On Thursday, August 30th, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the Vatican.
The Holy Father suggested that, before the Cardinal makes any decision regarding his ability to remain as Archbishop of Washington, DC, His Eminence should consult with the Priests of the Archdiocese.
The meeting with the Pope, which was kept secret from the press and the public, took place just weeks after Cardinal Wuerl was named in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report on sexual abuse by Priests in the State’s six Dioceses. The Cardinal is alleged to have engaged in a systematic coverup while serving as Bishop in Pittsburgh.
On Monday, Labor Day, the annual meeting of Cardinal Wuerl with the Priest of Washington took place , but not in an atmosphere of joy but rather in a spirit of prayer and discernment.
I spoke by telephone with two Priests (friends of many years) who were in attendance at that meeting.
Each independently confirmed that the tone of the meeting was both somber and tense.
After a period of prayer, the Cardinal spoke of his meeting with the Pope and the counsel the Pope offered that he should confer with his Priests and, after an appropriate period of reflection and discernment, determine what further actions he should take.
Both Priests indicated that there were many at the meeting who found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that the Cardinal was not aware of McCarrick’s perverse behavior and the many rumors which were commonly uttered about him.
Repeatedly, the Cardinal denied any such knowledge or awareness of McCarrick’s actions or the disreputable stories about his homosexual attraction, especially toward seminarians.
The Cardinal further denied the allegations of the Vatican's former Nuncio to the United States who has accused Pope Francis and other church officials, including Pope Cardinal Wuerl, of covering up allegations against McCarrick.
From what these two Priests related to me, it appears that the meeting ended with no consensus as to whether His Eminence was being truthful or not.
As of this writing, no further meetings between the Cardinal and the Priests have been scheduled or announced.
Now, not only the Diocese of Pittsburgh but the Archdiocese of Washington, DC is suffering under the burden of allegations not proven nor acknowledged by Cardinal Wuerl.
The Priests told me their parishioners in the national’s capital are concerned and upset with the way in which Cardinal Wuerl has responded to allegations contained in the Grand Jury Report.
The Holy Father’s advice to Cardinal Wuerl to consult with his Priest-collaborators is certainly prudent. There needs to be a period of consultation and discernment.
But the clock is ticking and the confidence of the Catholic faithful in the Cardinal and the Bishops generally is hanging by a thread.
We ask the Holy Spirit to assist His Eminence and the the Archdiocese of Washington in coming to a decision which serves the best interests of both the local church there and the Universal Church as well.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
REFLECTIONS POOLSIDE
The thermostat just hit 100 degrees here in Mesa. I am sitting in the shade of a cabana poolside at the retirement community where I reside these days.
Of course, it is a dry heat and the slight breeze which greets you upon exiting the water is enough to give you chills. Believe it or not.
It’s about 1 PM, the traditional time of siesta here in the desert where, after a small lunch, natives and tourists generally wile away the afternoon napping or resting poolside as I am doing today.
And as I lay on a chaise lounge watching two little ones, a brother and a sister, the grandchildren of a fellow resident, I can’t help but think how innocents like these two could have been assaulted so terribly by brother-Priests or Clerics.
I can only wonder their suffering and shame, all unwarranted, but real nonetheless.
Of course, my celibacy prevents me from fully appreciating the rage and anguish of their parents and family members so outraged not only by the crimes but by the coordinated cover up by those to whom the governance and moral authority of the Church has been entrusted by the Lord Himself.
These two little ones force me to confront just the theology of scandal, or its moral and sociological consequences, they force me to confront the personal scars and wounds that have been inflicted not only upon the youngsters themselves, but each and every father and mother, brother and sister, who form the community of the Church.
As I jot these few thoughts on my note pad, the brother and sister are racing sideways across the pool. The little girl is far faster than her brother and he is obviously frustrated. She, of course, is gloating.
Would that these be the memories of childhood days for every youngster who ever graced the pews of our churches, who ever were students in our schools, who ever received the Sacraments of the Church.
For all the posturing of the Bishops and the Holy See, these two little ones put a face on the horror.
I wish I could tell these two and all our Catholic children how saddened I am, how angry and upset, but they wouldn’t understand nor should they have to at this wonderful age.
I can only continue in my meager effort to keep abreast and attuned to the fall out as it continues to unfold and offer whatever commentary I can which is, please God, informed by a knowledge of the Church and a desire to maintain a modicum of human decency within myself and the Priesthood I share.
God bless these two children. May everyday be a day of laughing and fun as this one appears to be for them. God bless their parents and grandparents, so attentive and watchful over them. And God bless the millions like them that form an integral part of the Body of Christ.
Lord, protect and keep them safe always!
Of course, it is a dry heat and the slight breeze which greets you upon exiting the water is enough to give you chills. Believe it or not.
It’s about 1 PM, the traditional time of siesta here in the desert where, after a small lunch, natives and tourists generally wile away the afternoon napping or resting poolside as I am doing today.
And as I lay on a chaise lounge watching two little ones, a brother and a sister, the grandchildren of a fellow resident, I can’t help but think how innocents like these two could have been assaulted so terribly by brother-Priests or Clerics.
I can only wonder their suffering and shame, all unwarranted, but real nonetheless.
Of course, my celibacy prevents me from fully appreciating the rage and anguish of their parents and family members so outraged not only by the crimes but by the coordinated cover up by those to whom the governance and moral authority of the Church has been entrusted by the Lord Himself.
These two little ones force me to confront just the theology of scandal, or its moral and sociological consequences, they force me to confront the personal scars and wounds that have been inflicted not only upon the youngsters themselves, but each and every father and mother, brother and sister, who form the community of the Church.
As I jot these few thoughts on my note pad, the brother and sister are racing sideways across the pool. The little girl is far faster than her brother and he is obviously frustrated. She, of course, is gloating.
Would that these be the memories of childhood days for every youngster who ever graced the pews of our churches, who ever were students in our schools, who ever received the Sacraments of the Church.
For all the posturing of the Bishops and the Holy See, these two little ones put a face on the horror.
I wish I could tell these two and all our Catholic children how saddened I am, how angry and upset, but they wouldn’t understand nor should they have to at this wonderful age.
I can only continue in my meager effort to keep abreast and attuned to the fall out as it continues to unfold and offer whatever commentary I can which is, please God, informed by a knowledge of the Church and a desire to maintain a modicum of human decency within myself and the Priesthood I share.
God bless these two children. May everyday be a day of laughing and fun as this one appears to be for them. God bless their parents and grandparents, so attentive and watchful over them. And God bless the millions like them that form an integral part of the Body of Christ.
Lord, protect and keep them safe always!
A RICO PROSECUTION OF THE CHURCH REVISITED
Last month, on August 16th to be exact, I posted an article on this blogsite.
Entitled A RICO Prosecution of the Church?, the article contained my thoughts and concerns that the time may have arrived in this whole sordid mess involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic Clergy ( the crimes themselves, the complicity and the cover up of the Bishops) when the Church in the United States might be vulnerable and subject to Federal investigation and prosecution for violation of the Racket Influenced and Criminal Organizations Act (RICO).
I received a number of emails about the article. A mixed-bag of positive and negative criticism.
One person (whom I suspect may be a Bishop) took me to task suggesting that I was “engaging in hyperbole and doing a disservice to the Catholic community by suggesting such a ludicrous idea".
Several others were of the same mindset in their belief that I was “completely out of line” for equating the Church with elements of massive criminal enterprise.
Rather than immediately responding by way of a follow-up article, I chose to wait to see if my suggestion “had any legs” as they say.
Now comes word from David Hickton, a former U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Two years ago, shortly after the state Office of Attorney General for Pennsylvania released a scathing report on widespread clergy sex abuse in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Hickton sought to prove that the Church was criminally responsible for the egregious crimes committed by Priests on minors.
Hickton invoked a seldom-used but powerful federal law designed to combat organized crime.
He initiated a civil lawsuit against the Diocese under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal law better known as RICO that has been used to prosecute mobsters, the Hells Angels and other criminal enterprises.
Then-Attorney General Kathleen Kane had just unveiled the findings of a State probe that found a pattern of cover-up of sexual abuse of hundreds of minors by more than 50 Priests and others associated with the Church.
Hickton had recently prosecuted an Altoona-Johnstown Priest, sentencing him to 17 years in Federal prison for sexually abusing boys at a Honduras orphanage between 2004 and 2009. He was confident that a civil Federal anti-racketeering lawsuit against the Diocese would prevail in court and secure financial compensation for the victims.
Hickton's time for retirement arrived, and the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, under pressure to stave off a looming legal battle, agreed to a settlement with Federal prosecutors to put in place policies to more aggressively detect and prevent the sexual assault of minors by Priests.
Had Hickton prevailed, it would have been one of the few times prosecutors broadly applied the Federal law to the Catholic Church, which was then, as it is now, embroiled in a spiraling Clergy sex abuse crisis involving thousands of victims and threatening to dismantle the Pontificate of Pope Francis.
But Hickton was not the first.
In 1993, Steve Rubino, a New Jersey attorney invoked RICO in a suit against the Archdiocese of Camden and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), for their part in the coverup of the abuse of minors. Rubino's clients accused the Defendants of obstruction of justice.
The case settled out of court.
Now a Professor of law at University of Pittsburgh Law School, Hickton ponders the same question.
In the wake of yet another blistering report on widespread Clergy sex abuse across six dioceses in Pennsylvania, why have prosecutors - even victims - made little efforts to tap into RICO legislation?
The RICO statute features a slew of onerous and difficult requirements, most narrowly defined.
For instance, the government must prove the defendant is an enterprise and one that is engaged in two or more instances of racketeering activity, including: illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, counterfeiting, embezzlement, drug trafficking, slavery, among other crimes.
Prosecutors would have to prove that the Church directly invested in, maintained an interest in, or participated in the criminal behavior affecting interstate, even foreign commerce. In other words, that it covered the crimes up.
Hickton argues that Catholic dioceses easily meet RICO criteria, including being defined as an enterprise.
What's more, victims of clergy sex abuse could argue that the cover-up of the crimes and the protection of predatory Priests (at times across state borders) on the part of Church officials amounts to obstruction of justice and a violation of civil conspiracy laws.
Thus far, the Church has mounted a stiff campaign to object to potential RICO actions, including arguing that it is not a criminal enterprise.
"They would quarrel that the pattern had changed in 2002 and they quarreled with being described as a racketeering enterprise," Hickton said. "But I advanced it. I thought I could prove it. I believe civil RICO is the vehicle that can be used to bring justice to these victims."
In 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) established new policies to protect minors from predatory Priests and to report those Priests.
No civil RICO cases were ever successfully litigated out of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia abuse crisis.
One senior church official - Monsignor William Lynn - was convicted, but under criminal statutes. The former Vicar of Clergy was the first senior U.S. Church official to be prosecuted for child endangerment. He appealed with the argument that he didn't endanger children because he wasn't responsible for caring for specific children.
He awaits a retrial.
"Courts treat each diocese as a free-standing corporation, independent of other dioceses and the Vatican," said Joseph Dellapenna, a retired Villanova University law Professor who specializes in suing foreign governments.
"As long as they continue to do that it's going to be difficult. And if you wanted to sue the Pope, you would have to show the personal involvement of officials in the Vatican in the wrongdoing and not just that they are a part of the Catholic Church and responsible for them."
Has Archbishop Vigano's recent letter breached that hurdle?
Since 2002, when the Clergy sex abuse crisis first made national headlines in the Archdiocese of Boston, diocese after diocese has fended off lawsuits seeking steep compensations for victims. Many have established compensatory funds for victims; others have gone bankrupt settling suits.
Financial settlements in Federal anti-racketeering cases are tripled in value and generous in covering expenses.
To date, some Catholic dioceses have signaled a willingness to create victims compensatory funds. The Dioceses of Harrisburg, Erie and Allentown say they are open to the possibility of a reparations fund. Some advocates for victims have said a reparations fund would be an appropriate step to assist victims who were sexually assaulted by Priests.
In the wake of the grand jury report released by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Center for Constitutional Rights are urging federal authorities to launch a Federal case against the Church.
Signed in part by Tim Lennon, President of SNAP, the letter reads: “It is long past time for the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate a full-scale, nationwide investigation into the systemic rape and sexual violence, and cover-ups in the Catholic Church, and, where appropriate, bring criminal and/or civil proceedings against the hierarchy that enabled the violations."
So, have I changed my mind?
Not yet.
The anger and disgust of Catholics and ordinary American citizens over the repeated scandals involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy is palpable and growing with each news account which details the horrific nature of the assaults youngster experienced.
I still think it is quite likely that political pressure will be made to bear upon Congress and the US Department of Justice to initiate legislation and provide the pathway for a Federal investigation of the Church on the basis of RICO laws.
Have we arrived at that moment?
Given the furor raised by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, the recent letter from Archbishop Vigano and the Pope’s flippant response to it suggesting that he “will utter not a word”, I believe that moment is fast approaching.
And, I believe that most would agree that, should a RICO prosecution or civil suit proceed and prove successful, the Church in America would be crippled morally and financially for decades to come.
I merely suggest to those who have been so vehement in their negative reaction to my suggestion that the die has not yet been cast.
Let us wait and see what happens, but let no one feign surprise should such a Federal suit or prosecution be initiated.
Entitled A RICO Prosecution of the Church?, the article contained my thoughts and concerns that the time may have arrived in this whole sordid mess involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic Clergy ( the crimes themselves, the complicity and the cover up of the Bishops) when the Church in the United States might be vulnerable and subject to Federal investigation and prosecution for violation of the Racket Influenced and Criminal Organizations Act (RICO).
I received a number of emails about the article. A mixed-bag of positive and negative criticism.
One person (whom I suspect may be a Bishop) took me to task suggesting that I was “engaging in hyperbole and doing a disservice to the Catholic community by suggesting such a ludicrous idea".
Several others were of the same mindset in their belief that I was “completely out of line” for equating the Church with elements of massive criminal enterprise.
Rather than immediately responding by way of a follow-up article, I chose to wait to see if my suggestion “had any legs” as they say.
Now comes word from David Hickton, a former U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Two years ago, shortly after the state Office of Attorney General for Pennsylvania released a scathing report on widespread clergy sex abuse in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Hickton sought to prove that the Church was criminally responsible for the egregious crimes committed by Priests on minors.
Hickton invoked a seldom-used but powerful federal law designed to combat organized crime.
He initiated a civil lawsuit against the Diocese under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal law better known as RICO that has been used to prosecute mobsters, the Hells Angels and other criminal enterprises.
Then-Attorney General Kathleen Kane had just unveiled the findings of a State probe that found a pattern of cover-up of sexual abuse of hundreds of minors by more than 50 Priests and others associated with the Church.
Hickton had recently prosecuted an Altoona-Johnstown Priest, sentencing him to 17 years in Federal prison for sexually abusing boys at a Honduras orphanage between 2004 and 2009. He was confident that a civil Federal anti-racketeering lawsuit against the Diocese would prevail in court and secure financial compensation for the victims.
Hickton's time for retirement arrived, and the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, under pressure to stave off a looming legal battle, agreed to a settlement with Federal prosecutors to put in place policies to more aggressively detect and prevent the sexual assault of minors by Priests.
Had Hickton prevailed, it would have been one of the few times prosecutors broadly applied the Federal law to the Catholic Church, which was then, as it is now, embroiled in a spiraling Clergy sex abuse crisis involving thousands of victims and threatening to dismantle the Pontificate of Pope Francis.
But Hickton was not the first.
In 1993, Steve Rubino, a New Jersey attorney invoked RICO in a suit against the Archdiocese of Camden and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), for their part in the coverup of the abuse of minors. Rubino's clients accused the Defendants of obstruction of justice.
The case settled out of court.
Now a Professor of law at University of Pittsburgh Law School, Hickton ponders the same question.
In the wake of yet another blistering report on widespread Clergy sex abuse across six dioceses in Pennsylvania, why have prosecutors - even victims - made little efforts to tap into RICO legislation?
The RICO statute features a slew of onerous and difficult requirements, most narrowly defined.
For instance, the government must prove the defendant is an enterprise and one that is engaged in two or more instances of racketeering activity, including: illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, counterfeiting, embezzlement, drug trafficking, slavery, among other crimes.
Prosecutors would have to prove that the Church directly invested in, maintained an interest in, or participated in the criminal behavior affecting interstate, even foreign commerce. In other words, that it covered the crimes up.
Hickton argues that Catholic dioceses easily meet RICO criteria, including being defined as an enterprise.
What's more, victims of clergy sex abuse could argue that the cover-up of the crimes and the protection of predatory Priests (at times across state borders) on the part of Church officials amounts to obstruction of justice and a violation of civil conspiracy laws.
Thus far, the Church has mounted a stiff campaign to object to potential RICO actions, including arguing that it is not a criminal enterprise.
"They would quarrel that the pattern had changed in 2002 and they quarreled with being described as a racketeering enterprise," Hickton said. "But I advanced it. I thought I could prove it. I believe civil RICO is the vehicle that can be used to bring justice to these victims."
In 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) established new policies to protect minors from predatory Priests and to report those Priests.
No civil RICO cases were ever successfully litigated out of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia abuse crisis.
One senior church official - Monsignor William Lynn - was convicted, but under criminal statutes. The former Vicar of Clergy was the first senior U.S. Church official to be prosecuted for child endangerment. He appealed with the argument that he didn't endanger children because he wasn't responsible for caring for specific children.
He awaits a retrial.
"Courts treat each diocese as a free-standing corporation, independent of other dioceses and the Vatican," said Joseph Dellapenna, a retired Villanova University law Professor who specializes in suing foreign governments.
"As long as they continue to do that it's going to be difficult. And if you wanted to sue the Pope, you would have to show the personal involvement of officials in the Vatican in the wrongdoing and not just that they are a part of the Catholic Church and responsible for them."
Has Archbishop Vigano's recent letter breached that hurdle?
Since 2002, when the Clergy sex abuse crisis first made national headlines in the Archdiocese of Boston, diocese after diocese has fended off lawsuits seeking steep compensations for victims. Many have established compensatory funds for victims; others have gone bankrupt settling suits.
Financial settlements in Federal anti-racketeering cases are tripled in value and generous in covering expenses.
To date, some Catholic dioceses have signaled a willingness to create victims compensatory funds. The Dioceses of Harrisburg, Erie and Allentown say they are open to the possibility of a reparations fund. Some advocates for victims have said a reparations fund would be an appropriate step to assist victims who were sexually assaulted by Priests.
In the wake of the grand jury report released by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Center for Constitutional Rights are urging federal authorities to launch a Federal case against the Church.
Signed in part by Tim Lennon, President of SNAP, the letter reads: “It is long past time for the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate a full-scale, nationwide investigation into the systemic rape and sexual violence, and cover-ups in the Catholic Church, and, where appropriate, bring criminal and/or civil proceedings against the hierarchy that enabled the violations."
So, have I changed my mind?
Not yet.
The anger and disgust of Catholics and ordinary American citizens over the repeated scandals involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy is palpable and growing with each news account which details the horrific nature of the assaults youngster experienced.
I still think it is quite likely that political pressure will be made to bear upon Congress and the US Department of Justice to initiate legislation and provide the pathway for a Federal investigation of the Church on the basis of RICO laws.
Have we arrived at that moment?
Given the furor raised by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, the recent letter from Archbishop Vigano and the Pope’s flippant response to it suggesting that he “will utter not a word”, I believe that moment is fast approaching.
And, I believe that most would agree that, should a RICO prosecution or civil suit proceed and prove successful, the Church in America would be crippled morally and financially for decades to come.
I merely suggest to those who have been so vehement in their negative reaction to my suggestion that the die has not yet been cast.
Let us wait and see what happens, but let no one feign surprise should such a Federal suit or prosecution be initiated.
Monday, September 3, 2018
SILENCE IS NOT ALWAYS A VIRTUE
During his homily at his first morning Mass at Santa Marta since the summer break, Pope Francis recommended “silence and prayer” when one is confronted “with people lacking good will, with people who only seek scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family: silence, prayer.”
His remarks are being viewed as his first public response to the 11-page letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former nuncio to the United States.
If those opinions are correct, then Pope Francis is claiming by his silence that Archbishop Vigano is a villain, a man who lacks good faith seeking only scandal, divivision, destruction with the Body of Christ.
That is the remarkable judgment of the character and intent of the former Nuncio to the United States.
And if the Pope’s judgment is correct, that Archbishop Vigano is attempting to spearhead a conservative coup d’etat against his Pontificate, does he not owe it to the Petrine Office itself to defend the Church and denounce such an attempted coup?
Archbishop Vigano claims that there are likely documents in both the Nunciature and the Holy See which would substantiate his allegations.
If that is correct, those documents in and of themselves would be the key evidence which would either support or contradict the Archbishop’s claims.
Would it not be a relatively simple directive on Pope Francis’ part to release those documents to the secular press to whom he has so clearly entrusted the task of investigating the Archbishop’s allegations and then rendering their judgment as to their veracity?
Silence is a tricky virtue.
Seems to me that silence is what got the Church into the predicament in which in finds itself today.
Silence is not always a virtue.
What is the proverb: All that is needed for vice to advance is for those of good faith and good will to remain silent.
The Pope’s silence in this particular situation is hurtful and is causing great consternation and distress to the Catholic faithful.
The Holy Father needs to respond for the good of the Church.
That will require the virtues of honesty, charity and decency which one would expect of the person who is the Vicar of Christ.
His remarks are being viewed as his first public response to the 11-page letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former nuncio to the United States.
If those opinions are correct, then Pope Francis is claiming by his silence that Archbishop Vigano is a villain, a man who lacks good faith seeking only scandal, divivision, destruction with the Body of Christ.
That is the remarkable judgment of the character and intent of the former Nuncio to the United States.
And if the Pope’s judgment is correct, that Archbishop Vigano is attempting to spearhead a conservative coup d’etat against his Pontificate, does he not owe it to the Petrine Office itself to defend the Church and denounce such an attempted coup?
Archbishop Vigano claims that there are likely documents in both the Nunciature and the Holy See which would substantiate his allegations.
If that is correct, those documents in and of themselves would be the key evidence which would either support or contradict the Archbishop’s claims.
Would it not be a relatively simple directive on Pope Francis’ part to release those documents to the secular press to whom he has so clearly entrusted the task of investigating the Archbishop’s allegations and then rendering their judgment as to their veracity?
Silence is a tricky virtue.
Seems to me that silence is what got the Church into the predicament in which in finds itself today.
Silence is not always a virtue.
What is the proverb: All that is needed for vice to advance is for those of good faith and good will to remain silent.
The Pope’s silence in this particular situation is hurtful and is causing great consternation and distress to the Catholic faithful.
The Holy Father needs to respond for the good of the Church.
That will require the virtues of honesty, charity and decency which one would expect of the person who is the Vicar of Christ.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND
The sexual abuse scandal presently laying waste to the confidence and credibility of the Catholic Church and its leadership has been the source of so many ills that are infecting the Body of Christ at present.
One such malady that has begun to show its symptoms is the division that has erupted among the Bishops themselves on so many levels.
The once-solid cohesiveness of the Episcopacy is eroding before our very eyes.
Cardinals are snipping at Cardinals. Bishops are casting doubts upon actions of their confreres.
When, in an earlier time, Bishops would have been disposed to support and defend one another, now many are choosing to remain silent in their defense of a brother-Bishop for fear of being embarrassed should that Bishop be accused and proven to have failed in some fashion.
This disunity and in-fighting is beneath the dignity of the Episcopal Office itself and is damaging to the confidence the Catholic faithful should rightly place in their shepherds.
If the upcoming General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November devolves into a public display of such divisions, the American Church itself will suffer the ignominy of shame and disgrace.
The Successors of the Apostles need to speak clearly and with one voice. They possess the fullness of the Priesthood by virtue of their Episcopal Ordination and are not mid-level managers of a corporate Church. They need to gather and unanimously agree to certain principles which will govern how the Church should respond to the present crisis maturely and honestly.
Any such statement of principles should include an absolute commitment to have an independent investigative body (I suggest secular investigators and career prosecutors) determine the probative evidence of any claim of abuse, complicity or cover up by any Cleric, be he Cardinal, Bishop, Pastor, Associate Pastor, Transitional or Permanent Deacon.
All the Bishops should unanimously agree that they themselves will report any allegation of sexual abuse of a minor immediately to law enforcement authorities and offer as much cooperation as possible in the investigate to either exhonorate the Cleric or prove him guilty.
Finally, if the evidence warrants, the Bishops should unanimously agree that such a Cleric be reduced to the lay state and, if the crime is so contrary to the moral law, excommunicated from the communion of the Church.
The unity of the Bishops on these three principles (and a host of others) should be unquestioned and uncontested.
Thus far, no one knows where the Bishops as a body stand.
That is damaging and dangerous to the security of the Catholic faith and the dignity of the Catholic faithful.
The Bishops need to get their collective house in order quickly.
One such malady that has begun to show its symptoms is the division that has erupted among the Bishops themselves on so many levels.
The once-solid cohesiveness of the Episcopacy is eroding before our very eyes.
Cardinals are snipping at Cardinals. Bishops are casting doubts upon actions of their confreres.
When, in an earlier time, Bishops would have been disposed to support and defend one another, now many are choosing to remain silent in their defense of a brother-Bishop for fear of being embarrassed should that Bishop be accused and proven to have failed in some fashion.
This disunity and in-fighting is beneath the dignity of the Episcopal Office itself and is damaging to the confidence the Catholic faithful should rightly place in their shepherds.
If the upcoming General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November devolves into a public display of such divisions, the American Church itself will suffer the ignominy of shame and disgrace.
The Successors of the Apostles need to speak clearly and with one voice. They possess the fullness of the Priesthood by virtue of their Episcopal Ordination and are not mid-level managers of a corporate Church. They need to gather and unanimously agree to certain principles which will govern how the Church should respond to the present crisis maturely and honestly.
Any such statement of principles should include an absolute commitment to have an independent investigative body (I suggest secular investigators and career prosecutors) determine the probative evidence of any claim of abuse, complicity or cover up by any Cleric, be he Cardinal, Bishop, Pastor, Associate Pastor, Transitional or Permanent Deacon.
All the Bishops should unanimously agree that they themselves will report any allegation of sexual abuse of a minor immediately to law enforcement authorities and offer as much cooperation as possible in the investigate to either exhonorate the Cleric or prove him guilty.
Finally, if the evidence warrants, the Bishops should unanimously agree that such a Cleric be reduced to the lay state and, if the crime is so contrary to the moral law, excommunicated from the communion of the Church.
The unity of the Bishops on these three principles (and a host of others) should be unquestioned and uncontested.
Thus far, no one knows where the Bishops as a body stand.
That is damaging and dangerous to the security of the Catholic faith and the dignity of the Catholic faithful.
The Bishops need to get their collective house in order quickly.
CARDINAL CUPICH ASKS PRIESTS OF CHICAGO TO READ HIS LETTER AT ALL MASSES THIS WEEKEND
Cardinal Blase Cupich has instructed Chicago-area Priests to deliver a statement at all weekend Masses.
The Cardinal claims that a TV news report broadcast this past week was “misleading,” saying it was edited to suggest he and Pope Francis were downplaying the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal.
Since the interview aired, Cupich has been ridiculed and castigated across the Internet for being seemingly insensitive to the sex abuse crisis.
Because I commented on this report here on this blogsite, I owe it to His Eminence to be sure that what I used as background for my comments was indeed accurate.
So with due diligence, I followed up and contacted the NBC affiliate in Chicago (Channel 5).
When I explained the reason for my call, the receptionist was fully aware of Cardinal Cupich’s statement and directed me to the station's website for the affiliate’s response.
It appears from the full unedited interview that Cardinal Cupich is dissembling and parsing words in the letter he wishes read at Mass.
It is very clear that Cardinal Cupich is referring to the letter of Archbishop Vigano, for it is within the context of a question about that letter and the Pope’s reaction to it that the Cardinal says: “He’s got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment and protecting migrants and carrying on the work of the church. We’re not going to go down a rabbit hole on this.”
The Cardinal got burnt, and badly, on the Internet and elsewhere for his statement which is nothing short of ridiculous.
Now apparently, to save face, he claims the interview “was edited in such a way that gave the false impression that Pope Francis and I consider the protection of children to be less important than other issues, such as the environment or immigration. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Sorry, your Eminence, but it wasn’t the editing of the story that made you sound ridiculous. We understood that you were speaking about the letter of Archbishop Vigano suggesting the Holy Father’s actions regarding McCarrick put additional youngsters in jeopardy of sexual assault.
That’s the crisis situation which prompted NBC’s interview with you.
That’s the context in which you stated that the Pope “has got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment....”
That’s what has caused the outrage against you. Do you still not understand?
But, here's the most incredulous development.
In the irony of ironies, guess what?
Pope Francis issued a public statement yesterday.
Was it about the current crisis in the Church which knows no precedent?
No.
The Pope decried the “emergency” of plastics floating in the oceans of the world.
You should feel vindicated, Cardinal Cupich.
The Pope is getting on with other things! I guess we should be expecting a Papal statement about the immigrants very soon.
It appears that you and the Pope are on the same page of a ridiculously distorted script.
Whaddayathink?
The Cardinal claims that a TV news report broadcast this past week was “misleading,” saying it was edited to suggest he and Pope Francis were downplaying the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal.
Since the interview aired, Cupich has been ridiculed and castigated across the Internet for being seemingly insensitive to the sex abuse crisis.
Because I commented on this report here on this blogsite, I owe it to His Eminence to be sure that what I used as background for my comments was indeed accurate.
So with due diligence, I followed up and contacted the NBC affiliate in Chicago (Channel 5).
When I explained the reason for my call, the receptionist was fully aware of Cardinal Cupich’s statement and directed me to the station's website for the affiliate’s response.
It appears from the full unedited interview that Cardinal Cupich is dissembling and parsing words in the letter he wishes read at Mass.
It is very clear that Cardinal Cupich is referring to the letter of Archbishop Vigano, for it is within the context of a question about that letter and the Pope’s reaction to it that the Cardinal says: “He’s got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment and protecting migrants and carrying on the work of the church. We’re not going to go down a rabbit hole on this.”
The Cardinal got burnt, and badly, on the Internet and elsewhere for his statement which is nothing short of ridiculous.
Now apparently, to save face, he claims the interview “was edited in such a way that gave the false impression that Pope Francis and I consider the protection of children to be less important than other issues, such as the environment or immigration. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Sorry, your Eminence, but it wasn’t the editing of the story that made you sound ridiculous. We understood that you were speaking about the letter of Archbishop Vigano suggesting the Holy Father’s actions regarding McCarrick put additional youngsters in jeopardy of sexual assault.
That’s the crisis situation which prompted NBC’s interview with you.
That’s the context in which you stated that the Pope “has got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment....”
That’s what has caused the outrage against you. Do you still not understand?
But, here's the most incredulous development.
In the irony of ironies, guess what?
Pope Francis issued a public statement yesterday.
Was it about the current crisis in the Church which knows no precedent?
No.
The Pope decried the “emergency” of plastics floating in the oceans of the world.
You should feel vindicated, Cardinal Cupich.
The Pope is getting on with other things! I guess we should be expecting a Papal statement about the immigrants very soon.
It appears that you and the Pope are on the same page of a ridiculously distorted script.
Whaddayathink?
AMID WORSE CRISIS TO FACE THE CHURCH IN ITS HISTORY, POPE FRANCIS DECRIES THE "EMERGENCY" OF PLASTICS FLOATING IN THE WORLD'S OCEANS
In recent days, every time I read a story involving the Pope, Bishops and anything whatsoever related to scourge of homosexual assaults upon minor male children, I come away thinking I have lost my mind.
None of this is really happening, is it?
I MUST BE be delusional!
For example, amid a child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in which Pope Francis himself has been implicated by an ex-Nuncio to the United States, accusations which the Pope has refused to directly address, Pope Francis today decried the “emergency” of plastic debris littering the Earth’s oceans.
The Holy Father issued a message aimed at “galvanizing” Christians to begin working to conserve the Earth’s environment, according to the Associated Press.
From the very beginning of his Pontificate, environmental conservation has been one of the Pope’s most emphasized issues.
“Sadly, all too often many efforts fail due to the lack of effective regulation and means of control, particularly with regard to the protection of marine areas beyond national confines,” Pope Francis said.
“We cannot allow our seas and oceans to be littered by endless fields of floating plastic,” he explained. “Here, too, our active commitment is needed to confront this emergency.”
To combat what he sees as a growing problem, Francis urged Christians to “pray as if everything depended on God’s providence and work as if everything depended on us.”
Certainly the environment needs protecting.
But the Pope’s priorities seem very confused and pathetic.
The Catholic Church is currently facing a destructive sexual abuse scandal after Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal Nuncio to the U.S., released a scathing letter accusing Francis of essentially covering up sexual abuse allegations against Theodore Edgar McCarrick, the former Archbishop of the District of Columbia, who was forced to resign his position in the Church this year after the Vatican declared allegations against him to be “credible.”
Pope Francis “knew that [McCarrick] was a corrupt man, he covered for him to the bitter end,” Archbishop Viganò has alleged.
Unfortunately, Francis has yet to address the allegations against him head on.
He has said he might or might not address them at a later date, after the press had investigated the claims and made a judgment.
The Vicar of Christ defers to journalists to proclaim the truth?
The press?
Saying ocean debris is an “emergency” while the Catholic Church has been confronted by an unprecedented crisis of confidence and credibility at the highest level of Episcopal authority is, well how can I say it, delusional.
Is it not?
What thinkest you?
None of this is really happening, is it?
I MUST BE be delusional!
For example, amid a child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in which Pope Francis himself has been implicated by an ex-Nuncio to the United States, accusations which the Pope has refused to directly address, Pope Francis today decried the “emergency” of plastic debris littering the Earth’s oceans.
The Holy Father issued a message aimed at “galvanizing” Christians to begin working to conserve the Earth’s environment, according to the Associated Press.
From the very beginning of his Pontificate, environmental conservation has been one of the Pope’s most emphasized issues.
“Sadly, all too often many efforts fail due to the lack of effective regulation and means of control, particularly with regard to the protection of marine areas beyond national confines,” Pope Francis said.
“We cannot allow our seas and oceans to be littered by endless fields of floating plastic,” he explained. “Here, too, our active commitment is needed to confront this emergency.”
To combat what he sees as a growing problem, Francis urged Christians to “pray as if everything depended on God’s providence and work as if everything depended on us.”
Certainly the environment needs protecting.
But the Pope’s priorities seem very confused and pathetic.
The Catholic Church is currently facing a destructive sexual abuse scandal after Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal Nuncio to the U.S., released a scathing letter accusing Francis of essentially covering up sexual abuse allegations against Theodore Edgar McCarrick, the former Archbishop of the District of Columbia, who was forced to resign his position in the Church this year after the Vatican declared allegations against him to be “credible.”
Pope Francis “knew that [McCarrick] was a corrupt man, he covered for him to the bitter end,” Archbishop Viganò has alleged.
Unfortunately, Francis has yet to address the allegations against him head on.
He has said he might or might not address them at a later date, after the press had investigated the claims and made a judgment.
The Vicar of Christ defers to journalists to proclaim the truth?
The press?
Saying ocean debris is an “emergency” while the Catholic Church has been confronted by an unprecedented crisis of confidence and credibility at the highest level of Episcopal authority is, well how can I say it, delusional.
Is it not?
What thinkest you?
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