National advocate could be local Philadelphia parishes’ white knight - Philly.com

 

Peter Borre, a canon-law consultant based in Boston, has all the makings of one.

The Harvard University-educated Borre has been on a mission from Cleveland to Boston, fighting for fellow Catholics who seek to save their parishes and parochial schools from closure by their dioceses.

He's already made an imprint here in Philadelphia, helping two groups of parochial school parents appeal directly to the Vatican to overturn the Archdiocese's rulings that they close. Now he's expanded his reach to include a Havertown school and St. Cecilia's parish in Coatesville.

Click on the following for more details:  National advocate could be local parishes’ white knight - Philly.com

Joseph Amodeo: The Pulpit vs. The Pews: A Call to Action for All Catholics

 

The Pulpit vs. The Pews: A Call to Action for All Catholics

Posted: 04/16/2012 8:53 am

A little over eight years ago, I came out as a gay man to my family and friends. Amid this revelation, I continued to practice my faith as a Roman Catholic. It was at this time in my life that I came to witness the overwhelming support that Catholics have for LGBT people. In my role as a religion teacher, a priest once informed me that a parent had expressed concern over having a gay man teach religious education. The priest called a meeting of the parish on a weeknight and asked that anyone who had concerns related to my teaching should speak up publicly. The night of the meeting, I entered a packed Church and slowly made my way to a pew where I sat next to my father. As the meeting began, one-by-one congregants rose and expressed their real concern: why this was even an issue. The reality is that my experience from nearly a decade ago is representative of the vast majority of Roman Catholics. We live in a Church that is called to welcome and affirm people's humanity and identity without exception. It was in reflecting on this faith experience that I had such a difficult time reconciling Cardinal Dolan's comments with the Catholic faith that I live and experience every day.

The past two weeks have been filled with an outpouring of support that I could never have expected when I resigned from the Junior Board of Catholic Charities. In writing a letter to the organization's leadership, I sought to articulate my concerns regarding Cardinal Dolan's positions on issues affecting the lives of LGBT people. I am particularly concerned by the hurtful language used by some of the Church's hierarchy when speaking about the LGBT community. As a Catholic, I feel strongly that statements made by the Cardinal and some in the Church's hierarchy regarding LGBT people are not only out of touch with the lived experience of many Catholics, gay and straight, but that they also violate Gospel values of inclusion. It further saddens me to think that the voices of some bishops are seen as representative of all Catholic people when in reality the vast majority of Catholics support their LGBT brothers and sisters, as evidenced by a growing number of studies. A recent study released by GLAAD showed more than 50 percent of Catholic voices presented in the media offer a negative view on LGBT issues when in reality a majority of American Catholics support LGBT equality.

Studies aside, the lived experiences of most Catholics serves as a testament to the stark disparity between some Catholics in positions of power and everyday Church-going Catholics on these issues. The notion that Cardinal Dolan would avoid responding to a plea for help for homeless LGBT youth is a deviation from Catholic social teaching. In 1997 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) refused to be silent in the face of an injustice with their pastoral message "Always Our Children." In this statement, they recognized the link between homelessness and LGBT youth, writing:

"A shocking number of homosexual youth end up on the streets because of rejection by their families. This, and other external pressures, can place young people at a greater risk for self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse and suicide."

The fact that those in positions of power in the Catholic Church have ignored the document's teaching is alarming and a reminder that Catholics in the pews and clergy who are allies must stand and be a voice for the most vulnerable among us. Last week, two Catholic parishes in Seattle, Wash., demonstrated great courage when they refused to allow their parishes participate in a signature drive being organized by the National Organization for Marriage, a leading anti-LGBT group. By this act, these two priests -- along with many other pastors, deacons, sisters, brothers and many who work in the church -- demonstrated that Catholic social teaching calls us to witness the beauty and diversity of God's creation in a way that respects what makes each of us unique in the eyes of God as beautifully articulated in "Always Our Children":

"God loves every person as a unique individual. Sexual identity helps to define the unique persons we are, and one component of our sexual identity is sexual orientation. Thus, our total personhood is more encompassing than sexual orientation. Human beings see the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart" (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7).

As Catholics and others listen to the messages coming from those in positions of power in the Church, I hope they will realize that the heavy-handed approach to LGBT issues is not shared by all Catholics. Although those in the hierarchy may have the pulpit, there are far more pews than there will ever be pulpits. As Catholics speak out and call upon the Church to live out its call to be a beacon of social justice and love, those in the hierarchy will begin to see another way in which Christ has risen -- he has risen from the silence and has cried out for equality. We can only hope that those in the Church leadership will turn and listen to our voices, so as to see that our prophetic witness is merely asking them to look into our hearts and see the people God has created us to be.

For this reason I have decided to launch a petition on Change.org to be presented to Cardinal Timothy Dolan to let him know that Catholics stand in solidarity with the homeless LGBT youth of the Ali Forney Center and all LGBT youth in need. Through this Change.org action, the voices of gay and straight Catholics will unite, will break through the silence, and will call upon those in positions of power in the Church to see that the people of God will not allow the cries for help of God's children to go unheard and unanswered. So please join me in signing this petition, so that we might invite Cardinal Dolan into a dialogue about this important issue that faces us all.

Let your voice be heard, sign the petition and call the Church to live the Gospel message of inclusion.

Follow Joseph Amodeo on Twitter: www.twitter.com/josephamodeo

See the earlier posting regarding Cardinal Dolan and LGBT homeleess shelter by clicking on the following: http://boonecountycatholics.blogspot.com/2012/04/dueling-words-on-lgbt-between-carl.html

At Mass, Philadelphia Catholics learn of parish closings

 

parishes marked for closing have seen sharp declines in membership, Mass attendance and baptisms, among other signs of diminished vitality, according to the archdiocese.

It also foresees a steep drop in its priest supply due to retirements and deaths, and a year ago placed 27 priests on administrative leave while it investigated allegations of improper behavior with minors.

Click on the following for more details:  At Mass, Catholics learn of parish closings

Seattle parishes refuse to collect signatures for marriage referendum : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

Even the cathedral in Seattle is not following the archbishop’s request.

While the archbishop has given his support to the effort, he has wisely left it up to each pastor to decide whether to allow the collection of signatures in his own parish,” said Father Michael Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral. “After discussing the matter with the members of the cathedral's pastoral ministry team, I have decided that we will not participate in the collecting of signatures in our parish. Doing so would, I believe, prove hurtful and seriously divisive in our community.”

Seattle parishes refuse to collect signatures for marriage referendum : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

Two more Catholic parishes say no to Ref. 74 signature drive | Strange Bedfellows — Politics News - seattlepi.com

 

A growing number of Seattle’s Catholic parishes are saying “no” to Archbishop J. Peter Sartain’s offer that churches become signature gathering points for Referendum 74, the ballot measure to roll back Washington’s recently passed same-sex marriage law.

handful of Roman Catholic churches in Washington state, whose Catholic governor signed a law allowing gay marriage earlier this year, have refused to circulate a petition endorsed by their archbishop to repeal the law, congregation leaders said.

In Seattle, it would appear, parishes are asserting liberty from instructions (or at least strong suggestions) by the hierarchy, and in a season when the Seattle Archdiocese is asking for support in its Annual Catholic Appeal fundraising drive.

Archbishop Sartain and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, in a letter earlier this month, endorsed Referendum 74. Opponents of same-sex marriage have until June 6 to collect 120,577 valid voter signatures to put the issue on November’s ballot.

 

Click on the following for more details:  Two more Catholic parishes say no to Ref. 74 signature drive | Strange Bedfellows — Politics News - seattlepi.com

Expert On Church Law Testifies In Priest Sex Abuse Case « CBS Philly

 

Father Thomas Doyle has testified Archdiocesan officials had a duty to fully investigate allegations of child abuse by priests and to take appropriate action, including removing dangerous priests from ministry, which authorities allege the Archdiocese — and specifically, defendant Monsignor William Lynn — did not do.

And, when asked about evidence the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua ordered shredded a list of admitted and suspected predator priests, Father Doyle exploded, saying that is like obstructing justice, cubed.

Click on the following to read the entire story:  Expert On Church Law Testifies In Priest Sex Abuse Case « CBS Philly

Catholic Church Reveals Drop in Sex Abuse Cases; Validity of Report Questioned

 

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the ninth annual audit by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which deals specifically with sex abuse cases, found that the church spent $144 million in the past year to deal with such issues. A total of 489 people reported credible allegations of abuse against 406 priests or deacons, up from 2010 when such accusers numbered 428, while there were 346 offending priests.

Of the $144 million spent on settlement-related cases, $50 million went for settlements alone, $37 million was spent on attorneys' fees, $10 million was used to provide support for offenders, while $6 million was spent on therapy for abuse victims, who also benefited from the above mentioned settlement money.

Click on the following for more details:  Catholic Church Reveals Drop in Sex Abuse Cases; Validity of Report Questioned

 

Don’t forget to look at the actual report.  Click on the following:  http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/2011-annual-report.pdf

 

Page 32

Page 35--2011 Victims are primarily male.and pre-teen or teenage

Page 38
Costs to Dioceses and Eparchies in 2011
Dioceses and eparchies that responded to the survey
and reported costs related to allegations paid
out $107,814,410 in 2011. This includes payments
in 2011 for allegations reported in previous years.
Thirty-four responding dioceses and eparchies
reported no expenditures in 2010 related to allegations
of sexual abuse of a minor. Table 2 compares
payments by dioceses and eparchies from 2004
through 2011 across several categories of allegationrelated
expenses. The total costs reported by dioceses
and eparchies in 2011 are $9,451,263 more than
those reported in 2010.
Almost half of the payments by dioceses and eparchies
in 2011 (46 percent) were for settlements to victims.
Attorneys’ fees constituted an additional third (34
percent) of the total cost ($36,737,366).1 Support for
offenders (including therapy, living expenses, legal
expenses, etc.) amounted to another 9 percent of
allegation-related costs ($9,862,110).2 An additional 5
percent of the total cost was for payments for therapy
for victims (if not already included in the settlement).