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'