Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - VICTIM: NOT EVERYONE ABUSED BY CLERGY WANTS TO LEAVE THE CHURCH
Symposium on Sex Abuse Looks at Psychological, Pastoral Elements By Ann Schneible ROME, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Today's session of the international s...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - A VICTIM IN SEARCH OF HEALING
Speaker at Conference on Clergy Sex Abuse Shares Her Hopes for the Church By Ann Schneible ROME, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Amid the movements of change ...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - POPE'S LENTEN MESSAGE FOCUSES ON FRATERNAL CORRECTION
Cautions Against Masking Indifference as Respect for 'Privacy' By Kathleen Naab VATICAN CITY, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- If Scripture says that even the ...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - CHURCH MUST CALL THINGS BY NAME, SAYS VATICAN OFFICIAL
Cor Unum President Presents Pope's Lent Message VATICAN CITY, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Church's opposition to "certain fashionable ideas" springs from her con...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - PAPAL TRIP TO LEBANON STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The director of the Vatican press office says that a possible papal trip to Lebanon is still under consideration, but that nothing is ...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - CARDINAL CAFFARRA ENCOURAGES CONSECRATED PERSONS
Stay Close to Christ and Nothing Will Trouble You By Antonio Gaspari ROME, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- To mark the feast of the Presentation last week, wh...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - POPE'S SECRETARY OF STATE REFLECTS ON ST. AGATHA
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and Bishopr Giuseppe Sciacca in Catania for the Feast CATANIA, Italy, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- On the occasion of last Sunday's feast of...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - A G.K. CHESTERTONIAN READING OF THIS PONTIFICATE
Scholar Reflects on Pontiff's, Author's Good Sense and Good Humor By Paul De Maeyer ROME, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- G.K. Chesterton and Benedict XVI hav...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - IMPEDIMENTS TO ORDINATION
ROME, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university. Q: Could you exp...
Categories: Catholic News
8-Feb-12 - POPE'S MESSAGE FOR LENT 2012
"We Must Not Remain Silent Before Evil" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's message for Lent 2012. The message ...
Categories: Catholic News
Over 150 congressional leaders demand repeal of HHS mandate
Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 09:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A letter from 154 bipartisan members of Congress is urging the Obama administration to reverse a contraception mandate that religious employers say would require them to violate their consciences.
The Feb. 6 letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, condemned the recent mandate as an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government.”
Congressional leaders urged Sebelius to “reconsider the final rule” as it applies to employers and individuals who have moral or religious objections to the coverage required by the mandate.
They also asked her for “specific details on the process followed in the reading and evaluating of the public comments submitted” about the mandate.
The letter comes amid a storm of criticism over Sebelius’ recent announcement that virtually all employers will soon be required to purchase health insurance plans that cover contraceptives – including abortion-inducing drugs – and sterilization.
In their letter, the congressmen noted that Sebelius’ department had received more than 200,000 comments on the rule during its public comment period. Many of these comments objected to the “narrow scope of the religious exemption” included in the mandate.
The religious exemption applies only to those organizations that exist to instill religious values and limit their employment and services to primarily members of their own faith. While most churches are covered by the exemption, huge numbers of religious schools, hospitals and charitable organizations are not.
However, despite the massive wave of criticism, Sebelius refused to broaden the exemption in issuing the final rule on Jan. 20.
In response, Rep. Steve Scalise (R - LA) led a Congressional effort to compose a letter voicing “strong opposition” to the mandate, which he described as “radical” and an “attack on the religious freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.”
In their joint letter, congressional leaders observed that the mandate infringes upon the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also “of those who, for moral or religious reasons, oppose abortion.”
They explained that the regulation requires coverage of certain “drugs and devices that can function as abortifacients,” such as Plan B and Ella.
They also said that the one-year extension granted to religiously-affiliated organizations that object to the mandate “only delays the inevitable violation of conscience.”
The members of Congress asked Sebelius to consider the concerns that had been raised.
They requested that she “suspend the final rule” until an arrangement has been made to “ensure that both employers and individuals are afforded their constitutionally protected conscience rights.”
The Feb. 6 letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, condemned the recent mandate as an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government.”
Congressional leaders urged Sebelius to “reconsider the final rule” as it applies to employers and individuals who have moral or religious objections to the coverage required by the mandate.
They also asked her for “specific details on the process followed in the reading and evaluating of the public comments submitted” about the mandate.
The letter comes amid a storm of criticism over Sebelius’ recent announcement that virtually all employers will soon be required to purchase health insurance plans that cover contraceptives – including abortion-inducing drugs – and sterilization.
In their letter, the congressmen noted that Sebelius’ department had received more than 200,000 comments on the rule during its public comment period. Many of these comments objected to the “narrow scope of the religious exemption” included in the mandate.
The religious exemption applies only to those organizations that exist to instill religious values and limit their employment and services to primarily members of their own faith. While most churches are covered by the exemption, huge numbers of religious schools, hospitals and charitable organizations are not.
However, despite the massive wave of criticism, Sebelius refused to broaden the exemption in issuing the final rule on Jan. 20.
In response, Rep. Steve Scalise (R - LA) led a Congressional effort to compose a letter voicing “strong opposition” to the mandate, which he described as “radical” and an “attack on the religious freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.”
In their joint letter, congressional leaders observed that the mandate infringes upon the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also “of those who, for moral or religious reasons, oppose abortion.”
They explained that the regulation requires coverage of certain “drugs and devices that can function as abortifacients,” such as Plan B and Ella.
They also said that the one-year extension granted to religiously-affiliated organizations that object to the mandate “only delays the inevitable violation of conscience.”
The members of Congress asked Sebelius to consider the concerns that had been raised.
They requested that she “suspend the final rule” until an arrangement has been made to “ensure that both employers and individuals are afforded their constitutionally protected conscience rights.”
Categories: Catholic News
Critics anticipate Supreme Court hearing after anti-Prop. 8 ruling
San Francisco, Calif., Feb 8, 2012 / 06:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Critics found the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Feb. 7 ruling against the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 to be “absurd” but not surprising.
“This decision was completely expected,” said William B. May, head of Catholics for the Common Good Action. “You have to remember, this is the most liberal, most-overturned appeals court and most-overturned judge in the country.”
Backers of Prop. 8 never expected to prevail at the appellate level, but saw it as a step to the U.S. Supreme Court. They will now appeal directly to the Supreme Court rather than ask for a full hearing from the Ninth Circuit, May told CNA on Feb. 7.
The California ballot measure Prop. 8 defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It passed in 2008 with 52 percent of the vote. In 2010, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the decision as unconstitutional.
On Tuesday the federal appellate court ruled that Prop. 8 “served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.” It rejected claims that the ballot measure protected religious freedom and parents’ rights to educate their children as they see fit.
May countered that it is “absurd” to say there is no rational reason or public interest in “protecting the only institution in society that unites kids with their moms and dads.”
“They’re looking at marriage as merely something for the benefit of adults, not as the foundation of the family.”
Redefining marriage will tend to isolate religious groups, including Catholic parishes, from the wider community, he predicted, adding that it will change what children are taught.
“If marriage is redefined, that’s what will be taught in the schools. That’s a fact,” May said.
“It’s not prejudiced for the people of California to want their kids to learn the reality of what marriage is, in a way that supports them and influences positive decisions they make about marriage and family in their lives.”
Other supporters of Proposition 8 criticized the ruling.
“No court should presume to redefine marriage,” Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Brian Raum said Feb. 7. “No court should undercut the democratic process by taking the power to preserve marriage out of the hands of the people.”
He said Americans “overwhelmingly” reject changing the definition of marriage, noting the millions of people who voted in 31 states to preserve marriage as the “timeless, universal, unique union between husband and wife.”
“We are not surprised that this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage – tried in San Francisco – turned out this way. But we are confident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court,” Raum stated.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the decision was “disappointing but not surprising.”
“This is not about constitutional governance but the insistence of a group of activists to force their will on their fellow citizens,” he charged.
“This ruling substitutes judicial tyranny for the will of the people, who in the majority of states have amended their constitutions, as California did, to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
Perkins expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will reject “the absurd argument that the authors of our Constitution created or even implied a 'right' to homosexual 'marriage,' and will instead uphold the right of the people to govern themselves.”
May told CNA he thought the prospect of success in the Supreme Court is “good” because the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision is “really out of line with every other court and the Supreme Court in cases similar to this.”
“This will ultimately be decided in the Supreme Court and we think that is the place to get a sober review of the arguments based on law, not on emotional rhetoric.”
He asked supporters of Prop. 8 to pray and to voice their opinions in letters to the editor and in calls to television and radio talk shows.
“It’s really important for supporters of Prop. 8 to realize that this debate about marriage is going on continuously. It’s going on in families. It’s going on in public forums. It’s going on in legislatures.
“It’s critical that people become informed about how to talk about the reality of marriage in secular terms, and to be able to engage in a positive way, related not only to protecting but promoting the only institution that unites kids with their moms and dads.”
“This decision was completely expected,” said William B. May, head of Catholics for the Common Good Action. “You have to remember, this is the most liberal, most-overturned appeals court and most-overturned judge in the country.”
Backers of Prop. 8 never expected to prevail at the appellate level, but saw it as a step to the U.S. Supreme Court. They will now appeal directly to the Supreme Court rather than ask for a full hearing from the Ninth Circuit, May told CNA on Feb. 7.
The California ballot measure Prop. 8 defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It passed in 2008 with 52 percent of the vote. In 2010, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the decision as unconstitutional.
On Tuesday the federal appellate court ruled that Prop. 8 “served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.” It rejected claims that the ballot measure protected religious freedom and parents’ rights to educate their children as they see fit.
May countered that it is “absurd” to say there is no rational reason or public interest in “protecting the only institution in society that unites kids with their moms and dads.”
“They’re looking at marriage as merely something for the benefit of adults, not as the foundation of the family.”
Redefining marriage will tend to isolate religious groups, including Catholic parishes, from the wider community, he predicted, adding that it will change what children are taught.
“If marriage is redefined, that’s what will be taught in the schools. That’s a fact,” May said.
“It’s not prejudiced for the people of California to want their kids to learn the reality of what marriage is, in a way that supports them and influences positive decisions they make about marriage and family in their lives.”
Other supporters of Proposition 8 criticized the ruling.
“No court should presume to redefine marriage,” Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Brian Raum said Feb. 7. “No court should undercut the democratic process by taking the power to preserve marriage out of the hands of the people.”
He said Americans “overwhelmingly” reject changing the definition of marriage, noting the millions of people who voted in 31 states to preserve marriage as the “timeless, universal, unique union between husband and wife.”
“We are not surprised that this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage – tried in San Francisco – turned out this way. But we are confident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court,” Raum stated.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the decision was “disappointing but not surprising.”
“This is not about constitutional governance but the insistence of a group of activists to force their will on their fellow citizens,” he charged.
“This ruling substitutes judicial tyranny for the will of the people, who in the majority of states have amended their constitutions, as California did, to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
Perkins expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will reject “the absurd argument that the authors of our Constitution created or even implied a 'right' to homosexual 'marriage,' and will instead uphold the right of the people to govern themselves.”
May told CNA he thought the prospect of success in the Supreme Court is “good” because the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision is “really out of line with every other court and the Supreme Court in cases similar to this.”
“This will ultimately be decided in the Supreme Court and we think that is the place to get a sober review of the arguments based on law, not on emotional rhetoric.”
He asked supporters of Prop. 8 to pray and to voice their opinions in letters to the editor and in calls to television and radio talk shows.
“It’s really important for supporters of Prop. 8 to realize that this debate about marriage is going on continuously. It’s going on in families. It’s going on in public forums. It’s going on in legislatures.
“It’s critical that people become informed about how to talk about the reality of marriage in secular terms, and to be able to engage in a positive way, related not only to protecting but promoting the only institution that unites kids with their moms and dads.”
Categories: Catholic News
Bishop Estabrook, military auxiliary, dies at 67
Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 03:08 am (CNA).- Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, passed away on Feb. 4, in Houston, Texas, after a lengthy illness. The bishop was 67 years old.
“The Archdiocese for the Military Services has lost an energetic and sensitive Successor of the Apostles,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who leads the archdiocese.
He described Bishop Estabrook as a shepherd “whose pastoral zeal and love for the men and women in uniform and their families electrified everything he did.”
“His valiant struggle with cancer and his sense of hope have given us all a lesson in how to live and how to face death,” the archbishop said.
Born in Albany, N.Y. in 1944, Bishop Estabrook studied at St. Bonaventure University and Christ the King Seminary in Olean, N.Y. He was ordained on May 30, 1969 as a priest for Diocese of Albany, where he served at St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
He also worked as Chaplain to the Parsons Child Development Center, before being appointed as the first diocesan family life director in 1971.
Fr. Estabrook became a Navy Chaplain in 1977 and served on ships throughout Europe as well as in chaplaincy positions in the U.S.
He eventually returned to Washington, D.C., where he worked as the executive assistant to the Navy Chief of Chaplains. In addition, he served as an ethics consultant for the Navy Surgeon General and the Department of Defense.
In 1995, Fr. Estabrook became a Captain in the U.S. Navy, where he received multiple medals and awards.
He continued serving in various capacities as chaplain until 2004, when he was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. He was assigned to shepherd those in the Western Vicariate.
A funeral Mass for Bishop Estabrook will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Alexandria, Va.
“The Archdiocese for the Military Services has lost an energetic and sensitive Successor of the Apostles,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who leads the archdiocese.
He described Bishop Estabrook as a shepherd “whose pastoral zeal and love for the men and women in uniform and their families electrified everything he did.”
“His valiant struggle with cancer and his sense of hope have given us all a lesson in how to live and how to face death,” the archbishop said.
Born in Albany, N.Y. in 1944, Bishop Estabrook studied at St. Bonaventure University and Christ the King Seminary in Olean, N.Y. He was ordained on May 30, 1969 as a priest for Diocese of Albany, where he served at St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
He also worked as Chaplain to the Parsons Child Development Center, before being appointed as the first diocesan family life director in 1971.
Fr. Estabrook became a Navy Chaplain in 1977 and served on ships throughout Europe as well as in chaplaincy positions in the U.S.
He eventually returned to Washington, D.C., where he worked as the executive assistant to the Navy Chief of Chaplains. In addition, he served as an ethics consultant for the Navy Surgeon General and the Department of Defense.
In 1995, Fr. Estabrook became a Captain in the U.S. Navy, where he received multiple medals and awards.
He continued serving in various capacities as chaplain until 2004, when he was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. He was assigned to shepherd those in the Western Vicariate.
A funeral Mass for Bishop Estabrook will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Alexandria, Va.
Categories: Catholic News
Majority of Catholic voters oppose federal contraception rule
Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 01:06 am (CNA).- Most Catholic voters oppose the federal rule requiring religious institutions to buy insurance that covers contraception and sterilization, according to new research published Feb. 7.
Public Religion Research Institute's poll found that 52 percent of voting Catholics do not believe the contraception coverage mandate should apply to religiously-affiliated colleges and hospitals. Only 45 percent of Catholic voters said the rule should apply to these ministries.
This figure, indicating Catholic voters' disapproval with a prominent Obama administration policy, may add to growing speculation about their role in the 2012 election. A Pew Research Center analysis released Feb. 2 showed that Catholics had drifted from the Democratic Party since 2008.
The Public Religion Research Institute released its findings one day after the U.S. bishops published a fact sheet on Health and Human Services' recently-finalized mandate. The bishops said the rule makes schools, hospitals, and charities act “against their conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.”
Approved over objections from Catholic bishops and laypersons along with other religious groups, the rule applies to many types of faith-based institutions. Only those organizations that mainly hire and serve members of the same faith, for the purpose of promoting religious values, are exempt.
While politically active Catholics tended to disapprove of the mandate being applied to religious ministries that serve the public at large, their non-voting Catholic counterparts leaned toward a different view. With non-voters included, Catholic support for a mandate of this kind reached 52 percent.
Catholic voters, however, were joined in their opposition to the contraceptive mandate by many Evangelical Protestants. Only 31 percent of white Evangelicals said religious colleges and hospitals should be forced to buy insurance to give employees access to the drugs and methods without a co-pay.
Minority Catholics were more likely to believe the insurance mandate should apply to the Church's schools and hospitals, compared with their white co-religionists. Only 41 percent of white Catholics believe the contraception rule should apply to these institutions.
Among Americans of no religious affiliation, 59 percent thought the government should require religious colleges and hospitals to purchase insurance covering contraception. A slightly higher proportion of the non-religious, 61 percent, said employers in general should have to do so.
While 73 percent of Democrats said employers in general should be forced to make contraception available to employees without a co-pay, only 36 percent of Republicans agreed.
The Public Religion Research Institute describes itself as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.”
Its CEO, Dr. Robert P. Jones, is known for his work with groups such as Progressive Christians Uniting, the People for the American Way Foundation, and Human Rights Campaign.
Public Religion Research Institute's poll found that 52 percent of voting Catholics do not believe the contraception coverage mandate should apply to religiously-affiliated colleges and hospitals. Only 45 percent of Catholic voters said the rule should apply to these ministries.
This figure, indicating Catholic voters' disapproval with a prominent Obama administration policy, may add to growing speculation about their role in the 2012 election. A Pew Research Center analysis released Feb. 2 showed that Catholics had drifted from the Democratic Party since 2008.
The Public Religion Research Institute released its findings one day after the U.S. bishops published a fact sheet on Health and Human Services' recently-finalized mandate. The bishops said the rule makes schools, hospitals, and charities act “against their conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.”
Approved over objections from Catholic bishops and laypersons along with other religious groups, the rule applies to many types of faith-based institutions. Only those organizations that mainly hire and serve members of the same faith, for the purpose of promoting religious values, are exempt.
While politically active Catholics tended to disapprove of the mandate being applied to religious ministries that serve the public at large, their non-voting Catholic counterparts leaned toward a different view. With non-voters included, Catholic support for a mandate of this kind reached 52 percent.
Catholic voters, however, were joined in their opposition to the contraceptive mandate by many Evangelical Protestants. Only 31 percent of white Evangelicals said religious colleges and hospitals should be forced to buy insurance to give employees access to the drugs and methods without a co-pay.
Minority Catholics were more likely to believe the insurance mandate should apply to the Church's schools and hospitals, compared with their white co-religionists. Only 41 percent of white Catholics believe the contraception rule should apply to these institutions.
Among Americans of no religious affiliation, 59 percent thought the government should require religious colleges and hospitals to purchase insurance covering contraception. A slightly higher proportion of the non-religious, 61 percent, said employers in general should have to do so.
While 73 percent of Democrats said employers in general should be forced to make contraception available to employees without a co-pay, only 36 percent of Republicans agreed.
The Public Religion Research Institute describes itself as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.”
Its CEO, Dr. Robert P. Jones, is known for his work with groups such as Progressive Christians Uniting, the People for the American Way Foundation, and Human Rights Campaign.
Categories: Catholic News
ZENIT's Annual Budget
Dear Readers,
Those of you who do not have media experience might ask: What does ZENIT do with the money it receives from donations and subscriptions? Why does ZENIT have to appeal for donations from its readers?
To give you an idea of the costs involved in publishing ZENIT's seven different language editions (English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic), we are publishing our annual general budget for 2012.
You will find the budget on the Web page:http://www.zenit.org/english/budget2012.html
In 2011 we finished with a total of US$ 2,000,000 in expenditures.
In this time of economic crisis, along with everyone else, we are trying to reduce our costs as much as possible. As you can see by following the link to our budget we have reduced our expenditure compared to the previous year. We are budgeting for an outlay of US$ 1,725,000, a cut of US$ 275,000.
ZENIT's success to date is due primarily to the support it has received from each one of its readers.
If we are to continue it is absolutely necessary that we reach the target set in this year's fundraising campaign.
The campaign's target for English-edition readers is US$320,000.
You may send your donation by credit card, check or bank transfer through:
http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
The page includes information on how to send a check or bank transfer.
Please help us with your generosity so we can continue to grow and improve our service.
With best wishes and many thanks.
Max Viatore ZENIT
Categories: Catholic News
Pope urges faithful to overcome selfishness with Lenten charity
Vatican City, Feb 7, 2012 / 08:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Church must demonstrate the power of love and show the limitations of an individualistic worldview, Pope Benedict XVI taught in a Lenten message released two weeks before Ash Wednesday.
In the letter released Feb. 7, the Pope contrasted an ethic of “custody' of others,” with “a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension … accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom.”
A society with this mindset, he warned, “can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community!”
The Pope's message for Lent of 2012, which begins Feb. 22, drew from the New Testament's Letter to the Hebrews – particularly the verse that proclaims, “Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works.”
“All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite,” Pope Benedict observed, describing “an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for 'privacy.'”
“Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be 'guardians' of our brothers and sisters, to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others.”
He encouraged believers “to recognize in others a true 'alter ego,' infinitely loved by the Lord.”
“If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts.”
But when this love and care for others diminishes, social and global problems correspondingly increase.
The Pope cited the words of his predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, who declared that the world was “sorely ill” – with a sickness caused not by material factors, but by selfishness and “the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations.”
“Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil,” Pope Benedict said, as he warned about the danger of “a sort of 'spiritual anesthesia' which numbs us to the suffering of others.”
“What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters?” he asked.
“Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else.”
“We should never be incapable of showing mercy towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor.”
Yet even when the world's love grows cold, goodness “does exist and will prevail – because God is 'generous and acts generously',” through those who work on behalf of “life, brotherhood, and communion.”
“In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works,” the Pope stated, as he called all believers to practice the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
“This is a favorable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.”
All of these ancient practices are meant to help the faithful grow in charity – which Pope Benedict described as “the very heart of Christian life.”
In the letter released Feb. 7, the Pope contrasted an ethic of “custody' of others,” with “a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension … accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom.”
A society with this mindset, he warned, “can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community!”
The Pope's message for Lent of 2012, which begins Feb. 22, drew from the New Testament's Letter to the Hebrews – particularly the verse that proclaims, “Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works.”
“All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite,” Pope Benedict observed, describing “an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for 'privacy.'”
“Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be 'guardians' of our brothers and sisters, to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others.”
He encouraged believers “to recognize in others a true 'alter ego,' infinitely loved by the Lord.”
“If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts.”
But when this love and care for others diminishes, social and global problems correspondingly increase.
The Pope cited the words of his predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, who declared that the world was “sorely ill” – with a sickness caused not by material factors, but by selfishness and “the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations.”
“Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil,” Pope Benedict said, as he warned about the danger of “a sort of 'spiritual anesthesia' which numbs us to the suffering of others.”
“What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters?” he asked.
“Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else.”
“We should never be incapable of showing mercy towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor.”
Yet even when the world's love grows cold, goodness “does exist and will prevail – because God is 'generous and acts generously',” through those who work on behalf of “life, brotherhood, and communion.”
“In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works,” the Pope stated, as he called all believers to practice the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
“This is a favorable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.”
All of these ancient practices are meant to help the faithful grow in charity – which Pope Benedict described as “the very heart of Christian life.”
Categories: Catholic News
Clerical abuse expert welcomes 'marked drop' in US claims
Rome, Italy, Feb 7, 2012 / 06:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- One of the Catholic Church’s leading experts on clerical abuse says he welcomes a significant drop in the number of cases being reported in the United States – but won’t rest until that figure reaches zero.
“The instance of new allegations have dropped precipitously, it’s a marked drop, which is great news, although we’re not going to stop till we've stopped it completely,” Monsignor Steve Rossetti, associate professor at the Catholic University of America, told CNA Feb 7.
Msgr. Rossetti was in Rome to address an international symposium on the issue of clerical abuse at the Jesuit-run Gregorian University. The Feb. 6 - 9 gathering has brought together representatives from over 140 bishops’ conferences and 30 religious orders worldwide.
Msgr. Rossetti said that recent research suggests two reasons for the sharp drop in reported cases in the U.S. First, “society has now mandatory reporting and prison sentences,” he explained, and second,“the Church has a much stronger prevention program.”
Such prevention programs, he emphasized, “do work.” By changing “the culture in which people live,” he added, “molesters realize they no longer have any safe haven in the Church or in society,” and if and when abuse does occur, “we respond much more quickly.”
Msgr. Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York and licensed psychologist, served as a psychological consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Conference in drafting the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. He is currently a consultant to the USCCB ad hoc committee on revising that Charter.
He addressed delegates today on the topic of “Ministering to Offenders: Learning from Our Past Mistakes.”
“I was really trying to share with the bishops around the world many of the mistakes that had been made in responding to allegations with child sexual abuse, and so that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes,” he said.
His primary message was that the most important thing a bishop can do is to listen to victims as in doing so “you understand the pain caused, the need to reach out to the victims, to listen to their stories, and to bring some healing from the Church.”
Msgr. Rossetti also explained to CNA that the vast majority of cases of clerical abuse actually took place in the 1970s. His research provides two main reasons for the spike in criminal behavior at that time.
First, “the Church took in a cohort of men who had greater amounts of sexual deviancy for some reason, not sure why, but in that time frame, there were a number of men who had more, frankly, more sexual problems.”
He also added that statistically the 1960s and 1970s was a “more permissive environment,” when “crimes of all sorts, not just child abuse, spiked up during that time frame.”
“So, when you have a permissive environment, and in that permissive environment you place a group of men with deviant sexual interests, you end up with an explosion,” he concluded.
The Vatican has now given bishops conferences and religious congregations until May 2012 to submit their guidelines for dealing with clerical abuse to the Vatican for approval or revision. Many are looking towards the U.S. model as a template.
“My understanding is that the Bishops’ Conference in the U.S. has been helping anyone who comes and asks for help,” said Msgr. Rossetti, “not only other countries or bishops, but also other secular programs.”
He has seen religious and non-religious groups approach the U.S. bishops of the and say “we have heard about your guidelines, we want to learn from them and implement them in our organization.”
“The instance of new allegations have dropped precipitously, it’s a marked drop, which is great news, although we’re not going to stop till we've stopped it completely,” Monsignor Steve Rossetti, associate professor at the Catholic University of America, told CNA Feb 7.
Msgr. Rossetti was in Rome to address an international symposium on the issue of clerical abuse at the Jesuit-run Gregorian University. The Feb. 6 - 9 gathering has brought together representatives from over 140 bishops’ conferences and 30 religious orders worldwide.
Msgr. Rossetti said that recent research suggests two reasons for the sharp drop in reported cases in the U.S. First, “society has now mandatory reporting and prison sentences,” he explained, and second,“the Church has a much stronger prevention program.”
Such prevention programs, he emphasized, “do work.” By changing “the culture in which people live,” he added, “molesters realize they no longer have any safe haven in the Church or in society,” and if and when abuse does occur, “we respond much more quickly.”
Msgr. Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York and licensed psychologist, served as a psychological consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Conference in drafting the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. He is currently a consultant to the USCCB ad hoc committee on revising that Charter.
He addressed delegates today on the topic of “Ministering to Offenders: Learning from Our Past Mistakes.”
“I was really trying to share with the bishops around the world many of the mistakes that had been made in responding to allegations with child sexual abuse, and so that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes,” he said.
His primary message was that the most important thing a bishop can do is to listen to victims as in doing so “you understand the pain caused, the need to reach out to the victims, to listen to their stories, and to bring some healing from the Church.”
Msgr. Rossetti also explained to CNA that the vast majority of cases of clerical abuse actually took place in the 1970s. His research provides two main reasons for the spike in criminal behavior at that time.
First, “the Church took in a cohort of men who had greater amounts of sexual deviancy for some reason, not sure why, but in that time frame, there were a number of men who had more, frankly, more sexual problems.”
He also added that statistically the 1960s and 1970s was a “more permissive environment,” when “crimes of all sorts, not just child abuse, spiked up during that time frame.”
“So, when you have a permissive environment, and in that permissive environment you place a group of men with deviant sexual interests, you end up with an explosion,” he concluded.
The Vatican has now given bishops conferences and religious congregations until May 2012 to submit their guidelines for dealing with clerical abuse to the Vatican for approval or revision. Many are looking towards the U.S. model as a template.
“My understanding is that the Bishops’ Conference in the U.S. has been helping anyone who comes and asks for help,” said Msgr. Rossetti, “not only other countries or bishops, but also other secular programs.”
He has seen religious and non-religious groups approach the U.S. bishops of the and say “we have heard about your guidelines, we want to learn from them and implement them in our organization.”
Categories: Catholic News
Peruvian bishop says Church will always reject abortion
Lima, Peru, Feb 7, 2012 / 06:04 pm (CNA).- The president of the Peruvian bishops' conference says the Church will always defend life and reject abortion even if this stance conflicts with society.
In remarks to CNA on Feb. 6, Archbishop Salvador Pineiro Garcia Calderon stressed the importance of “proclaiming life from its beginning to its end” and said that fidelity, fertility and the education of children in love seem like concepts from the past.
He said the Church would always resist abortion in all its forms, including abortion for alleged health reasons, “no matter how much they to try to justify it by saying the baby is sick or deformed.”
Local groups as well as some government officials have been stepping up efforts over recent months to pressure the country to legalize what's being called “therapeutic” abortion.
“I know I am going against the flow and it would easier for me to teach the contrary, but I would only receive cheap applause in return and I would not be a follower of Jesus,” the archbishop said.
“To snuff out life is the saddest of sins. It harms the soul because it means taking the life of an innocent being.”
Archbishop Calderon also commented on the problem of terrorism that Peru experienced for many years, which he called “a social curse permeated with hatred and injustice.”
The Peruvian government recently rejected a request by the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights to form a political party. The organization is led by Manuel Fajardo, who is the lawyer for the leader of the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (The Luminous Way).
Archbishop Garcia Calderon urged all Peruvians to work for peace and reconciliation and to “proclaim hope with loving hearts that are at the service of others.”
He also announced that he would travel to Leon to participate in the Pope’s visit to Mexico in March, as a representative of the bishops of Peru.
“I have the joy of bring him the greetings of the Church in Peru, the affection and filial obedience in this first encounter as president of the Peruvian bishops in order to ask his blessing for all the sons and daughters of Peru, who love the Pope so much and want to receive his message,” he said.
In remarks to CNA on Feb. 6, Archbishop Salvador Pineiro Garcia Calderon stressed the importance of “proclaiming life from its beginning to its end” and said that fidelity, fertility and the education of children in love seem like concepts from the past.
He said the Church would always resist abortion in all its forms, including abortion for alleged health reasons, “no matter how much they to try to justify it by saying the baby is sick or deformed.”
Local groups as well as some government officials have been stepping up efforts over recent months to pressure the country to legalize what's being called “therapeutic” abortion.
“I know I am going against the flow and it would easier for me to teach the contrary, but I would only receive cheap applause in return and I would not be a follower of Jesus,” the archbishop said.
“To snuff out life is the saddest of sins. It harms the soul because it means taking the life of an innocent being.”
Archbishop Calderon also commented on the problem of terrorism that Peru experienced for many years, which he called “a social curse permeated with hatred and injustice.”
The Peruvian government recently rejected a request by the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights to form a political party. The organization is led by Manuel Fajardo, who is the lawyer for the leader of the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (The Luminous Way).
Archbishop Garcia Calderon urged all Peruvians to work for peace and reconciliation and to “proclaim hope with loving hearts that are at the service of others.”
He also announced that he would travel to Leon to participate in the Pope’s visit to Mexico in March, as a representative of the bishops of Peru.
“I have the joy of bring him the greetings of the Church in Peru, the affection and filial obedience in this first encounter as president of the Peruvian bishops in order to ask his blessing for all the sons and daughters of Peru, who love the Pope so much and want to receive his message,” he said.
Categories: Catholic News
Abuse survivor praises Pope for listening to victims
Rome, Italy, Feb 7, 2012 / 05:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An Irish woman who was abused by a priest in her youth told an international symposium on clerical abuse that Pope Benedict is a model of how to listen to victims.
“Listening to victims is one of the most important things, and it was something that was maybe not done enough, and the Pope is giving an example as to how it should be done,” Marie Collins said Feb. 7.
Collins, 65, was abused while a patient in a Dublin children’s hospital. She told journalists at the “Towards Healing and Renewal” symposium at the Pontifical Gregorian University that she was particularly impressed by the Pope’s numerous meetings with victims during his apostolic visits abroad.
“The bishops should take their example from him and from his lead and listen more to victims and what they have to say,” she said.
Since being elected in 2005, Pope Benedict has met with victims of abuse during his pastoral visits to the United States, England, Germany, Australia and Malta. In the latter case, he wept while listening to what he heard from victims.
The four-day symposium has gathered representatives from 110 bishops’ conferences and more than 30 religious orders at the Jesuit-run Roman university. Its aim is to share best practices from around the world amongst the bishops and religious superiors present.
This morning the delegates heard Collins give a joint presentation with Baroness Sheila Hollins on “Healing a wound at the Heart of the Church and Society.” The baroness, who is a professor of psychiatry at St. George’s medical school at the University of London, also described Pope Benedict’s meetings with victims as “incredibly important.”
“I felt he was modeling to bishops in all of those places, ‘this is how you sit and listen to victims,’ and I think that was very, very important. That he had the ability to be able to sit and listen to what people were saying. I have huge respect for him for doing that,” she said.
The Vatican has given those bishops’ conferences and religious orders that do not have abuse guidelines in place until May 2012 to do so. They must then submit them to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Rome for approval, revision or rejection.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that this symposium will contribute very, very positively to the various writings of those guidelines, because it’s a very valuable resource for those taking part,” said Collins.
In recent decades, Marie Collins has become a well-known campaigner in Ireland for the protection of children and justice for survivors of clerical sexual abuse. She said she found it “difficult” to tell her story today, but she persevered because it’s important for bishops and religious superiors “hear a victim’s experience” as part of the symposium.
“I felt for that reason that I should do it, and I’m very glad I did. And the response was very good,” she said.
She explained how one African bishop told them that he had “not really given the issue a great deal of importance” but that “after hearing us both speak he had changed his mind and felt that this was something he had to give a lot more attention to. So I think it was important that what we both said was heard.”
Baroness Hollins had explained to delegates how mental health problems are “very common” among victims of abuse, including “depression, anxiety, eating disorders or suicidal thoughts.” She also said she believes that listening to victims is key to helping them to heal their psychological wounds.
“Listening isn’t just something that happens once,” she remarked, “it is quite hard to listen in a way which helps a victim, a survivor feel like they’ve been heard. And so that listening has to keep on, particularly for somebody where the abuse happened a long time ago” and who has not be able to tell their story for many years.
“Listening to victims is one of the most important things, and it was something that was maybe not done enough, and the Pope is giving an example as to how it should be done,” Marie Collins said Feb. 7.
Collins, 65, was abused while a patient in a Dublin children’s hospital. She told journalists at the “Towards Healing and Renewal” symposium at the Pontifical Gregorian University that she was particularly impressed by the Pope’s numerous meetings with victims during his apostolic visits abroad.
“The bishops should take their example from him and from his lead and listen more to victims and what they have to say,” she said.
Since being elected in 2005, Pope Benedict has met with victims of abuse during his pastoral visits to the United States, England, Germany, Australia and Malta. In the latter case, he wept while listening to what he heard from victims.
The four-day symposium has gathered representatives from 110 bishops’ conferences and more than 30 religious orders at the Jesuit-run Roman university. Its aim is to share best practices from around the world amongst the bishops and religious superiors present.
This morning the delegates heard Collins give a joint presentation with Baroness Sheila Hollins on “Healing a wound at the Heart of the Church and Society.” The baroness, who is a professor of psychiatry at St. George’s medical school at the University of London, also described Pope Benedict’s meetings with victims as “incredibly important.”
“I felt he was modeling to bishops in all of those places, ‘this is how you sit and listen to victims,’ and I think that was very, very important. That he had the ability to be able to sit and listen to what people were saying. I have huge respect for him for doing that,” she said.
The Vatican has given those bishops’ conferences and religious orders that do not have abuse guidelines in place until May 2012 to do so. They must then submit them to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Rome for approval, revision or rejection.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that this symposium will contribute very, very positively to the various writings of those guidelines, because it’s a very valuable resource for those taking part,” said Collins.
In recent decades, Marie Collins has become a well-known campaigner in Ireland for the protection of children and justice for survivors of clerical sexual abuse. She said she found it “difficult” to tell her story today, but she persevered because it’s important for bishops and religious superiors “hear a victim’s experience” as part of the symposium.
“I felt for that reason that I should do it, and I’m very glad I did. And the response was very good,” she said.
She explained how one African bishop told them that he had “not really given the issue a great deal of importance” but that “after hearing us both speak he had changed his mind and felt that this was something he had to give a lot more attention to. So I think it was important that what we both said was heard.”
Baroness Hollins had explained to delegates how mental health problems are “very common” among victims of abuse, including “depression, anxiety, eating disorders or suicidal thoughts.” She also said she believes that listening to victims is key to helping them to heal their psychological wounds.
“Listening isn’t just something that happens once,” she remarked, “it is quite hard to listen in a way which helps a victim, a survivor feel like they’ve been heard. And so that listening has to keep on, particularly for somebody where the abuse happened a long time ago” and who has not be able to tell their story for many years.
Categories: Catholic News
Archdiocese of Panama urges conflict resolution with local tribe
Panama City, Panama, Feb 7, 2012 / 02:07 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- The Archdiocese of Panama City called for dialogue to resolve the violence between the government and the local Gnöbe bugle Indian tribe which has left one person killed and 42 wounded.
Members of the tribe began protesting last week to oppose plans by the government to expand hydropower and mining operations in the country. According to Europa Press, they have refused to sit down for talks with the government of President Ricardo Martinelli.
On Feb. 5, hundreds of tribe members blocked the only highway that connects Panama with the rest of Central America, and police efforts to clear the highway led to riots. One person was killed, 42 were injured and more than 40 were arrested.
The confrontations “further infuriated the Indians, who closed the door to any chance for dialogue” and said they would not sit down for talks until all those detained are released, the archdiocese said.
Tribe members say they want the Panamanian Congress to enact a law restricting mining companies from building hydroelectric plants in their region, arguing that the plants would have the negative impact on the environment as mining.
The Archdiocese of Panama called on authorities to “seek a solution through respectful and responsible dialogue with the Gnöbe leaders and to avoid violent confrontations that jeopardize the lives of people who are protesting.”
Members of the tribe began protesting last week to oppose plans by the government to expand hydropower and mining operations in the country. According to Europa Press, they have refused to sit down for talks with the government of President Ricardo Martinelli.
On Feb. 5, hundreds of tribe members blocked the only highway that connects Panama with the rest of Central America, and police efforts to clear the highway led to riots. One person was killed, 42 were injured and more than 40 were arrested.
The confrontations “further infuriated the Indians, who closed the door to any chance for dialogue” and said they would not sit down for talks until all those detained are released, the archdiocese said.
Tribe members say they want the Panamanian Congress to enact a law restricting mining companies from building hydroelectric plants in their region, arguing that the plants would have the negative impact on the environment as mining.
The Archdiocese of Panama called on authorities to “seek a solution through respectful and responsible dialogue with the Gnöbe leaders and to avoid violent confrontations that jeopardize the lives of people who are protesting.”
Categories: Catholic News
