Friday, February 28, 2014

Pope Francis: The church needs better bishops; go find them - The Washington Post

By David Gibson | Religion News Service, Published: February

another strongly worded message to the Catholic hierarchy, Pope Francis on Thursday (Feb. 27) told the Vatican body that vets nominees for bishops that they need to find him better candidates to send to dioceses around the world.

“To choose such ministers we all need to raise our sights, to move to a higher level,” Francis told the Congregation for Bishops, the critical department of the Roman Curia that acts as a clearinghouse for bishop nominees. “We can’t do anything less, and we can’t be content with the bare minimum.”

 

 

On consecutive days last weekend, Francis delivered stern warnings to 19 new cardinals he appointed to join about 150 others in the College of Cardinals: On Saturday (Feb. 22), he told them to avoid “rivalry, jealousy, factions,” and at a Mass in the Vatican on Sunday (Feb. 23), he said they must reject “habits and ways of acting typical of a court: intrigue, gossip, cliques, favoritism and preferences.”

Read the entire story:  Pope Francis: The church needs better bishops; go find them - The Washington Post

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI denies resignation invalid - Yahoo News

 

There is no doubt at all on the validity of my renunciation," Benedict said in an unprecedented letter published in the La Stampa daily, after it had written to him with questions about when he stepped down in 2013.

"The only condition for validity is that the decision be taken in full freedom. Speculation over an invalid renunciation is simply absurd," said Benedict XVI, whose Latin title is now "pontifex emeritus".

READ MORE BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING:  Pope emeritus Benedict XVI denies resignation invalid - Yahoo News

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Cardinal George Pell named by Pope Francis to head Vatican finance ministry

Nick Miller
Europe Correspondent

On Monday the Pope issued an "apostolic letter" setting up a new Secretariat for the Economy in the Curia.

The secretariat will report directly to the Pope, and will supervise the administrative and financial activities of the Curia and of Vatican City State.

It will prepare the annual budgets for the Holy See and Vatican State, and implement policies determined by a new Council for the Economy including eight cardinals or bishops from around the world, and seven lay experts "of different nationalities with strong professional financial experience".

An Auditor-General position has also been created, with the power to conduct audits on any agency of the Holy See.

The changes are intended to simplify and consolidate management at the Vatican, and "improve co-ordination and oversight", said a communique from the Holy See Press Office.

They "will ensure better use of resources, improving the support available for various programs, particularly our works with the poor".

Cardinal Pell will relocate to Rome to take up the role, after giving evidence at Australia's child sexual abuse royal commission.

The new role is separate and not subject to the Vatican's Secretary of State – who was replaced last year after the prior incumbent was caught up in the Vatileaks scandal.

In an interview last year, Cardinal Pell said "There need to be changes in the economic area – not just with the so-called Vatican Bank – but more generally there is work there to be done [and] a need to ensure that things are being properly done."

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Cardinal George Pell named by Pope Francis to head Vatican finance ministry

Weekly Contributions for the weekend of February 22, 2014

 

 

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No change in Stewardship.

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One less family has pledged.  Total paid increased by more than anticipated—based upon $7,505.16 collected Total Paid should be $2,186,523.60.  Total Parish Pledges increased $1,670.00.  Total Overpayments increased by $541.22.

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Video: Secrets of the Vatican | Watch FRONTLINE Online | PBS Video

 

Secrets of the Vatican

Aired: 02/25/2014

  • 01:23:41
  • Rating: NR

In Secrets of the Vatican, FRONTLINE tells the epic, inside story of the collapse of the Benedict papacy and illuminates the extraordinary challenges facing Pope Francis as he tries to reform the powerful Vatican bureaucracy, root out corruption and chart a new course for the troubled Catholic Church and its 1.2 billion followers.

See the video by clicking on the following:  Video: Secrets of the Vatican | Watch FRONTLINE Online | PBS Video

Sunday, February 23, 2014

U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke: Pope Francis opposes abortion and gay marriage : Lifestyles

 

Burke has a long-standing reputation as one of the church’s most vocal hard-liners, with his broadsides on abortion and gay marriage even targeting his fellow American bishops. When Francis dropped Burke last year from an influential Vatican body that helps pick new bishops, it was seen as a significant shift in the church’s political dynamic.

Burke’s piece in the pages of the Vatican’s own semiofficial newspaper is an indicator of conservatives’ unease that their priorities are viewed as out of favor. Burke wrote that Francis’ new approach “cannot change the duty of the Church and her shepherds to teach clearly and insistently about the most fundamental moral questions of our time.”

At another point, Burke said that what Francis has called a “new balance” in the church’s approach did not require anyone to be “silent” about sexual morality; Burke argued that those issues must remain central to the church’s message.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke: Pope Francis opposes abortion and gay marriage : Lifestyles

KC diocese settles 2 lawsuits for $1.2 million - SFGate

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lawsuits stemming from the actions of a priest who took pornographic photographs of young parishioners have resulted in nearly $4 million in settlements by the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, after Jackson County judges approved the latest two deals this week.

Circuit Judge Jack Grate on Friday approved a $1.275 million settlement in a case filed by two parents on behalf of their minor daughter against the diocese, the Rev. Shawn Ratigan and Bishop Robert Finn, The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/OmYWoQ) reported. Two days earlier, Circuit Judge Jim Kanatzar approved a $525,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed last year against the same three defendants by two parents and their minor daughter.

Including two lawsuits it settled last year for nearly $2 million, the diocese now has agreed to pay $3.75 million so far in cases involving Ratigan, with two more lawsuits still pending.

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  KC diocese settles 2 lawsuits for $1.2 million - SFGate

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Pope Francis (Pontifex) on Twitter

 

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Tweets / All / No replies

  1. Pope Francis@Pontifex 20h

    Let us never lose hope! God loves us always, even with our mistakes and sins.

     

  2. Pope Francis@Pontifex Feb 21

    Confirmation is important for Christians; it strengthens us to defend the faith and to spread the Gospel courageously.

Click on the following for most recent twit:  Pope Francis (Pontifex) on Twitter

Apostolic nuncio confirms receipt of Bishop Finn appeal | National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe  |

Catholics here received notification Friday from the apostolic nuncio to the U.S. that he had received and forwarded to the Vatican their formal request for a canonical penal process investigating Finn, bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., diocese.

In his brief, two-sentence letter, dated Feb. 15, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano stated, "I acknowledge receipt of your letter of February 11, 2014 addressed to me. The correspondence which you sent has been forwarded to the Holy See."

In mid-February, the group, in tandem with Fr. Jim Connell, a retired Milwaukee priest and canon lawyer, made the appeal outlining their case that Finn violated church law by not promptly reporting suspicions of child sexual abuse by Fr. Shawn Ratigan. In such a scenario, it states, canon law gives the pope authority to investigate a prelate and, when necessary, enact a "just penalty."

Click on the following for more details:  Apostolic nuncio confirms receipt of Bishop Finn appeal | National Catholic Reporter

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Cardinal Timothy Dolan warns of bad publicity coming his way : Lifestyles

By Lilly Fowler

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"My home archdiocese of St. Louis just complied with a court order to release the documents regarding cases there of sexual abuse of minors...

Anyway, since I was an auxiliary bishop in St. Louis for a year (2001-02), and vicar for priests for nine of those twelve months, I would anticipate that my name will again be highlighted in the press.  I sure have nothing to hide..."  

The reason it's a bit peculiar Dolan should warn of bad publicity is because as the Post-Dispatch's reporting has highlighted, the files he refers to are under court seal, available only to the judge and lawyers involved. And the trial date for the case that spurred the release of the files has been pushed back -- to July.

Read the entire story by clicking on the followingCardinal Timothy Dolan warns of bad publicity coming his way : Lifestyles

Pope receives formal request to investigate prelate ucanews.com

 

The Kansas City Catholics' petition, dated Feb. 11, represents a formal request that the Vatican initiate a penal process to determine whether Finn violated church law by failing to report suspected child sexual abuse in connection to Fr. Shawn Ratigan.

In September, Ratigan was sentenced to 50 years in prison on child pornography charges; a year earlier, a Jackson County, Mo., court convicted Finn of a misdemeanor for failing to report and sentenced him to two years of probation. To avoid a similar charge in Clay County, Mo., Finn entered an agreement that requires him to meet monthly with the county prosecutor for five years.

"This lack of action by the Catholic Church to do justice and to repair scandal contributes to the ongoing scandal among the faithful that is a result of the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis," wrote Fr. James Connell in the formal appeal.

Connell, a retired Milwaukee priest and member of the Catholic Whistleblowers victims' advocacy

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/kansas-city-catholics-ask-pope-francis-investigate-bishop

Weekly Contributions for the weekend of February 15, 2014

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No Change in Stewardship.

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Overpayment increased $750.00.

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Newark archbishop's future retirement home undergoing a $500K addition | NJ.com

by Mark Mueller

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Click on the following to read more of this article:  Newark archbishop's future retirement home undergoing a $500K addition | NJ.com

OPINION: Milwaukee Archdiocese's reorganization plan shatters hope

 

Milwaukee Archdiocese's reorganization plan shatters hope

By James E. Connell

Feb. 17, 2014

An attorney once told me that bankruptcy is about money, nothing else, just money, and I suspect the attorney is correct.

The Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all evils (1 Tim 6:10), not some evils but all evils, and I hold to the veracity of this teaching.

And the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's reorganization plan recently filed in the bankruptcy court shows a desire that no sexual abuse claimant receive money. Yes, 128 claimants in category No. 9 (statute of limitations) will be paid. But about these claims the plan states that the archdiocese has "objected to" them, yet feels that successfully objecting to the claim would require "a full trial." It's a cut-your-losses approach. It would be cheaper to pay the claimants than to pay the trial costs.

So, to the archdiocese, no claim has merit. Is this how bankruptcies work?

Here is why this reorganization plan shatters hope.

The archdiocese went to great efforts to invite into the bankruptcy process the victims/survivors of sexual abuse "by any clergy member, teacher, deacon, employee, volunteer or other person connected with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee," as was stated on the public postings about filing a claim before the Feb. 1, 2012, "bar date." No eligibility restrictions were mentioned. And when the archdiocese recently announced its reorganization plan, the role of eligibility restrictions was not discussed.

Yet, the reorganization plan clearly shows that eligibility restrictions are central to the archdiocese arguing that no claim has merit. Some of these restrictions are because the alleged abuse was by a member of a religious order or by a lay person. Other reasons for the dismissal of claims are the statute of limitations and the lack of proof that the archdiocese committed fraud.

But neither the public postings nor the Abuse Survivor Proof of Claim form stated any claim eligibility restrictions. Rather, both documents invited participation in a way that acknowledged the financial reality of the archdiocese, while also providing a gesture of hope for justice and healing.

It could be, therefore, that survivors of sexual abuse interpreted the process as one in which the Catholic Church was wanting do what is right and good, even if not required by law. The gesture by the archdiocese could have been seen to indicate that the church was willing to remedy abuse cases even if beyond the statute of limitations (truly, it's difficult for some survivors to speak up promptly) or even if there was a prior settlement (maybe it wasn't really fair) or even if the abuse was by a religious order priest (after all, they can't serve in the archdiocese without the permission of the archbishop). Indeed, the bankruptcy claims process seemed inviting, not restrictive.

Eligibility restrictions should have been stated clearly on the public postings and on the proof of claim form, as well as in the various archdiocesan communications so that survivors to whom the restrictions applied would have realized that they would not share in the bankruptcy settlement. No false hopes would have been created. Indeed, doing so would have been a humane gesture of justice.

But, to introduce these restrictions after claims had been filed with the court was disingenuous and further generates distrust of Catholic Church leaders. For some/many/all of the claimants, participation in this bankruptcy process took great courage. To be turned away now adds to trauma, not to healing.

If the dismissal of the claims has been the intention of the archdiocese all along, then shame on all involved for having raised the hopes of many people, survivors and non-survivors alike, and then shattering those hopes.

Yet, the matter rests with the bankruptcy court. And some key elements of the case are still in an appeals court process. Who knows what will happen?

For me, I hope for justice: equity for the parties that serves the common good of society.

Rev. James E. Connell is a senior priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and an advocate for victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

© 2014, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

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Milwaukee Archdiocese's reorganization plan shatters hope

Catholics in Kansas City area among those seeking discipline for bishop | Springfield News-Leader | news-leader.com

 

Roman Catholics in the Kansas City area have joined a formal request to Pope Francis to discipline Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted in 2012 of failing to report a priest involved in child pornography.

An online petition signed by more than 113,000 people worldwide asking for Finn’s removal also was sent to the Vatican, The Kansas City Star reported.

Finn, the head of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, was placed on two years of court-supervised probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

The case was related to Finn’s handling of complaints against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, a priest who admitted taking lewd

Read the entire story by clicking on the followingCatholics in Kansas City area among those seeking discipline for bishop | Springfield News-Leader | news-leader.com

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Milwaukee archdiocese bankruptcy cost: $12M | Press Gazette Media | greenbaypressgazette.com

 

Written by
M.L. Johnson
Associated Press

Bankruptcy has cost the Archdiocese of Milwaukee more than $12 million in legal fees and other expenses, and rejection of its recovery plan could force it to pay out $13 million more, its attorneys said in newly filed court documents.

The financial details were revealed in the archdiocese’s reorganization plan, filed late Wednesday night in federal bankruptcy court.

The plan proposes providing $4 million to compensate an estimated 125 victims of clergy sex abuse — less than a fourth of those who filed claims — while other victims would receive therapy but no cash payment. That’s the smallest per-victim payment yet offered by the 11 dioceses that have filed for bankruptcy in the past decade.

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Milwaukee archdiocese bankruptcy cost: $12M | Press Gazette Media | greenbaypressgazette.com

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Pope Francis Needs to End the Catholic Child Abuse Scandal - US News

By Leslie Marshall

The Legionaries of Christ, a Catholic religious order, has officially accused its founder, Father Marcial Maciel, of "reprehensible and objectively immoral behavior." Maciel is accused of being a drug addict, a womanizer and a pedophile. The order officially denounced him, eight years after former Pope Benedict removed him from service. It also issued an apology: "We want to express our deep sorrow for the abuse of minor seminarians, the immoral acts with men and women who were adults, the arbitrary use of his authority and of material goods." 

As Legionaries delegates from around the world met in Rome, the apology was to show they are willing to start a new chapter and head in a new direction. Or could it be the apology only came because of a United Nations report accusing the Legionaires of ignoring child abuse by priests and specifically denouncing the "magnitude of the evil and scandal" the U.N. felt Maciel had caused?

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Pope Francis Needs to End the Catholic Child Abuse Scandal - US News

Friday, February 7, 2014

Expert: Lawsuits hold clergy accountable in sex crimes against minors - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

By Chris Green

Kathleen Gibbons, 46, of Rockford. She attended Holy Family Elementary School from 1972 to 1980.

A week ago, Gibbon's attorney, Rene Hernandez, filed a $5 million lawsuit against Holy Family Catholic Church, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford, and three clergy members: Monsignor Al Harte, Father Bob and Brother Allen. Harte died in 2002. The last names of Bob and Allen and their whereabouts are unknown.

While Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill in August eliminating the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sex abuse crimes, it is not clear if the amended law will apply to the Gibbons case.
Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140207/News/140209454#ixzz2shc3pfbS

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

UN panel’s recommendations to Vatican - The Washington Post

 

line with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Holy See ratified in 1990, “in particular those (laws) relating to children’s rights to be protected against discrimination, violence and all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.” This includes any obligation for victims of crimes or those aware of them to remain silent.

___

PUT CHILDREN BEFORE THE CHURCH

 

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  UN panel’s recommendations to Vatican - The Washington Post

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Judge OKs archdiocese cemetery lease deal

 

Harold Brubaker, Inquirer Staff Writer
Last updated: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 8:06 PM
Posted: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 3:16 PM

Philadelphia Orphans' Court Judge John W. Herron ruled Tuesday that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's plan to lease 13 cemeteries to a for-profit company was not a diversion of charitable assets, clearing the way for the deal to go forward.

Under the agreement between the archdiocese and StoneMor Partners L.P., announced in September, StoneMor will make an initial payment of $53 million, with an additional $36 million spread over the sixth through 35th years of the 60-year lease

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Judge OKs archdiocese cemetery lease deal

11th Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy over sexual abuse cases - JSOnline

 

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

 

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Mont., has agreed to pay $15 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse, and becomes the 11th U.S. diocese to file for bankruptcy protection to deal with its numerous abuse claims and lawsuits.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee was the eighth Catholic diocese to seek Chapter 11 protection when it filed in January 2011.

Helena appears unusual, if not unique, among the bankrupt dioceses in that it hammered out its settlement agreement with victim-survivors before filing on Friday.

According to the diocese, it will pay $15 million to 362 victims and an place an unspecified amount into a future-claims fund. The bulk of that will be funded by insurance. The diocese itself would contribute $2.5 million toward claims, legal fees and other costs.

The diocese also agreed to make a public apology, make public the names of those priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse and provide counseling for victims.

11th Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy over sexual abuse cases - JSOnline

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Priest sex-abuse suit seeks $5M from Rockford Diocese - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

Rockford woman is suing Holy Family Catholic Church and the Catholic Diocese of Rockford for $5 million, saying she was sexually abused for three years while a student at Holy Family Catholic School from 1972 to 1980.
Kathleen Gibbons, 46, is represented by the law office of Rene Hernandez. The suit, filed Friday, also names three clergy members as defendants: Monsignor Al Harte, Father Bob and Brother Allen. Harte died in 2002; Hernandez said the last names of Bob and Allen and their whereabouts are unknown.

Click on the following for more details:   Priest sex-abuse suit seeks $5M from Rockford Diocese - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL