The scandal of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic Clergy is more prevalent today than it has every been.
Almost daily, new stories of criminal sexual abuse tell tales of horror and suffering visited upon youngsters at hands of those they trusted for spiritual guidance and support.
Articles in newspapers, blog posts, podcasts and tweets instantaneously and to an infinite number of recipients repeat the latest story of perverted and deviant attacks against innocent victims by Priests, and increasingly by Bishops, even a Cardinal or two.
Thus far, each time these incidents surface, the Church feigns surprise and shock.
How could this happen? Is it possible that such a popular, well respected Prelate could have done such a terrible thing? How could so many who knew or should have know been silent?
The timeline repeats itself incesantly: (1) the incident is reported; (2) feigned surprise and shock from diocesan officials; (3) spokespersons representing local Church leadership promise investigations; (4) weeks pass with no word from the diocese; and (5) reports of financial settlements are announced at a hurriedly-called news conferences.
Here’s my word to the Bishops: this isn’t working anymore.
The longer the Church pretends to be shocked and appalled by these stories of sexual abuse of minors, the more the Catholic faithful become mistrustful and suspicious, and the more they become convinced that corruption within the ranks of the Clergy is pervasive and unchecked.
But, along with the feigned shock, comes the second kicker: fake enlightenment and false promises.
This is perhaps even more damaging to the credibility of the Church than the crimes of abuse themselves.
This deception takes a number of forms but has the following common characteristics:
(1) an announcement that the offending Cleric has been removed from his assignment and all forms of public ministry in order to protect the faithful from further abuse; (2) the findings of panels of so-called experts looking into the patterns of abuse; (3) publication of policies and guidelines which the diocese will follow in investigating future incidents; and (4) assurances that these policies and guidelines will protect Catholic youngsters from future abuse.
It’s all nonsense.
Church officials tells us that Clergy-abusers are so fundamentally and psychologically disordered that they should never have been Ordained and certainly will never be allowed to public minister in the future. Some are do disturbed that they must be laicized and cease to be numbered among Catholic Clergy.
Yet, the same Church officials promise that such disturbed and disordered pyschopaths will be attentive to diocesan guidelines and allow their deviant inclinations to be ordered by them.
And such deceptive double-talk actually poses the risk of harming even more people who are foolish enough to believe it.
Simply put, the Church tells people what they want them to believe, knowing all the while that there is no certain or sure way of protecting their youngsters from criminal sexual abuse by the Clergy now or any time in the future.
And when the inevitable story of yet another incident of abuse occurs, the backlash is often even worse than before because the feigned shock and fake enlightenment which followed earlier incidents is seen as nothing less than lies and deceptions by Church leaders who only pay lip service to concerns about the safety of young people.
If the Church is going to experience any progress when it comes to addressing the scandal of sexual abuse of minors, it is going to have to be radically honest. That will be painful and difficult indeed.
It means that the Church is going to have to first admit that anyone in ministry (Ordained or not) is human and subject to all the foibles, follies, and frailties of sinful humanity. Not every person in the Priesthood or in Church ministry is trustworthy and capable of that ministry.
It means that the Church will never be able to guarantee the protection of every child and youngster in its care. No policy or guideline is foolproof, but reasonable steps can be taken and both those in ministry and those they serve need to be mutually cooperative in overseeing the safety and security of young people.
It means that the Church will take the initiative in reporting incidents of abuse and swiftly remove from positions of ministry and authority all those who in anyway were associated with the abuse including even the top echelon of authority within the diocese, the Bishop himself.
This depth of honesty and commitment will not guarantee that incidents of future abuse will not occur, but will assure the faithful that they will be dealt with immediately, openly and honestly.
That in and of itself may bring much healing to a critically wounded Church.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Sunday, July 22, 2018
...BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP!
Why is it that only know I realize how truly wise and completely selfless my dear parents where in bringing up our family of one sister and three brothers.
The Bible has its Proverbs. Dad and mom had their adages.
“Keep your nose clean,” one of my father’s favorites, was a cautious reminder to stay out of trouble because each of us was responsible for the reputation of our entire family.
Mom inspired us to fulfill our obligations promptly with her familiar refrain, “Get you work done first thing in the morning so you can enjoy the rest of the day for yourself."
And, sitting here so many years after they have both passed from this life to eternity, I still remember both of them admonishing us always, “Watch the company you keep,” because people will identify your character by those with whom you associate.
This article isn’t a just a trip down memory lane.
But, by way of those memories of such wise watchwords, I wish to call attention to some curious and disturbing trends I see among the ranks of the American Bishops.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is getting very close to revealing its true, secular and socialist self....by the company its keeping.
For decades, I have been lamenting how much of what the USCCB publishes is eerily similar to the political platform of the Democratic Party, but not the Democrats of old, but Democrats of today who advocate the elimination of all borders everywhere in the hope of creating in America one huge hemispheric mass.
And in their folly, the Bishops have convinced themselves that a borderless country of Latino immigrants is the hope of the American Catholic Church.
Get real!
But, the fraternization of the USCCB with radical leftist and left-leaning advocates does not end with the Democratic Party.
Increasingly disturbing is the uncomfortable alliance the Conference of Bishops seems to have adopted with the likes of those who will say and do anything to advance their angry, self-centered agendas.
In one of the most curious of these alliances, it was quite revealing how left the USCCB has moved in recent decades when the Bishop of Tucson encouraged the American Conference of Bishops to consider excommunicating Border Patrol and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) Officers for carrying out their sworn duty to enforce the country’s laws.
Rather than rebuke their brother-Bishop, the majority of the Conference’s Bishops listened in relative silence, hoping their lack of response would be seen as a tacit assent of what the Bishop had proposed.
Of course, the Bishop of Tucson couldn’t be anymore ridiculous and shameful to himself and the Church in the propaganda he was attempting to pass off as a Catholic moral imperative, but he was passionate nonetheless.
Funny (not really), I can’t quite remember such passion within the USCCB in condemning the blatant propaganda and misinformation by members of Black Lives Matter.
Where were the indignation and calls for excommunication of the politicians who advocated same-sex marriage, attacks upon law enforcement, the revocation of religious freedom as well as the demonstrably anti-family provisions of the Health Care Act?
The recently elected President of Mexico boldly asserted that immigrating to America is a “human right”.
Does any, can any Catholic believe that members of the USCCB are not in sympathetic agreement with such nonsense.
There are politicians sitting on City Councils throughout the country who espouse and advocate sanctuary status for illegal immigrants, some of whom are counted among the most notorious and violent members of drug cartels such as MS13.
And yet, not a whisper from the USCCB about this deplorable state of affairs.
It’s clear and becoming clearer with each passing day how far removed American Bishops have become from the faithful for whom they are charged with providing spiritual care.
The fact is that an overwhelming majority of the Clergy and the faithful see the Conference for what it has become, a haven for and bastion of secular, socialist, irrational and shrill politics rather than the instrument of evangelization and conversion it was created to be.
The price tag for such political nit-picking has been the very credibility and relevance of the Church itself.
Permit me to offer the USCCB the wisdom of my dearly departed parents, "Watch the company you keep." The faithful are watching you.
The Bible has its Proverbs. Dad and mom had their adages.
“Keep your nose clean,” one of my father’s favorites, was a cautious reminder to stay out of trouble because each of us was responsible for the reputation of our entire family.
Mom inspired us to fulfill our obligations promptly with her familiar refrain, “Get you work done first thing in the morning so you can enjoy the rest of the day for yourself."
And, sitting here so many years after they have both passed from this life to eternity, I still remember both of them admonishing us always, “Watch the company you keep,” because people will identify your character by those with whom you associate.
This article isn’t a just a trip down memory lane.
But, by way of those memories of such wise watchwords, I wish to call attention to some curious and disturbing trends I see among the ranks of the American Bishops.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is getting very close to revealing its true, secular and socialist self....by the company its keeping.
For decades, I have been lamenting how much of what the USCCB publishes is eerily similar to the political platform of the Democratic Party, but not the Democrats of old, but Democrats of today who advocate the elimination of all borders everywhere in the hope of creating in America one huge hemispheric mass.
And in their folly, the Bishops have convinced themselves that a borderless country of Latino immigrants is the hope of the American Catholic Church.
Get real!
But, the fraternization of the USCCB with radical leftist and left-leaning advocates does not end with the Democratic Party.
Increasingly disturbing is the uncomfortable alliance the Conference of Bishops seems to have adopted with the likes of those who will say and do anything to advance their angry, self-centered agendas.
In one of the most curious of these alliances, it was quite revealing how left the USCCB has moved in recent decades when the Bishop of Tucson encouraged the American Conference of Bishops to consider excommunicating Border Patrol and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) Officers for carrying out their sworn duty to enforce the country’s laws.
Rather than rebuke their brother-Bishop, the majority of the Conference’s Bishops listened in relative silence, hoping their lack of response would be seen as a tacit assent of what the Bishop had proposed.
Of course, the Bishop of Tucson couldn’t be anymore ridiculous and shameful to himself and the Church in the propaganda he was attempting to pass off as a Catholic moral imperative, but he was passionate nonetheless.
Funny (not really), I can’t quite remember such passion within the USCCB in condemning the blatant propaganda and misinformation by members of Black Lives Matter.
Where were the indignation and calls for excommunication of the politicians who advocated same-sex marriage, attacks upon law enforcement, the revocation of religious freedom as well as the demonstrably anti-family provisions of the Health Care Act?
The recently elected President of Mexico boldly asserted that immigrating to America is a “human right”.
Does any, can any Catholic believe that members of the USCCB are not in sympathetic agreement with such nonsense.
There are politicians sitting on City Councils throughout the country who espouse and advocate sanctuary status for illegal immigrants, some of whom are counted among the most notorious and violent members of drug cartels such as MS13.
And yet, not a whisper from the USCCB about this deplorable state of affairs.
It’s clear and becoming clearer with each passing day how far removed American Bishops have become from the faithful for whom they are charged with providing spiritual care.
The fact is that an overwhelming majority of the Clergy and the faithful see the Conference for what it has become, a haven for and bastion of secular, socialist, irrational and shrill politics rather than the instrument of evangelization and conversion it was created to be.
The price tag for such political nit-picking has been the very credibility and relevance of the Church itself.
Permit me to offer the USCCB the wisdom of my dearly departed parents, "Watch the company you keep." The faithful are watching you.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
THE MCCARRICK SCANDAL RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CULTURE OF SILENCE WITHIN THE CHURCH
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Honduran deputy to Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who is one of the Pope’s top advisers.
Auxiliary Bishop Juan Jose Pineda Fasquelle was accused of sexual misconduct with seminarians and lavish spending on gay lovers.
But that is only part of this story.
Perhaps what needs further investigation is what Cardinal Maradiaga knew of Bishop Pineda’s misdeeds and the reasons why he may have tolerated the antics of such a sexually active gay Bishop under his immediate supervision.
The scandal involving Cardinal Theodore McCarrick raises the same questions.
According to Priests who have been quoted in the secular press, it was an “open secret” that McCarrick regularly invited seminarians to his beach house and molested them.
How is it possible there could have been such a deafening silence from those who knew, especially among the ranks of fellow-Bishops?
As I have been predicting, the McCarrick scandal will be a turning point in this sordid chapter in the history of the Church..
I expect that pressure will be brought to bear upon the Holy Father to expel McCarrick from the College of Cardinals.
Thus far, the Holy Father has only ordered that the Cardinal be removed from public ministry, pending a full investigation into the “credible” allegation that he sexually assaulted a teenager while a Priest in New York.
But it was only after the Pope issued his decree that the Dioceses of Newark and Metuchen, New Jersey, simultaneously revealed that they had received three complaints of misconduct by McCarrick against adults who became Priests. The Dioceses settled suits brought against them by two of McCarrick’s victims.
Why only then?
Additional victims of McCarrick’s deviant behavior have started to come forward to tell the horror stories of their abuse at the hands of the disgraced Cardinal.
McCarrick was protected and promoted because there exists in the Church a culture of silence and corruption previously inconceivable in the minds of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
The revelation of this corruption has now reached into the once-sacrosanct College of Cardinals itself.
One can only imagine the depth to which the confidence, trust and respect of the Catholic faithful has collapsed due to these awful tales of perversion and cover up.
The Church has lost its moral voice and the world is being deprived of the Gospel counsels on account of these scandals.
Pope Francis must respond. He must do so quickly. He must do so justly. He must do so articulating both the outrage and suffering of the victims and the absolute commitment of the Church to root out of the Clerical ranks not only the abusers themselves but those who enabled them and abetted them by their silence.
McCarrick must be removed from the College, perhaps even laicized for the grave scandal he has brought to the Church.
So must other Bishops guilty of the same deviances.
But so must their protectors and abettors.
Justice to the mission of the Church, to the victims, the millions of Catholic faithful and to the Gospel itself demands this.
Thus, far the response of the Holy Father has been woefully inadequate and dreadfully lacking.
Auxiliary Bishop Juan Jose Pineda Fasquelle was accused of sexual misconduct with seminarians and lavish spending on gay lovers.
But that is only part of this story.
Perhaps what needs further investigation is what Cardinal Maradiaga knew of Bishop Pineda’s misdeeds and the reasons why he may have tolerated the antics of such a sexually active gay Bishop under his immediate supervision.
The scandal involving Cardinal Theodore McCarrick raises the same questions.
According to Priests who have been quoted in the secular press, it was an “open secret” that McCarrick regularly invited seminarians to his beach house and molested them.
How is it possible there could have been such a deafening silence from those who knew, especially among the ranks of fellow-Bishops?
As I have been predicting, the McCarrick scandal will be a turning point in this sordid chapter in the history of the Church..
I expect that pressure will be brought to bear upon the Holy Father to expel McCarrick from the College of Cardinals.
Thus far, the Holy Father has only ordered that the Cardinal be removed from public ministry, pending a full investigation into the “credible” allegation that he sexually assaulted a teenager while a Priest in New York.
But it was only after the Pope issued his decree that the Dioceses of Newark and Metuchen, New Jersey, simultaneously revealed that they had received three complaints of misconduct by McCarrick against adults who became Priests. The Dioceses settled suits brought against them by two of McCarrick’s victims.
Why only then?
Additional victims of McCarrick’s deviant behavior have started to come forward to tell the horror stories of their abuse at the hands of the disgraced Cardinal.
McCarrick was protected and promoted because there exists in the Church a culture of silence and corruption previously inconceivable in the minds of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
The revelation of this corruption has now reached into the once-sacrosanct College of Cardinals itself.
One can only imagine the depth to which the confidence, trust and respect of the Catholic faithful has collapsed due to these awful tales of perversion and cover up.
The Church has lost its moral voice and the world is being deprived of the Gospel counsels on account of these scandals.
Pope Francis must respond. He must do so quickly. He must do so justly. He must do so articulating both the outrage and suffering of the victims and the absolute commitment of the Church to root out of the Clerical ranks not only the abusers themselves but those who enabled them and abetted them by their silence.
McCarrick must be removed from the College, perhaps even laicized for the grave scandal he has brought to the Church.
So must other Bishops guilty of the same deviances.
But so must their protectors and abettors.
Justice to the mission of the Church, to the victims, the millions of Catholic faithful and to the Gospel itself demands this.
Thus, far the response of the Holy Father has been woefully inadequate and dreadfully lacking.
AN AFFRONT TO NATURAL JUSTICE AND COMMON DECENCY
The laicization of Bishops, by punitive dismissal or voluntarily, is historically very rare.
Some examples in recent times, however, include both Bishop Emmanuel Milingo of Zambia in 2009 and Bishop Raymond Lahey of Canada in 2012.
Józef Wesołowski, a Polish Archbishop who had been a Papal Nuncio was dismissed from the clerical state in 2014 on grounds of sexual abuse of minors.The Vatican had made criminal charges against Archbishop Wesołowski related to his abuse of minors and was going to try him. However, in July 2015 the trial was postponed due to the Archbishop’s ill health, He died in August of 2015 before a trial could be conducted.
In an example of a Bishop voluntarily requesting laicization, the Bishop of San Pedro, Fernando Lugo, requested laicization in Paraguay in 2005 to allow him to run for President of the country. The Holy See at first refused, going so far as to suspend him as Bishop when he ran for office anyway, but eventually granted him lay status in 2008 after he was elected.
Most recently, two very public scandals involving Bishops have rocked the Church.
In America, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was accused of the sexual abuse of a minor almost a half century ago when he was a Priest in New York. A Review Board investigated the allegation and found it to be “credible and substantiated".
The Cardinal has stated he has no recollection of the abuse but has accepted the Review Board's findings.
In response, the Holy See prohibited the Cardinal from any exercise of public ministry. However, he remains Archbishop emeritus of Washington, DC and a Cleric of the Church.
In Australia, Archbishop Philip Wilson's has been convicted of the criminal concealment of child sex abuse and has been sentenced to a twelve month detention under “house arrest".
The Archbishop is appealing the guilty verdict. He is the most senior Catholic Bishop in the world to be convicted by a secular court of covering-up child sex abuse crimes.
The Holy See has taken no action against Archbishop Wilson who remains in his Episcopal assignment as Archbishop of Adelaide.
Recently, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbuall, publicly called upon Pope Francis to remove Archbishop Wilson from office.
That call was echoed by the National Council of Priests of Australia (NCP) which endorsed the appeals for Archbishop Philip Wilson to resign, and have called on the Pope to intervene.
The NPC says Archbishop Philip Wilson's position has been "compromised" since his conviction. In a public statement to Australian media, the organization of Priests insisted: “The welfare of the People of God of the Archdiocese of Adelaide must take precedence over the desire of an individual to remain in office.”
Clerics (Bishops, Priests and Deacons) who commit sexual abuse are charged under a Canon of Church Law (c. 1395 §2) which criminalizes those offenses against the sixth commandment which are committed by force or threats or publicly or with a minor below the age of 16.
However, another Canon of Church Law may have equal application. Canon 1399 covers the situation in which the criminal “goes against a divine or ecclesiastical law with harm or danger of grave scandal.”
It speaks volumes that, when an accusation of the sexual abuse of a minor is made against a Priest or when a Priest is actually charged with a criminal offense, he is automatically removed from his assignment and prohibited from any public exercise of his ministry.
Yet, Archbishop Wilson has remained in office as Archbishop of Adelaide for the duration of his trial.
Following the sentencing, ArchbishopWilson said he would not quit his post, despite the growing calls.
"I intend to lodge an appeal against my conviction to the District Court of New South Wales," he said in a statement. "I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously. However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law. Since that process is not yet complete, I do not intend to resign at this time."
The NCP stated: "For the good of the Church in Australia and for the benefit of the People of God in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, we request that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, remove Archbishop Philip Wilson from his See, the Diocese of Adelaide."
While Archbishop Wilson’s appeal works its way through the Australian court process, Port Pirie Bishop Greg O'Kelly was appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Adelaide last month, taking over responsibilities formerly in the hands of Archbishop Wilson.
The inequity in the way the Church responds to Priests who have been alleged to have been guilty of child sex abuse and the way the Holy See has responded to the scandals involving Cardinal McCarrick and Archbishop Wilson is an affront to natural justice and is rightfully condemned by both Priests and laity alike.
The time has come and is, in fact, long overdue for the Supreme Authority of the Church to take both disciplinary and punitive action against those Bishops who have directly by their own criminal acts or by engaging in a conspiracy of silence to be removed from the office and, given the grave damage done to the Church by their scandalous behavior, be laicized and removed from the clerical state.
We shall see if Pope Francis is capable of the distasteful duty which has been laid at his feet in these appalling cases of abuse and cover up.
Some examples in recent times, however, include both Bishop Emmanuel Milingo of Zambia in 2009 and Bishop Raymond Lahey of Canada in 2012.
Józef Wesołowski, a Polish Archbishop who had been a Papal Nuncio was dismissed from the clerical state in 2014 on grounds of sexual abuse of minors.The Vatican had made criminal charges against Archbishop Wesołowski related to his abuse of minors and was going to try him. However, in July 2015 the trial was postponed due to the Archbishop’s ill health, He died in August of 2015 before a trial could be conducted.
In an example of a Bishop voluntarily requesting laicization, the Bishop of San Pedro, Fernando Lugo, requested laicization in Paraguay in 2005 to allow him to run for President of the country. The Holy See at first refused, going so far as to suspend him as Bishop when he ran for office anyway, but eventually granted him lay status in 2008 after he was elected.
Most recently, two very public scandals involving Bishops have rocked the Church.
In America, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was accused of the sexual abuse of a minor almost a half century ago when he was a Priest in New York. A Review Board investigated the allegation and found it to be “credible and substantiated".
The Cardinal has stated he has no recollection of the abuse but has accepted the Review Board's findings.
In response, the Holy See prohibited the Cardinal from any exercise of public ministry. However, he remains Archbishop emeritus of Washington, DC and a Cleric of the Church.
In Australia, Archbishop Philip Wilson's has been convicted of the criminal concealment of child sex abuse and has been sentenced to a twelve month detention under “house arrest".
The Archbishop is appealing the guilty verdict. He is the most senior Catholic Bishop in the world to be convicted by a secular court of covering-up child sex abuse crimes.
The Holy See has taken no action against Archbishop Wilson who remains in his Episcopal assignment as Archbishop of Adelaide.
Recently, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbuall, publicly called upon Pope Francis to remove Archbishop Wilson from office.
That call was echoed by the National Council of Priests of Australia (NCP) which endorsed the appeals for Archbishop Philip Wilson to resign, and have called on the Pope to intervene.
The NPC says Archbishop Philip Wilson's position has been "compromised" since his conviction. In a public statement to Australian media, the organization of Priests insisted: “The welfare of the People of God of the Archdiocese of Adelaide must take precedence over the desire of an individual to remain in office.”
Clerics (Bishops, Priests and Deacons) who commit sexual abuse are charged under a Canon of Church Law (c. 1395 §2) which criminalizes those offenses against the sixth commandment which are committed by force or threats or publicly or with a minor below the age of 16.
However, another Canon of Church Law may have equal application. Canon 1399 covers the situation in which the criminal “goes against a divine or ecclesiastical law with harm or danger of grave scandal.”
It speaks volumes that, when an accusation of the sexual abuse of a minor is made against a Priest or when a Priest is actually charged with a criminal offense, he is automatically removed from his assignment and prohibited from any public exercise of his ministry.
Yet, Archbishop Wilson has remained in office as Archbishop of Adelaide for the duration of his trial.
Following the sentencing, ArchbishopWilson said he would not quit his post, despite the growing calls.
"I intend to lodge an appeal against my conviction to the District Court of New South Wales," he said in a statement. "I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously. However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law. Since that process is not yet complete, I do not intend to resign at this time."
The NCP stated: "For the good of the Church in Australia and for the benefit of the People of God in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, we request that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, remove Archbishop Philip Wilson from his See, the Diocese of Adelaide."
While Archbishop Wilson’s appeal works its way through the Australian court process, Port Pirie Bishop Greg O'Kelly was appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Adelaide last month, taking over responsibilities formerly in the hands of Archbishop Wilson.
The inequity in the way the Church responds to Priests who have been alleged to have been guilty of child sex abuse and the way the Holy See has responded to the scandals involving Cardinal McCarrick and Archbishop Wilson is an affront to natural justice and is rightfully condemned by both Priests and laity alike.
The time has come and is, in fact, long overdue for the Supreme Authority of the Church to take both disciplinary and punitive action against those Bishops who have directly by their own criminal acts or by engaging in a conspiracy of silence to be removed from the office and, given the grave damage done to the Church by their scandalous behavior, be laicized and removed from the clerical state.
We shall see if Pope Francis is capable of the distasteful duty which has been laid at his feet in these appalling cases of abuse and cover up.
Thursday, July 19, 2018
CARDINAL MCCARRICK: ADMISSIONS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
In a copyrighted story by Kelly Heyboer and Ted Sherman, writing for NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, the Catholic dioceses in New Jersey are said to have paid two former Priests a total of $180,000 after they said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused them.
The settlements included $80,000 paid to a former Priest turned lawyer from New Jersey who said Cardinal McCarrick would invite him and other young seminarians and priests to a shore house in Sea Girt where they would be expected to share a bed with the former Archbishop of Newark.
Robert Ciolek, the former Priest who said he was abused by McCarrick for years, said he felt unable to say “no” when the then-Bishop would rub his back and touch him in bed.
Cardinal McCarriack has been removed from public ministry after he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy 50 years ago while he was a Priest in New York.
The Cardinal is one of the highest-ranking American Church officials to have been removed from ministry over sex abuse allegations.
On the day he was removed, the Archdiocese of Newark revealed for the first time he had been previously accused of sexual misconduct with adults during his time in New Jersey and two resulted in settlements. But Church officials would provide no details.
What is known is this: Robert Ciolek was in his early 20s and studying to be a Priest when McCarrick allegedly singled him out and began inviting him on overnight trips.
McCarrick would touch him in bed, but only above the waist. They would never kiss. The alleged abuse lasted for several years.
McCarrick rose from Bishop of Metuchen to Archbishop of Newark, then eventually Archbishop of Washington, D.C. He was eventually appointed a Cardinal by Pope Saint John Paul II.
Ciolek, who later became a Priest, told no one about the abuse until he started to get counseling after he left the Priesthood, married and became a lawyer. Then, in 2004, he filed for a settlement from the church and received $80,000 from the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Trenton and Metuchen the following year.
Ciolek said he could not speak publicly about the settlement until the Church released him from a confidentiality agreement after McCarrick was removed from ministry.
McCarrick's second alleged adult victim was a Priest who received a $100,000 in a 2007 settlement.
The Priest, who has not been named, alleged McCarrick asked him to put on a striped sailor shirt and a pair of shorts and join him in bed, where McCarrick put his arms and legs around him. The Priest also alleged he saw McCarrick having sex with another young Priest during a fishing trip.
The priest who accused McCarrick of abuse was later forced to resign from the priesthood himself after he allegedly abused teenage boys.
Cardinal McCarrick has not spoken about the settlements or the allegations by the adult victims.
When he was removed from ministry last month, McCarrick said he had no memory of abusing a teeenager 50 years ago while he was a Priest in New York.
"While I have absolutely no recollection of this reported abuse, and believe in my innocence, I am sorry for the pain the person who brought the charges has gone through, as well as for the scandal such charges cause our people," McCarrick said in a June 20th statement.
"I fully cooperated in the process," McCarrick said. "My sadness was deepened when I was informed that the allegations had been determined credible and substantiated."
Unbelievable!
The man who accused McCarrick of abusing him as a teenager nearly 50 years ago is a married New Jersey businessman who does not want his name revealed.
The man said he was a 16-year-old attending Cathedral Prep Seminary in Manhattan when he was measured for a special cassock for altar servers at the 1971 Christmas Mass at St. Patrick’s .Cathedral. He alleged, McCarrick, then a monsignor, unzipped the teenager's pants him while measuring him for the garment. The boy pulled away. The following year, McCarrick allegedly cornered the same teenager in a bathroom and put his hand down the boy's pants.
Now 62, the New Jersey businessman contacted the Archdiocese of New York when he heard there was a panel considering settlements for alleged victims. He stated that he is relieved to hear the Vatican used his complaint to remove McCarrick from ministry.
Because there are statutes of limitation in New York, it is unlikely the Cardinal will be charged and prosecuted for the sexual abuse of the teenage boy. It is even more unlikely that he will be charged with any crime involving his sexual antics with the adult former Priests.
But Cardinal McCarrick has disgraced himself and the Church.
Yet, he is not the only one at fault in these horrific stories of perversion and predation.
The Archdiocese of Newark has yet to explain why the settlements it executed with the former Priests were never disclosed.
In a statement to the New York Times, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the current head of the Newark Archdiocese, said he was disturbed by the reports about McCarrick.
“I recognize without any ambiguity that all people have a right to live, work and study in safe environments,” Cardinal Tobin said in a statement. “I intend to discuss this tragedy with the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in order to articulate standards that will assure high standards of respect by Bishops, Priests and Deacons for all adults.”
Nice gesture, Cardinal Tobin, but still not good enough! That strategy is out of the old Dallas playbook which doesn't cut it any longer.
Serious questions remain and need answering by the local churches of Newark, New York, Metuchen and Washington, DC.
Erin Friedlander, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Metuchen, said the allegations of sexual misconduct by McCarrick were reported to authorities.
"At the time each claim was received, each was reported to law enforcement. When the two settlements were reached, each within a few months' time, they were reported to representatives of the Holy See in the United States," Friedlander said.
But all this was kept secret in the continuing grand conspiracy of silence responsible for so much of the suffering attendant to these horror stories.
One must wonder how McCarrick could have been promoted to the College of Cardinals with all this baggage that was clearly known within the dioceses where the sexual predation of the Priests occurred.
Wasn’t McCarrick vetted at all? And, if he was, who protected his sordid past from being revealed and who continued to advance his promotion?
These are the unsettling questions which no one in Church authority has yet to explain.
But silence won’t serve to quell the voices of inquiry into what I predicted will be a watershed moment in the vulnerability to which all Bishops in America will be subject.
The scandal in Chile worsens, even as Pope Francis (sadly only after his public gaffes related to allegations against Bishop Barros) personally called the entire Chilean Conference of Bishops to Rome to read them the riot act, in response to which the entire Conference submitted their resignations.
How long before Pope Francis engages the Bishops in the USA. How long before USCCB members board jetliners for their rendezvous with the Holy Father?
And if not, why not?
Can the scandal in Chile possibly be worse than that in the US Church? Than in Australia? Spain? Argentina? Mexico?
How can the Church survive the onslaught of such waves of corruption and scandal?
Dear Holy Spirit, come to our aid. Jesus entrusted the Church to Your protection and guidance. Come, Holy Spirit, come!
The settlements included $80,000 paid to a former Priest turned lawyer from New Jersey who said Cardinal McCarrick would invite him and other young seminarians and priests to a shore house in Sea Girt where they would be expected to share a bed with the former Archbishop of Newark.
Robert Ciolek, the former Priest who said he was abused by McCarrick for years, said he felt unable to say “no” when the then-Bishop would rub his back and touch him in bed.
Cardinal McCarriack has been removed from public ministry after he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy 50 years ago while he was a Priest in New York.
The Cardinal is one of the highest-ranking American Church officials to have been removed from ministry over sex abuse allegations.
On the day he was removed, the Archdiocese of Newark revealed for the first time he had been previously accused of sexual misconduct with adults during his time in New Jersey and two resulted in settlements. But Church officials would provide no details.
What is known is this: Robert Ciolek was in his early 20s and studying to be a Priest when McCarrick allegedly singled him out and began inviting him on overnight trips.
McCarrick would touch him in bed, but only above the waist. They would never kiss. The alleged abuse lasted for several years.
McCarrick rose from Bishop of Metuchen to Archbishop of Newark, then eventually Archbishop of Washington, D.C. He was eventually appointed a Cardinal by Pope Saint John Paul II.
Ciolek, who later became a Priest, told no one about the abuse until he started to get counseling after he left the Priesthood, married and became a lawyer. Then, in 2004, he filed for a settlement from the church and received $80,000 from the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Trenton and Metuchen the following year.
Ciolek said he could not speak publicly about the settlement until the Church released him from a confidentiality agreement after McCarrick was removed from ministry.
McCarrick's second alleged adult victim was a Priest who received a $100,000 in a 2007 settlement.
The Priest, who has not been named, alleged McCarrick asked him to put on a striped sailor shirt and a pair of shorts and join him in bed, where McCarrick put his arms and legs around him. The Priest also alleged he saw McCarrick having sex with another young Priest during a fishing trip.
The priest who accused McCarrick of abuse was later forced to resign from the priesthood himself after he allegedly abused teenage boys.
Cardinal McCarrick has not spoken about the settlements or the allegations by the adult victims.
When he was removed from ministry last month, McCarrick said he had no memory of abusing a teeenager 50 years ago while he was a Priest in New York.
"While I have absolutely no recollection of this reported abuse, and believe in my innocence, I am sorry for the pain the person who brought the charges has gone through, as well as for the scandal such charges cause our people," McCarrick said in a June 20th statement.
"I fully cooperated in the process," McCarrick said. "My sadness was deepened when I was informed that the allegations had been determined credible and substantiated."
Unbelievable!
The man who accused McCarrick of abusing him as a teenager nearly 50 years ago is a married New Jersey businessman who does not want his name revealed.
The man said he was a 16-year-old attending Cathedral Prep Seminary in Manhattan when he was measured for a special cassock for altar servers at the 1971 Christmas Mass at St. Patrick’s .Cathedral. He alleged, McCarrick, then a monsignor, unzipped the teenager's pants him while measuring him for the garment. The boy pulled away. The following year, McCarrick allegedly cornered the same teenager in a bathroom and put his hand down the boy's pants.
Now 62, the New Jersey businessman contacted the Archdiocese of New York when he heard there was a panel considering settlements for alleged victims. He stated that he is relieved to hear the Vatican used his complaint to remove McCarrick from ministry.
Because there are statutes of limitation in New York, it is unlikely the Cardinal will be charged and prosecuted for the sexual abuse of the teenage boy. It is even more unlikely that he will be charged with any crime involving his sexual antics with the adult former Priests.
But Cardinal McCarrick has disgraced himself and the Church.
Yet, he is not the only one at fault in these horrific stories of perversion and predation.
The Archdiocese of Newark has yet to explain why the settlements it executed with the former Priests were never disclosed.
In a statement to the New York Times, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the current head of the Newark Archdiocese, said he was disturbed by the reports about McCarrick.
“I recognize without any ambiguity that all people have a right to live, work and study in safe environments,” Cardinal Tobin said in a statement. “I intend to discuss this tragedy with the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in order to articulate standards that will assure high standards of respect by Bishops, Priests and Deacons for all adults.”
Nice gesture, Cardinal Tobin, but still not good enough! That strategy is out of the old Dallas playbook which doesn't cut it any longer.
Serious questions remain and need answering by the local churches of Newark, New York, Metuchen and Washington, DC.
Erin Friedlander, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Metuchen, said the allegations of sexual misconduct by McCarrick were reported to authorities.
"At the time each claim was received, each was reported to law enforcement. When the two settlements were reached, each within a few months' time, they were reported to representatives of the Holy See in the United States," Friedlander said.
But all this was kept secret in the continuing grand conspiracy of silence responsible for so much of the suffering attendant to these horror stories.
One must wonder how McCarrick could have been promoted to the College of Cardinals with all this baggage that was clearly known within the dioceses where the sexual predation of the Priests occurred.
Wasn’t McCarrick vetted at all? And, if he was, who protected his sordid past from being revealed and who continued to advance his promotion?
These are the unsettling questions which no one in Church authority has yet to explain.
But silence won’t serve to quell the voices of inquiry into what I predicted will be a watershed moment in the vulnerability to which all Bishops in America will be subject.
The scandal in Chile worsens, even as Pope Francis (sadly only after his public gaffes related to allegations against Bishop Barros) personally called the entire Chilean Conference of Bishops to Rome to read them the riot act, in response to which the entire Conference submitted their resignations.
How long before Pope Francis engages the Bishops in the USA. How long before USCCB members board jetliners for their rendezvous with the Holy Father?
And if not, why not?
Can the scandal in Chile possibly be worse than that in the US Church? Than in Australia? Spain? Argentina? Mexico?
How can the Church survive the onslaught of such waves of corruption and scandal?
Dear Holy Spirit, come to our aid. Jesus entrusted the Church to Your protection and guidance. Come, Holy Spirit, come!
SPARE US, O LORD, WE PRAY!
It’s embarrassing!
Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, has proposed that a new Canon be inserted into the Code of Canon Law.
The new Canon would be dedicated to the “grave duty” of all the Christian faithful to not only “not harm” but even “improve” the environment.
The Cardinal has called on Pope Francis to require Catholics under Canon Law to care for the environment, calling it “one of the most serious duties” for the faithful today.
His Eminence stated: “The Code of Canon Law, at the beginning of the second book, in Canons 208-221 under the title ‘Obligations and rights of all the Christian faithful’, an authoritative sketch of the believer and his life as a Christian. Unfortunately, nothing is said about one of his most serious duties: to protect and promote the natural environment in which the believer lives.”
“My proposal,” the Cardinal said, “would be to ask the Pope, on behalf of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, to insert into the Canons I have just cited a new Canon that sounds more or less like this: ‘Every faithful Christian, mindful that creation is our common home, has the grave duty not only not to damage, but also to improve, both through normal behavior, as well as through specific initiatives, the natural environment in which each person is called to live.’”
He first announced this proposal during a July 12th event in Rome entitled “Dialogue on Catholic investments for energy transition.”
The closed-door (why I wonder) meeting brought together representatives of the Vatican and Catholic organizations to discuss how to invest responsibly towards a transition to renewable energies.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical on the environment, Laudato si’, and by his recent address to CEOs of major oil and gas companies, participants in the July 12th event agreed on the importance of the Catholic Divest-Invest Program currently being sponsored by the World Catholic Climate Movement.
According to the organization’s website, the Catholic Divest-Invest Program calls on Catholic institutions to commit publicly to completely divest from all fossil fuels within five years, and to invest in “socially and ethically responsible companies that protect creation and all who share it.”
What an embarrassment to the proper and dignified role of Canon Law in the governance of the Church and care of the Christian faithful!
The Cardinal trivializes the importance of the Law by such a nonsensical proposal.
Unfortunately, Pope Francis has created his own Frankenstein-like monster in his call for a kindler, gentler hierarchy and Presbyterate.
The Pope loves to paint a picture of how the Church should be, a Church wherein Bishops and Priests accompany the Christian faithful with compassion and empathy, sensitive to their needs and capacities to submit themselves to Evangelical counsels.
But, much too often in my opinion, the Holy Father is figuratively slapped in the face by the reality that the hierarchs and Clergy presently in positions of authority and influence are completely incompetent to fulfill that very mission of accompaniment.
These European pseudo-aristocrats in the Curia and elsewhere are so completely out of touch with the modern world.
In a recent post, I referred to a plaque here in my home-office which reads: “If you can’t convince ‘em, confuse ‘em”, a jibe at another Cardinal (Farrell) who suggested that Priests, whom Francis is depending upon to accompany those in irregular marital situations, are the least capable of providing counsel to married people!
I rather pointedly suggested to Cardinal Farrell that he reflect upon his own inadequacies in ministry before pointing a defamatory finger at his brother-Clergymen.
But, Cardinal Coccopalmerio journeys even further into absurdity as he suggests an even more ridiculous strategy of evangelization and governance: “If you can’t convince ‘em, coerce ‘em.”
Well, Your Eminence, outside the walls of the Vatican where the real world is, where people are not so readily disposed to surrender their common sense and personal dignity in obsequious hopes of attention and promotion, where people claim the right to personal freedom and discretion over their investments and property, your proposal is just plain goofy.
Propriety and etiquette prohibit me from telling Your Eminence what response you’d receive from the man on the street versus the sychophants who attend these lofty-sounding yet completely irrelevant Vatican seminars.
Canon Law, as Your Eminence must of all people rightly know, is rightly ordered to the governance of the Church and offers the Christian faithful the reasonable and justice means by which they are to be incorporate into and cooperate with the mission of the Church.
Canon Law does not exist as a separate Gospel which values material creation over spiritual redemption.
Rather, Canon Law exists for the “for the salvation of souls, which is always the supreme law of the Church.” (Canon 1752)
Your Eminence, Church law is about saving souls not trees!
May I offer Cardinal Coccopalmerio, now retired President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the simple and clear admonition my mother addressed to me when, as a child, I was a bothersome and distracting: "Now be quiet, and let Mother get on with her work."
It's a wisdom His Eminence should embrace.
Oh Lord, how long! How long, O Lord!
Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, has proposed that a new Canon be inserted into the Code of Canon Law.
The new Canon would be dedicated to the “grave duty” of all the Christian faithful to not only “not harm” but even “improve” the environment.
The Cardinal has called on Pope Francis to require Catholics under Canon Law to care for the environment, calling it “one of the most serious duties” for the faithful today.
His Eminence stated: “The Code of Canon Law, at the beginning of the second book, in Canons 208-221 under the title ‘Obligations and rights of all the Christian faithful’, an authoritative sketch of the believer and his life as a Christian. Unfortunately, nothing is said about one of his most serious duties: to protect and promote the natural environment in which the believer lives.”
“My proposal,” the Cardinal said, “would be to ask the Pope, on behalf of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, to insert into the Canons I have just cited a new Canon that sounds more or less like this: ‘Every faithful Christian, mindful that creation is our common home, has the grave duty not only not to damage, but also to improve, both through normal behavior, as well as through specific initiatives, the natural environment in which each person is called to live.’”
He first announced this proposal during a July 12th event in Rome entitled “Dialogue on Catholic investments for energy transition.”
The closed-door (why I wonder) meeting brought together representatives of the Vatican and Catholic organizations to discuss how to invest responsibly towards a transition to renewable energies.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical on the environment, Laudato si’, and by his recent address to CEOs of major oil and gas companies, participants in the July 12th event agreed on the importance of the Catholic Divest-Invest Program currently being sponsored by the World Catholic Climate Movement.
According to the organization’s website, the Catholic Divest-Invest Program calls on Catholic institutions to commit publicly to completely divest from all fossil fuels within five years, and to invest in “socially and ethically responsible companies that protect creation and all who share it.”
What an embarrassment to the proper and dignified role of Canon Law in the governance of the Church and care of the Christian faithful!
The Cardinal trivializes the importance of the Law by such a nonsensical proposal.
Unfortunately, Pope Francis has created his own Frankenstein-like monster in his call for a kindler, gentler hierarchy and Presbyterate.
The Pope loves to paint a picture of how the Church should be, a Church wherein Bishops and Priests accompany the Christian faithful with compassion and empathy, sensitive to their needs and capacities to submit themselves to Evangelical counsels.
But, much too often in my opinion, the Holy Father is figuratively slapped in the face by the reality that the hierarchs and Clergy presently in positions of authority and influence are completely incompetent to fulfill that very mission of accompaniment.
These European pseudo-aristocrats in the Curia and elsewhere are so completely out of touch with the modern world.
In a recent post, I referred to a plaque here in my home-office which reads: “If you can’t convince ‘em, confuse ‘em”, a jibe at another Cardinal (Farrell) who suggested that Priests, whom Francis is depending upon to accompany those in irregular marital situations, are the least capable of providing counsel to married people!
I rather pointedly suggested to Cardinal Farrell that he reflect upon his own inadequacies in ministry before pointing a defamatory finger at his brother-Clergymen.
But, Cardinal Coccopalmerio journeys even further into absurdity as he suggests an even more ridiculous strategy of evangelization and governance: “If you can’t convince ‘em, coerce ‘em.”
Well, Your Eminence, outside the walls of the Vatican where the real world is, where people are not so readily disposed to surrender their common sense and personal dignity in obsequious hopes of attention and promotion, where people claim the right to personal freedom and discretion over their investments and property, your proposal is just plain goofy.
Propriety and etiquette prohibit me from telling Your Eminence what response you’d receive from the man on the street versus the sychophants who attend these lofty-sounding yet completely irrelevant Vatican seminars.
Canon Law, as Your Eminence must of all people rightly know, is rightly ordered to the governance of the Church and offers the Christian faithful the reasonable and justice means by which they are to be incorporate into and cooperate with the mission of the Church.
Canon Law does not exist as a separate Gospel which values material creation over spiritual redemption.
Rather, Canon Law exists for the “for the salvation of souls, which is always the supreme law of the Church.” (Canon 1752)
Your Eminence, Church law is about saving souls not trees!
May I offer Cardinal Coccopalmerio, now retired President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the simple and clear admonition my mother addressed to me when, as a child, I was a bothersome and distracting: "Now be quiet, and let Mother get on with her work."
It's a wisdom His Eminence should embrace.
Oh Lord, how long! How long, O Lord!
THE SCANDAL IN CHILE WORSENS
The Church in Chile continues to suffer allegations of Clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups.
Chilean Prosecutor, Emiliano Arias, announced that authorities have arrested Father Oscar Munoz, former Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santiago, following accusations that he had sexually abused seven minors in Santiago and Rancagua since 2002.
In May of this year, Father Munoz confessed to Church authorities and was suspended -- all this occurring just before the visit of Pope Francis to the country.
The irony of all this is that the survivors, with whom Pope Francis eventually met after his infamous declarations about Bishop Baros’ innocence, had reported the abuse they suffered precisely to Father Munoz in his capacity as former Chancellor of Santiago.
Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor, expressed shock and outrage: “The insolence – to put it mildly – is astonishing. (Father Munoz) was the one who took our statements, and nothing happened,” Cruz tweeted.
The Archdiocese of Santiago confirmed that Prosecutor Arias, accompanied by police, conducted a second search and seizure operation in connection with the charges against Father Munoz as well as several other pending investigations.
During the first search operation June 13, police raided the tribunal offices of the Archdiocese of Santiago as well as the offices of retired Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Rancagua.
Bishop Goic, who served as president of the Chilean Bishops’ Commission for Abuse Prevention, was forced to suspend 14 of the Diocese’s 68 Priests after an investigative report by a Chilean television channel revealed the existence of a sex-abuse ring made up of Clergy.
After the report’s broadcast, Bishop Goic apologized for his failure to act “with the appropriate agility in the investigation” of the Priests allegedly involved in the sex-abuse ring.
Pope Francis accepted the Bishop’s resignation on June 28.
Prosecutor Arias has confirmed his office is investigating the alleged sex-abuse ring in Rancagua as well as possible cover-ups of abuse cases by senior members of the Clergy, including Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati of Santiago and his predecessor, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz.
The news from Chile just keeps getting worse and worse.
Dear Holy Spirit, heal the wounds and ease the suffering of the Church in Chile. Give Pope Francis the strength and resolve to hold those responsible for these atrocities accountable for their misdeeds. Bless the Catholic faithful of Chile who have been so betrayed and abandoned by their Bishops and their Priests.
Chilean Prosecutor, Emiliano Arias, announced that authorities have arrested Father Oscar Munoz, former Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santiago, following accusations that he had sexually abused seven minors in Santiago and Rancagua since 2002.
In May of this year, Father Munoz confessed to Church authorities and was suspended -- all this occurring just before the visit of Pope Francis to the country.
The irony of all this is that the survivors, with whom Pope Francis eventually met after his infamous declarations about Bishop Baros’ innocence, had reported the abuse they suffered precisely to Father Munoz in his capacity as former Chancellor of Santiago.
Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor, expressed shock and outrage: “The insolence – to put it mildly – is astonishing. (Father Munoz) was the one who took our statements, and nothing happened,” Cruz tweeted.
The Archdiocese of Santiago confirmed that Prosecutor Arias, accompanied by police, conducted a second search and seizure operation in connection with the charges against Father Munoz as well as several other pending investigations.
During the first search operation June 13, police raided the tribunal offices of the Archdiocese of Santiago as well as the offices of retired Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Rancagua.
Bishop Goic, who served as president of the Chilean Bishops’ Commission for Abuse Prevention, was forced to suspend 14 of the Diocese’s 68 Priests after an investigative report by a Chilean television channel revealed the existence of a sex-abuse ring made up of Clergy.
After the report’s broadcast, Bishop Goic apologized for his failure to act “with the appropriate agility in the investigation” of the Priests allegedly involved in the sex-abuse ring.
Pope Francis accepted the Bishop’s resignation on June 28.
Prosecutor Arias has confirmed his office is investigating the alleged sex-abuse ring in Rancagua as well as possible cover-ups of abuse cases by senior members of the Clergy, including Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati of Santiago and his predecessor, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz.
The news from Chile just keeps getting worse and worse.
Dear Holy Spirit, heal the wounds and ease the suffering of the Church in Chile. Give Pope Francis the strength and resolve to hold those responsible for these atrocities accountable for their misdeeds. Bless the Catholic faithful of Chile who have been so betrayed and abandoned by their Bishops and their Priests.
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