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Lima, Peru, Jan 25, 2017 / 02:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae announced Saturday that 66 persons can be considered victims of abuse of mistreatment by members of the community.

The superior general of the community, Alessandro Moroni Llabres, also said Jan. 21 that the society has set aside more than $2.8 million in reparations and assistance for victims.

Moroni's statement followed the Jan. 16 decision of Peruvian public prosecutor María del Pilar Peralta Ramírez to drop charges against the founder, Luis Fernando Figari, and other members of the community. Figari has been accused of sexual abuse, mistreatment, and abuse of power.

There was a protest, which included some of the complainants, outside one of the society's pastoral centers in Lima, rejecting the decision of the attorney general's office.

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae is a society of apostolic life which was founded in 1971 in Peru, and granted pontifical recognition in 1997. CNA's executive director, Alejandro Bermúdez, and its director of operations, Ryan Thomas, are both members of the community.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark was in May 2016 appointed as the Vatican's delegate to oversee ongoing reform of the society. The cardinal had previously served as superior general of the Redemptorists, and secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Moroni began his statement saying that he was delivering it so as “to make known the details of the reparations which we have already granted because of the moral responsibility we have before the persons who have suffered because of some members and ex-members of our organization.”

He pointed out that “when we received the prosecutor's ruling to dismiss the complaint, we understood that it is a decision based on the strict framework of criminal law.”

“I would like to remind you that this investigation did not have as its goal to prove whether there were or were not victims of wrongdoing by persons connected to our community, but rather to prove if we are a criminal enterprise, which has committed kidnapping and serious injuries. The ruling has dismissed that accusation. That is why we are in agreement with it,” he said.

However, he recalled that “besides the norms proper to the judicial and canonical spheres, there is a necessary moral sphere.” In that respect he reiterated the community's pronouncements recognizing “all the harm done” by Figari and “condemning his actions and declaring him a persona non grata.”

“We have also asked for [Figari's] removal from our community and we have sent all the information on his case to the Holy See,” he added.

Moroni said that “unfortunately, there's not much more we can do in this regard. Figari's trial is proceeding in Rome and we can only wait for the final pronouncement by the Vatican authorities.”

“On the other hand, we have also recognized that some members of our community have done much harm and we have taken very concrete measures to clarify the truth about all these cases,” he stated. “And this is most important thing: we are maintaining our commitment to making redress to those who suffered because of this. Those persons continue to be our priority.”

He recalled that an Ethics Commission for Justice and Reconciliation was formed in November 2015 at the request of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae so that the victims “could be welcomed and served in the first instance by highly respected and objective persons.”

In April 2016, that commission's report detailed an internal culture of extreme “discipline and obedience to the founder” which was “forged on the basis of extreme physical demands, as well as physical punishments, constituting abuses which violated the fundamental rights of persons.”

Moroni said the ethics commission presented 32 cases to the Sodalits, and that another team of international experts in abuse investigations and the care of victims found another 71, “and we have attended to a total of 103 persons.”

“Of this total, sufficient elements have been found to consider 66 persons as victims of abuse or mistreatment of a different nature.”

“To determine if a person can be considered a victim,” he said, “we did not require any technical or scientific means of proof, such as would be required in any juridical investigation. Rather, we made a moral evaluation, considering the verisimilitude of the testimonies that were received. And in case of doubt, we have opted to trust the persons who have given us their testimony.”

He indicated that in 47 cases an agreement for monetary compensation was reached. Of these, 35 have been completed already, while the other 12 are still being taken care of.

Five of the victims are in waiting, “because they are part of the judicial process.”

Another three “have rejected our proposal and one does not want to continue with the process. There are in addition 10 persons in the process of receiving a final proposal for reparation.”

“Among monetary compensations, medical or psychological assistance, help to return to the workforce, and support for some persons whose cases did not correspond to this process, but who had urgent needs, the amount approved for this purpose so far totals more than $2,842,000,” or 9.36 million Peruvian soles.

Moroni continued: “For us, the principal responsibility does not fall upon the Vatican or the Peruvian Church. Nor does the principal responsibility fall on the Attorney General's Office; the principal responsibility of seeking the truth and repairing the damage is OURS.”

“Beyond the lofty complexity of the judicial and canonical processes, today we want to reaffirm that we are determined to fulfil our moral responsibility, with all its consequences,” he stated.

Moroni reiterated the community asks forgiveness from “everyone who has suffered any kind of abuse or mistreatment on the part of a member or ex-member of the Sodality, and also from all of society, which has been understandably indignant.”

“To the members of our spiritual family and the people of good will who work daily in our apostolates,” he continued, “we ask forgiveness for all of the continued suffering in this painful process. We encourage you to continue trusting in the action of God, who by his infinite mercy brings forth fruits of conversion, solidarity, and reconciliation among us.”

“Welcoming the truth, however painful it may be, and making reparation to those who have suffered, we will be able to go forward on the path of service to which God calls us,” Moroni concluded.

In addition to Peru, the community operates in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, and Italy. 

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Washington D.C., Jan 25, 2017 / 04:32 pm (CNA).- Amid reports of an imminent executive order to halt most refugee resettlement in the U.S., one international Catholic charitable group is speaking out.

“When we look at what’s happening in Syria and the needs of 21 million refugees around the world, we think that this is our time as Catholics to be the Good Samaritan, regardless of what is expected of us from countries overseas,” Jill Maria Gershutz-Bell, senior legislative specialist at Catholic Relief Services, told CNA of the proposed order.

“It’s our turn to show – or really, to maintain – our leadership in welcoming the lost and the least,” she continued, saying CRS was “very concerned” about the reported executive order.

President Donald Trump will reportedly sign an executive order this week halting the influx of refugees into the U.S., except in the cases of religious minorities fleeing persecution. He could also be suspending visas issued to persons from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya.

The temporary ban could last four months, and presidential approval could be required to renew refugee resettlement from Syria.

The reports came the same day as Trump signed executive orders directing that a wall be built on the U.S.-Mexico border, “sanctuary cities” harboring undocumented immigrants be barred from federal funds, and deportations be sped up.

Americans must remember that refugees “are victims” themselves, Gershutz-Bell insisted.

The number of persons worldwide displaced from their homes is at its highest ever recorded at over 65 million, including over 21 million refugees, according to the United Nations’ refugee office in a 2016 report.

“Wars and persecution” have caused massive numbers of people to flee their homes, including a years-long civil war in Syria, and conflicts in the South Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Yemen.

Three countries have produced half the world’s refugees, the UN noted: Syria (4.9 million), Somalia (1.1 million), and Afghanistan (2.7 million). Two of those countries, Syria and Somalia, would be on Trump’s reported visa ban list.

Refugees “need to have the opportunity to demonstrate that they don’t intend any harm to the United Sates, but in fact they’re fleeing the same kind of violence that we’re trying to protect ourselves from,” Gershutz-Bell said.

Accepting and resettling refugees is part of the Catholic mission, she added.

“Pope Francis has been unequivocal about this, and the Catholic Church in the United States has been a leader in responding to refugees for really decades now. It’s part of what it means to be Catholic,” Gershutz-Bell told CNA.

Catholic University of America president John Garvey also spoke out against policies restricting immigration in an op-ed on Tuesday, calling for “an immigration policy rooted in charity and hospitality.”

“We should ‘welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin,’” he said, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2241. “And nations should respect the natural right ‘that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him’,” he continued.

“This generous approach to immigration is neither politically expedient nor free of risk,” he noted. “Many citizens have argued in good faith for a more restrictive policy. But would you not love and admire a country that opened its doors to the tired, the poor, the wretched and the homeless, even if they could not promise it a fair return for its hospitality?”

CRS also reported “indications” that another executive order might direct the State Department and the Defense Department to set up “safe zones” for refugees in and around the Syrian conflict.

“We have really serious concerns about that. The details of a safe zone and how that would be implemented would be critical,” Gershutz-Bell said. “They can actually end up putting targets on the backs of civilians if they’re not carefully executed.”

 

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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. House passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, making the 41-year-old Hyde Amendment permanent, puts the country "one step closer to getting the federal government out of the business of paying for abortion once and for all," said the president of National Right to Life.

"Over 2 million Americans are alive today because of the Hyde Amendment," Carol Tobias said in a statement.

By a 238-183 vote Jan. 24, House members passed H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017. It was sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.

A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. President Donald J. Trump indicated before the House vote he would sign the measure if it comes to his desk.

"Two million people who would have been aborted instead survived because public funds were unavailable to effectuate their violent demise, while their mothers benefited from prenatal health care and support," Smith said in a statement. "Two million survivors have had the opportunity to live and enjoy the first and most basic of all human rights -- the right to life."

The 2 million figure he and Tobias cited comes from a report issued late last year by the Charlotte Lozier Institute on more than 20 peer-reviewed studies indicating that many lives have been saved since the Hyde Amendment was introduced in 1976.

"As hundreds of thousands of Americans flock to Washington for the March for Life (Jan. 27), we must never forget that defending all of our people -- especially the defenseless -- must be our top priority if we want to be a good and moral nation," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said in a statement.

"By passing this legislation, the House has taken a decisive step toward respect for unborn human life, reflecting the will of the American people," said Deirdre McQuade, primary spokeswoman on abortion for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In a Jan. 25 statement, she said the USCCB "hopes that the U.S. Senate will take up this vital legislation soon."

H.R. 7, which is identical to bills that passed in 2014 and 2015, make permanent the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits tax dollars from paying for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the woman's life. The amendment, which covers programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, has had to be renewed annually by Congress in its appropriations bill.

"Polling consistently shows that a supermajority of Americans -- 61 percent, according to a Marist poll released (Jan. 23) -- oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, and eight in 10 Americans think laws can protect both the well-being of a woman and the health of her unborn child," Smith added.

Prior to the House vote, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, urged lawmakers to "write into permanent law a policy on which there has been strong popular and congressional agreement for more than 40 years: The federal government should not use its funding power to support and promote elective abortion, and should not force taxpayers to subsidize this violence."

In remarks on the House floor before the vote, Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, told fellow lawmakers: "Although we may not agree on all the vicissitudes of abortion, one thing is certain, some day, we, as a society, will look back and we will recognize the humanity of these little children of God and the inhumanity of what is being done to them and we will regret these days.

"Until then, at least, can't we get together and say that we shouldn't force taxpayers to pay for the killing of innocent, little human beings?" he asked. "I pray that we can open our eyes to see that truth."

According to Smith, the measure also will ensure that the federal Affordable Care Act, "until repeal," conforms with the Hyde Amendment. Until there is a new health care law, he added, the bill also will "ensure full disclosure, transparency and the prominent display of the extent to which any health insurance plan on the exchange funds abortion."

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, who is co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, told Mother Jones the House vote seems "like a slap in the face after we had over a million women marching in Washington and around the country." She was referring to the Woman's March on Washington Jan. 21, which organizers said drew about 500,000 participants.

"House passage of this legislation is the first step toward fulfilling a promise made by President Trump to keep taxpayers out of the abortion business," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

"He and his administration are working for the American people, not the abortion lobby," she added. "We urge the U.S. Senate to follow suite so that this bill can get to President Trump's desk as soon as possible."

Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said it "is time for the Senate to move as quickly as the House to follow the will of the American people, who overwhelmingly do not want to pay for abortions."

In January 2014, when the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act was first introduced, an official with the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities testified on behalf of the bill.

"Even public officials who take a 'pro-choice' stand on abortion have supported bans on public funding as a 'middle ground' on this contentious issue -- in recognition of the fact that it is not 'pro-choice' to force others to fund a procedure to which they have fundamental objections," said Richard M. Doerflinger, then associate director of the secretariat.

"And even courts insisting on a constitutional 'right' to abortion have said that this alleged right 'implies no limitation on the authority of a state to make a value judgment favoring childbirth over abortion, and to implement that judgment by the allocation of public funds,'" he said.

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