Thousands take part in canonisation celebrations - The Hindu

The Catholic CHURCH IN INDIA IS 2,000 YEARS OLD.

Saints Chavara Kuriakose Elias and Euphrasia Eluvathingal kept up the tradition of Indian spirituality, and by honouring them, the world was honouring the Indian traditions of spirituality, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Saturday.

He was delivering the presidential address at a public meeting to mark the celebration of the canonisation of the two saints from the Syro-Malabar Church.

He said Kerala has a 2,000-year-old tradition of Christianity and its traditions were known all over the world. He recalled that thousands from the State had attended the canonisation ceremony in the Vatican on November 23.

The public meeting on Saturday was part of more than five-hour-long programmes at the Rajagiri Valley in Kakkanad, in which more than 50,000 people, including 2,000 religious priests led by two cardinals and 17 bishops, participated.

The programmes began with a concelebrated Mass led by Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio, was among the concelebrants. He inaugurated the public meeting and conveyed Pope Francis’ blessings and greetings to the mammoth crowd.

Thousands take part in canonisation celebrations - The Hindu

Pope Francis: Turning churches into 'businesses' is a scandal :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

 

Pope Francis condemned priests and laity who turn their parishes into a “business” by charging for things such as baptisms, blessings and Mass intentions – calling it a scandal that's hard to forgive.
“It is interesting: the people of God can forgive their priests, when they are weak; when they slip on a sin, the people know how to forgive them,” the Pope told mass attendees in the Vatican's Saint Martha guesthouse on Nov. 21.
“But there are two things that the people of God cannot forgive: a priest attached to money and a priest who mistreats people. This they cannot forgive! It is scandalous…”
The Pope centered his homily on the day’s Gospel from Luke in which Jesus turns over tables and drives out those who were selling things inside the temple, saying it is a sacred place meant for prayer and not for business.
While the many people who went to the temple to pray were good and searched for God, they were forced to pay in order to make an offering, the Pope explained, noting that although the temple was a sacred place to these, “there was corruption that scandalized the people.”
He recalled the biblical story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who was a humble woman that went to the temple and whispered her prayers in silence, while the priest and his two sons were corrupt and exploited the pilgrims who came.
“I think of how our attitude can scandalize people with unpriestly habits in the Temple: the scandal of doing business, the scandal of worldliness,” the Bishop of Rome said, observing how many parishes have a price list readily available for baptisms, blessings and Mass intentions.
The Pope then recounted the story of a young couple who were a part of a group of college students he led shortly after being ordained. When they decided to get married, they went to their parish to ask for the civil ceremony and Mass together.
When they asked, the couple was told that they couldn’t have the Mass in addition to the ceremony because the time slots for the ceremony were limited to only 20 minutes, the couple needed to pay for two time slots in order to have the Mass as well.
“This is the sin of scandal” the pontiff explained, and alluded to the scripture passage where Jesus tells those who cause scandal that it is “better to be thrown into the sea.”
When those who manage God’s temple and its ministry, including both priests and lay people, become businessmen, “people are scandalized. And we are responsible for this. The laity too! Everyone,” the Roman Pontiff continued.
Preventing scandal is the responsibility is everyone, he said, because if we see this business-mentality going on in our parishes we need to have the courage to say something to the priest.
“It is scandalous when the Temple, the House of God, becomes a place of business, as in the case of that wedding: the church was being rented out.”
Pope Francis noted how when Jesus made his whip and started driving the people out of the temple it was not because he was angry, but rather because he was filled with the wrath of God and zeal for his house.
Jesus, he said, has “an issue with money because redemption is free; it is God’s free gift, He comes to brings us the all-encompassing gratuity of God’s love.”
So when a church or a parish start doing business it’s like saying that salvation is no longer free, the Pope explained, which is why Jesus takes his whip out in order to purify the temple of the corrupt.
He noted how the feast of the day commemorates the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple, saying that Mary enters the temple as a young, simple woman like Hannah, and prayed that she would help keep God’s temple pure.
“May she teach all of us, pastors and those who have pastoral responsibility, to keep the Temple clean, to receive with love those who come, as if each one were the Blessed Virgin.”

Pope Francis: Turning churches into 'businesses' is a scandal :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Cupich calls Obama action on immigration a 'first step' - Chicago Tribune

 

Cupich, who met privately with the president Tuesday in Chicago, said the Archdiocesan Office of Immigrant Affairs and Immigration Education, the first and only office of its kind in the American Catholic Church, will prepare parishioners to assist immigrants in surrounding communities to take full advantage of Obama's action.

"This is a time for momentary celebration, a time to give thanks for a first step toward immigration reform for all of those who are being granted this relief," Cupich said in a statement. "It is also a time to mobilize our communities to assist in helping those affected by the President's actions to realize the full benefit of what is being offered."

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Cupich calls Obama action on immigration a 'first step' - Chicago Tribune

German bishops mull allowing Church employees to live in same-sex relationships | News | LifeSite

 

Germany’s Catholic Church, the second-largest employer in the country, may be set to remove the requirement that its employees order their private lives according to the Church’s moral teachings, a rule that currently officially bars active homosexuals and divorced and remarried Catholics. The German bishops were scheduled to vote yesterday on a proposal to allow those in homosexual or adulterous relationships to work for the Church, but have put it off until April amid criticism.

The decision comes in the wake of a German Constitutional Court ruling upholding the firing of a doctor from a Catholic hospital in Düsseldorf who had entered a second, civil marriage.

Writing for Breitbart, Vatican journalist Edward Pentin said that “a majority” of the German bishops, including the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who also serves on Pope Francis’ “cabinet” of nine cardinals, was set to vote in favour of the measure, with only a small number of “conservative” bishops against it.

Pentin notes that the change has “been devised in secret” by the German bishops and that many “homosexuals and divorced and civilly remarried Catholics are already working for the Church.”

Pentin quotes an unnamed German Catholic Church source, saying that the bishops believe it is “simply enough to pay the [Church] tax. … They feel there’s no need to scrutinize people’s private lives.” The source said that some faithful Catholics fear that the change could lead to those who uphold the Church’s teaching being dismissed from their employment for being “too Catholic” and thereby creating a “negative atmosphere.”

Read more by clicking on the following:  German bishops mull allowing Church employees to live in same-sex relationships | News | LifeSite

In tapping new liturgy chief, Pope Francis reaches across the aisle | Crux

 

Monday’s appointment of Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea as the new head of the Vatican’s department for liturgical policy will certainly surprise some.

Sarah becomes the second African to have the Vatican’s top liturgical post, after Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze from 2002 to 2008.

When he recently removed US Cardinal Raymond Burke from a senior Vatican job, many observers concluded that Francis simply didn’t want such a strong conservative on his team. Yet he’s now handed over the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to an equally strong conservative in the 69-year-old Sarah, who since 2010 has led a Vatican office called Cor Unum that oversees Catholic charities.

Sarah was part of the conservative opposition at the recent Synod of Bishops on the family to an interim report that contained daringly positive language on same-sex unions and other relationships that fall outside the bounds of Catholic teaching on marriage.

A former Archbishop of Conakry in Guinea, Sarah was also part of the African contingent at the synod that objected when no prelate from the continent was named to the drafting committee for the final document, leading Francis to add Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier of South Africa to the body.

In other words, this isn’t exactly the profile that perceptions of Francis as a “liberal pope” would lead one to expect in his choices for key jobs…

Read more by clicking on the following:  In tapping new liturgy chief, Pope Francis reaches across the aisle | Crux

Weekly Contributions for the weekend of November 23, 2014

 

Catholic Archdiocese to Close St. Thomas More | Joe Peyronnin

 

there is a $100 million shortfall in donations for the restoration of New York's St. Patrick Cathedral, which is scheduled for completion next December. The Archdiocese has raised $75 million of the $175 million that was first budgeted for the project according to its website. Many suspect that the intention of the Archdiocese is to sell St. Thomas More, which would be worth millions of dollars, in order to bolster its finances.

St Thomas More has been an important part of the community since it was first constructed as an Episcopal Church beginning in 1870 to "serve the spiritual needs of St. Luke's Home for Indigent Christian Women." That home has been replaced by a 40-story apartment building. In 1925, the church merged with the nearby Church of Heavenly Rest Episcopal Church. Four years later the church was rededicated as the Reformed Church of Harlem.

In 1950, the Archdiocese of New York, then under Francis Cardinal Spellman, sought to acquire the church to meet the needs of the local Catholic community. Since July 9, 1950, St. Thomas More has been serving the local community, including many prominent New Yorkers, such as the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Catholic Archdiocese to Close St. Thomas More | Joe Peyronnin

In Philadelphia, married priests and wives find respect and acceptance - Catholic Philly

 

The recent announcement that the Vatican has lifted the ban on the ordination of married men to the priesthood by Eastern Catholic Churches outside of their traditional territories including in the United States, Canada and Australia, has been well received by the affected churches.

“We are overjoyed with the lifting of the ban,” Melkite Bishop Nicholas Samra of Newtown, Mass., told Catholic News Service in a Nov. 15 email message.

Here in Philadelphia, Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia was also pleased at the decree that was actually signed in June.

But “in the case of our church it is a recognition of what we have already been doing,” he said.

The archeparchy (akin to an archdiocese) of Philadelphia covers Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington, D.C., with about 67,000 members. Probably half of the priests are married, according to Archbishop Soroka.

“When the candidates are properly prepared and educated we are ordaining them,” he said, “and there was no reaction from the Vatican so long as there was proper formation of the man, and there was no problem with that.”

The tradition of the Eastern Catholic Churches, which are mostly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East along with the Orthodox Churches, has always been the acceptance of married men for ordination to the priesthood. The rule is they must already be married at the time of ordination and cannot advance to bishop, unless widowed.

Also, if the spouse of the married priest dies, he cannot remarry. That is the same rule that applies to married deacons in the Roman Catholic Church.

Read more:  In Philadelphia, married priests and wives find respect and acceptance - Catholic Philly

The Benefits of Making Priestly Celibacy Optional - NYTimes.com

 

The Benefits of Making Priestly Celibacy Optional

Anthony Dragani is an associate professor of religious studies at Mount Aloysius College.

Updated November 21, 2014, 5:46 PM

The Catholic Church already has many married priests. In fact, in parts of the world the majority of Catholic priests are married men with families. These priests serve in the Eastern Catholic Churches, which are in full communion with the Pope, but otherwise resemble Orthodox Christian Churches.

In the United States, most people associate Catholic with Roman Catholic. But the Catholic Church is a communion of 23 churches, each recognizing the leadership of the Pope while maintaining their own distinctive identities and disciplines. While the Latin Church, which is popularly known as the Roman Catholic Church, has a discipline of mandatory priestly celibacy, most of the Eastern Catholic Churches do not.

Being Eastern Catholic, married priests are a reality that I’m already familiar with. My own pastor is a married man with children and grandchildren, and he is an exemplary priest. I’ve also had celibate pastors who are equally outstanding. In my experience, a priest being married or celibate makes little difference as to whether or not he is effective in his ministry.

If priestly celibacy were optional, more people would become priests, there would be greater transparency and celibacy would be a spiritual gift.

Based on my observations, if married priests became more common in the Catholic Church, change wouldn’t be drastic, but there would be benefits:

First, voluntary celibacy would increase the pool of candidates to the priesthood. It’s no secret that the Catholic Church is suffering from a priest shortage in parts of the world. In some cases a single priest must serve three or more parishes. While ordaining married men wouldn’t solve this problem entirely, it would make a difference.

Also, making celibacy optional would foster a culture of greater transparency within the Catholic Church. While most celibate priests do keep their promise of celibacy, there are some who try, but fail. Sometimes these priests resort to living double lives. I’ve seen this happen too many times.

Priests who are engaged in clandestine relationships, even with consenting adults, are compromised. They live with a secret. And these priests, who may go on to become bishops, are sometimes hesitant to investigate rumors of sexual misconduct by other clergy, as they fear their own secrets being exposed. People living with secrets breed a culture of secrecy.

Finally, if priestly celibacy were optional, there would be a greater appreciation for celibacy as a spiritual gift. In Eastern Christianity celibacy is viewed as a sacred calling in and of itself, without it being tied to the priesthood. Because candidates for the priesthood can freely choose to accept or reject celibacy, they can discern whether or not they have this special calling without their future ministries hanging in the balance. Many do choose celibacy, either as priests or monks, and this is viewed as a gift from God, but it is not demanded of anyone.

When celibacy is a requirement for the priesthood, some men force themselves to commit to celibacy, even if it is clear that they don’t possess this gift. While this works out for some, for others it leads to a life of torment and hypocrisy. If candidates for the priesthood are given the choice, those who choose celibacy are more likely to be at peace with this state of life, and this allows celibacy to be seen for what it is – a gift from God, not a burden to be endured. And when celibacy is freely chosen as a gift, not as a prerequisite for ministry, the result is a healthier church for everyone

Click on the following for more details:  The Benefits of Making Priestly Celibacy Optional - NYTimes.com

Twin Cities Archdiocese weighs bankruptcy, cites costs of sex abuse cases | Star Tribune

 

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, facing an unprecedented wave of clergy abuse lawsuits, said Thursday that it is weighing whether to declare bankruptcy.

A bankruptcy filing would give a federal judge control over the church’s finances, and could affect how much money would be paid to the victims of clergy sex abuse.

In making the announcement, the church released a financial report that reflected how it is spending money addressing the child abuse lawsuits. In its most recent fiscal year, for example, the archdiocese said it spent $4.2 million to hire outside professionals to investigate its own handling of abuse charges over the years and to explore its financial options.

The 2014 finances do not reflect any payments to victims. With 18 cases pending and more likely to follow, the archdiocese said total claims would likely outstrip the $5.3 million it has set aside to compensate victims.

“The road ahead offers ‘trouble’ of its own,” wrote Archbishop John Nienstedt in his column in the Catholic Spirit newspaper Thursday. “We have no idea how many more legal claims may be made against us.”

No final decision has been made about filing for bankruptcy, said Chief Financial Officer Tom Mertens, adding that such a move would not be an attempt to avoid paying abuse victims.

Read more by clicking on the following:  Twin Cities Archdiocese weighs bankruptcy, cites costs of sex abuse cases | Star Tribune

Cardinal's demotion helps Pope Francis quell 'conservative backlash' -- for now | Fox News

 

There have been voices of protest by some conservatives since Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected in 2013, with American-based conservative blog “Rorate Caeli” posting an article about the new pope on the day he was elected called “The Horror!” Concern and even anger at what conservatives in the Church perceive to be growing confusion and lack of clarity in regards to Church doctrine continued to grow, culminating in the near mutiny following the October meeting, known as an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

The Synod was called by Francis to discuss the topic of the family, and Francis encouraged bishops to speak openly about controversial topics. But when he assigned German Cardinal Walter Kasper -- the de facto leader of the progressive wing of the Church and long-time antagonist of Pope Benedict XVI -- the job of setting the agenda, conservative anger ignited.

A working document for the session, released in early October, expressed views that represented a radical shift from traditional Catholic teaching. The document opened up the possibility of admitting divorced and remarried couples to Holy Communion and instructed pastors to avoid “any language or behavior which might be construed as discrimination,” while also calling for greater acceptance of gays.

The language on the latter was in stark contrast to previous expressions by the Church that, while condemning “unjust discrimination,” described homosexuality in a 1986 document as a ”tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus...must be seen as an objective disorder.”

The synod document elicited what Allen called “a tsunami of conservative backlash” with  Voices of the Family, a coalition of pro-life groups, slamming the document as a betrayal, “one of the worst official documents drafted in Church history.”

Although the apparent change in tone was praised by many media outlets, conservative bishops and cardinals across the globe condemned the document and the pope’s handling of the Synod, yet it was in America in particular where fingers were pointed directly at the pope.

“You might say that the Synod was a a turning point for conservatives, the end of the honeymoon,” Zuhlsdorf told FoxNews.com.

In the aftermath, now-silent American bishops had plenty to say.

“Pope Francis is fond of creating a mess," Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, wrote in a blog post. "Mission accomplished.”

Said Archbishop Charles Chaput, a leading conservative bishop: “Confusion is of the devil.”

But both Tobin and Chaput declined comment, following the stunning demotion of Burke, who blasted Francis for allowing Kasper to exercise such powerful influence over the Church's direction.

“The Pope named Cardinal Kasper to the Synod and has let the debate go along this track,” Burke said in an interview with Il Foglio. Meanwhile, in another interview, for Catholic World Report, Burke said that a statement from the pope affirming Catholic teaching was “long overdue."

Burke was toughest on Francis for the Kasper connection, noting in an interview with Buzzfeed that Kasper’s implicit claim to be speaking for the pope has not been corrected by the pontiff and “the lack of clarity about the matter has certainly done a lot of harm.”

 

Expand / Contract

Cardinal Raymond Burke's stunning demotion seems to have stopped a conservative revolt against Pope Francis, at least for the time being. (The Associated Press)

Burke, who was prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura -- the highest court in the Vatican and a position of considerable power -- when he spoke out, was shifted to the largely ceremonial role of patron to the sovereign military order of Malta. Burke, whose demotion is without precedent in recent Church history, has since denied that he is attacking Francis, yet many remain unconvinced.

Read more:  Cardinal's demotion helps Pope Francis quell 'conservative backlash' -- for now | Fox News

Reflections on my ’60 Minutes’ interview | Crux

 

 

By Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley

The Pilot November 19, 2014

Last Sunday evening I was privileged to be featured on the CBS television program “60 Minutes,” which is actually three 20 minute segments. I was featured in segment two of the broadcast. The whole experience was fascinating. I was very impressed by the entire team, their work ethic, professionalism and dedication. Those 20 minutes are distilled out of many hours of hard work. Correspondent Norah O’Donnell and producers Frank Devine and Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson are all Catholics. Their faith and their regard for the Church was evident. Frank is a very well-informed Catholic who can engage in theological debate about “internal form” or any aspect of the life of the Church.

From the beginning of the process I was aware that the questions would not be about the weather and the Red Sox. The program’s interviews include difficult questions that are often on many people’s minds. For some people, being featured on 60 Minutes would be exhilarating, but television interviews are not at the top of my list of favorite things to do. Newscasts these days can be about sound bites and quick messaging. In contrast, 60 Minutes does a good job of trying to go deeper into the topics they address. My interview touched on three provocative issues that are seldom addressed by members of the hierarchy, but which once raised capture everyone’s attention. These matters call for more time and consideration than can be given in a 20 minute broadcast segment.

Not surprisingly, Norah asked a question about Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of St. Joseph-Kansas City and accountability. While it is the case that the sexual abuse policies adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would preclude someone convicted of not reporting a crime from teaching religious education or having any position supervising children, some of the advance reporting about this matter did not reflect the nuances of my answer to the question. In response to Norah, I said that the Vatican must attend to this situation. The Holy Father is aware of this need, and recently an Episcopal Visitator was sent to Bishop Finn’s diocese. The Holy See had the sensitivity to send a Canadian bishop to conduct the visitation.

One of the significant concerns of the members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children, on which I serve as President, is the accountability of bishops. We are all aware that Catholics want their leaders to be held accountable for the safety of children, but the accountability has been sporadic. We need clear protocols that will replace the improvisation and inertia that has often been the response in these matters. Bishops also deserve due process that allows them to have an opportunity for a fair hearing. The situation in the Diocese of St. Joseph-Kansas City is a painful one; we pray that the visitation will help. After all that American Catholics have been through in the past decade, survivors and the community at large understandably are demanding transparency and accountability. As a Church, the safety of children must be our priority. At the same time, we need to provide justice for all and avoid crowd-based condemnations.

Another topic that has garnered much attention is the recent visitation of Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the communities of religious women. These were two different activities, conducted by distinct Roman congregations. I trust that there were serious concerns that gave rise to the visitations, but it would seem that better planning and a wider participation of American religious and U.S. bishops would have been helpful. The Church personnel who carried out these assignments have done an admirable job under very difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, many religious women have been alienated by the process and the bishops in this country have been blamed for shortfalls in communications and the process. Hopefully when the final report of the visitations is presented, it will be a more positive experience that will contribute to healing in our Church and be helpful for the cause of religious life. The upcoming Year of Consecrated Life called for by Pope Francis will be an opportunity to celebrate the great achievements of our religious and introduce a new generation of Catholics to consecrated life and its many opportunities to accomplish good works in the name of the Church.

A topic also of significant concern in the Church that was addressed during the interview is the discussion concerning the ordination of women to the priesthood. This is particularly painful to many Catholic women who feel that the teaching on women’s ordination is a rejection and unfair.

Throughout history, many wonderful Catholic women have wished to be priests, among them St. Therese, the Little Flower. In my comments I was trying to communicate that women are often holier, smarter and more hard-working than men, and that the most important member of the Church is a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church is called to be faithful to Christ’s will, and that is not always easy or popular. Understanding the Church’s teaching is always a process that begins with faith.

As a person who is just an occasional viewer of television, I am amazed to learn of the number of people who watch 60 Minutes each week; this is certainly a credit to the quality of the program. I hope that one take-away from my 60 Minutes interview will be that cardinals, bishops and priests are human, and that we love the Church.

 

Reflections on my ’60 Minutes’ interview | Crux

Group Fighting Sexual Abuse Says Bishop Finn May Survive Scandal - KMBZ

 

The Kansas City-St Joseph Diocese was referenced in a segment on "60 Minutes" this past Sunday. Bishop Robert Finn has remained in service, despite repeated calls for him to step down.
David Clohessy, national director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), says after the program he had a flood of calls from Catholics here and other areas encouraged that the Pontiff will remove Finn, but he says even that wouldn't be a cure all.
"Even if Finn is removed, that's no tremendous sign of progress because there are literally hundreds of Catholic officials around the world still on the job, who have done what Finn did, and not been criminally convicted," said Clohessy.
Finn was criminally convicted in 2012 of failure to report suspected child abuse in the Shawn Ratigan case. Ratigan is serving 50 years in federal prison on a child pornography conviction.

Group Fighting Sexual Abuse Says Bishop Finn May Survive Scandal - KMBZ

Cardinal O’Malley’s warning shot about Bishop Finn is just the start (ANALYSIS) - Religion News Service

 

…In September, Francis also sent a Canadian archbishop to investigate Finn, which is seen as a prelude to Finn’s possible dismissal, and senior Vatican officials have said such a dismissal would be justified.

Earlier this month, the Vatican issued a statement clarifying when and why bishops must resign or retire, but also stressing that the pope “may consider it necessary to ask a bishop to present the resignation of his pastoral office, after letting him know the motives for such a request and after listening attentively to his justifications, in fraternal dialogue.”

Essentially, Francis is putting underperforming bishops on notice.

But some church leaders still want further clarity, and a better system. In September, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Francis needed to find “some way of putting teeth” into a process for punishing bishops that go beyond “fraternal exhortations” delivered by back channels.

“I would find it immensely helpful and see it as part of Pope Francis’ long-range plan to flesh out how bishops can hold one another more accountable,” Dolan told the Catholic news site Crux…..

Click on the following to read the entire article:  Cardinal O’Malley’s warning shot about Bishop Finn is just the start (ANALYSIS) - Religion News Service

Weekly Contributions for the weekend of November 16, 2014

 

No update on collections for church building.

Church of England gives final nod to women bishops - Yahoo News

 

….The amendment to "Canon 33", which now states that "a man or a woman may be consecrated to the office of bishop", comes 20 years after the first women were ordained as priests.

The battle to make the change was reflected in the Church's short message announcing the news on Twitter, which had the hashtags #Historic #Synod #ItisFinished.

The first female bishop is expected to take her seat next year. There are currently nine vacancies, each of which may now be filled either by a male or a female priest…..

Click on the following for more details:   Church of England gives final nod to women bishops - Yahoo News

Pope Francis Plans to Visit Philadelphia in 2015 - ABC News

 

….Pope Francis plans to visit Philadelphia in 2015, the pontiff announced today. It would be his first trip to the United States as pope.

The pope made the announcement when he addressed participants at a Vatican conference on traditional marriage.

The trip, expected for late September, would coincide with the World Meeting of Families organized by the Catholic Church, a world event that will take place in Philadelphia that focuses on strengthening family bonds.

“I wish to confirm according to the wishes of the Lord, that in September of 2015, I will go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families,” Francis, 77, speaking in Italian, told the crowd at the Vatican. “Thank you for your prayers with which you accompany my service to the Church. Bless you from my heart

Click on the following to read the entire article:  Pope Francis Plans to Visit Philadelphia in 2015 - ABC News

“Continue the Vision” Letter

Cardinal O'Malley: Vatican must 'address urgently' the Bishop Finn problem. | Commonweal Magazine

 

…“It’s a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently,” O’Malley told O'Donnell. Does the pope understand that? she asked. “There’s a recognition...from Pope Francis,” O'Malley replied. The cardinal also acknowledged that, owing to Finn's conviction, the bishop would not even be allowed to teach Sunday school.

In September, the National Catholic Reporter broke the news that the Vatican had sent Archbishop Terrance Prendergast of Ontario to Kansas City to investigate Finn, after the bishop's former chancellor (who is now posted in Chicago) asked the Congregation for Bishops to intervene (I covered some of this here). That seemed to confirm speculation that Finn was one of the three bishops Pope Francis revealed was under investigation back in May. At that time, the pope said that one of the three had "already been found guilty, and we are now considering the penalty to be imposed." As head of the Vatican's new sexual-abuse commission, and as one of the pope's closest advisers, Cardinal O'Malley is part of that "we."

John Allen has issued a predictable note of caution not to overinterpret O'Malley's remarks. "Don’t expect O’Malley to do this all the time," Allen writes. "He’s not an exhibitionist or a grandstander, and aides say he has no intention of becoming a moderate version of Cardinal Raymond Burke"--who rarely passes on an opportunity to ding Pope Francis's approach to church governance. Allen is right. It wasn't as though O'Malley volunteered that Finn had to be dealt with. O'Donnell had to prompt the cardinal to say that Pope Francis is aware of the problem. But that does not diminish the significance of the cardinal's remarks….

Read more by clicking on the following:  Cardinal O'Malley: Vatican must 'address urgently' the Bishop Finn problem. | Commonweal Magazine

O'Malley: Pope recognizes need to address Bishop Finn situation | National Catholic Reporter

 

…Speaking in a forthcoming interview with the U.S. television program 60 Minutes, O'Malley says the situation surrounding Finn is "a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently."

"There's a recognition of that -- from Pope Francis," O'Malley continues during the interview, which is to air Sunday evening.

CBS made a preview of the interview available online Friday.

During the interview, O'Malley is apparently speaking of his work on both the Council of Cardinals and the pope's new commission on the sexual abuse of minors. After interviewer Norah O'Donnell says one of the "biggest scandals" of the church in recent years is the way bishops handled priests accused of abuse, O'Malley says that is something he is working on.

"One of the first things that we came up was the importance of accountability and we're looking at how the church can have protocols and how to respond when a bishop has not been responsible for protection of children in his diocese," O'Malley states.

Finn, who has served as the bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., since 2005 was found guilty over his handling of sexual misconduct by Shawn Ratigan, a former priest who was found guilty in federal court in September 2013 of producing child pornography and sentenced to 50 years in jail.

Click on the following for more detail:   O'Malley: Pope recognizes need to address Bishop Finn situation | National Catholic Reporter

Beware labeling Pope Francis a liberal : Columbia Journalism Review

 

….the pope is genuinely progressive—but in attitude, not in fundamental Catholic teachings. Washing and kissing the feet of a dozen inmates—two of them Muslim—and eschewing the Apostolic Palace for a two-room apartment are departures from his predecessor that emphasize the idea that the church’s role is to come to the people, not uphold the moral fortress of the church and wait for people to come to it.

None of those reforms are “liberal” in political terms, and deep-rooted questions like gay marriage are simply not up for debate in a church that is inherently conservative by secular standards. Francis has reaffirmed that only a man and a woman can marry, and has opposed gay couples adopting children.

Yet coverage in the language of US-style categories persists. In March, the pope’s comments in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that some civil unions could be tolerable to the church for the purposes of gaining political rights such as healthcare led to the headline “Church could support civil unions” by CNN. At a recent meeting of bishops on family issues where Pope Francis tried to change the church’s official stance (ultimately unsuccessfully) to accept the “gifts and qualities” of gay people, the BBC’s headline read “Victory for Pope Francis on gay issues.”

“In the secular press in particular, most of us are at heart political writers. Regardless of what our particular discipline may be, politics is our mother’s milk,” said Allen. “So it’s just natural for most journalists, most commentators, to bring political categories to bear.”…

Click on the following to read all of the article:  Beware labeling Pope Francis a liberal : Columbia Journalism Review

Pope Francis launches new panel to speed up abuse cases - The Washington Post

 

The Vatican said the pope would nominate seven cardinals or bishops to consider appeals from clergy accused of abusing minors in a bid to speed up the judicial process of clergy who have received an initial assessment by local bishops.

The members of the panel, or “college,” may come from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which currently handles cases, or elsewhere in the church. Members will also be asked to deal with serious abuses of penance in the confessional.

The Vatican’s chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, called the pope’s proposal a “good solution” to help alleviate a backlog of cases.

Bishops accused of sexually abusing minors will still have their appeals handled by a session of CDF members at their monthly meetings…..

Read more:  Pope Francis launches new panel to speed up abuse cases - The Washington Post

Jeff Anderson, Attorney at Law, Indexes Archdiocese’s abuse cases

Below is taken from:  http://www.andersonadvocates.com/Archdiocese-of-Chicago-Documents.aspx   If any of the links do not work go to that source.

Archdiocese of Chicago Documents

* Files released by the Archdiocese of Chicago on November 6, 2014
Searchable files obtained from Bishop Accountability

Priest Files

• Baranowski, Alexander Sylvester *
Timeline

• Bartz, Richard Barry *
Timeline

• Becker, Robert C.
Timeline

• Bennett, Joseph R.
Timeline

• Bogdan, Leonard Adolph *
Timeline

• Bowman, Robert Peter *
Timeline

• Braun, David Francis *
Timeline

• Brigham, Kenneth.
Timeline

• Buck, Daniel Peter *
Timeline

• Burns, Eugene Patrick *
Timeline

• Calicott, John Walter *
Timeline

• Cloutier, William J.
Timeline

• Craig, Robert D.
Timeline

• Curran, John
Timeline

• Czajka, Norman J. *
Timeline

• DeRoeck, Walter George *
Timeline

• Dilla, Francis Emil *
Timeline

• Fassbinder, Richard Wayne *
Timeline

• Fitzharris, Joseph L.
Timeline

• Flosi, James Vincent *
Timeline

• Friese, Robert *
Timeline

• Garza, Jesus P. *
Timeline

• Hagan, James C.
Timeline

• Hefferan, John Edward *
Timeline

• Hoder, James *
Timeline

• Hogan, Michael J. *
Timeline

• Holihan, Daniel M.
Timeline

• Huppenbauer, Walter Edward *
Timeline

• Job, Thomas J.
Timeline

• Kealy, Robert Louis *
Timeline

• Keehan, John James *
Timeline

• Kelly, Thomas F.
Timeline

• Keough, John Joseph *
Timeline

• Kissane, Joseph P.
Timeline

• Kmak, Leonard Paul *
Timeline

• Lupo, William L. *
Timeline

• Maday, Norbet J.
Timeline

• Mayer, Robert E.
Timeline

• McCaffrey, Vincent E.
Timeline

• McDonald, Robert Joseph *
Timeline

• McNamara, Peter John *
Timeline

• Miller, Gary M. *
Timeline

• Mulsoff, Donald John *
Timeline

• O'Brien, William J.
Timeline

• Owens, Joseph
Timeline

• Pallakunnen, Emmanuel
Timeline

• Ray, James M. *
Timeline

• Robinson, John Allen *
Timeline

• Rohrich, John F. *
Timeline

• Romano, Russell L.
Timeline

• Ruge, Kenneth C.
Timeline

• Savage, Joseph E. *
Timeline

• Skriba, Raymond
Timeline

• Snieg, Marion J.
Timeline

• Steel, James R.
Timeline

• Stewart, Victor
Timeline

• Strand, Ralph S.
Timeline

• Swade, Thomas J.
Timeline

• Swider, Henry P.
Timeline

• Tanghal, Albert *
Timeline

• Theisen, Richard Gregory *
Timeline

• Thomas, Joseph S. *
Timeline

• Turlo, Walter J.
Timeline

• Ulatowski, Donald Francis
Timeline

• Vader, Anthony Joseph *
Timeline

• Weston, Michael
Timeline

---

Key Documents

Depositions

Priest Files

---

Search Contents of All Chicago Documents Below

 

Key Documents

Cardinal George's Knowledge of Abusive Priests:

Brigham, Kenneth
Maday, Norbet J.
Curran, John
Holihan, Daniel M.
McCormack, Daniel J.
Strand, Ralph S.
Bennett, Joseph R.

Priests Placed Back in Ministry Despite Danger to Minors:

Brigham, Kenneth.
O'Brien, William J.
Skriba, Raymond
Mayer, Robert E.
Curran, John
Cloutier, William J.
Hagan, James C.

Fitzharris, Joseph L.
Becker, Robert C.
Snieg, Marion J.
Holihan, Daniel M.
Job, Thomas J.
McCormack, Daniel J.
Swider, Henry P.

McCaffrey, Vincent E.
Romano, Russell L.
Ruge, Kenneth C.
Stewart, Victor
Strand, Ralph S.
Swade, Thomas J.
Weston, Michael

Priests Criminally Convicted for Abuse of Minors:

Maday, Norbet J.
Fitzharris, Joseph L.
McCaffrey, Vincent E.
Mayer, Robert E.
Strand, Ralph S.

Reasons for Removal of or Restrictions on Predator Priests Other than Abuse of Minors:

Skriba, Raymond

Swade, Thomas J.

Laicized Priests:

Job, Thomas J.
Holihan, Daniel M.
Weston, Michael
Fitzharris, Joseph L.

Hagan, James C.

Steel, James R.

Abusive Priests whom Cardinal George or Cardinal Bernardin Chose Not to Laicize:

Curran, John

Maday, Norbet J.

O'Brien, William J.

Ruge, Kenneth C.

Skriba, Raymond F.

Bennett, Joseph R.

Archdiocese of Chicago Documents

Child abuse: UN questions Australian government over Vatican stance | Australia news | The Guardian

 

The federal government(of Australia) has told a UN committee it is up to Australia’s child sex abuse royal commission to get the Vatican to hand over documents about paedophile priests.

Vice chair of the UN Committee Against Torture, Felice Gaer, had queried on Monday whether the Australian government’s refusal to investigate perpetrators of child abuse was “compliant or wilfully inactive”.

The committee sitting to review Australia’s record as a signatory to the Convention Against Torture has received submissions from non-government organisations including two from networks representing Australian survivors of institutional and clerical child sex abuse.

Gaer asked specifically what action the government had taken when Cardinal George Pell told a royal commission it was unreasonable to ask the Vatican to hand over all documents relevant to sex abuse by priests in Australia.

In August the cardinal told a public hearing of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse in Melbourne that Vatican documents on specific cases would be and had been supplied but it was not appropriate to hand them all over as they were the private internal documents of a sovereign state – the Holy See.

Read more by clicking on the following:  Child abuse: UN questions Australian government over Vatican stance | Australia news | The Guardian

Weekly Contributions for the weekend of November 9, 2014

 

Total Paid does not match last week’s total paid ($2,531,895.70) plus Collected 11-8/9, 2014 ($6,938).  Total Paid should be $2,538,833.70 difference of $5905. ($2,538,833.70 minus 2,532,928.70)

New Mass Times for St. James beginning December 20, 2014

As we draw closer to the Mass of Dedication with Bishop Malloy on Thursday, December 18th,
many have asked about the new Mass times for our new church. Since the Dedication Mass will be the
first in our new church, the new Mass times will come into effect beginning December 20-21st and
thereafter. Mass times for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be published through a mailing as
well as the bulletin.
Since Mass times affect the whole parish, I have prayerfully considered the various pastoral
needs of our community. I intentionally considered things such as times for Confessions on Saturdays,
weddings (with time for pictures), the time of day with winter months in mind, Religious Education
classes on Sundays, Baptisms, and the amount of people who attend each Mass so as to reflect peoples'
preferences. Not everyone will be happy with the new times but it will be a blessing to worship
God together with parishioners whom we may have never met because of the varied Mass times previously
offered.
Saturday evening Mass will be at 4:00 p.m. This time is more popular than the 5:30 p.m. time
and allows some daylight in the winter months for parishioners for whom that is important. Weddings
will remain at 1:00 p.m. with pictures from 2:00-2:30 p.m. Confessions will be heard from 2:30-3:30
p.m. so that the priest has time to vest for Mass at 4:00 p.m.
Sunday morning Masses will be at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. We tried to accommodate those
who wish to worship early in the morning by combining the previous 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. times, but
without being too early for the many extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to visit the homebound
after that Mass. The new 10:30 a.m. time combines the 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. times into one.
This will be an adjustment for some who prefer a later Sunday Mass. We may move English Baptisms
to 9:15 a.m. on the 3rd Sunday as to allow family members to go to Mass either before or after the Baptism.
The previous 3:00 p.m. Baptism time was inconvenient for those who should worship God on
Sunday as He commands.
The Spanish Mass will be at 12:00 noon, combining the two afternoon Spanish Masses into one
at an earlier time. We will continue to offer Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament all day on Thursdays
in the new church with Confessions from 5:30 p.m. - 6:20 p.m. followed by Benediction and Spanish
Mass at 6:30 p.m. Spanish Baptisms will remain on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00
a.m.. Daily Mass (every morning, including Saturday) in English will remain at 7:30 a.m..
To summarize (beginning December 20-21st and thereafter):
Saturday: Confessions 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Mass 4:00 p.m.
Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m., Spanish at 12:00 noon
Thank you very much for your cooperation in adjusting your schedules around the new Mass times. It
will be a blessing to see the many wonderful parishioners come together to worship the living God in our
new church.
God bless you,
Fr. Geary

Tale of two synods’

‘Tale of two synods’ emerged from Vatican, says USCCB president November 11th, 2014

By Mark Pattison -

 

….Those differences were highlighted by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York in remarks delivered during the assembly’s morning session.

“There must have been two synods,” he said, and the participating U.S. bishops “happened to be at the wrong one.”

From what he said he had heard and read about the synod, one synod was “confrontational and divisive,” “hijacked by left-wing dissenters intent on eluding doctrine,” with proceedings “smothered by new Ottavianis, dug in to resist the fresh breeze” of change, Cardinal Dolan said, referring to Italian Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani known for his opposition to the changes being brought about in the church during the Second Vatican Council.

“Too bad we missed that one,” Cardinal Dolan added. “The one we were at was hardly as spicy (and) juicy.”

The synod Cardinal Dolan said he attended “was a synod of consensus. This synod was led by a pope with a radical charism for attentive listening,” he said of Pope Francis, adding the only time the pope spoke was in “reciting the Angelus – twice.”

At this synod, “we listened to married couples who found God’s love in one another and their kids,” Cardinal Dolan said. “At this synod, we listened to bishops from Africa who said the (church’s) teaching on marriage, so widely dismissed in the First World, was enhancing their culture. ... We saw brother bishops asking how we can expedite and simplify marriage (annulment) cases.”

It was at this synod, Cardinal Dolan said, that “life-giving marriage” was the focus of “meeting the most urgent vocation crisis of the times.”

Archbishop Kurtz, in addressing his fellow bishops, noted that each one of the 62 paragraphs that constituted the final “relatio,” or report, of the synod met with majority approval – and all but three of the paragraphs with approval by at least two-thirds of those voting.

Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, at a news conference following the morning session, said Pope Francis had asked that the “votation” be published along with the text to indicate the degree of accord shared at the synod.

Archbishop Kurtz said there were 12 documents in all to be considered at the synod before the final “relatio” was discussed: the first two “relatios” – one offered at the synod’s beginning and a second draft issued mid-synod – plus separate documents produced by each of 10 small working groups.

“The work of the second ‘relatio’ was the work of the small groups,” Archbishop Kurtz told reporters….

See more at: http://www.catholic-sf.org/ns.php?newsid=1&id=62937#sthash.WdBrTEvu.dpuf

Madison’s Conservative Bishop back in the news

Biship Morlino of Madison has been criticized for attempts to return to Pre-Vatican II services and governance.  In 2008 two progressive groups signed a letter complaining of his actions in a one page paid advertisement in the Madison, WI newspaper.  (SEE:  http://boonecountycatholics.blogspot.com/2011/09/2008-outcry-concerning-madisons-biship.html)  Now the group sent a letter to Pope Francis in April 2014 and the letter has been leaked.  The following excerpts of Wisconsin State Journal articles regarding the issue.

In the Spirit: In letter to pope, progressive Catholics list grievances with Madison diocese : Wsj

In a letter to Pope Francis, the local group says it is very difficult in the Madison Catholic Diocese to be the kind of church the pontiff wants — one that works with the poor for justice, is sensitive to the needs of others, and welcomes everyone, especially those marginalized by society.

“The church you envision is not the church we are experiencing,” the letter states. “We experience not pastoral sensitivity, but judgment; we are marginalized, even excluded.”

Brent King, a spokesman for the Madison Catholic Diocese, said the letter contains “many false assertions.” By going public with their grievances, the letter writers will serve only to sow “deeper division and discord,” he said.

The letter was coordinated by members of two groups: the Madison-area chapter of Call to Action and Integrity/Dignity Madison.

Call to Action is a national organization of about 25,000 Catholics whose stated aim is to “transform” the church. Most members seek the ordination of female priests, the elimination of mandatory celibacy for priests, and a more welcoming environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Integrity/Dignity Madison is an ecumenical group founded 37 years ago to minister to LGBT people.

The letter was sent to the Vatican by certified mail in late April. It was never released to the press, though a copy of it recently was leaked to the State Journal by one of the 96 people who signed it. The person said he was frustrated that nothing has come of the letter and wants other Catholics to know of its existence.

Jim Green, a leader of the local Call to Action group, agreed to answer a few questions about the letter but wanted it made clear he was not the source of the leak and that the group’s leadership did not sanction the letter’s release.

Green said all of the signers identify as Catholic. This will be a point of contention with some, as critics of Call to Action say its members oppose so many of the church’s teachings that they should not call themselves Catholics.

During an average week, about 56,000 people attend Mass somewhere in the 11-county Madison Catholic Diocese. So those who signed the letter are a tiny slice.

Green acknowledged this and said it has always been a challenge to reach people in the pews who may be sympathetic to the group’s views because Morlino does not allow Call to Action to meet at any parishes in the diocese.

King said that’s because the group’s views on so many issues are antithetical to church doctrine and practice. Allowing Call to Action to meet on church property “can only cause confusion, or, far worse, serious scandal among the faithful,” he said.

Green said a copy of the letter was given to Morlino early on as a courtesy….

Read the entire article by going to:  In the Spirit: In letter to pope, progressive Catholics list grievances with Madison diocese : Wsj

 

For the response of the Madison diocese to some of the issues go to:  http://host.madison.com/diocese-s-response-to-complaints-listed-in-letter-to-pope/article_b54bab8e-99c0-5623-9906-690b18ae4b52.html

US bishops struggling under Francis' pontificate - Yahoo News

 

Francis is pressing U.S. bishops to make what for many prelates is a wrenching turnaround: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and individual church leaders have dedicated increasing resources over the years to the hot-button social issues the pontiff says should no longer be the focus. The bishops say they've been forced to emphasize these issues because of the growing acceptance of gay relationships and what they see as animosity toward Christians in America.

US bishops struggling under Francis' pontificate - Yahoo News

Pope Francis bashing is all the rage | USCatholic.org

 

The arguments from Catholics in the camp of Burke and Buchanan are nothing new, except that now they have adopted Francis as the face of their fears. But the pope isn't the one creating divisions or introducing radical ideas, he's simply bringing to the surface internal debates that have long existed and putting those arguments out in the open. Clearly that makes some people very uncomfortable. Perhaps that's because it shatters the illusion that the church is a unified body whose teachings are clear, unambiguous, and never changing, as opposed to a church that evolves in its understanding and application of age old teachings.

Francis seems to know what he's doing, and so far, he doesn't seem rattled by the criticism. He appears to be more concerned with improving the church than winning popularity contests, and suggestions that he's a heretic who is dooming the church aren't making him change course. Don't expect the personal shots at Francis to stop any time soon, but don't expect the pope to get too worked up over them either. After all, I hear he's not one to judge.

Click on the following for more details:  Pope Francis bashing is all the rage | USCatholic.org

Pope sacked Church official for selling annulments

 

Pope Francis revealed Wednesday that he had sacked a church court official who had been caught offering to facilitate marriage annulments for cash.

The shock revelation came in candid remarks to students attending a course at the Roman Rota tribunal, the equivalent of the Supreme Court for canon law, the body of Church rules.

Telling his audience that he wanted decisions on annulments to be easier, quicker and cheaper to obtain for ordinary people, the pontiff made it clear he regards the current system as deeply flawed.

"We have to be very careful that the procedure does not become a kind of business - and I am not talking about something we know nothing about," the 78-year-old pope said.

"There have been public scandals. Some time ago, I had to dismiss from a tribunal someone who was saying 'for 10,000 dollars I will do both the civil and the ecclesiastical procedure'."

Francis did not provide any further details of the episode but a Vatican spokesman told AFP he understood the pontiff to have been referring to an episode which occurred prior to him becoming pope last year.

The conditions under which a marriage can be annulled -- effectively declared to have never existed -- have been a vexed issue for the Church for centuries.

Most notably, the question triggered the 16th Century clash with King Henry VIII that led to the English reformation and the creation of the Church of England.

- Justice and charity -

In recent times, many critics have voiced concern that annulment appears to be more readily available to the wealthy - a view likely to be reinforced by Francis's remarks on Wednesday.

Calls for the process to be streamlined were discussed at a recent Vatican synod of bishops on the family and Francis said he supported reform on the grounds of "justice and also charity."

Citing his home city of Buenos Aires as an example, he said it was not right that parishioners had to take unpaid days off work and travel up to 240 kilometres (150 miles) to attend church court hearings, and then wait years before getting an answer to requests for annulment.

"The mother Church has enough generosity to provide justice freely, as we have been freely justified by Jesus Christ," he said. "The Church must be able to say, 'Yes, your marriage is void, or 'No, it is valid."

As things stand, most annulment requests are dealt with by lower church courts with the consent of two hearings required for an annulment to be granted.

The Roman Rota rules in cases where the two courts disagree or are unable to reach a decision and is charged with ensuring that decision-making on the issue is subject to coherent jurisprudence across the world.

Francis has made a crackdown on corruption within the church one of the dominant themes of his papacy, initiating a shake-up of both the Vatican bureaucracy and its bank in a bid to stem the damage caused by a string of scandals in recent years.

 

Above is from:  Pope sacked Church official for selling annulments

Judge rules for insurer in archdiocese bankruptcy issue

 

OneBeacon said it has already paid $400,000 to the archdiocese as part of its bankruptcy, according to the court record. And the archdiocese has sued it for an additional $2.6 million in legal fees.

Randa said OneBeacon is likely to prevail at the Supreme Court.

In the meantime, Randa said, "OneBeacon is stuck paying defense costs that the state courts have already said OneBeacon is not legally obligated to pay.

"In essence," Randa continued, "OneBeacon is being held hostage, forced to bankroll an interminable and highly contentious bankruptcy proceeding. The automatic stay is the only thing that stands in the way of clarity for OneBeacon and the Archdiocese."

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Judge rules for insurer in archdiocese bankruptcy issue

Hard-line US cardinal loses another Vatican job - Yahoo News

 

….The removal of Burke as head of the Holy See's supreme court was widely expected in church circles.

While he was archbishop of St. Louis, from 2003-2008, he led fellow American bishops in campaigns to stop giving Communion to Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion. He has also questioned some of the pontiff's pronouncements and approaches.

Last year Francis took Burke off the Vatican's powerful Congregation for Bishops, dealing with appointments of bishops worldwide.

On Saturday he transferred Burke from the Vatican court job to the largely ceremonial post of Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a charity whose activities include hospitals and residences for the elderly around the world…..

Click on the following for more details: Hard-line US cardinal loses another Vatican job - Yahoo News

Francis codifies pope's ability to effectively fire bishops | National Catholic Reporter

 

Pope Francis has codified his ability to effectively fire Catholic bishops, saying that in some circumstances, he "can consider it necessary" to ask them to resign their offices.

The move, which the Vatican announced Wednesday, seems to be an attempt by Francis to clear up any ambiguity about the pontiff's power to replace prelates around the world. While Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, have effectively removed bishops in the past, their power to do so was not previously so explicit in the church's laws.

Wednesday's change comes in a short edict approved Monday by Francis at the request of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state. Composed of seven short articles, the edict addresses the resignation of diocesan bishops and papal appointees.

Concerning resignations at the pope's request, the edict states: "In some particular circumstances, the competent authority can consider it necessary to ask a bishop to present his resignation from pastoral office, after having made known the reasons for the request and listening carefully to the reasons, in fraternal dialogue."

The competent authority in such an instance would seem to be only the pope, who is ultimately the only person responsible for appointing bishops.

Read more of the article by clicking on the following:  Francis codifies pope's ability to effectively fire bishops | National Catholic Reporter

Weekly Contribution for weekend of November 2, 2014

 

 

 

Cardinal Burke: Catholic Church Under Pope Francis Is 'A Ship Without A Rudder'

 

American Cardinal Raymond Burke, the feisty former archbishop of St. Louis who has emerged as the face of the opposition to Pope Francis’ reformist agenda, likened the Roman Catholic Church to “a ship without a rudder” in a fresh attack on the pope’s leadership.

In an interview with the Spanish Catholic weekly Vida Nueva, published Thursday (Oct. 30), Burke insisted he was not speaking out against the pope personally but raising concern about his leadership.

“Many have expressed their concerns to me. At this very critical moment, there is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder,” Burke said.

“Now, it is more important than ever to examine our faith, have a healthy spiritual leader and give powerful witness to the faith.”

Burke is the current head of the Vatican’s highest court known as the Apostolic Signatura, but he said recently he is about to be demoted. There is speculation he will be made patron of the Order of Malta, a largely ceremonial post.

“I have all the respect for the Petrine ministry and I do not want to seem like I am speaking out against the pope,” he said in the interview. “I would like to be a master of the faith, with all my weaknesses, telling a truth that many currently perceive.”

“They are feeling a bit seasick because they feel the church’s ship has lost its way,” he added.

Burke has expressed an uncompromising stance on keeping the ban on Communion for Catholics who divorce and remarry without an annulment, and is one of five conservative cardinals who aired their views in a new book, “Remaining in the Truth of Christ,” released on the eve of the bishops’ blockbuster synod in early October.

When the synod signaled a more welcoming tone to gay and lesbian Catholics, Burke publicly accused the global gathering of bias and was among those who pushed for a less conciliatory approach in the final report.

Burke had previously said that Catholic families should not expose children to the “evil” of homosexuality by inviting a gay son home for Christmas with his partner.

Read more by clicking on the following:   Cardinal Burke: Catholic Church Under Pope Francis Is 'A Ship Without A Rudder'