The Georgia Archbishop responds to criticism of building a $2.2 million residence -

By ARCHBISHOP WILTON D. GREGORY, Commentary | Published March 31, 2014

 

“We are disturbed and disappointed to see our church leaders not setting the example of a simple life as Pope Francis calls for. How can we instill this in our children when they see their archdiocesan leadership living extravagantly? We ask you to rethink these decisions and understand the role model the clergy must serve so the youth of our society can answer Jesus’ call. Neither our 18- or 14-year-old sons understand the message you are portraying.”

So went just one of many of the heartfelt, genuine and candidly rebuking letters, emails and telephone messages I have received in the past week from people of faith throughout our own Archdiocese and beyond. Their passionate indictments of me as a Bishop of the Catholic Church and as an example to them and their children are stinging and sincere. And I should have seen them coming.

Please understand that I had no desire to move; however, the Cathedral Parish has a problem, albeit a happy one. The Cathedral of Christ the King is one of our largest, most vibrant and fastest growing parishes—but it is landlocked. The site of the current rectory could be used for expansion if the priests could be moved to a new rectory nearby. Because of the proximity of the Archbishop’s house to the Cathedral and the way it is configured with separate apartments and common space, the rector of Christ the King one day summoned the courage to ask me if I would give some thought to letting the parish purchase the residence from the Archdiocese to repurpose it for its rectory. It made more sense for them to be in walking distance to the Cathedral than I, so I said yes, knowing full well that literally left the Archbishop without a place to live.

Soon thereafter, the Archdiocese and the Cathedral Parish received a generous bequest from Joseph Mitchell, including his home on Habersham Road, to benefit the whole Archdiocese, but especially his beloved parish, the Cathedral of Christ the King. Through the extraordinary kindness of Joseph Mitchell, we had a perfect piece of property nearby on which to relocate the Archbishop’s residence.

Some have suggested that it would have been appropriate for the Cathedral Parish to build a rectory on the Habersham property and have the priests each drive back and forth, and in retrospect that might be true. At the time, though, I thought that not giving up the Archbishop’s residence, which was so close to the Cathedral Parish, would have been perceived as selfish and arrogant by the people at the Cathedral Parish and might damage my relationship with them!

So I agreed to sell the West Wesley residence to the Cathedral Parish and set about looking for a different place for me and my successors to live. That’s when, to say the least, I took my eye off the ball. The plan seemed very simple. We will build here what we had there—separate living quarters and common spaces, a large kitchen for catering, and lots of room for receptions and other gatherings.

What we didn’t stop to consider, and that oversight rests with me and me alone, was that the world and the Church have changed.

Even before the phenomenon we have come to know as Pope Francis was elected to the Chair of Peter, we Bishops of the Church were reminded by our own failings and frailty that we are called to live more simply, more humbly, and more like Jesus Christ who challenges us to be in the world and not of the world. The example of the Holy Father, and the way people of every sector of our society have responded to his message of gentle joy and compassion without pretense, has set the bar for every Catholic and even for many who don’t share our communion.

As the Shepherd of this local Church, a responsibility I hold more dear than any other, certainly more than any configuration of brick and mortar, I am disappointed that, while my advisors and I were able to justify this project fiscally, logistically and practically, I personally failed to project the cost in terms of my own integrity and pastoral credibility with the people of God of north and central Georgia.

I failed to consider the impact on the families throughout the Archdiocese who, though struggling to pay their mortgages, utilities, tuition and other bills, faithfully respond year after year to my pleas to assist with funding our ministries and services.

I failed to consider the difficult position in which I placed my auxiliary bishops, priests, deacons and staff who have to try to respond to inquiries from the faithful about recent media reports when they might not be sure what to believe themselves.

I failed to consider the example I was setting for the young sons of the mother who sent the email message with which I began this column.

To all of you, I apologize sincerely and from my heart.

We teach that stewardship is half about what you give away, and half about how you use what you choose to keep. I believe that to be true. Our intention was to recreate the residence I left behind, yet I know there are situations across the country where local Ordinaries have abandoned their large homes, some because of financial necessity and others by choice, and they continue to find ways to interact with the families in their pastoral care without the perception, real or imagined, of lavish lifestyles.

So where do we go from here?

It is my intention to move deliberately forward and to do a better job of listening than I did before. When I thought this was simply a matter of picking up and moving from one house to a comparable one two miles away, we covered every angle from the fiscal and logistical perspectives, but I overlooked the pastoral implications. I fear that when I should have been consulting, I was really only reporting, and that is my failure. To those who may have hesitated to advise me against this direction perhaps out of deference or other concerns, I am profoundly sorry.

There are structures already in place in the Archdiocese from which I am able to access the collective wisdom of our laity and our clergy. In April I will meet with the Archdiocesan Council of Priests, and in early May our Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (a multi-cultural group of Catholics of all ages, representing parishes of all sizes, who serve as a consultative body to me) will convene. I will ask for the Finance Council of the Archdiocese to schedule an extraordinary meeting. At each of these meetings I will seek their candid guidance on how best to proceed.

If it is the will of these trusted representative groups, the Archdiocese will begin the process of selling the Habersham residence. I would look to purchase or rent something appropriate elsewhere.

It has been my great privilege and honor to be your Archbishop for the past nine years. I promise you that my service to you is the reason I get up each day—not the house in which I live or the zip code to which my mail is sent. I would never jeopardize the cherished and personal relationships I have built with so many of you over something that personally means so little after all.

I humbly and contritely ask your prayers for me, and I assure you, as always, of mine for you.

Above is taken from:  The archbishop responds - Georgia Bulletin

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

Elderly Jesuit explains why he resigned from priesthood. Association of Catholic Priests

 

Fr Bert Thelen’s Letter of Resignation, June 2013

TO : Family, Relatives, and Friends, Colleagues and Partners in Ministry, CLC Members, Ignatian Associates, Project Mankind, Parishioners of St. John’s, St Benedict the Moor, Sacred Heart, Jesuit Classmates and Companions
FROM: Bert Thelen, S.J., June, 2013

Dearly Beloved,

May the Grace of Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the Peace of the Holy Spirit be with you! I am writing to tell you about what may be the most important decision of my life since entering the Jesuits. With God’s help, at the behest of my religious superiors and the patient support and wise encouragement of my CLC group and closest friends, I have decided to leave ordained Jesuit ministry and return to the lay state, the priesthood of the faithful bestowed on me by my Baptism nearly 80 years ago. I do this with confidence and humility, clarity and wonder, gratitude and hope, joy and sorrow. No bitterness, no recrimination, no guilt, no regrets.

It has been a wonderful journey, a surprising adventure, an exploration into the God Who dwells mysteriously in all of our hearts. I will always be deeply grateful to the Society of Jesus for the formation, education, companionship, and ministry it has provided, and to my family for their constant support. I can never thank God enough for the loving and loyal presence in my life of each and every one of you.

Why am I doing this? How did I reach this decision? I will try to tell you now. That is the purpose of this letter. For about 15 years now, as many of you have noticed, I have had a “Lover’s Quarrel” with the Catholic Church. I am a cradle Catholic and grew up as Catholic as anyone can, with Priests and even Bishops in our household, and 17 years of Catholic education at St. Monica’s Grade School, Milwaukee Messmer High School, and Marquette University. I took First Vows at Oshkosh in the Society of Jesus at age 25 and was ordained at Gesu Church to the priesthood ten years later in 1968. I have served the Church as a Jesuit priest in Milwaukee, Omaha, and Pine Ridge for 45 years, including 18 years on the Province Staff culminating in my being the Wisconsin Provincial for six years and attending the 34th General Congregation in Rome.

My last 14 years at Creighton and St. John’s have been the best years of my life. I have truly enjoyed and flourished serving as pastor of St. John’s. I cannot even put into words how graced and loved and supported I have been by the parishioners, parish staff, campus ministry, Ignatian Associates, and CLC members! It is you who have freed, inspired, and encouraged me to the New Life to which I am now saying a strong and joyful “Yes.” You have done this by challenging me to be my best self as a disciple of Jesus, to proclaim boldly His Gospel of Love, and to widen the horizons of my heart to embrace the One New World we are called to serve in partnership with each other and our Triune God. It is the Risen Christ Who beckons me now toward a more universal connection with the Cosmos, the infinitely large eco-system we are all part of, the abundance and vastness of what Jesus called “the Reign of God.”

Why does this “YES” to embrace the call of our cosmic inter-connectedness mean saying “NO” to ordained ministry? My answer is simple but true. All mystical traditions, as well as modern science, teach us that we humans cannot be fully ourselves without being in communion with all that exists. Lasting justice for Earth and all her inhabitants is only possible within this sacred communion of being. We need conversion – conversion from the prevailing consciousness that views reality in terms of separateness, dualism, and even hierarchy, to a new awareness of ourselves as inter-dependent partners , sharing in one Earth-Human community. In plainer words, we need to end the world view that structures reality into higher and lower, superior and inferior, dominant and subordinate, which puts God over Humanity, humans over the rest of the world, men over women, the ordained over the laity. As Jesus commanded so succinctly, “Don’t Lord it over anyone … serve one another in love.” As an institution, the Church is not even close to that idea; its leadership works through domination, control, and punishment. So, following my call to serve this One World requires me to stop benefiting from the privilege, security, and prestige ordination has given me. I am doing this primarily out of the necessity and consequence of my new call, but, secondarily, as a protest against the social injustices and sinful exclusions perpetrated by a patriarchal church that refuses to consider ordination for women and marriage for same- sex couples.

I have become convinced that the Catholic Church will never give up its clerical privilege until and unless we priests (and bishops) willingly step down from our pedestals. Doing this would also put me in solidarity with my friend, Roy Bourgeois, my fellow Jesuit, Fr. Bill Brennan, the late Bernard Cooke, and many other men who have been “de-frocked” by the reigning hierarchy. It will also support the religious and lay women, former Catholics, and gay and lesbian couples marginalized by our church. I want to stand with and for them. I am, if you will, choosing to de-frock myself in order to serve God more faithfully, truly, and universally.

But why leave the Jesuits? Make no mistake about it: the Society of Jesus shares in and benefits from this patriarchal and clerical way of proceeding. We still regard ourselves as the shepherds and those to whom and with whom we minister as sheep. I discovered this painfully when the Society of Jesus decided against having Associate members. We are not prepared for co-membership or even, it seems at times, for collaboration, though we pay lip service to it. “Father knows best” remains the hallmark of our way of proceeding. I can no longer, in conscience, do that. But I still honor and love my fellow Jesuits who work from that model of power over. It is still where we all are as a company, a Society, a community of vowed religious in the Roman Catholic church. Leaving behind that companionship is not easy for me, but it is the right thing for me to do at this time in my life. When I went through a formal discernment process with my CLC group, one member whose brilliance and integrity I have always admired and whose love and loyalty to the Jesuits is beyond question, said of my decision, “You cannot NOT do this!” He had recognized God’s call in me.

A few other considerations may help clarify my path. The Church is in transition – actually in exile. In the Biblical tradition, the Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian captivities led to great religious reforms and the creation of renewed covenants. Think of Moses, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. I think a similar reform is happening in our Catholic faith (as well as other traditions). We have come through far-reaching, earth-shaking evolutionary changes, and a new (Universal) Church as well as a new (One) World is emerging. My decision is a baby step in that Great Emergence, a step God is asking me to take.

Consider this. Being a Lay Catholic has sometimes been caricatured as “Pray, pay, and obey.” Of course, that is a caricature, an exaggeration, a jibe. But it does point to a real problem. Recently, the hierarchical church mandated the so-called revision of the Roman Missal without consulting the People of God. It was both a foolish and a self-serving effort to increase the authority of Ordained men, damaging and even in some ways taking away the “Pray” part of “Pray, pay, and obey.” No wonder more and more Catholics are worshipping elsewhere, and some enlightened priests feel compromised in their roles. I, for one, feel that this so-called renewal , though licit, is not valid. It is not pleasing to God, and I feel compromised in trying to do it.

Now, consider this. All of this liturgical, ecclesial, and religious change is located in and strongly influenced by what both science and spirituality have revealed as happening to our world, our planet, our universe. The very earth we are rooted and grounded in, as well as the air we breathe and the water we drink, are being damaged and destroyed even beyond (some say) our capacity to survive. And, as Fr. John Surette, S.J., has so wisely observed, “Injustice for the human and destruction of Earth’s ecosystem are not two separate injustices. They are one.” Biocide is even more devastating than genocide, because it also kills future inhabitants of our precious Earth.

It is time. It is time to abandon our refusal to see that our very environment is central to the survival and well being of ALL earthlings. It is time for the Church to turn her attention from saving face to saving the earth, from saving souls to saving the planet. It is time to focus on the sacred bond that exists between us and the earth. It is time to join the Cosmic Christ in the Great Work of mending, repairing, nurturing, and protecting our evolving creation. It is time for a new vision of a universal Church whose all-inclusive justice and unconditional love, an expression of Christ consciousness and the work of the Holy Spirit, empowers ALL and can lead to a future that preserves the true right to life of all of God’s creatures. This includes future generations who will bless us for allowing them to live, evolve, and flourish. Can’t you hear them crying out, “I want to live, I want to grow, I want to be, I want to know?”

In light of all this, how can I not respond to the call both Isaiah and Jesus heard, the call of our Baptism? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me and sent me to bring Good News to the oppressed.” All creation will be freed, and all people will know the freedom and glory of the Children of God. Yes, Lord, I will go. Please send me.

And that is why I am leaving Jesuit priesthood. Since first vows I have always thought and hoped and prayed that I would live and die in this least Society of Jesus. But now, something unexpected! A real surprise! I HAVE lived and died in the Society of Jesus, but, now, nearly 80, I have been raised to new life. I am born again – into a much larger world, a much newer creation. I have greatly benefited from the spiritual freedom given in and by the Society of Jesus. I feel no longer chained, limited, bound, by the shackles of a judicial, institutional, clerical, hierarchical system. As St. Paul once reminded the early Christians, “It is for freedom that you have been set free.” And as St. Peter, the first Pope, learned when he said to Jesus, “You know that I love you,” love is all about surrender and servanthood.

Thank you for your attention to this self presentation. I am grateful that you have followed me in the journey described here, and I am sorry for whatever sadness, disappointment, or hurt this may have caused you. But what I have written here is my truth, and I can’t not do it! If you want to discuss this with me, ask questions, or give me feedback, I welcome your response, either by letter, e-mail or phone.
( 402-305-2665 ). Please pray for me, as I do for all of you, the beloved of my heart and soul.

Yours in the Risen Christ, Bert Thelen

The above is taken from:  Elderly Jesuit explains why he resigned from priesthood. Association of Catholic Priests

Ireland will have no Catholic priests in twenty years predicts a senior cleric | Irish News | IrishCentral

 

For 22 parishes, there are now seven priests under 55. Spool on for two decades and there will be seven (or thereabouts) under 75

Ireland will have no Catholic priests in twenty years predicts a senior cleric | Irish News | IrishCentral

Rockford's search for Catholic priests hits a ‘materialist age’ - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

number of priests has remained relatively stable — 182 diocesan priests in 2012 versus 170 in 1965 — but the makeup of Rockford’s clergy has become dramatically grayer.

The number of active diocesan priests is down 20 percent since 1965, and the number of retired priests has increased sixfold to 53.

And the clergy work force does not reflect the diocese’s faithful, nearly half of whom are Hispanic. There are 24 priests of Hispanic descent in the diocese, just more than 13 percent of the total, although many parishes offer Mass in Spanish.

By the numbers
11 Counties covered by the Catholic Diocese of Rockford
390,476 Catholics
105 Parishes
68% Catholics of the diocese who live in Kane and McHenry counties
182* Priests
129 Active priests
53 Retired priests
49 Median age of Rockford’s priests
22 Seminarians
47% Hispanic Catholics
13% Hispanic priests

*Does not include religious-order priests

Click on the following to read all of this three page article;  Rockford's search for Catholic priests hits a ‘materialist age’ - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Does the church really need a second Fortnight for Freedom? | USCatholic.org

 

If at first they don't succeed, the U.S. bishops are determined to try, try again. And so this summer, the bishops have announced they will sponsor the second annual Fortnight for Freedom campaign, another two weeks devoted to trying to prove that Catholics' religious freedom in the United States is in grave danger

Click on the following for more details:  Does the church really need a second Fortnight for Freedom? | USCatholic.org

Bishop snared in abuse scandal criticizes Catholic newspaper - latimes.com

 

The National Catholic Reporter has won awards for its investigative reporting and has been covering church sex scandals since 1985, National Catholic Reporter publisher and former editor Tom Fox told the Kansas City Star.

“We are a Catholic publication, but independent of the church structure. That’s one of the keys to our credibility," Fox told the Star, adding of Finn, "He’s hurting. I know he thinks he’s doing his job."

Click on the following for more details:  Bishop snared in abuse scandal criticizes Catholic newspaper - latimes.com

Business leaders come out in support of gay marriage in Illinois - chicagotribune.com

 

By Manya BrachearTribune reporter

Dozens of Illinois business leaders and several companies publicly endorsed gay marriage Sunday in an attempt to reignite the issue after a proposed bill failed to get traction in Springfield this month.

….In addition to Google, Orbitz Worldwide and Groupon, individual signers of the letter include Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Co.; Lance Chody, CEO of Garrett Popcorn Shops; Fred Eychaner, chairman of the Newsweb Corp.; and Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs.

The bishops and ministers from about 1,700 Illinois congregations and ministries said the attempt to alter the state's definition of marriage threatens an institution that society counts on as the ideal environment for raising children and teaching men and women to depend on each other.

While the bill exempts religious institutions from having to consecrate same-sex marriages, religious leaders worry that it would not protect their rights to freely exercise their religious beliefs because they would have to treat same-sex unions as the equivalent of marriage in their business practices. For example, they might be forced to provide health insurance to an employee's same-sex spouse.

Click on the following for more details:  Business leaders come out in support of gay marriage in Illinois - chicagotribune.com

Letter-from-Cardinal-Francis-George-on-same-sex

Click on the following to read the entire letter:  http://tribwgntv.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/letter-from-cardinal-francis-george-on-same-sex.pdf

Cardinal George: Gay marriages go against natural law : Chicago Phoenix

 

Despite the anti-gay marriage sentiments coming from the top of the local Catholic Church, a majority of Illinois Catholics support same-sex unions, according to a poll conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University released in late September.

Eighty-one percent of Catholics surveyed support either full marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples or the right to a civil union. Specifically, 39.9 percent said they support marriage rights and 40.1 percent said their position is for same-sex couples to have civil unions. Only 15.7 percent said there should be no legal recognition of same-sex relationships, according to the poll.

Click on the following to read the entire article: Cardinal George: Gay marriages go against natural law : Chicago Phoenix

« Fighting Modernists, a Decree Shaped Catholicism Prestige of Clergy Helped Hide Abuse, Tom Doyle Says »

 

Effective Church Financial Management Systems

Over the past 10 months, I and and many other Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) volunteers, with input from many VOTF members, have worked on formulating and improving a policy statement on effective church financial management systems and getting that statement approved by VOTF officers. The 8.23.2007 issue of In the Vineyard, the VOTF bi-weekly electronic newspaper, carried the approved policy statement, which follows.

If anyone has any comments or questions, please use the Reply capability of this site, or e-mail me at frankdouglas62@yahoo.com.

* * *

VOTF National Representative Council
Resolution on
Effective Church Financial Management Systems

August 2007 - Recent media disclosures and an important university study provide compelling evidence that secrecy, ineffective internal financial controls, inadequate disclosure, and insufficient oversight characterize the financial activities, records, and reports of too many Catholic parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences (the public policy and lobbying arms of the Church).

Establishing effective Church financial management systems will provide the financial transparency and accountability necessary to solve these problems. Moreover, 89 percent of American Catholics want a substantial voice in the financial decisions of their Church (the National Catholic Reporter, September 30, 2005).

Therefore, VOTF calls on lay Catholics to work in partnership with pastors and bishops to provide the responsible management of Church financial resources that justice and good stewardship demand.

Background
The Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova’s School of Business reported in January 2007 that 85% of U.S. dioceses responding said that they had uncovered embezzlement schemes over the past five years. More than 10% reported that the amounts stolen exceeded half a million dollars. The study reported that the Catholic Church has some of the most rigorous financial guidelines of any denomination, but found that the guidelines were often ignored in parishes. Some of the cash that goes into the collection plate does not always get deposited into the church’s bank account because of high-living clerical life-styles or embezzlement or both.

In January 2007, the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., removed the pastor of a Greenwich, Conn., parish over the expenditure of some $500,000 without proper documentation. That follows the revelations last year that a prominent Darien, Conn., priest, Michael Jude Fay, had walked off with $1.4 million to bankroll a luxurious lifestyle of New York trips and Florida vacations with a male friend. In Virginia, a priest was accused of stealing $600,000 to help support a woman who may be his wife, while last September two Palm Beach, Fla., priests were arrested for allegedly stealing $8.6 million from their parish. In Boston, priests’ trust has been shaken by pension fund mismanagement.

On January 18, 2007, the Accounting Practices Committee, a group of lay experts who advise the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), called for tighter internal controls over finances in the nation’s more than 19,000 parishes.

Many of the recommendations of the Villanova Center for the Study of Church Management, as documented in Internal Financial Controls in the U.S. Catholic Church, and of the bishops’ Accounting Practices Committee have been incorporated in the general and specific recommendations that follow.

General Recommendations

1. VOTF strongly advocates the establishment of sound financial management systems, policies, procedures, controls, and practices at all levels of the Catholic Church, including parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences, that provide enhanced financial accounting, full disclosure of financial information, and effective oversight.
2. Policies, procedures, controls, and practices should be documented, maintained current, available on the Internet, and provided to Church members upon request. Documentation should include a detailed description of financial controls, tools, standards and procedures.
3. At all levels, financial statements should be prepared on a consistent basis from year to year, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), published on a timely basis including comprehensive and informative footnote disclosure. Disclosure of financial information should be accurate, detailed and comprehensive.
4. At all levels, policies should be implemented to guard against fraud and embezzlement, protect whistleblowers (e.g., by establishing communication channels for church workers to report suspected irregularities or fraudulent activities while protecting their anonymity), and report all suspected cases of fraud to law enforcement authorities.
5. At all levels, policies and procedures should be designed and implemented to provide effective oversight, with significant participation by knowledgeable lay persons, in the development, monitoring, and improvement of financial management systems.
6. At all levels, high priority should be given to identifying and correcting deficiencies in current financial systems. Specifically, VOTF recommends that initial improvements to parish, diocesan, and Catholic Conference financial systems be completed by December 31, 2008.
7. Catholic conference financial policies should ensure full disclosure of all expenditures for legislative initiatives.

Specific recommendations for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences:

Parishes
Parish financial management systems should provide for:

1. Effective parish finance councils, as required by canon law. The council should include members with knowledge and experience in parish finances and/or financial management (e.g., financial managers, accountants, or business managers and owners). Members of the council should represent a cross section of the parish community and include members that are elected by the parish community.
2. Thorough training for parish finance council members relative to their roles and
   responsibilities.
3. An open budgeting process that solicits input from all members of the parish
   community.
4. Effective security controls over all revenue and disbursements, especially with
   respect to cash and cash equivalents. Examples of such controls include church ushers securing money in tamper proof bags with numbered seals; rotating money-counting teams; separation-of-duties standards, such as ensuring that bookkeepers recording the funds aren’t the ones counting and depositing them; pre-numbered receipts; and two signatures on checks for large disbursements.
5. A system of internal controls, including those to prevent embezzlement.
6. Preparation of annual audited or compiled financial statements by an independent CPA in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and made available to the parish community.
7. Full, supplemental disclosures including:
8. • Monthly or quarterly financial reports including a balance sheet and income statement (receipts and disbursements.)
   • Preparation of an annual budget (approved by the parish finance council) that is made available to the parish community.
   • Annual report to parishioners from the parish finance council containing: i) the names, brief background, and expertise of parish finance council members; ii) dates when the council met; iii) date(s) when the approved parish financial statements and budget were made available to parishioners during the preceding fiscal year and when they will be made available during the current year.
   • Periodically, but at a minimum, every 5 years, a detailed statement itemizing the estimated fair market value of assets owned by the parish.

Dioceses
Diocesan financial management systems should provide for:

1. Diocesan financial councils including members with experience and expertise in financial management (e.g., financial managers, accountants, business managers). VOTF recommends that diocesan financial councils include significant representation by persons elected by parishioners, parish councils, parish finance councils, priests and religious communities.
2. An open budgeting process that solicits input from parish councils, parish finance councils, and other members of the diocese.
3. A system of internal controls, including those to prevent embezzlement.
4. Preparation and issuance of audited financial statements conducted by an independent CPA in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). VOTF recommends that the CPA firm be changed periodically (e.g., every 3-5 years)
5. Diocesan policies should include a conflicts of interest policy and require selection of the diocesan auditor by a person other than the diocesan chief financial officer.
6. Financial accounting and reporting systems should comply with the existing guidelines in the Diocesan Financial Issues document approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In addition, we recommend the use, as appropriate, of the work products of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management and VOTF’s Structural Change Working Group, and other best practices (e.g., Business Administration – Best Parish Practices published by the Archdiocese of Chicago).
7. Full, supplemental disclosures including:
   • A description of the ownership/affiliation structure of all diocesan and parish entities.
   • Receipts and disbursements of diocesan appeals and appeals of all diocesan-related entities.
   • A description of the pension plan for priests and other Church workers including financial statements, vesting rules, actuarial assumptions and portfolio performance.
   • Financial disbursements to other Church entities, including the Vatican.
   • A schedule of financial support provided to and by Catholic Conferences for lobbying activities, including with regard to legislation designed to extend, temporarily suspend, or eliminate civil or criminal statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse suits, reporting child abuse, or other legislation designed to protect children from sexual abuse.
   • Payments to and contracts with public relations firms and a description of the activities for which these firms were engaged including amounts paid to defeat legislation designed to extend, temporarily suspend, or eliminate civil or criminal statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse suits, reporting child abuse, or other legislation designed to protect children from sexual abuse.
   • Costs and detailed information associated with all insurance policies, and any amounts invested in self-insurance programs.
   • Description of lawsuits and liability claims filed against the diocese, the costs of defending such claims, including fees paid to lawyers, any amounts paid to claimants, and receipts from insurance companies in settlement of claims.
   • The number, names, and costs associated with each known, admitted, or credibly accused priest and/or other church worker who has been credibly accused of sexual crimes against children and vulnerable adults and who are still receiving financial support from the Catholic Church.
   • Periodically, but at a minimum every 5 years, a detailed statement itemizing the estimated fair market value of assets owned by the diocese.

Catholic Conferences
Catholic Conference (and other similar Church lobbying organizations) financial management systems should provide for:

1. Full annual disclosure, on a line item by line item basis, of all receipts and sources of receipts for all legislative initiatives. Full annual disclosure, on a line item by line item basis of all expenditures made for legislative initiatives. The disclosure of expenditures should include, but not be limited to, payments made to legal, lobbying and public relations firms as well as the purpose of such expenditures.
2. Full annual disclosure of the amount of financial or other support each state (or inter-state) Catholic conference receives from each diocese.

Voice from the Desert » Blog Archive » Effective Church Financial Management Systems

Catholic Church's secret sex files

 

THE Australian Catholic Church holds thousands of pages of documents containing the psychosexual profiles of dozens of clergy accused of sexually abusing children and vulnerable adults.

The profiles, often sent to bishops, were created as part of the church's little-known 1997-2008 rehabilitation program for those it described as ''sexual boundary violators''.

 

Highly regarded ... retired Catholic Bishop Geoffrey Robinson. Photo: Ben Rushton

It is understood none of the clergy treated under the multi-million-dollar Encompass Australasia program run from Wesley Private Hospital in Sydney was referred to police for investigation.

Click on the following for more details:  Catholic Church's secret sex files

Former nun to be ordained as first female Catholic priest in Georgia | The Citizen

Sunday, October 14, 2012 - 6:52pm
Submitted by Ben Nelms

For Diane Dougherty, it is a way to live up to her calling and to challenge the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. It is a hierarchy that Dougherty maintains is sexist. Though not recognized by the Vatican, the Coweta County resident and longtime former nun will be ordained next week and will become the first female Catholic priest in Georgia.

Dougherty on Oct. 20 will be ordained a priest in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) at a ceremony at First Metropolitan Community Church in Atlanta. Asked earlier this week at her home near Newnan if the ordination is valid, Dougherty said, “I’m being validly ordained in the line of Peter, but it is not recognized by the church hierarchy.”

Click on the following for the complete story:  Former nun to be ordained as first female Catholic priest in Georgia | The Citizen

Cardinal says Catholic Church '200 years out of date' - Yahoo! News

 

"Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous," Martini said in the interview published in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

"The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The paedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation," he said in the intervie

Cl.ick on the following form more details:Cardinal says Catholic Church '200 years out of date' - Yahoo! News

Cardinal Francis George criticizes Emanuel for remarks on Chicago values - chicagotribune.com

 

Recent comments by those who administer our city seem to assume that the city government can decide for everyone what are the 'values' that must be held by citizens of Chicago," George wrote on the Archdiocese of Chicago's blog Sunday. "I was born and raised here, and my understanding of being a Chicagoan never included submitting my value system to the government for approval. Must those whose personal values do not conform to those of the government of the day move from the city?"

Click on the following for more details:  Cardinal Francis George criticizes Emanuel for remarks on Chicago values - chicagotribune.com

VatiLeaks Strikes Again: Was the Butler Framed? - The Daily Beast

Barbie Latza Nadeau on what the latest twist has exposed

Fresh leaks from inside the Vatican suggest that the pope’s attendant was merely the ‘scapegoat’ of a much more powerful culprit.

Click on the following for more details:  VatiLeaks Strikes Again: Was the Butler Framed? - The Daily Beast

Protesters March To Cardinal’s Home To Support Nuns In Dispute With Vatican « CBS Chicago

 

About 60 Catholic activists marched from Holy Name Cathedral to Cardinal George’s residence as a show of support for the nation’s nuns, whom the Vatican accuses of having serious doctrinal problems.

Chicago is one of more than 50 cities in which similar processions and rallies are taking place this week. Supporters of the nuns say it could trigger the biggest exodus of Catholics from the pews since early in the clergy sex abuse scandal.

The Vatican action comes in the wake of two investigations, launched by Vatican officials in 2008 and 2009, one of which has been completed but not made public. The other, known as a “doctrinal assessment,” concluded that the Leadership Conference has prompted “certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.

Click on the following to read/hear the entire piece:  Protesters March To Cardinal’s Home To Support Nuns In Dispute With Vatican « CBS Chicago

Dioceses, charities sue over birth control mandate - chicagotribune.com

 

The Roman Catholic dioceses of Springfield and Joliet have joined 41 other religious institutions filing simultaneous lawsuits that challenge the Obama administration's mandate that many religious employers have their health insurance cover the cost of birth control for employees.

Catholic Charities programs in both dioceses also filed simultaneous lawsuits in U.S. District Court on Monday.

Chicago's Cardinal Francis George indicated that the archdiocese's absence from Monday's lawsuits didn't signal satisfaction with that accommodation or less concern about the issue. In previous remarks, he has said the government's efforts amount to a "theft of identity."

Click on the following for more details:  Dioceses, charities sue over birth control mandate - chicagotribune.com

White House responds to Cardinal Dolan, says Obama's health care policy "respects religious liberty" - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

 

When asked about Dolan's comments, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said President Obama's health care policy "respects religious liberty" and ensures women have access to "important preventative services, including contraception."

Though Carney would not directly comment on the merit of the suit, he said Mr. Obama is aware of the "important role" religious institutions play in society.

White House responds to Cardinal Dolan, says Obama's health care policy "respects religious liberty" - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Mark Hannah: An Open Letter to My Catholic Parish RE: Its Opposition to the Affordable Care Act

Three weeks ago, while sitting in my church pew in Manhattan, and skimming through the weekly bulletin, I came across a short notice promoting a church-hosted workshop that would demonstrate the moral and Constitutional shortcomings of the Obama administration's health care reform legislation.

The notice was entitled, "A Threat to Your Religious Liberty" and referred parishioners to the activist website (backed by Catholic radio personality Al Kresta), www.StopHHS.com. Below is the email I sent to my church in response to the advertisement. I've lightly edited it, mostly to keep the parish anonymous. Three weeks later, I'm still awaiting a response. My fingers are crossed that one might arrive in the comment section here.

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To Whom it May Concern:

As a progressive lifelong Catholic, I was disappointed that, in our weekly bulletin, our parish has singled out the health care reform act as the main offense to our religious liberty. After all, isn't my religious liberty imperiled every time I'm compelled to pay taxes to fund unprovoked or preemptive military adventures (including the Iraq war, which Pope John Paul II publicly opposed) or to underwrite enormous and usurious financial institutions whose reckless lending practices endanger the financial security of the most vulnerable among us?

I try to separate my religious and political beliefs as much as possible, knowing that the Catholic Church is, well, catholic (in the small "c" sense -- i.e., that it's inclusive) and that my fellow parishioners have diverse political opinions. As someone who's served both as an alter boy and as a staff member for two Democratic presidential campaigns, and whose Democratic and Christian values have been instilled in me from an early age, this is no easy feat.

Diversity of political opinion seems to be a challenge that the Church is grappling with institutionally, as well. With the new health care reform law, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is emphasizing the sanctity of life implications of the insurance mandate in their opposition to it, and many in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (i.e., the nuns) have emphasized the compassion inherent in universal care in their support for it.

The doctrinal ambiguity over this debate (and my personal support for the law) aside, I'm concerned that the church is applying Cardinal Dolan's "new evangelism" not just to religious and moral issues, but to political issues, and it is advertising "legal" education in the workshop it's hosting. Just as I'd be uncomfortable with my political leaders interpreting the Bible for me, I'm dubious about the prospect of learning about American Constitutional law from Church leaders, with due respect. I suppose my more ultimate concern is that, as the Church continues to emulate the evangelical Christian movement in its political activism, it may risk losing salience with those of us whose reading of scripture (and our understanding of the homilies we hear each Sunday) inspires a Christian worldview that underpins a progressive political philosophy.

My question is this: Should the Catholic faith not remain larger than -- and transcend -- the vicissitudes of national politics? Or does the church expect its followers to regularly look to it for their beliefs on matters of public policy and legislation that have religious or moral implications (but, then again, don't they all)? To invoke St. Francis, please know that I seek not so much to be understood as to understand.

Respectfully,

Mark Hannah

The above is from HUFF POST:    Mark Hannah: An Open Letter to My Catholic Parish RE: Its Opposition to the Affordable Care Act