Greg Burke, Director of the Vatican Press Office, confirmed the authenticity of a letter published June 4 on the Italian blog Settimo Cielo.
The letter, signed by Cardinal-designate Luis Ladaria, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, states in-part that “the Holy Father has reached the conclusion that the document (guidelines authored by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Germany allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Holy Communion) has not matured enough to be published.”
Ladaria had hosted a meeting with representatives of the German Bishops, including supporters and opponents, along with members from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity as well as officials from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
A Vatican statement issued at the end of the meeting said, “Pope Francis appreciates the ecumenical commitment of the German bishops and asks them to find, in a spirit of ecclesial communion, a result as unanimously as possible.”
In the letter just published today, Ladaria states that he spoke to Pope Francis specifically about the proposed guidelines and the early May meeting on two occasions.
The Prefect indicates that the German Bishops’ Conference guidelines raise a series of problems of “notable importance”, namely three: the question has relevance for the Universal Church, the proposal affects ecumenical relations with other churches, and Canon 844 specifically legislates those circumstances under which Holy Communion may be legitimately administered to non-Catholics.
Ladaria letter states that “ competent dicasteries of the Holy See already have been charged with producing a timely clarification of such questions on the level of the universal Church.” He states further that “it appears opportune to leave to the Diocesan Bishop the judgment about the existence of a ‘grave necessity'” that would permit Christians of other denominations to receive the Eucharist at a Catholic Mass.
So, what does Francis curious remark about the “maturity” of the German guidelines along with Cardinal-designate Ladaria’s letter mean and how will it effect the judgment of the German Bishops?
The day Ladaria’s letter was published on the Italian blogsite, the Holy Father met at the Vatican with a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany.
The importance of this meeting and its influence upon the Holy Father’s subsequent actions can not be underestimated.
Almost certainly, the Holy Father was besieged by protests from the Evangelical Lutherans in attendance who voiced their bewilderment and outrage that the German Bishops would make such a decision without having engaged in any serious dialogue with Protestant leaders.
The Holy Father intimated such saying, ““No ecumenical dialogue can advance if we remain stationary. We must walk, progress - not impetuously running ahead to reach a hoped-for finish line, but walking together with patience under the gaze of God.”
Yet, by leaving the decision up to individual Diocesan Bishops, the Holy Father has assuredly passed the buck regarding the proposal back to the Bishops who proposed it in the first place.
It is known that the vast majority of the members of the German Bishops’ Conference had voted in favor of publishing the guidelines.
Ladaria’s letter simply allows that majority to liberally introduce the practice in their particular dioceses without seeking further guidance or direction from the Holy See.
In effect, the German Bishops’ who proposed the guidelines will allow their application, the German Bishops who opposed them will prohibit them, and the Holy See will be able to wash its hands of the matter.
Protestant leaders will be left with no recourse other than to encourage their members not to receive Holy Communion at Catholic Masses and ecumenism will have taken a serious step backwards.
Whether any of this was inspired or guided by the Holy Spirit is a question that is certainly debatable.
Monday, June 4, 2018
POPULAR FALLACIES IN TODAY'S CHURCH Part Two: Money Can Solve the Problem
In this article, I continue my reflections on what I believe are a number of fallacies underlying strategies Bishops and others in leadership positions appear to be eagerly adopting in responding to the crisis of faith and membership presently affecting the Church.
Fallacy #2: A Special Collection Can Resolve the Problem
There are simply certain times when throwing money at a problem simply will not help.
The problem is rather than expend time praying for guidance, seeking the wisdom of collective counsel and putting in a effort to explore the factors causing a problem, Bishops and others in Catholic leadership are very much prone to create offices or programs requiring huge bankrolls and never-ending annual appeals.
Here are some problems the Church is facing that no amount of money will resolve.
1) The Loss of Confidence in the Clergy
The relationship between the faithful and the Clergy is a sacred, intimate bond which, once broken, is oftentimes beyond reconciliation. Once trust has been violated, healing will require a depth of repentance, forgiveness and healing beyond the capacity of any effort requiring finances can provide.
What is needed is radical honesty and a willingness on the part of those who failed to admit their mistakes or misdeeds and accept responsibility for them. But subjecting themselves to a full accounting will not in itself be enough. There must be a commitment toward better communication between the Clergy and the faithful entrusted to their care.
This loss of confidence in the Clergy is the most important crisis in the Church today, the cause of such a serious decline in people’s practice of the Faith, reception of the Sacraments (especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation), an abandonment of the moral teachings of the Church as well as the Apostolic authority with which they are proclaimed.
The Ordained must stop pretending that they are called to and have somehow achieved a sanctity which beyond that of the faithful which gives them the authority to lead and guide those whom they serve. Rather, the Clergy must always confess that they are sinners whom the Lord has called to serve fellow sinners. People need to understand that their Pastors are as human and frail as they, in need of the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy.
Only when the Clergy are honest enough to be humbled by their own sinfulness, will they be capable of the compassion which the Lord calls them to shower upon the members of the communities they are called to serve.
2) Virtue Can’t Be Bought and Paid For
Getting good at something is largely a matter of practice. Retreats, seminars, studies are no substitute. Of course you can spend money on books, on classes, on workshops, and catechetical CDs and videos, conferences and conventions, (and, admittedly.d all those things may be of some help), but what they cannot give is faith and they can never bring about personal virute.
Spirituality will never be an acquired virtue, if believers do not put in the time and effort to develop the habit of prayer and the exercise of goodness to which the Gospel calls the believer to pursue.
So often, those in positions and leadership within the Church are very eager to provide their pedigree of theological formation, the list of prestigious universities and colleges they attended, the conferences they led, the volumes of treatises they have penned as a testament of their virtue and spiritual acumen.
Equally as often, these very same individuals with such long histories of scholarship and recognition lack the most fundamental empathy which allows them to be effective ministers of the love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Whom they are called to represent.
3) The Emergence of Blind Guides
There are always hucksters pretending to be one sort of spiritual guide or another.
These charlatans (sadly the list is long and shameful), are very willing to encourage followers (at a cost, mind you) for the privilege of showing those they deem lost and misguided the true path to sanctity and personal tranquility.
There are also people ready to suggest that donating money to worthy causes makes you a better person.
Of course, one can be sure that none of their claims are true.
Jesus did not institute a commune or cult, headed by self-proclaimed visionaries or gurus. Rather, he instituted a community wherein those who responded to the gentle and persuasive whispers of faith might find support and sustenance by way of the Word and the Sacraments.
4) Money Will Never Prevent Suffering or Hardship
It's very reasonable to spend money in advance of a natural disaster, to make yourself more prepared. A well-supplied pantry can really help you through something like a blizzard or a flood or an earthquake. The right tools and right supplies can turn a disaster into an inconvenience — or even an adventure. Money can also help some after a disaster is over. But no amount of money will prevent human suffering, be it in the form of personal choices or natural disasters.
5) Money Will Never Achieve Peace
Finally, and again to my point, throwing money at problems will not solve them — nor will it produce world peace, end hunger (or death, or disease).
We live in a world wounded and broken by sin. In that chaos, we are subject to the decisions and choices of others, good or bad.
No amount of financial reserve can protect us from the cosmic and human disorder which flows from the rampant exercise of man’s free will in opposition to the Will of the Creator.
Bad things can and will happen to good people, let alone rich people.
As Bishops and Church leaders are prone to forget these fundamental realities, they should take a moment and ask themselves some questions before deciding to appeal to the faithful for more and more financial resource.
1) Will the appeal be a one-time request or will the appeal become a permanent fixture?
It is fairly simply to make a cost-benefit analysis and decide if the resources being requested are worth the effects which are anticipated and whether or not the community itself can afford it.
2) Will the Money Solve the Problem?
If money will not solve the problem, then there's no point in raising or spending it.
Of course, what makes it hard to answer this question is getting a clear understanding of the problem.
To come to the right decision, it is necessary to get to the root of the problem which is often a moral cause beyond the power of financial resource to resolve. So many hardships — terminal illness, failed relationship, midlife crisis — fail this question. That result is often heartbreaking, but it doesn't change the fact that whole categories of problems — medical problems, personal problems, political problems, social problems — often cannot be solved with money.
3) What is the expected return on the investment?
This third question becomes important when the cost of solving a problem with money is so large as to be a major factor in a budget — or especially if it will significantly impact the diocese’s or parish’s financial stability and security.
Fallacy #2: A Special Collection Can Resolve the Problem
There are simply certain times when throwing money at a problem simply will not help.
The problem is rather than expend time praying for guidance, seeking the wisdom of collective counsel and putting in a effort to explore the factors causing a problem, Bishops and others in Catholic leadership are very much prone to create offices or programs requiring huge bankrolls and never-ending annual appeals.
Here are some problems the Church is facing that no amount of money will resolve.
1) The Loss of Confidence in the Clergy
The relationship between the faithful and the Clergy is a sacred, intimate bond which, once broken, is oftentimes beyond reconciliation. Once trust has been violated, healing will require a depth of repentance, forgiveness and healing beyond the capacity of any effort requiring finances can provide.
What is needed is radical honesty and a willingness on the part of those who failed to admit their mistakes or misdeeds and accept responsibility for them. But subjecting themselves to a full accounting will not in itself be enough. There must be a commitment toward better communication between the Clergy and the faithful entrusted to their care.
This loss of confidence in the Clergy is the most important crisis in the Church today, the cause of such a serious decline in people’s practice of the Faith, reception of the Sacraments (especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation), an abandonment of the moral teachings of the Church as well as the Apostolic authority with which they are proclaimed.
The Ordained must stop pretending that they are called to and have somehow achieved a sanctity which beyond that of the faithful which gives them the authority to lead and guide those whom they serve. Rather, the Clergy must always confess that they are sinners whom the Lord has called to serve fellow sinners. People need to understand that their Pastors are as human and frail as they, in need of the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy.
Only when the Clergy are honest enough to be humbled by their own sinfulness, will they be capable of the compassion which the Lord calls them to shower upon the members of the communities they are called to serve.
2) Virtue Can’t Be Bought and Paid For
Getting good at something is largely a matter of practice. Retreats, seminars, studies are no substitute. Of course you can spend money on books, on classes, on workshops, and catechetical CDs and videos, conferences and conventions, (and, admittedly.d all those things may be of some help), but what they cannot give is faith and they can never bring about personal virute.
Spirituality will never be an acquired virtue, if believers do not put in the time and effort to develop the habit of prayer and the exercise of goodness to which the Gospel calls the believer to pursue.
So often, those in positions and leadership within the Church are very eager to provide their pedigree of theological formation, the list of prestigious universities and colleges they attended, the conferences they led, the volumes of treatises they have penned as a testament of their virtue and spiritual acumen.
Equally as often, these very same individuals with such long histories of scholarship and recognition lack the most fundamental empathy which allows them to be effective ministers of the love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Whom they are called to represent.
3) The Emergence of Blind Guides
There are always hucksters pretending to be one sort of spiritual guide or another.
These charlatans (sadly the list is long and shameful), are very willing to encourage followers (at a cost, mind you) for the privilege of showing those they deem lost and misguided the true path to sanctity and personal tranquility.
There are also people ready to suggest that donating money to worthy causes makes you a better person.
Of course, one can be sure that none of their claims are true.
Jesus did not institute a commune or cult, headed by self-proclaimed visionaries or gurus. Rather, he instituted a community wherein those who responded to the gentle and persuasive whispers of faith might find support and sustenance by way of the Word and the Sacraments.
4) Money Will Never Prevent Suffering or Hardship
It's very reasonable to spend money in advance of a natural disaster, to make yourself more prepared. A well-supplied pantry can really help you through something like a blizzard or a flood or an earthquake. The right tools and right supplies can turn a disaster into an inconvenience — or even an adventure. Money can also help some after a disaster is over. But no amount of money will prevent human suffering, be it in the form of personal choices or natural disasters.
5) Money Will Never Achieve Peace
Finally, and again to my point, throwing money at problems will not solve them — nor will it produce world peace, end hunger (or death, or disease).
We live in a world wounded and broken by sin. In that chaos, we are subject to the decisions and choices of others, good or bad.
No amount of financial reserve can protect us from the cosmic and human disorder which flows from the rampant exercise of man’s free will in opposition to the Will of the Creator.
Bad things can and will happen to good people, let alone rich people.
As Bishops and Church leaders are prone to forget these fundamental realities, they should take a moment and ask themselves some questions before deciding to appeal to the faithful for more and more financial resource.
1) Will the appeal be a one-time request or will the appeal become a permanent fixture?
It is fairly simply to make a cost-benefit analysis and decide if the resources being requested are worth the effects which are anticipated and whether or not the community itself can afford it.
2) Will the Money Solve the Problem?
If money will not solve the problem, then there's no point in raising or spending it.
Of course, what makes it hard to answer this question is getting a clear understanding of the problem.
To come to the right decision, it is necessary to get to the root of the problem which is often a moral cause beyond the power of financial resource to resolve. So many hardships — terminal illness, failed relationship, midlife crisis — fail this question. That result is often heartbreaking, but it doesn't change the fact that whole categories of problems — medical problems, personal problems, political problems, social problems — often cannot be solved with money.
3) What is the expected return on the investment?
This third question becomes important when the cost of solving a problem with money is so large as to be a major factor in a budget — or especially if it will significantly impact the diocese’s or parish’s financial stability and security.
MOST SENIOR CATHOLIC OFFICIAL TO DATE FOUND GUILTY OF COVERING UP SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS
Pope Francis has appointed Gregory O’Kelly, the Bishop of Port Pirie, the Special Administrator of Adelaide following the conviction of Archbishop Philip Wilson for covering up child sex crimes during the 1970s.
Bishop O’Kelly, who will remain the Bishop of Port Pirie, north of Adelaide, assumes administrative and executive authority in the Archdiocese until any future decision of the Pope, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement.
Archbishop Wilson was found guilty at Newcastle local court on 22 May of failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by Father James Fletcher in the New South Wales Hunter region.
He is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.
He has refused to resign.
Bishop O’Kelly, who will remain the Bishop of Port Pirie, north of Adelaide, assumes administrative and executive authority in the Archdiocese until any future decision of the Pope, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement.
Archbishop Wilson was found guilty at Newcastle local court on 22 May of failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by Father James Fletcher in the New South Wales Hunter region.
He is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse.
He has refused to resign.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
POPULAR FALLACIES IN TODAY'S CHURCH Part I: Heresy
As promised, I am beginning a series of posts on what I believe are a number of fallacies underlying strategies Bishops and others in leadership positions appear to be eagerly adopting in responding to the crisis of faith and membership presently affecting the Church.
The series may be interrupted before it is completed due to what may be considered news worthy of comment. But it will be presented in its fullness, I promise.
I hope you will find the postings interesting, if not challenging.
Your comments (which I do not publish) are welcome. And, even though I do not post your comments on this blogsite, I do refer to them often and share their viewpoint when they are particularly insightful and appropriate to the issue.
So, let’s begin.
Fallacy #1: All heretics are misguided fools.
They may garner immediate attention, but allegiance to their errors quickly wanes and the faithful return to the orthodox teachings of the Church.
This is not a new fallacy.
As a matter of fact, just about a half-century ago, Walter Nigg, a Swiss Reformed theologian and church historian, wrote The Heretics to establish that the great heresies in church history were the result of some smart people with real grievances, and not the errant fools some have attempt to make them out to be.
I must confess that reading Wigg’s book was an eye-opener for me indeed!
But, I will say that things are quite a bit different these days when it comes to heresy within the Church.
There are no longer crowds carrying torches and hoisting banners emblazened with heretical slogans that are the rallying cry of those who challenge the doctrines and magisterial authority of the Successors of Peter.
These days, heresy is introduced among the faithful by way of the secular media which powerfully molds public opinion, making what was once morally offensive or unthinkable appear to be commonplace and acceptable, especially in the minds of young believers who in turn have extraordinary sway over the opinions of their parents.
These are the quiet unorthodox beliefs that many Catholics, who would consider themselves faithful to Church teaching and practice, believe and often express politically.
I dare say that vast majority of Catholics these days hold positions regarding abortion in the case of rape or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy which stand in stark contrast to the official teaching of the Church that abortion is intrinsically evil and is never legitimate or permissable.
The same would hold true regarding homosexual relationships, same sex marriage, end of life issues.
Catholics, for the most part, quietly have assimilated the positions of popular culture on these moral issues.
Certainly, the scandal attendant to the sexual abuse of minors by Priests and Clerics has done much to undermine the thinking of many Catholics regarding the sacredness of the Priesthood.
If Bishops and Priests believe they can counter the affect of these cultural influences by simply restating the orthodox teachings of the Church, they do not appreciate the problem the Church is up against nor will they succeed in mounting a successful defense against it.
Popes still write Apostolic Letters and the like, composed of thousands of words and hundreds of pages. Bishops write Pastoral Letters, shorter in length but no less complex to the average Catholic. Pastors preach too long and often about frivolous issues.
They haven’t figured it out yet.
People don’t read. Fewer than 10% of the general public read newspapers any more. Fewer than that percentage read books.
Practically, everything people know these days comes to them either from TV or the Internet, by way of 30 second blurbs or the condensed communications on Twitter.
People’s attention spans are measured in seconds these days and they are becoming even shorter.
Don’t believe me? The average length of a SuperBowl commerical is 30 seconds and costs millions of dollars.
That is the power the tube exercises over peoples choices and impressions about themselves, their neighbors, about life itself.
And those who command the airways and the Net are the teachers and preachers of modernday values and behavior.
Make no mistake about that!
The Church has failed to counteract the heresies with which Catholics are constantly bombarded because it has failed to respond to these untruths using the very instruments which have been so effective in popularizing them.
Lengthy arguments, heady treatises, bombastic sermons are no longer effective in combating the persuasive force of an image or a terse Tweet.
The Vatican doesn’t get it. The USCCB doesn’t get. Most Pastors don’t get it.
Even the length of this blog is proof that, while I think I understand the fallacy and how it should be counteracted, I am still unable to reduce my thoughts to a Tweet.
You, the readers of this blogsite, are the exceptions to the rule these days taking time to inform yourselves regarding the Church.
Perhaps, the day will come when the Church is able to take a lead in finding a way of communicating the truths of the Faith in a way that attracts peoples’ attention and succeeds in convincing them of their value.
I pray and hope so.
The series may be interrupted before it is completed due to what may be considered news worthy of comment. But it will be presented in its fullness, I promise.
I hope you will find the postings interesting, if not challenging.
Your comments (which I do not publish) are welcome. And, even though I do not post your comments on this blogsite, I do refer to them often and share their viewpoint when they are particularly insightful and appropriate to the issue.
So, let’s begin.
Fallacy #1: All heretics are misguided fools.
They may garner immediate attention, but allegiance to their errors quickly wanes and the faithful return to the orthodox teachings of the Church.
This is not a new fallacy.
As a matter of fact, just about a half-century ago, Walter Nigg, a Swiss Reformed theologian and church historian, wrote The Heretics to establish that the great heresies in church history were the result of some smart people with real grievances, and not the errant fools some have attempt to make them out to be.
I must confess that reading Wigg’s book was an eye-opener for me indeed!
But, I will say that things are quite a bit different these days when it comes to heresy within the Church.
There are no longer crowds carrying torches and hoisting banners emblazened with heretical slogans that are the rallying cry of those who challenge the doctrines and magisterial authority of the Successors of Peter.
These days, heresy is introduced among the faithful by way of the secular media which powerfully molds public opinion, making what was once morally offensive or unthinkable appear to be commonplace and acceptable, especially in the minds of young believers who in turn have extraordinary sway over the opinions of their parents.
These are the quiet unorthodox beliefs that many Catholics, who would consider themselves faithful to Church teaching and practice, believe and often express politically.
I dare say that vast majority of Catholics these days hold positions regarding abortion in the case of rape or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy which stand in stark contrast to the official teaching of the Church that abortion is intrinsically evil and is never legitimate or permissable.
The same would hold true regarding homosexual relationships, same sex marriage, end of life issues.
Catholics, for the most part, quietly have assimilated the positions of popular culture on these moral issues.
Certainly, the scandal attendant to the sexual abuse of minors by Priests and Clerics has done much to undermine the thinking of many Catholics regarding the sacredness of the Priesthood.
If Bishops and Priests believe they can counter the affect of these cultural influences by simply restating the orthodox teachings of the Church, they do not appreciate the problem the Church is up against nor will they succeed in mounting a successful defense against it.
Popes still write Apostolic Letters and the like, composed of thousands of words and hundreds of pages. Bishops write Pastoral Letters, shorter in length but no less complex to the average Catholic. Pastors preach too long and often about frivolous issues.
They haven’t figured it out yet.
People don’t read. Fewer than 10% of the general public read newspapers any more. Fewer than that percentage read books.
Practically, everything people know these days comes to them either from TV or the Internet, by way of 30 second blurbs or the condensed communications on Twitter.
People’s attention spans are measured in seconds these days and they are becoming even shorter.
Don’t believe me? The average length of a SuperBowl commerical is 30 seconds and costs millions of dollars.
That is the power the tube exercises over peoples choices and impressions about themselves, their neighbors, about life itself.
And those who command the airways and the Net are the teachers and preachers of modernday values and behavior.
Make no mistake about that!
The Church has failed to counteract the heresies with which Catholics are constantly bombarded because it has failed to respond to these untruths using the very instruments which have been so effective in popularizing them.
Lengthy arguments, heady treatises, bombastic sermons are no longer effective in combating the persuasive force of an image or a terse Tweet.
The Vatican doesn’t get it. The USCCB doesn’t get. Most Pastors don’t get it.
Even the length of this blog is proof that, while I think I understand the fallacy and how it should be counteracted, I am still unable to reduce my thoughts to a Tweet.
You, the readers of this blogsite, are the exceptions to the rule these days taking time to inform yourselves regarding the Church.
Perhaps, the day will come when the Church is able to take a lead in finding a way of communicating the truths of the Faith in a way that attracts peoples’ attention and succeeds in convincing them of their value.
I pray and hope so.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
A WOUNDED CHURCH RUSHES TOWARD AN ABANDONMENT OF THE FAITH
In numerous previous posts, I have chronicled the collapse of the the Church in Europe, all the while hoping and praying that the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of the present Pontificate, might be able to slow the Continent’s sprint toward a complete abandonment of the Faith.
As a result of recent events, it appears that the growing challenge for Pope Francis will be to keep the present decline of the European Church from becoming a preview of the future for South America.
That being the case, I thought it might be worthwhile to inventory the state the Church in countries once thought to be bastions of Catholicity.
Certainly, the scourge of sex abuse scandals continues to devastate Catholicism and has reached its long arm of suffering and shame into the Southern Hemisphere spreading secularism in once strongly traditional Catholic cultures.
The scandal and the admission by the Bishops of Chile regarding their indifference and negligence has done enormous damage to the Faith in places once thought to be the hope for the future expansion of the Church.
But Chile is just one of many countries in the southern hemisphere where the Church is in crisis.
It is unimaginable, but more and more a real possibility, that by the year 2030 Brazil (which boasts the world’s largest Catholic population) will be so overwhelmed by Evangelical Protestantism that Catholics will become a minority among the Christian population.
The same can be said of the present Catholic countries of Latin America which are fast abandoning their Catholic beliefs for evangelical communities seen to be more welcoming and less entrenched in the customs and traditions which flow from European aristocratic Catholicism.
Getting back to Europe, the crisis within the Church shows no signs of abating.
Last week, in an address to the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Francis suggested that it was time to cluster together some of the hundreds of Italian parishes around the country. He asked the Italians to be creative in thinking about how to revive the church.
And here is an astounding fact. In Italy, about 40 percent of Catholic parishes are now operated by Clergy born outside the country.
In mostly Catholic Luxembourg, the government, led by a gay Prime Minister, abolished religious teaching in state schools in September.
In 2012, the Archdiocese of Vienna consolidated its 660 parishes into 150 regional Catholic communities.
In Spain, only 1 in 5 Catholics attend Mass in Spain now.
In France, it is 1 in 10.
In the Netherlands, Mass attendance among Catholics is down to about 5 percent.
In Germany, financial contributions have declined as more and more citizens officially leave and exempt themselves from the taxes levied upon them by the government for the support of the Church.
In Ireland, last week’s vote to abolish bans against abortion was only the latest leap away from the Church that long dominated the country’s culture. Earlier, Ireland had already voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
In America, the dignity of the Church has seriously diminished largely through self-inflicted wounds to the extent that what we are witnessing is an American Church largely convergent with the European crisis.
The result is that the Church in America holds their values and views about what is morally acceptable and permissable the same way as the French, the Germans or the British.
Of course, the answer to these unpleasant truths is prayer, asking the Holy Spirit always to guide us and to open our hearts and minds to submit to that guidance.
Without the Gospel, the world is becoming a harsher, a crueler place.
For the sake of that Gospel and the millions who are blessed by the Word and those who suffer when that Word is silenced, we pray: Come, Holy Spirit, come!
As a result of recent events, it appears that the growing challenge for Pope Francis will be to keep the present decline of the European Church from becoming a preview of the future for South America.
That being the case, I thought it might be worthwhile to inventory the state the Church in countries once thought to be bastions of Catholicity.
Certainly, the scourge of sex abuse scandals continues to devastate Catholicism and has reached its long arm of suffering and shame into the Southern Hemisphere spreading secularism in once strongly traditional Catholic cultures.
The scandal and the admission by the Bishops of Chile regarding their indifference and negligence has done enormous damage to the Faith in places once thought to be the hope for the future expansion of the Church.
But Chile is just one of many countries in the southern hemisphere where the Church is in crisis.
It is unimaginable, but more and more a real possibility, that by the year 2030 Brazil (which boasts the world’s largest Catholic population) will be so overwhelmed by Evangelical Protestantism that Catholics will become a minority among the Christian population.
The same can be said of the present Catholic countries of Latin America which are fast abandoning their Catholic beliefs for evangelical communities seen to be more welcoming and less entrenched in the customs and traditions which flow from European aristocratic Catholicism.
Getting back to Europe, the crisis within the Church shows no signs of abating.
Last week, in an address to the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Francis suggested that it was time to cluster together some of the hundreds of Italian parishes around the country. He asked the Italians to be creative in thinking about how to revive the church.
And here is an astounding fact. In Italy, about 40 percent of Catholic parishes are now operated by Clergy born outside the country.
In mostly Catholic Luxembourg, the government, led by a gay Prime Minister, abolished religious teaching in state schools in September.
In 2012, the Archdiocese of Vienna consolidated its 660 parishes into 150 regional Catholic communities.
In Spain, only 1 in 5 Catholics attend Mass in Spain now.
In France, it is 1 in 10.
In the Netherlands, Mass attendance among Catholics is down to about 5 percent.
In Germany, financial contributions have declined as more and more citizens officially leave and exempt themselves from the taxes levied upon them by the government for the support of the Church.
In Ireland, last week’s vote to abolish bans against abortion was only the latest leap away from the Church that long dominated the country’s culture. Earlier, Ireland had already voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
In America, the dignity of the Church has seriously diminished largely through self-inflicted wounds to the extent that what we are witnessing is an American Church largely convergent with the European crisis.
The result is that the Church in America holds their values and views about what is morally acceptable and permissable the same way as the French, the Germans or the British.
Of course, the answer to these unpleasant truths is prayer, asking the Holy Spirit always to guide us and to open our hearts and minds to submit to that guidance.
Without the Gospel, the world is becoming a harsher, a crueler place.
For the sake of that Gospel and the millions who are blessed by the Word and those who suffer when that Word is silenced, we pray: Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Friday, June 1, 2018
$210 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS IN MINNESOTA
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has reached a $ 210 million settlement with 450 abuse victims, resolving a years-long battle.
The Archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015 citing its exposure to an onslaught of abuse claims, said the settlement would resolve all of those claims, conclude the bankruptcy process and establish a trust fund for 450 victims.
“Abuse survivors could expect payments soon after the court approves the plan,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda.
“I am grateful for all of the victim survivors who have bravely come forward,” he said at a news conference.
A 2013 Minnesota law was credited by victims with opening the floodgates in the Midwestern state, by allowing for the filing of lawsuits in abuse cases dating back decades.
The settlement ended one of the lengthiest processes of reckoning of church abuse cases in the US – a protracted battle that victims blamed on the preemptive bankruptcy filing.
Experts speaking at the Vatican said in 2012 the number of abused American minors is probably close to 100,000, with cases dating back to 1950 and implicating thousands of Clerics.
The scandals and the damage to the Catholic Faith and the institution of the Church itself continues!
How sad indeed.
The Archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015 citing its exposure to an onslaught of abuse claims, said the settlement would resolve all of those claims, conclude the bankruptcy process and establish a trust fund for 450 victims.
“Abuse survivors could expect payments soon after the court approves the plan,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda.
“I am grateful for all of the victim survivors who have bravely come forward,” he said at a news conference.
A 2013 Minnesota law was credited by victims with opening the floodgates in the Midwestern state, by allowing for the filing of lawsuits in abuse cases dating back decades.
The settlement ended one of the lengthiest processes of reckoning of church abuse cases in the US – a protracted battle that victims blamed on the preemptive bankruptcy filing.
Experts speaking at the Vatican said in 2012 the number of abused American minors is probably close to 100,000, with cases dating back to 1950 and implicating thousands of Clerics.
The scandals and the damage to the Catholic Faith and the institution of the Church itself continues!
How sad indeed.
A READER COMMENT'S ON THE CHILE SEX ABUSE SCANDAL
I would like to share an insight which came to my attention by way of a reader’s comments regarding the sex-abuse scandal in Chile and the resignation en masse of all of Chile’s Bishops.
The reader pointed out an “overlooked and simmering problem the needs much more attention”: Pope Francis’ 2015 decision to appoint Bishop Barros to lead the Diocese of Osorno, despite the fact that he had been accused of covering up Father Karadima’s abuse.
In 2011, Father Karadima was removed from active ministry, but victims claim that Priests who witnessed them being abused and said nothing were later made Bishops.
The victims protested the appointment of these Bishops, who did not abuse but allowed a Priest to abuse, referring to Bishop Barros and three other Bishops who were also close to Father Karadima and whose resignations are likely to be accepted by Pope Francis.
The reader suggests that further investigation is needed to understand how the Episcopal appointments were approved despite the candidates’ alleged failure to report misbehavior.
“There are a number of unresolved issues still before the Holy See,” the reader continues.
Whether Pope Francis will go beyond accepting the resignations of some Bishops and actually announce new reforms to address the breakdown in accountability is unclear.
But, the reader insists that the scandal in Chile and other places reflects a fundamental dysfunction within the Vatican as well as a failure to be attentive to the qualities of the Bishops it appoints.
What is needed is not more procedural norms and precepts, but a conversion of spirit which looks not “at who you know, but who you are” in making Bishop appointments.
I heartily concur.
The reader pointed out an “overlooked and simmering problem the needs much more attention”: Pope Francis’ 2015 decision to appoint Bishop Barros to lead the Diocese of Osorno, despite the fact that he had been accused of covering up Father Karadima’s abuse.
In 2011, Father Karadima was removed from active ministry, but victims claim that Priests who witnessed them being abused and said nothing were later made Bishops.
The victims protested the appointment of these Bishops, who did not abuse but allowed a Priest to abuse, referring to Bishop Barros and three other Bishops who were also close to Father Karadima and whose resignations are likely to be accepted by Pope Francis.
The reader suggests that further investigation is needed to understand how the Episcopal appointments were approved despite the candidates’ alleged failure to report misbehavior.
“There are a number of unresolved issues still before the Holy See,” the reader continues.
Whether Pope Francis will go beyond accepting the resignations of some Bishops and actually announce new reforms to address the breakdown in accountability is unclear.
But, the reader insists that the scandal in Chile and other places reflects a fundamental dysfunction within the Vatican as well as a failure to be attentive to the qualities of the Bishops it appoints.
What is needed is not more procedural norms and precepts, but a conversion of spirit which looks not “at who you know, but who you are” in making Bishop appointments.
I heartily concur.
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