.
As I have written time and time again in articles posted on this blog, the State has the moral obligation to provide for the common welfare and security of its citizens. Any policy which violates that obligation or threatens the rights of citizens to their security is immoral and must be avoided.
In his zeal for the downtrodden of the Islamic world, the Pope all too easily dismisses this fundamental moral teaching.
I don’t question the Holy Father’s generous heart, but I do take issue with the political solutions he insists upon.
In Rome, former Italian Senator and psychiatrist Allesandro Meluzzi said the Pope could “distribute passports to all the people he wanted’’ in the Vatican “seeing as it is a Sovereign State. As regards citizenship in the Italian Republic, on the contrary, I find this an improper and very serious interference.’’
I agree.
Dr Meluzzi said the Pope’s suggestion was “a monstrosity at a time of indiscriminate, violent and dangerous Afro-Islamic invasion. Beyond the specific content, which would bring about never-ending problems, it would be an ulterior impetus for millions of people to come to Italy uncontrolled. Therefore it is wrong, dangerous, illegitimate and would lead to fatal consequences and demographic pressure already out of control.”
Again, I agree completely.
What thinkest you?
Street violence, sexual attacks upon women, and person-on-person crime has skyrocketed in capitals across the Continent which have been besieged with the influx of Muslim immigrants and refugees, so willing to accept social welfare but so reluctant to assimilate themselves into the cultural and political values of the countries which accept and host their presence.
Innocent citizens across Europe have suffered death and injury at the hands of radical Islamic cells composed of Islamists who have infiltrated themselves among the thousands who have inundated the Continent.
And so, the Holy Father’s recent statements to the nations of Europe and the world regarding immigration is both confusing and disturbing.
Pope Francis has told nations to prioritize the safety of asylum seekers over national security.
He also wants countries of migration to provide newcomers with health services, education, pension plans, a minimum amount to live on and the ability to open bank accounts.
The Pope stated: “For the sake of the fundamental dignity of every human person, we must strive to find alternative solutions to detention for those who enter a country without authorization.’’
"Children," he said, “must be spared from any form of detention related to migratory status, and must be guaranteed regular access to primary and secondary education. Equally, when they come of age they must be guaranteed the right to remain and to enjoy the possibility of continuing their studies. Temporary custody or foster programs should be provided for unaccompanied minors and minors.’’
The Pope said he wanted to encourage “a determined effort to promote the social and professional inclusion of migrants and refugees, guaranteeing for all — including those seeking asylum — the possibility of employment, language instruction and active citizenship, together with sufficient information provided in their mother tongue.’’
Francis issued the controversial statement on August 15, in a promotion for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Immigrants and Refugees on January 14 next year.
He urged Catholics to lobby governments to adopt open border policies.
Many Catholics,myself included, are less than thrilled with the Pope's politics, however.
An angry Priest said it would soon be impossible to fit another boat into the Mediterranean. "Muslim terrorists will be able to walk across to Spain and Italy,’’ he said. “Pope Francis clearly hates Europe.’’
Clearly, the Pope’s remarks regarding the political response to immigration are his personal opinion. He has not sought the wisdom or counsel of his brother-Bishops. His statement was not issued in any form which could interpreted to constitute a teaching which is integral to the Deposit of Faith. The Holy Father’s comments are purely personal and misguided political opinion.
As such, it is not binding upon anyone’s conscience other than the Pope’s alone.
And just as clearly, the Holy Father’s opinion is dangerous as it flies in the face of common sense and practical experience.
Just two days after Pope Francis uttered these remarks, the terror attack in Barcelona which resulted in the deaths of 15 people and the critical injury of scores more indicates how truly mistaken the Pope.
Compassion is one of the hallmark virtues of the Gospel, that is true. But virtues don’t trump other virtues. They work in harmony. And a misguided compassion which places innocent civilians in harm’s way and makes them vulnerable to those who would destroy their personal and national security is foolish and perilous as well.
As I have written time and time again in articles posted on this blog, the State has the moral obligation to provide for the common welfare and security of its citizens. Any policy which violates that obligation or threatens the rights of citizens to their security is immoral and must be avoided.
In his zeal for the downtrodden of the Islamic world, the Pope all too easily dismisses this fundamental moral teaching.
I don’t question the Holy Father’s generous heart, but I do take issue with the political solutions he insists upon.
In Rome, former Italian Senator and psychiatrist Allesandro Meluzzi said the Pope could “distribute passports to all the people he wanted’’ in the Vatican “seeing as it is a Sovereign State. As regards citizenship in the Italian Republic, on the contrary, I find this an improper and very serious interference.’’
I agree.
Dr Meluzzi said the Pope’s suggestion was “a monstrosity at a time of indiscriminate, violent and dangerous Afro-Islamic invasion. Beyond the specific content, which would bring about never-ending problems, it would be an ulterior impetus for millions of people to come to Italy uncontrolled. Therefore it is wrong, dangerous, illegitimate and would lead to fatal consequences and demographic pressure already out of control.”
Again, I agree completely.
What thinkest you?
Saturday, September 2, 2017
BACK HOME IN SCOTTSDALE AND POSTING AGAIN
Just returned from a wonderful trip to the State of Oregon, the City of Portland and towns and villages along the Oregon coast.
The scenery in Oregon is spectacular from the Multnomah Falls outside Portland to the dunes outside Florence and Reedsport.
The food was delicious, the people friendly and everywhere we went the hotels and tours were packed with tourists.
August is THE month to visit Oregon....not a drop of rain. Temps in the upper 70s along the coast and evenings in the cool upper 50s...just splendid.
Will be posting articles again beginning tomorrow.
Blessings and peace to all. It's wonderful traveling but always good to get back home. Truly, there is no place like home.
The scenery in Oregon is spectacular from the Multnomah Falls outside Portland to the dunes outside Florence and Reedsport.
The food was delicious, the people friendly and everywhere we went the hotels and tours were packed with tourists.
August is THE month to visit Oregon....not a drop of rain. Temps in the upper 70s along the coast and evenings in the cool upper 50s...just splendid.
Will be posting articles again beginning tomorrow.
Blessings and peace to all. It's wonderful traveling but always good to get back home. Truly, there is no place like home.
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