Has the Catholic hierarchy really committed to root out abusive priests? - Chicago Tribune

April 13, 2012|Mary Sanchez | Tribune Media Services

But if certain church hierarchs don't adhere to the rules, if they fall back on their own judgments rather than those of law enforcement, children will still be at risk. That's what happened in Kansas City.

In May 2010, the principal of a parochial school wrote a chilling letter to the diocese complaining that Fr. Shawn Ratigan was behaving inappropriately with young girls. Nothing appears to have been done in the priest's case until the following December, when questionable photos of young girls and toddlers were found on Ratigan's computer. Finn finally moved the priest to a mission of nuns to get him away from parochial school children. Neither he nor any other church official reported to police about the images, even though state law required them to. Nor did Finn apprise a diocesan review board, in place to help oversee such issues, of the full concerns about Ratigan

The following Easter Sunday, Ratigan is accused of taking "close-up shots of the crotch area" of a 12-year-old girl. She's one of five girls in a federal pornography indictment against the priest, and allegedly had been photographed naked by Ratigan as a 6-year-old. He has pleaded innocent.

Bishop Finn apologized twice to the faithful for mishandling the Ratigan case. That was before a grand jury indicted Finn for failing to protect children. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison a

What troubles Catholics about the Kansas City scandal is not the lack of a policy on the church's part. It's the failure to shift attitudes among the hierarchy.

Kansas City is not the only case of failure. Another prosecution is ongoing in Philadelphia against Monsignor William Lynn, who once supervised more than 800 priests in the archdiocese. He is accused of allowing priests with a history of abusing children to remain in a position to prey on them.

Neither case is mentioned in detail by the bishops conference audit report, but both cases suggest that high church officials have failed in their commonsense responsibility to report suspected child sexual abuse to authorities immediately. That duty should be obvious to any adult, whether they are a teacher, a camp counselor or the bishop.

nd a $1,000 fine

 

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Jack Wolf: St. James—“There is a way to do better, find it”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor:
Last winter Peggy and I visited the Thomas Edison
Museum and workshop in Ft. Myers, Florida. It took us a
full day to tour the grounds. We could have spent a week
there and we wouldn’t have seen all of it. One of the most
impressive things I noted was a statement made by Thomas
Edison, “There’s a way to do it better, find it.”

Boone County and Belvidere have to find ways to adopt
that statement. St. James Church has to do the same. I
would like to give you a few examples and ask the question,
Why?

Belvidere is now spending $100,000 on a survey to find
out where the significant places and areas of our local history
can be found. Yet, just a few months ago, the City Council
gave the authority of the Rockford Diocese to demolish St.
James Church. One of the oldest churches in town, it’s a
landmark! There were a dozen zoning laws that had to be
violated for the City Council to accept this request, if zoning
laws don’t apply in the area then why are they there?

It will cost the Parish over $2 million in building and
demolition costs to demolish these structures, the church
built in 1896, the Convent, one of the newer buildings in the
complex and the Priest’s House. Then we have to purchase
and demolish older houses to make room for additional
parking in this very congested residential area, Why?

St. James was given 22 acres of prime land by the
Bracken Family to build a new church. This land is located
on the southeast corner of Townhall Road and Squaw Prairie.
Our city spent $160,000 to develop “The West Hills Plan.”
Our church property sits ¼ mile from $100 million of new
schools which our school system recently built. This is the
growth area of Boone County. The Rockford Diocese says
we can’t build there, Why?

Belvidere is to put this new church on the east side of a
congested area filled with residential homes. The Rockford
Diocese has some good buildings and ample land on
Rockford’s west side yet, they purchased land and buildings
at the former “Barber Coleman” site on the east side of
Rockford less than six miles from Belvidere, Why?
Was the St. James Parish asked to get together and let
all of its members decide what would be the best plan for a
new church? No! It was decided by the Rockford Diocese,
Why?

Was our church formed 2,000 years ago to nurture and
provide for its people or was it designed for the use of the
clergy?

St. James Church built in 1886 should be saved! Many
of us will go to Mass there. It can be of assistance to St.
James School. The Priest’s House is very adequate and the
Convent can be remodeled and used for many of St. James
current needs.

Yes, we need a new church in Belvidere, but not in this
older congested area, but on the 22 acres on the northwest
side of Belvidere. Let our new church be built in a location
that is more convenient to our area of new growth

.
Sincerely,
Jack Wolf

Catholic Bishops Urge ‘Campaign’ for Religious Freedom - NYTimes.com

 

Catholic Bishops Urge ‘Campaign’ for Religious Freedom

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: April 12, 2012

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops issued a proclamation on Thursday calling for every priest, parish and layperson to participate in “great national campaign” to defend religious liberty, which they said is “under attack, both at home and abroad.”

In particular they urged every diocese to hold a “Fortnight for Freedom” during the two weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, for parishioners to study, pray and take public action to fight what they see as the government’s attempts to curtail religious freedom.

“To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other,” said the statement, issued by the bishops ad hoc committee on religious freedom.

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St. James’ Easter Sunday Collection and Campaign numbers

Six additional pledges; $5,565 additional pledges.  Still $669,279 from the $3 million requirement in pledges.

On The News : How the Boston archdiocese helped bring contraception to Massachusetts - Catholic Culture

By Phil Lawler | June 10, 2011 6:08 PM

From Our Store: Essays in Apologetics, Volume I (eBook)

Can good practicing Catholics (even politicians) not oppose abortion?  If Cardinal Cushing thought so for contraception what about abortion?

In 1966, Massachusetts became the last state in the US to legalize the sale of contraceptives. When the state legislative voted to repeal the law prohibiting their sale, the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts celebrated—and said that the victory was due to the cooperation of the Boston Catholic archdiocese.

In 1965, as the state legislature discussed the repeal of the contraceptive ban, Cardinal Cushing said that he personally opposed the use of contraceptives. But he added, significantly: “I am also convinced that I should not impose my position—moral beliefs or religious beliefs—on those of other faiths.” To legislators weighing the merits of the bill, he said: “If your constituents want this legislation, vote for it.”

Thus did the leader of Boston’s Church signal an end to any active Catholic opposition to legalized sale of contraceptives. But the Boston College Magazine article reveals that the archdiocese had begun quietly planning for a change in the law even before Dukakis introduced his formal bid for repeal.

In 1963, the article reports, Cardinal Cushing was a guest on a radio call-in show. One caller asked the cardinal about his stance on the contraceptive ban, and he replied: “I have no right to impose my thinking, which is rooted in religious thought, on those who do not think as I do

On The News : How the Boston archdiocese helped bring contraception to Massachusetts - Catholic Culture

Witness says she was told not to ask questions about priest - Philly.com

By Joseph A. Slobodzianand John P. Martin, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

Sister Joan Scary said she got one clear instruction when the Rev. Edward M. DePaoli arrived at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in September 1995: Don't ask questions.

Though she had been director of religious education at the Pottstown-area church since 1989, Scary told a Philadelphia jury Monday that St. Gabriel's pastor, the Rev. James Gormley, warned her that if she talked about DePaoli, "I could pack my bags and leave."

Scary was fired by Gormley on May 30, 1996.

DePaoli was defrocked by the church in 2005, the same year the District Attorney's Office made public its first grand jury investigation of clergy sexual abuse

Click on the following for more details:  Witness says she was told not to ask questions about priest - Philly.com

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Keeps Busy During Holy Week and Easter - U.s. - Catholic Online

 

An Anglican priest and members of his parish from a suburb of Philadelphia were received into the Catholic Church during Holy Week
The rector and 25 members of St. Michael the Archangel Anglican parish in Philadelphia were received into full communion with the Catholic Church on April 2. This is the first Anglican community in Pennsylvania to join a new national structure created by Pope Benedict XVI for Anglican groups and clergy who are becoming Catholic. The rector, Fr. David Ousley, is preparing to be ordained a Catholic priest later this year.
Monsignor Steenson will celebrate Mass and preach for the new Catholic community on Holy Thursday, April 5, 6 p.m. at Holy Cross Church, 140 E. Mount Airy Avenue in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia.

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Keeps Busy During Holy Week and Easter - U.s. - Catholic Online