Juan Carlos Cruz, along with James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, were sexually abused by Father Fernando Karadima, who in 2011 was found guilty by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of sexually abusing minors during the 1980s and 1990s. Father Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.
The Pope invited the three abuse survivors to meet with him, and summoned Chile’s entire Episcopate to meet with him in the Vatican; that meeting will take place later this month.
Cruz told reporters that “it was clear that the Pope was misinformed.”
The survivors mentioned that Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Chile, was part of the problem, along with Cardinal Francisco Errazuriz, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago and a member of Pope Francis' Council of Cardinal advisers.
Noteworthy is the fact that Cardinal Errazuriz has said that he will not take part in a meeting between Chile’s Bishops and the Pope, but has offered no explanation of why he will not be present.
Hamilton told reporters that Errazuriz failed to act on abuse reports, saying that the Cardinal “was covering up for more than 5 years the criminal of Karadima and all of his acts.”
It is possible that, at the time Pope Francis appointed Bishop Barros to Osorno, he was misinformed, especially if Errazuriz and Scalpo failed to adequately inform the Pope of any credible reports against the Bishop.
But the lingering question is whether, and how, Pope Francis remained misinformed after Cruz wrote a letter to him.
In April 2015, Marie Collins, then a member of the Pope’s sexual abuse commission, delivered to Cardinal O’Malley Cruz’ letter, and asked him to the deliver it to Pope Francis.
Is it possible that Cardinal O’Malley did not deliver the letter to the Pope?
The Archdiocese of Boston declined to comment, referring questions to the Vatican. The Vatican’s press office declined to answer questions on the letter.
Cardinal O’Malley has stated that he informed both Ms. Collins and Mr. Cruz that he had delivered the letter to the Pope and communicated their concerns about Bishop Barros.
Cardinal O’Malley’s spokesman, Terry Donilon, stated that the Cardinal did indeed deliver the letter which accused Bishop Barros of knowing that a notorious priest named Francisco Karadima routinely molested boys.
Cardinal O’Malley’s credibility on sexual abuse matters is unimpeachable, and he communicated to Cruz, Collins, and Donilon that he delivered the letter. To Cruz and Collins, he also seems to have confirmed conveying their concerns to Pope Francis.
So, it is highly unlikely that the letter went undelivered.
What is not clear is how the Cardinal delivered the letter: whether he handed it directly to Pope Francis, and summarized the contents, or whether he delivered it to an aide.
If His Eminence delivered the letter to an aide, or if Pope Francis passed it on to an aide, it is possible that it never made its way back to the Pope.
In that case, serious questions would need to be answered about whether someone on the Pope’s personal staff was protecting Bishop Barros, or shielding the Holy Father from bad news. Such things would not be unprecedented; but in a matter as serious as this, they demand accountability.
It is also possible, and perhaps most probable, that although Pope Francis says he was misinformed, he did read the 2015 letter from Cruz.
And it may also be possible that, after reading it, Pope Francis would have consulted with Cardinal Errazuriz, his close adviser and a Chilean.
Given that Cardinal Errazuriz is already alleged to have discounted allegations involving Barros, he might have discredited Cruz’ account
How Pope Francis acts now has the potential to impact the credibility of his Pontificate.
The Pope is likely to accept the resignation of Bishop Juan Barros in the weeks to come. He will also have to decide who was responsible for misinforming him, and what the consequences will be.
And he may also need to consider carefully when to trust advisers, and when he is obliged to take matters into his own hands.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Sunday, May 13, 2018
HAPPY MOTHER' S DAY
A Blessed and Happy Mother's Day!
Through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, may the Lord Jesus Christ bless each and every Mom on this special day!
The wonder and mystery of the Sacrament of Marriage is that, in the covenant of life formed by the couple's mutual consent, a man and a woman become a new person, one and united by the Grace and efficacy of the Sacrament itself.
As we honor Moms, we naturally honor Dads and vice versa as we will on Father's Day next month.
Parenthood mirrors the creative power of Almighty God Himself as wife and husband in their conjugal love cooperate with the Creator with the means and opportunity of ushering new life into the world for the continuity of Creation itself.
And so, it is the family itself which is honored as well this day.
May the Lord bless Moms and Dads, children and families on this Mother's Day.
May the Holy Spirit watch over, guide and protect parents and their children and keep them safe and close to the Lord in their love and in their practice of the Faith.
God bless you, Mom, today and everyday!
I will remember you in my Mass and prayers this day as I do always!
Enjoy the brunch or the dinner, the cards, and whatever way your family chooses to express to you their admiration, their appreciation and their love.
All this I hope and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, may the Lord Jesus Christ bless each and every Mom on this special day!
The wonder and mystery of the Sacrament of Marriage is that, in the covenant of life formed by the couple's mutual consent, a man and a woman become a new person, one and united by the Grace and efficacy of the Sacrament itself.
As we honor Moms, we naturally honor Dads and vice versa as we will on Father's Day next month.
Parenthood mirrors the creative power of Almighty God Himself as wife and husband in their conjugal love cooperate with the Creator with the means and opportunity of ushering new life into the world for the continuity of Creation itself.
And so, it is the family itself which is honored as well this day.
May the Lord bless Moms and Dads, children and families on this Mother's Day.
May the Holy Spirit watch over, guide and protect parents and their children and keep them safe and close to the Lord in their love and in their practice of the Faith.
God bless you, Mom, today and everyday!
I will remember you in my Mass and prayers this day as I do always!
Enjoy the brunch or the dinner, the cards, and whatever way your family chooses to express to you their admiration, their appreciation and their love.
All this I hope and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
CARDINAL ERRAZURIZ TO POPE FRANCIS: THANKS, BUT NO THANKS!
Chile’s Bishops will be present in Rome this week for meetings with Pope Francis next week to discuss the clerical sexual abuse crisis in the Chilean Church.
Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, the Archbishop-emeritus of Santiago, member of the “C9” Council of Cardinal Advisers, and a key player in the controversy, has let it be known that he plans not to attend.
The reasons Cardinal Errázuriz has apparently given are that he only recently got back from Rome, and has already given a report to the Holy Father on the “Barros Affair” – so called because it revolves around Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Chile, a protégé of the country’s most notorious paedophile Priest, Fernando Karadima.
The Cardinal’s decision to skip the meetings puts Pope Francis in a very delicate position.
The “report” is a 14-page document Cardinal Errázuriz gave to the Pope on “the trial of Fr Karadima and the ramifications of the case”.
The Cardinal stated: “So for that, I’ve already made my contribution.”
That a figure so central to the Church in Chile over the past three decades, as well as to the scandal and crisis facing the Church in the country at present, could feel that he is somehow personally exempt from attending these meetings is stunning.
Bishop Barros has long faced public accusations, which he rejects, of having played a major role in the coverup of his mentor’s crimes. Pope Francis appointed him to the see of Osorno in 2015, over the objections of laity and clergy alike.
During his visit to Chile at the start of the year, the Pope accused Barros’s accusers of “calumny”. After facing widespread criticism, the Pope set up a special investigation, led by Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
After reading Archbishop Scicluna’s 2300-page dossier, Pope Francis summoned the bishops of Chile to Rome. In a statement, he asked forgiveness of those he had offended, and said, “I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially because of the lack of truthful and balanced information.”
Three victims at the centre of the Barros Affair – Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton, and José Andres Murillo – have all publicly declared that Cardinal Errázuriz is one of the Church leaders who misled the Pope.
At a press conference in Rome last Wednesday at the Foreign Press Club, following private meetings with the Pope, the victims agreed: “Cardinal Errázuriz covered up for more than five years the crimes of Karadima. According to canon law and for the victims, he’s a criminal who covered up for Karadima and his circle.”
Cardinal Errázuriz has consistently maintain his innocence.
What does the Pope do now?
Presumably Cardinal Errázuriz expects the Pope will let him stay away.
Chilean Catholics will be shocked and disappointed if Francis permits such indifference.
After all the public hoopla surrounding the listening sessions the Pope had with the victims he had accused of calumny, he told them, “There’s no turning back now.”
In the face of Cardinal Errazuriz’s decision to ignore such an important gathering of Chile’s entire Episcopate, the Pope must decide whether or not he will make good on that pledge.
Chile and the Catholic world are watching.
Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, the Archbishop-emeritus of Santiago, member of the “C9” Council of Cardinal Advisers, and a key player in the controversy, has let it be known that he plans not to attend.
The reasons Cardinal Errázuriz has apparently given are that he only recently got back from Rome, and has already given a report to the Holy Father on the “Barros Affair” – so called because it revolves around Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Chile, a protégé of the country’s most notorious paedophile Priest, Fernando Karadima.
The Cardinal’s decision to skip the meetings puts Pope Francis in a very delicate position.
The “report” is a 14-page document Cardinal Errázuriz gave to the Pope on “the trial of Fr Karadima and the ramifications of the case”.
The Cardinal stated: “So for that, I’ve already made my contribution.”
That a figure so central to the Church in Chile over the past three decades, as well as to the scandal and crisis facing the Church in the country at present, could feel that he is somehow personally exempt from attending these meetings is stunning.
Bishop Barros has long faced public accusations, which he rejects, of having played a major role in the coverup of his mentor’s crimes. Pope Francis appointed him to the see of Osorno in 2015, over the objections of laity and clergy alike.
During his visit to Chile at the start of the year, the Pope accused Barros’s accusers of “calumny”. After facing widespread criticism, the Pope set up a special investigation, led by Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
After reading Archbishop Scicluna’s 2300-page dossier, Pope Francis summoned the bishops of Chile to Rome. In a statement, he asked forgiveness of those he had offended, and said, “I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially because of the lack of truthful and balanced information.”
Three victims at the centre of the Barros Affair – Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton, and José Andres Murillo – have all publicly declared that Cardinal Errázuriz is one of the Church leaders who misled the Pope.
At a press conference in Rome last Wednesday at the Foreign Press Club, following private meetings with the Pope, the victims agreed: “Cardinal Errázuriz covered up for more than five years the crimes of Karadima. According to canon law and for the victims, he’s a criminal who covered up for Karadima and his circle.”
Cardinal Errázuriz has consistently maintain his innocence.
What does the Pope do now?
Presumably Cardinal Errázuriz expects the Pope will let him stay away.
Chilean Catholics will be shocked and disappointed if Francis permits such indifference.
After all the public hoopla surrounding the listening sessions the Pope had with the victims he had accused of calumny, he told them, “There’s no turning back now.”
In the face of Cardinal Errazuriz’s decision to ignore such an important gathering of Chile’s entire Episcopate, the Pope must decide whether or not he will make good on that pledge.
Chile and the Catholic world are watching.
SO MUCH FOR CATHOLIC POLAND!
Women across Poland are set to protest against attempts by the government to further restrict access to abortion.
Demonstrations across at least 50 cities have been organized by Polish Women’s Strike, a coalition of women’s rights groups.
Pro-abortion demonstrators plan to wear black as a sign of mourning for their reproductive rights, which have come under threat under the ruling conservative Law and Justice party.
Demonstrations will also take place in Krakow, Gdansk, Szczecin and Wroclaw, as well as outside the Polish embassy in London.
The protests are the result of a vote in the lower chamber of the Parliament, which saw politicians choose to send a bill to ban the abortion of a sick foetus to a Parliamentary committee.
The new bill would ban terminations due to irreversible damage to the foetus, removing the main legal recourse Polish women have to obtain an abortion.
The government rejected a bill entitled ”Save Women” on the same day, which advocated greater access to abortion, free contraception and sex education in schools.
A woman can have an abortion if the life of the mother or foetus is in danger, in cases of grave foetal defect, or when the pregnancy occurred as a result of rape or incest – and only within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The Law and Justice party has a close relationship with the Catholic Church, which exerts a strong influence over Poland as around 87 per cent of the population declare themselves Catholic.
In October 2016, thousands of women marched across Poland to protest abortion restrictions in a bill proposed by the Stop Abortion coalition, which introduced the so-called “citizen’s initiative” in Parliament.
The legislation advocated prison sentences of up to five years for women who had abortions, as well as legal implications for doctors who assisted with terminations.
Campaigners claim tens of thousands of terminations take place in the country illegally annually and many women must travel to Slovakia or Germany to undergo the procedure.
I have often commented that the Church appeared to be as strong as it was in Poland precisely because it was under Communist control.
The Roman collar represented not only a spiritual authority but, perhaps more accurately, a resistance movement against the authoritarian government.
Pope St. John Paul II imagined a Poland free and independent of Communism would become a beacon of Catholicity for all the world to admire, its people walking in lockstep to the teachings and precepts of the Church.
It is clear that, once the Polish people were successful in throwing off the shackles of totalitarianism, they were not prepared nor willing to replace those political chains with religious fetters.
Sadly, Poland has gone the way of Western Europe in its growing secularism and distancing from the Catholic Church.
It is now in the grip of moral divisions which the Saintly Pope could not have possibly imagined of his once faithful flock.
Demonstrations across at least 50 cities have been organized by Polish Women’s Strike, a coalition of women’s rights groups.
Pro-abortion demonstrators plan to wear black as a sign of mourning for their reproductive rights, which have come under threat under the ruling conservative Law and Justice party.
Demonstrations will also take place in Krakow, Gdansk, Szczecin and Wroclaw, as well as outside the Polish embassy in London.
The protests are the result of a vote in the lower chamber of the Parliament, which saw politicians choose to send a bill to ban the abortion of a sick foetus to a Parliamentary committee.
The new bill would ban terminations due to irreversible damage to the foetus, removing the main legal recourse Polish women have to obtain an abortion.
The government rejected a bill entitled ”Save Women” on the same day, which advocated greater access to abortion, free contraception and sex education in schools.
A woman can have an abortion if the life of the mother or foetus is in danger, in cases of grave foetal defect, or when the pregnancy occurred as a result of rape or incest – and only within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The Law and Justice party has a close relationship with the Catholic Church, which exerts a strong influence over Poland as around 87 per cent of the population declare themselves Catholic.
In October 2016, thousands of women marched across Poland to protest abortion restrictions in a bill proposed by the Stop Abortion coalition, which introduced the so-called “citizen’s initiative” in Parliament.
The legislation advocated prison sentences of up to five years for women who had abortions, as well as legal implications for doctors who assisted with terminations.
Campaigners claim tens of thousands of terminations take place in the country illegally annually and many women must travel to Slovakia or Germany to undergo the procedure.
I have often commented that the Church appeared to be as strong as it was in Poland precisely because it was under Communist control.
The Roman collar represented not only a spiritual authority but, perhaps more accurately, a resistance movement against the authoritarian government.
Pope St. John Paul II imagined a Poland free and independent of Communism would become a beacon of Catholicity for all the world to admire, its people walking in lockstep to the teachings and precepts of the Church.
It is clear that, once the Polish people were successful in throwing off the shackles of totalitarianism, they were not prepared nor willing to replace those political chains with religious fetters.
Sadly, Poland has gone the way of Western Europe in its growing secularism and distancing from the Catholic Church.
It is now in the grip of moral divisions which the Saintly Pope could not have possibly imagined of his once faithful flock.
Friday, May 11, 2018
IMPACT OF PARISH CONSOLIDATIONS UPON THE FAITHFUL AND THE FAITH
Yesterday, I commented on the fact that the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced how its 188 parishes would be grouped into 57 new, multisite parishes.
I futher commented on Bishop David Zubik’s total denial that the Diocese is in a state of crisis which mergers of parishes and personnel will not solve.
In this article, I will address how are parishioners affected when a Diocese closes their home churches? And what happens to church buildings once their parishioners migrate and the buildings are left empty?
Since Bishops are not forthcoming regarding these realities, the information related herein is based solely upon anecdotal experiences made known to me in my conversations with parishioners and Priests who have lived through such mergers.
In many cases, parishes were often formed within ethnic conclaves of immigrants clustered in tightly knit communities in burgeoning cities. As the children of these immigrant founders grew to have children of their own, a slow and steady migration from the cities to the suburbs resulted in declining populations as the original founders grew old and died with fewer and fewer younger families taking their place.
Where once there were scores of parishes within city neighborhoods, today two of three parishes remain in a state of demographic and financial crisis. These are the parishes which strategic planning processes nowadays are demanding be further consolidated.
Parishioners unhappy with the changes are likely to abandon an active practice of their Catholic faith.
Pastors often report that the number of parishioners attending Mass after parish consolidations are significantly fewer than the number attending Church services in their respective parishes before the consolidation.
There is practically no data available to indicate how contributions have been affected. However, one could deduce from the reduced number of those attending Mass, that contributions have likewise been negatively affected.
As parish consolidations begin to involve larger and larger parts of diocesan territory, the additional mergers will be increasingly more difficult.
One Pastor, who has experienced such a consolidation, stated: “When mergers involved neighboring parishes, it was difficult. But at least the people were familiar with their neighborhoods and their neighbors to some degree. Now, it seems as though whole townships and villages are being consolidated. Parishioners in these new configurations are practically strangers to each other. Forming a sense of community will really be tough.”
When a parish closes, a sense of Catholic identity is lost that may never be recovered. It will take decades for new relationships to form and a new sense of Catholic identity to be solidified.
If Europe is any example of what the Church can expect in the decades to come, one wonders if the Church will ever recover to become the presence it once was in this country.
Clearly, the loyalty and sense of permanent attachment which parishioners once had to their parochial community has been shattered. It appears that future parishioners will be less likely to make the personal and financial sacrifices older generations once made to build and maintain their parish churches and schools.
As a Chancellor of one Northeastern diocese told me: “People are upset when they sees bars or restaurants where their parish churches once stood. They are angry and upset. Anyone who thinks these folks will be as generous as preceding generations were is nuts!”
Jesus promised that He would defend the Church and preserve it until His Second Coming.
Let us take confidence from His promise and ask the Holy Spirit, in continual prayers of intercession, to come to the aid of the Church and her people.
Only Divine Grace and intervention will, in my opinion, revitalize the Catholic Church which has been so wounded by scandals, infidelities, indifference and hostility.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
I futher commented on Bishop David Zubik’s total denial that the Diocese is in a state of crisis which mergers of parishes and personnel will not solve.
In this article, I will address how are parishioners affected when a Diocese closes their home churches? And what happens to church buildings once their parishioners migrate and the buildings are left empty?
Since Bishops are not forthcoming regarding these realities, the information related herein is based solely upon anecdotal experiences made known to me in my conversations with parishioners and Priests who have lived through such mergers.
In many cases, parishes were often formed within ethnic conclaves of immigrants clustered in tightly knit communities in burgeoning cities. As the children of these immigrant founders grew to have children of their own, a slow and steady migration from the cities to the suburbs resulted in declining populations as the original founders grew old and died with fewer and fewer younger families taking their place.
Where once there were scores of parishes within city neighborhoods, today two of three parishes remain in a state of demographic and financial crisis. These are the parishes which strategic planning processes nowadays are demanding be further consolidated.
Parishioners unhappy with the changes are likely to abandon an active practice of their Catholic faith.
Pastors often report that the number of parishioners attending Mass after parish consolidations are significantly fewer than the number attending Church services in their respective parishes before the consolidation.
There is practically no data available to indicate how contributions have been affected. However, one could deduce from the reduced number of those attending Mass, that contributions have likewise been negatively affected.
As parish consolidations begin to involve larger and larger parts of diocesan territory, the additional mergers will be increasingly more difficult.
One Pastor, who has experienced such a consolidation, stated: “When mergers involved neighboring parishes, it was difficult. But at least the people were familiar with their neighborhoods and their neighbors to some degree. Now, it seems as though whole townships and villages are being consolidated. Parishioners in these new configurations are practically strangers to each other. Forming a sense of community will really be tough.”
When a parish closes, a sense of Catholic identity is lost that may never be recovered. It will take decades for new relationships to form and a new sense of Catholic identity to be solidified.
If Europe is any example of what the Church can expect in the decades to come, one wonders if the Church will ever recover to become the presence it once was in this country.
Clearly, the loyalty and sense of permanent attachment which parishioners once had to their parochial community has been shattered. It appears that future parishioners will be less likely to make the personal and financial sacrifices older generations once made to build and maintain their parish churches and schools.
As a Chancellor of one Northeastern diocese told me: “People are upset when they sees bars or restaurants where their parish churches once stood. They are angry and upset. Anyone who thinks these folks will be as generous as preceding generations were is nuts!”
Jesus promised that He would defend the Church and preserve it until His Second Coming.
Let us take confidence from His promise and ask the Holy Spirit, in continual prayers of intercession, to come to the aid of the Church and her people.
Only Divine Grace and intervention will, in my opinion, revitalize the Catholic Church which has been so wounded by scandals, infidelities, indifference and hostility.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Thursday, May 10, 2018
BISHOP ZUBIK OF PITTSBURGH (AND OTHER BISHOPS) IN A STATE OF DENIAL
On Saturday, April 28, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced how its 188 parishes would be grouped into 57 new, multisite parishes.
The Diocese had originally proposed there would be 48 groupings. The diocese also shared which Priests and Deacons would be assigned to the new groupings. According to the Diocesan press release, the groupings are expected to merge into new parishes between 2020 and 2023.
A complete listing of parish groupings, Clergy assignments and other information can be found online at onmissionchurchalive.org.
The cause of these drastic changes?
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh counts 632,138 people as members of its fold, though less than a quarter of those congregants attend Mass weekly. Half of the Diocese’s 188 parishes are running operating deficits. And the Diocese anticipates the number of active diocesan priests to drop 50 percent within seven years, to 112.
How does Archbishop David Zubik interpret these fact?
The Archbishop has stated that he doesn’t take these as a sign of a church in crisis, but rather a side effect of Rust Belt residents moving to other regions.
Not a church in crisis?
Unbelievable!
Talk about spinning a story!
“We really need to come back to take a look at what our mission is. The mission is to help each other get to heaven,” Bishop Zubik said. “Bottom line, that’s what it is. And so, first and foremost, this whole process is around that reality. Evangelization. That's what gives this process its legs.”
As long as Bishops, like Bishop Zubik, continue to bury their heads in the sand and willfully refuse to engage with the Catholic faithful and to share with them the dreadful state of affairs in which the Church finds herself at this moment in its history, reports of church closures and the shrinking communities of Catholic faithful will continue.
And tragically so.
The crisis (which the Bishop is loathe to admit) is, in his defense, the continuation of a decades-long decline in Catholic practice in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in the country.
Under Zubik’s predecessor, Bishop Donald Wuerl, the Diocese reduced its parishes from 323 to about 225 in the 1990s.
Sadly, Bishop Zubik is following in Bishop Wuerl’s misguided and failed strategy to respond to what is truly a spiritual crisis infecting the Church and treat it as though it was simply a problem of logistics which could be solved by shifting populations and personnel hither and yon.
I fail to understand why the Bishops never call the faithful to a moment of decision and revival.
The Catholic Church in America is on the brink of the same extinction witnessed throughout Western Europe and in many parts of South and Central America.
In a related article I will post tomorrow, we shall see how mergers of parishes and personnel affect the lives of Catholics still trying to hold on to their allegiance to the Church.
It isn’t a pretty picture.
It is essential that God’s People, led by the Bishops, pray for the Church.
It’s the last thing the Bishops appear to understand and encourage.
The Diocese had originally proposed there would be 48 groupings. The diocese also shared which Priests and Deacons would be assigned to the new groupings. According to the Diocesan press release, the groupings are expected to merge into new parishes between 2020 and 2023.
A complete listing of parish groupings, Clergy assignments and other information can be found online at onmissionchurchalive.org.
The cause of these drastic changes?
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh counts 632,138 people as members of its fold, though less than a quarter of those congregants attend Mass weekly. Half of the Diocese’s 188 parishes are running operating deficits. And the Diocese anticipates the number of active diocesan priests to drop 50 percent within seven years, to 112.
How does Archbishop David Zubik interpret these fact?
The Archbishop has stated that he doesn’t take these as a sign of a church in crisis, but rather a side effect of Rust Belt residents moving to other regions.
Not a church in crisis?
Unbelievable!
Talk about spinning a story!
“We really need to come back to take a look at what our mission is. The mission is to help each other get to heaven,” Bishop Zubik said. “Bottom line, that’s what it is. And so, first and foremost, this whole process is around that reality. Evangelization. That's what gives this process its legs.”
As long as Bishops, like Bishop Zubik, continue to bury their heads in the sand and willfully refuse to engage with the Catholic faithful and to share with them the dreadful state of affairs in which the Church finds herself at this moment in its history, reports of church closures and the shrinking communities of Catholic faithful will continue.
And tragically so.
The crisis (which the Bishop is loathe to admit) is, in his defense, the continuation of a decades-long decline in Catholic practice in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in the country.
Under Zubik’s predecessor, Bishop Donald Wuerl, the Diocese reduced its parishes from 323 to about 225 in the 1990s.
Sadly, Bishop Zubik is following in Bishop Wuerl’s misguided and failed strategy to respond to what is truly a spiritual crisis infecting the Church and treat it as though it was simply a problem of logistics which could be solved by shifting populations and personnel hither and yon.
I fail to understand why the Bishops never call the faithful to a moment of decision and revival.
The Catholic Church in America is on the brink of the same extinction witnessed throughout Western Europe and in many parts of South and Central America.
In a related article I will post tomorrow, we shall see how mergers of parishes and personnel affect the lives of Catholics still trying to hold on to their allegiance to the Church.
It isn’t a pretty picture.
It is essential that God’s People, led by the Bishops, pray for the Church.
It’s the last thing the Bishops appear to understand and encourage.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
MONSIGNOR VIGANO: THE POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK
Here's a story strangely reminiscent of Charles “Chuck” Colson, one of the perpetrators of the infamous Watergate scandal which brought down the Presidency of Richard Nixon, who later became a prison minister advocating the virtues of honesty and personal responsibility.
Well, now we read of Monsignor Edoardo Vigano who spoke on the subject of fake news at a conference in Rome just six week after he himself resigned as head of the Vatican communication office over a fake news controversy.
What hubris, to say the least!
In the April 28 panel, titled “Fake News and the Ethical Responsibilities of Media,” Monsignor Vigano stressed the importance of transparency in the media and said journalists who publish false or inaccurate information risk “poisoning” their readers.
He, of course, should know.
On March 21st, the good Monsignor resigned as Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications following what has come to be known as the “Lettergate” scandal.
It began after the launch of the 11-book series “The Theology of Pope Francis,” published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house overseen by the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications.
A letter from Benedict XVI praising Francis' theological and philosophical formation was read aloud at the event, however, the secretariat later admitted to tampering with an image of the letter that was sent to media, blurring out lines in which Benedict said that he had not read the full series, and did not plan to do so, and therefore was not able to offer an in-depth analysis of the text.
Days later, it was revealed that further paragraphs had been left out in which Benedict questioned the inclusion in the series of a theologian known for his “anti-papal initiatives.”
After receiving pressure from the media, the Secretariat published the full letter, explaining that it was confidential and never intended to be published in its entirety.
Following Monsignor Vigano’s resignation, Pope Francis named Monsignor Lucio Ruiz, former secretary of the department, as an interim prefect, but asked Monsignor Vigano to stay on in an advisory role, which he continues to hold.
Why these failed actors never understand that their time on the stage is over and they should depart amazes me.
Monsignor Vigano, a discredited communications officers, gives a talk on the dangers of “fake” news -- not an apology, mind you, but a call to journalistic integrity!
Unbelievable!
And all this in the shadow of the Vatican.
No wonder the faithful’s credibility in the leadership of the Church is so terribly shattered.
Well, now we read of Monsignor Edoardo Vigano who spoke on the subject of fake news at a conference in Rome just six week after he himself resigned as head of the Vatican communication office over a fake news controversy.
What hubris, to say the least!
In the April 28 panel, titled “Fake News and the Ethical Responsibilities of Media,” Monsignor Vigano stressed the importance of transparency in the media and said journalists who publish false or inaccurate information risk “poisoning” their readers.
He, of course, should know.
On March 21st, the good Monsignor resigned as Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications following what has come to be known as the “Lettergate” scandal.
It began after the launch of the 11-book series “The Theology of Pope Francis,” published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house overseen by the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications.
A letter from Benedict XVI praising Francis' theological and philosophical formation was read aloud at the event, however, the secretariat later admitted to tampering with an image of the letter that was sent to media, blurring out lines in which Benedict said that he had not read the full series, and did not plan to do so, and therefore was not able to offer an in-depth analysis of the text.
Days later, it was revealed that further paragraphs had been left out in which Benedict questioned the inclusion in the series of a theologian known for his “anti-papal initiatives.”
After receiving pressure from the media, the Secretariat published the full letter, explaining that it was confidential and never intended to be published in its entirety.
Following Monsignor Vigano’s resignation, Pope Francis named Monsignor Lucio Ruiz, former secretary of the department, as an interim prefect, but asked Monsignor Vigano to stay on in an advisory role, which he continues to hold.
Why these failed actors never understand that their time on the stage is over and they should depart amazes me.
Monsignor Vigano, a discredited communications officers, gives a talk on the dangers of “fake” news -- not an apology, mind you, but a call to journalistic integrity!
Unbelievable!
And all this in the shadow of the Vatican.
No wonder the faithful’s credibility in the leadership of the Church is so terribly shattered.
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