Vatican City, Mar 4, 2016 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The movie Spotlight’s Best Picture win at the Academy Awards has brought renewed attention to the Catholic sex abuse scandals that broke in 2002. But while the Church’s failures are well-known, it is also true that the Catholic Church has made more progress than any other body on this issue.There are several marks of progress: the removal and canonical punishment of clergy who commit sex abuse, especially high-level churchmen and leaders of religious movements; papal meetings with victims; reform of church law; and the creation of new church structures.The Church has always been concerned about what canon law calls “the most serious crimes.” Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law and a 1922 instruction from the Vatican, sexual abuse of minors was treated as “the worst crime,” a “crimen pessimum,” which was to be reported to the Holy Office – later known as the Congregation for the ...
Vatican City, Mar 4, 2016 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The movie Spotlight’s Best Picture win at the Academy Awards has brought renewed attention to the Catholic sex abuse scandals that broke in 2002. But while the Church’s failures are well-known, it is also true that the Catholic Church has made more progress than any other body on this issue.
There are several marks of progress: the removal and canonical punishment of clergy who commit sex abuse, especially high-level churchmen and leaders of religious movements; papal meetings with victims; reform of church law; and the creation of new church structures.
The Church has always been concerned about what canon law calls “the most serious crimes.” Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law and a 1922 instruction from the Vatican, sexual abuse of minors was treated as “the worst crime,” a “crimen pessimum,” which was to be reported to the Holy Office – later known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
After the Second Vatican Council, the Church moved to decentralize the judgment of these cases and to value the authority and judgment of local bishops.
In some cases, the canon law process was dismissed as anachronistic in favor of a so-called “pastoral approach.” This meant from 1962 to 2001 only a few cases of abuse – those in which the priest abused the Sacrament of Penance – would go to the Holy Office.
In 1983, the new code of Canon Law was issued. But the norms gave birth to complicated procedures that made it difficult to laicize abusive priests. Bishops were still tasked with filing charges against priests who committed sex abuse. These charges were handled by the Congregation for the Clergy. But some dioceses failed to report sexual abuse cases to Rome and neglected to take measures against priests. Often, dioceses merely transferred these priests.
In 2001, St. John Paul II issued legislation that transferred authority to investigate abuses cases to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which was headed at the time by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – the man who would become Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope John Paul II expanded this congregation’s duties to address many more cases of clergy sexual abuse. As prefect, Ratzinger identified major failures in addressing sex abuse.
When Ratzinger became pope in 2005, taking the name Benedict XVI, he carried forward an approach based on justice and awareness of the Church’s shortcomings. His papacy gave enormous impetus to the fight against sex abuse by clergy.
According to data presented by the CDF to the U.N. Human Rights Commission in January 2014, Benedict XVI defrocked hundreds of priests for past sexual abuse from 2009-2012 alone.
In May 2005, Pope Benedict laicized Fr. Gino Burresi, founder of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for sexual abuse.
A year later, in May 2006, Benedict disciplined Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the influential founder of the Legionaries of Christ. He condemned the priest to a life of penance removed from any public position.
In 2007, Benedict required the France-based Community of the Beatitudes to be re-founded, given that some of its members abused children. In 2011, the community would acknowledge the faults of some of its members, including its founder.
Four years later, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith completed its investigation of Fr. Fernando Karadima, a Chilean accused of molesting children. The civil case against him had been dismissed due to the age of the allegations. The CDF, however, declared the 84-year-old priest guilty.
Benedict XVI’s papacy included both global and local approaches to fighting sex abuse. In 2011, the CDF sent a letter to the world’s bishops’ conferences, asking them to adopt stringent guidelines to fight such abuse by May 2012.
The letter highlighted five key points: assistance to victims of sexual abuse; protection of minors; education of future priests and religious; how to respond to accusations against priests; and collaboration with civil authorities.
Meanwhile, Benedict XVI responded specifically to the Catholic bishops of Ireland, who went to Rome twice to speak with him about sex abuse. After these meetings, Benedict wrote a March 2010 pastoral letter to the country’s Catholics.
He particularly noted a “misguided tendency” against applying canonical punishments that arose due to misinterpretations of the Second Vatican Council.
The Pope announced an apostolic visitation and provided criteria to tackle cases of abuse.
In March 2012, Benedict issued guidelines to prevent abuse of minors and to involve the faithful in abuse prevention. The document stressed full cooperation with civil authorities in reporting accusations. The document also required that archbishops ensure that any new cases of abuse be forwarded to civil authorities and to the CDF.
Pope Francis continued these efforts after his February 2013 election. The same month of his election, Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland resigned from the Archbishopric of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after news coverage of charges that he had engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior towards priests. Francis evaluated the results of a Vatican inquiry of the cardinal’s action. He approved the cardinal’s resignation from the cardinalate in March 2015, an extremely rare event in Church history.
The Pope had a strong response to the case of Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who served as apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic from 2008-2013. The nuncio resigned after accusations that he paid for sexual relations with minors. He was put on trial by the CDF and in July 2014, was found guilty of the accusations under Church law. The Vatican punished him with laicization, the strongest canonical penalty.
Though there is no extradition treaty between the Vatican and the Dominican Republic, Vatican officials expressed their willingness to hand over Wesolowski to civil authorities in the Dominican Republic. The nuncio died of natural causes in August 2015 while on house arrest. The Vatican’s criminal case against him was still ongoing at that time.
Pope Francis has also moved to create new church bodies to combat abuse. In December 2013 he established a Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, following a recommendation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.
The Pope created a special group within the CDF to hear the cases of high-ranking clerics charged with the most serious crimes. He has also begun to study the possibility of introducing to canon law the crime of “abuse of office” for bishops who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to prosecute sex abuse.
In addition to disciplinary measures against abusers, the Church has also worked at the highest level to reach out to victims.
Benedict XVI met with abuse victims several times: during his 2008 visits to the U.S. and Australia, during his 2010 visits to Malta and the United Kingdom, and during his 2011 visit to Germany.
The meetings with victims had immediate effects. In the U.K., victims came forward with more reports of past abuse. Soon after the Pope visited Malta, he defrocked a Maltese priest convicted of sex abuse in a criminal trial. Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, then Promoter of Justice of the Holy See, said that Benedict pushed the Church of Malta and its investigative bodies to accelerate their work.
Pope Francis continues these efforts. He met sex abuse victims in July 2014 at the Vatican – the first such meeting within Vatican walls. He also met with victims in the United States during his September 2015 visit.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Airline-safety standards are changing in the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 nearly two years ago, but the head of one of the world's top air crash investigation agencies says it's not happening fast enough....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Airline-safety standards are changing in the wake of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 nearly two years ago, but the head of one of the world's top air crash investigation agencies says it's not happening fast enough....
TOKYO (AP) -- The new U.N. sanctions on North Korea are out and they are going to pinch Pyongyang hard. But they also beg a big question - since sanctions thus far have failed to persuade North Korea to roll over and give up its nukes, are more, but tougher, ones really the most effective way to bring the North out of its hardened Cold War bunker?...
TOKYO (AP) -- The new U.N. sanctions on North Korea are out and they are going to pinch Pyongyang hard. But they also beg a big question - since sanctions thus far have failed to persuade North Korea to roll over and give up its nukes, are more, but tougher, ones really the most effective way to bring the North out of its hardened Cold War bunker?...
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazilian police on Friday were questioning former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and searching his home and other buildings linked to him, one of the most dramatic developments yet in the sprawling corruption case at the oil giant Petrobras....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Brazilian police on Friday were questioning former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and searching his home and other buildings linked to him, one of the most dramatic developments yet in the sprawling corruption case at the oil giant Petrobras....
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others.""Even as Americans rema...
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."
"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.
"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU
He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online. --- Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis # # # MEDIA CONTACT Don Clemmer O: 202-541-3206
WASHINGTON-The Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, February 1, on behalf of USCCB, the Texas Catholic Conference and several Christian partners in support of a Texas law mandating health and safety standards protecting women who undergo abortions. Other groups joining the brief include the National Association of Evangelicals, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court."There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."The brief noted that some abortion clinics have decla...
WASHINGTON-The Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, February 1, on behalf of USCCB, the Texas Catholic Conference and several Christian partners in support of a Texas law mandating health and safety standards protecting women who undergo abortions. Other groups joining the brief include the National Association of Evangelicals, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
"There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."
The brief noted that some abortion clinics have declared the standards too strict, although the standards are similar to those issued by the abortion industry. It added that abortion providers "should not be allowed to rely upon their own failure to comply with health and safety laws" as a reason to strike such laws down. The brief said the providers' resistance to such regulations is not in the best interests of women's health and safety. It also noted that over 40 years of precedent, including the Court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, reaffirms that states may regulate abortion to protect maternal life and health.
Full text of the brief is available online: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/Whole-Woman-s-Health-v-Hellerstedt.pdf --- Keywords: General Counsel, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Texas law abortion, amicus curia, National Association of Evangelicals, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, U.S. Supreme Court
(Vatican Radio) A revamped “Click to Pray” app is officially launched at the Vatican Friday as an initiative for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The launch also coincides with this year’s 24 Hours for the Lord.An initiative by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the “Click to Pray” app allows users to take part in a mobile network of prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, with reminders at different points of the day to pray for a specific intention.Listen to Alexander MacDonald's report: The application allows users to ask others for prayer, prompts users to pray for others’ intentions and lets users know the monthly prayer intentions of Pope Francis. Each month is identified with a different prayer theme – February intentions were for Creation and the focus for March is the family.The app was originally launched in November 2014 by the Apostleship of Prayer in Portugal to help young people pray with the Pope. The new version...
(Vatican Radio) A revamped “Click to Pray” app is officially launched at the Vatican Friday as an initiative for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The launch also coincides with this year’s 24 Hours for the Lord.
An initiative by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the “Click to Pray” app allows users to take part in a mobile network of prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, with reminders at different points of the day to pray for a specific intention.
Listen to Alexander MacDonald's report:
The application allows users to ask others for prayer, prompts users to pray for others’ intentions and lets users know the monthly prayer intentions of Pope Francis. Each month is identified with a different prayer theme – February intentions were for Creation and the focus for March is the family.
The app was originally launched in November 2014 by the Apostleship of Prayer in Portugal to help young people pray with the Pope. The new version becomes the digital platform for the global network of the Pope's prayer efforts. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The launch coincides with "24 hours for the Lord," a full day dedicated to opening churches for Eucharistic Adoration and confession in dioceses throughout the world, an initiative of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.
The Apostleship of Prayer reports that more than 80,000 users registered for the Click to Pray app in Portugal. Asked to transform the app into an international network, the organization re-designed the app to help pilgrims pray with the Pope for the great challenges facing humanity and the Church’s mission in this Year of Mercy. Its focus has also grown from youth to people of all ages.
The Click to Pray app gives an opportunity to pray three times a day: in the morning with Jesus whereby we entrust our lives to the Lord and in communion with the whole Church. At noon, we pray to be more open to the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day we pray to make ourselves available to cooperate with the mission of Christ. Notifications also remind users to pray for challenges of the Church highlighted by Pope Francis.
Click to Pray also gives the ability for users to compose prayers and to ask others to unite with them in prayer. Users may receive inspirational notes and Bible quotations from the Apostleship of Prayer which urge users to be closer to the heart of Jesus.
On learning of the project, Pope Francis has confirmed that he is pleased with the effort and is encouraged that the international prayer network will assist greatly in this Year of Mercy for all Catholics to pray in communion.
The Click to Pray app is present in almost 100 countries, on all continents and in all cultures, uniting potentially millions of people to pray together for the mission of the Church.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mar 4, 2016 / 12:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The majority of Brazilians are opposed to abortion in cases where the baby exhibits microcephaly, a new survey finds.The poll comes amid continued concerns over the possible role of Zika virus in causing microcephaly.Released by Brazil’s Datafolha Institute, the survey indicates that 58 percent of Brazilians reject the practice of abortion in cases of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus. Just 32 percent think the woman should have an abortion and 10 percent had no opinion.Even in cases where it is confirmed that the baby will be born with microcephaly, 51 percent of respondents were against ending the baby’s life. About 39 percent approved of an abortion.The first case of the Zika virus in the Americas was recorded in Brazil in May 2015. Since then, the virus has spread through half of South America, much of Central America and Mexico. Some cases have been reported in the southern United States.The ...
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mar 4, 2016 / 12:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The majority of Brazilians are opposed to abortion in cases where the baby exhibits microcephaly, a new survey finds.
The poll comes amid continued concerns over the possible role of Zika virus in causing microcephaly.
Released by Brazil’s Datafolha Institute, the survey indicates that 58 percent of Brazilians reject the practice of abortion in cases of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus. Just 32 percent think the woman should have an abortion and 10 percent had no opinion.
Even in cases where it is confirmed that the baby will be born with microcephaly, 51 percent of respondents were against ending the baby’s life. About 39 percent approved of an abortion.
The first case of the Zika virus in the Americas was recorded in Brazil in May 2015. Since then, the virus has spread through half of South America, much of Central America and Mexico. Some cases have been reported in the southern United States.
The Zika virus is most often transmitted by a certain species of mosquito. Usually infection does not cause serious illness. However, some reports from Brazil suggest a connection between virus infections and microcephaly in babies developing in the womb. The infection appears to be passed from a pregnant mother to her unborn child.
The Centers for Disease Control in its Feb. 26 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, has said “laboratory evidence from a limited number of cases with microcephaly” has supported a link between virus infection and microcephaly.
Microcephaly is a medical condition in which babies have small heads. Accompanying conditions can range from mild to severe. Severe problems may include seizures, vision or hearing problems, and developmental disabilities, the Centers for Disease Control said.
Abortion advocates have used the virus’ possible connection with microcephaly to push for expanded legal abortion in South and Central America.
On Feb. 5, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner of Human Rights, headed by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan, released a statement urging countries suffering from the epidemic to provide women “quality sexual and reproductive health services and information.” This included “safe abortion services.”
Pope Francis, on his return flight from Mexico to the Vatican, rejected this push. He said that abortion is “a crime” since it means “throwing one out to save another.”
“That's what the mafia does. It's a crime, an absolute evil,” the Pope said Feb. 18.
Several Latin American countries with laws restricting abortion rejected demand for abortion, including Brazil.
The Brazilian Secretary of Health, Marcelo Castro, said that the position of his office is “upholding the law.”
“Brazilian legislation only allows abortion in three cases, and they don’t include (microcephaly),” he said.
Fernando Llorca Castro, Costa Rica’s Secretary of Health, took a similar position. In a statement to the Costa Rican daily La Nación, he explained that the country is considering legal abortion “when the mother is at risk, which is not the case for babies with microcephaly.”
He added that “there’s not even any convincing evidence that Zika is causing microcephaly.”
Last month, a Brazilian journalist with microcephaly slammed the push for abortion, explaining that some people with the condition – including herself – are able to live normal lives.
MUWAQER INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, Jordan (AP) -- A new trade deal with Europe, a rush of foreign investment and public works are to put 200,000 Syrian refugees to work in Jordan in what the international community has described as a radical new approach to tackling the biggest displacement crisis in decades....
MUWAQER INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, Jordan (AP) -- A new trade deal with Europe, a rush of foreign investment and public works are to put 200,000 Syrian refugees to work in Jordan in what the international community has described as a radical new approach to tackling the biggest displacement crisis in decades....
