President's Messages
Hans Kung Award|
Encouragement for Those Disappointed with the Church Leonardo Boff
There is great disappointment with the institutional Catholic Church. A double emigration is happening: one is exterior, persons who simply leave the Church, and the other is interior, those who remain in the Church but who no longer feel that she is their spiritual home. They continue believing, in spite of the Church.
It's not for nothing. The present pope has taken some radical initiatives that have divided the ecclesiastic body. He chose a path of confrontation with two important episcopacies, the German and the French, when he introduced the Latin Mass. He articulated an obscure reconciliation with the Church of the followers of Lefebvre; gutted the principal renewal institutions of Vatican Council II, especially ecumenism, absurdly denying the title of "Church" to those Churches that are not Catholic or Orthodox. When he was a Cardinal he was gravely permissive with pedophiles, and his concern with AIDS borders the inhumane. Ed. Note: This article was first published on Leonardo Boff's website. |
|
Some things we have been reading |
|
Sister Simone Campbell, 'Nun from the Bus,' David Gibson Sep.6, 2012
Paul Ryan has been taking a lot of heat over the factual accuracy of claims he made in his prime time address at the Republican convention last week, but Wednesday night at the Democratic confab the GOP vice-presidential candidate - and practicing Catholic - was schooled by a popular nun on the moral shortcomings of his budget proposals.
"Paul Ryan claims this budget reflects the principles of our shared faith," Sister Simone Campbell, who became a celebrity of sorts this summer when she led the national "Nuns on the Bus" tour for social justice, told cheering Democratic delegates in Charlotte.
"But the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated that the Ryan budget failed a basic moral test, because it would harm families living in poverty," Campbell said.
"We agree with our bishops, and that's why we went on the road: to stand with struggling families and to lift up our Catholic sisters who serve them. Their work to alleviate suffering would be seriously harmed by the Romney-Ryan budget, and that is wrong."
Transcript of Simone Campbell remarks as prepared for delivery, Democratic National Convention, Democratic Underground
Simone Campbell DNC Speech on YouTube |
|
Courts urged not to dismiss Catholic lawsuits against HHS mandate Nancy Frazier O'Brien Aug.29, 2012
In a dozen courts around the country, attorneys representing more than 40 Catholic dioceses or institutions have filed briefs arguing against the federal government's call to dismiss lawsuits against its contraceptive mandate. |
|
Romney: My views on abortion rights are clear Aug.27, 2012
In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, Mitt Romney said his views on abortion rights are more lenient than those put forward in the Republican party platform.
"My position has been clear throughout this campaign," Romney said. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother." |
|
Questions raised over Kansas City bishop's 'boys will be boys' comment Joshua J. McElwee Aug.31, 2012
When the computer systems manager of the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., diocese told her bishop, Robert Finn, that she had found lewd images of children on a priest's laptop, he replied, "Sometimes boys will be boys," according to sworn testimony that appears in court documents filed Thursday.
Ratigan's May 2011 arrest on pornography charges raised questions about when his diocese and Finn first became aware of concerns against him. County prosecutors say both Finn and the diocese should have reported Ratigan to police as early as December 2010, when they acknowledge becoming aware of lewd images of children on his laptop |
|
Bishop Finn verdict: Guilty Mark Morris & Judy L. Thomas Sep.6, 2012
Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn today became the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic official convicted during the church's decades-long child sexual abuse scandal.
Following a short non-jury trial, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John Torrence convicted Finn of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspicions of child abuse but acquitted him on another count.
. . . . Finn is the first bishop in the country, and is believed to be one of only two bishops in the world, convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse. The other case happened in France. . . . . Finn and the diocese face four civil lawsuits - two in federal court and two in state court - involving Ratigan and child pornography allegations. The lawsuits allege that Catholic officials had been warned about Ratigan's troubling behavior and knew of disturbing images on his computer but failed to take immediate action. |
|
Liverpool commissions lay men and women to lead funerals Tablet Aug.24, 2012
Lay people will start to conduct funeral services in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, The Tablet can reveal.
The move, which comes into effect in the autumn, is due to the declining number of priests and the large number of funerals that take place in parts of the archdiocese.
|
|
Cardinal Burke's sex abuse analysis woefully inadequate Thomas C. Fox Sep.3, 2012
Cardinal Raymond Burke has reportedly expressed his profound sorrow that "the failure of knowledge and application of the canon law ... contributed significantly to the scandal of the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy in some parts of the world."
His remarks, as far as they go, reveal a serious misunderstanding of the deeper nature of the clergy sex abuse crisis. Not to face its larger and, in the eyes of many, more troubling dimension, is to make it all the more unlikely we will ever get beyond it.
Is it personality or structure? Is it the makeup of the leadership or the way that leadership carries out (or fails to carry out) its duties?
What is especially bothersome about Burke's inadequate analysis of the abuse scandal is it comes after decades of news coverage and studies, civil and ecclesial, which suggest far larger institutional challenges than wayward priests who have failed to live by canon law. |
|
Catholic Church In Scotland Campaigns To Stop Gay Marriage Al Webb Aug.29, 2012
The Roman Catholic Church has sent a letter to its parishes across Scotland protesting a political race to legalize same-sex marriage. . . . . Scotland is caught up in a debate over whether it should become the first segment of Britain to legalize gay marriage, ahead of England and Wales.
After the letter was read out in churches Sunday, the Scottish government insisted that it intends to legalize same-sex marriages and religious ceremonies for civil partnerships because "it is the right thing to do." The issue is still in the consultation stage in England and Wales. |
|
Band of Sisters - the Documentar
Band of Sisters traces U.S. nuns' 50-year path from sheltered "daughters of the church" to citizens of the world. The historical narrative - sisters just before and after Vatican II, their evolving mission, and their growing conflict with broken political systems and an autocratic church - weaves in and out with stories of the women in their current lives.
The documentary film follows two sisters in Chicago whose participation in a weekly prayer vigil outside a deportation center leads them further and further into a world of human suffering and political stalemate. |
|
Martini, leading liberal voice, dies Tablet Aug.31, 2012
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, long seen as one of the leading progressive voices in the Church, has died in Gallarate, northern Italy, aged 85. . . . . Many progressive Catholics hoped that he might eventually be elected pope, but by the time John Paul II died in 2005, the cardinal was 78 and suffering - as the late pope had done - from Parkinson's disease. His liberal reputation had also won him praise from some quarters but criticism from others.
Martini called for greater collegiality in the Church and expressed support for the ordination of women as deacons. In 2000 he criticised the Vatican declaration Dominus Iesus, which described the Catholic Church as the one true Church, saying it was "theologically rather dense ... and not easy to grasp". |
|
In final interview, Cardinal says Church "200 years out of date" Naomi O'Leary Sep.1, 2012
The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said the Catholic Church was "200 years out of date" in his final interview before his death, published on Saturday. . . . . "Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous," Martini said in the interview published in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops. The pedophilia scandals oblige us to take a journey of transformation," he said in the interview. . . . . Martini's final message to Pope Benedict was to begin a shake up of the Catholic church without delay. "The church is 200 years out of date. Why don't we rouse ourselves? Are we afraid?"
Martini was much loved and thousands paid their respects at his coffin in Milan cathedral on Saturday. Full text of interview translated by Rev. Joseph Komonchak |
|
20 more face possible investigation in Vatileaks case ANSA Aug.27, 2012
A further 20 suspects could come under the scrutiny of Vatican magistrates investigating the so-called Vatileaks case, well-placed Vatican sources told ANSA on Monday. |
|
Lawyer for pope's ex-butler, charged in Vatican leaks scandal, quits over strategy differences Nicole Winfield Aug.30, 2012
A lawyer for the pope's ex-butler, who is facing trial for his role in the Vatican leaks scandal, has resigned.
Attorney Carlo Fusco said Thursday he had quit as Paolo Gabriele's attorney over differences in defense strategy. It wasn't immediately clear if Gabriele's other lawyer, Cristiana Arru, was remaining on as counsel. . . . . Fusco has essentially acknowledged Gabriele's guilt after Vatican police found papal documents in Gabriele's Vatican City apartment |
|
Paolo Gabriele: "It was the Holy Spirit that guided me" Giacomo Galeazzi Sep.4, 2012
He describes himself as a benefactor of the Catholic Church and refers to the "centrality" of the Holy Spirit to explain his actions. Last night, L'Infedele, a political talk show on Italian television channel LA7, broadcast a comprehensive interview with Paolo Gabriele, the Pope's former butler who was arrested in May, on charges of stealing confidential documents from Benedict XVI's apartment. Part of the interview had already been broadcast on LA7 without, however, revealing Gabriele's identity. The former butler has provided a description of the individual that made the publication of the documents possible: there are at least twenty or so people involved, none of whom have any ties with powerful figures but who "share their leader's [that is, the Pope's] desire for purity."
"It is an act of anger, because there is a sort of code of silence that is preventing facts from being brought to light, not because of power struggle but because of fear. In our country, one can carry out a massacre and leave undisturbed and 24 hours later, no one can talk about what happened," Gabriele said, referring to the Estermann case. "Or a little a girl disappears for 30 years and there is no one who can give any information about what happened," the former butler added, alluding to the Emanuela Orlandi case. The popular Pope Ratzinger Blog comments: "To think that it has been years that in our own small way we have been saying that the Pope wants to clean house but is finding it difficult, or rather, there is someone who is constantly trying to put obstacles in his way in the Curia and in the various dioceses." |
|
Vatican drops lawsuit against German magazine Associated Press Aug.30, 2012
The German Bishops' Conference says the Vatican has dropped its lawsuit against a satirical German magazine over a cover that depicted Pope Benedict XVI with a yellow stain on his robe.
A Hamburg court had granted an injunction barring the magazine, Titanic, from distributing the image that fronted its July edition, headlined "Hallelujah at the Vatican - the leak has been found!" That was a reference to a scandal over leaked Vatican documents.
A hearing on Titanic's appeal was due Friday. But on Thursday, a statement issued through the bishops said "after detailed deliberations" the Vatican had decided to withdraw its application for an injunction.
The statement said "further legal measures are being examined to effectively counter attacks on the dignity of the pope and the Catholic Church." |
|
Vatican refuses to comment on cyber attack rumors David Kerr Aug.31 2012
The Vatican is refusing to confirm or deny reports that it has once again been subject to a cyber attack by hostile hackers.
"No comment," said a two-word Aug. 31 statement from the Vatican Press Office in response to an inquiry from CNA.
According to an Aug 29 report from FOX Business, the Vatican discovered this week that it had been victim to "a sophisticated and targeted cyber attack."
The internet security firm Radware issued a threat alert on Aug. 28, stating that a new Trojan malware - short for "malicious software" - was being used for the first time against one of its customers.
A confidential source told Fox Business that the victim of the attack was the Vatican and claimed that "the tool was quite sophisticated, apparently focused and, until now, stealthy." |
|
As John Carr, Catholic policy adviser, retires, Catholics worry who will replace him Michelle Boorstein Sep.1, 2012
For the typical American Catholic, seeing Cardinal Tim Dolan, the country's top bishop, give the closing prayer at the GOP convention was the big political event of the summer. But for Catholics who know how the church really operates in Washington, something far more significant went down last week: John Carr retired.
For the past quarter-century, Carr has been the most important policy adviser to the country's Catholic bishops, their Karl Rove on everything from health care to clergy sex abuse. He describes himself as "a 62-year-old, white, round, church bureaucrat," but Carr's career is a road map for how Catholicism and politics have mixed in Washington for a generation. . . . . Catholics are becoming more divided over whether they focus on church teachings against war and poverty or the ones against abortion and gay marriage. Catholic progressives are particularly worried about Carr leaving as Church officialdom in recent years has put greater and greater emphasis on defending the unborn. |
|
Catholics & Party Politics Commonweal Editors Aug.28, 2012
Obama and Romney have chosen running mates who reflect their political philosophies. Curiously, both vice presidential candidates are also Roman Catholics, the first time this has happened in American history. . . . Yet despite the obvious sincerity of their Catholic faith, both men's moral and political views reflect the positions of their political parties more than those of their church. In a venerable Catholic tradition, Biden has been an advocate for the poor, the elderly, and the marginalized, and a strong defender of the role of government in cushioning the harshness of modern economic life generally. Yet he has also been a staunch defender of abortion rights, and recently a champion of same-sex marriage. Ryan is a prolife firebrand who would outlaw abortion even in cases of rape or incest, and a firm opponent of same-sex marriage. Yet his views on the morality of capitalism, influenced by the eccentric philosopher Ayn Rand and the Austrian economist Friedrich von Hayek, are very hard to reconcile with Catholic social teaching. Pursuing one's self-interest is the first principle of any just moral order, according to Rand and Hayek. Catholicism places our obligations to others foremost in any moral or social calculus. . . . . The presence of these two Catholics on the presidential tickets reminds us of how complicated political choices always are, how often politics involves unpalatable tradeoffs, and how difficult it is to translate religious conviction into law and public policy. It also reveals once again that Catholic social teaching has no natural political home in the United States. Neither party can make room for both Catholicism's communitarian social teachings and its traditional sexual morality. Ideally, then, Catholic Democrats and Catholic Republicans should serve as moral leaven in each party, and it is a great shame that neither Biden nor Ryan seem capable of contributing to that effort. The nation faces enormous challenges at home as well as the real danger of yet another war in the Middle East. Something more than posturing and paralysis is needed from Washington. Faith must help deepen our sense of shared purpose, not divide us further. |
|
Increased Access to Health Care May Decrease Abortions Brian Fung Aug.24, 2012
The number of abortions in Massachusetts has decreased despite predictions that health-care reform would have the opposite effect. Can the health insurance expansions part of Obamacare do the same nationally? From Massachusetts comes growing evidence that the quest for lower abortion rates may not be at a standstill -- and the key may be better insurance coverage. As the number of insured has gone up in Massachusetts, new state data show a corresponding decline in the number of abortions performed there since 2006.
Massachusetts, of course, is known nationally as the state that launched an ambitious project to insure almost all of its residents -- a proposal that helped give rise to President Obama's own health-care law. Census statistics reveal that in the three years before Governor Mitt Romney enacted the program in 2006, 10.7 percent of state residents lacked health insurance, on average.
That three-year average was nearly halved after Romneycare took effect. From 2008 to 2010, Massachusetts boasted the best uninsured rate in the nation: just 5 percent, on average.
Meanwhile, as more people were benefiting from expanded coverage, the abortion rate was quietly coming down. Many states keep detailed records on all the legal abortions they perform, and Massachusetts is no different. According to data from the Department of Public Health and the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2006 to 2008 the annual abortion rate in Massachusetts fell from 3.8 per 1,000 state residents to 3.6 per 1,000. The findings, first reported in 2010 by Harvard rheumatologist Dr. Patrick Whelan, contradicted some forecasts that better coverage would simply drive up the abortion rate rather than bringing it down. |
|
In Praise of Radical Feminists Kevin McCardle Aug.27, 2012
In an interview with John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter, Cardinal William Levada, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, expresses the opinion that the Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is "effusive in its praise" of American women religious. All Catholics should join Cardinal Levada in this effusion. One point of contention in the Doctrinal Assessment, and one for which the L.C.W.R. receives a reprimand, is the prevalence of "radical feminist" themes in some programs sponsored by the L.C.W.R. An alternative view, however, is that it is exactly their radical feminist nature for which American Catholic women religious should be praised.
A radical is someone who maintains strong principles and acts on them. What makes Catholic women religious so radical? Nothing more than the fact that they gave up their former lives and followed Christ. . . . . A feminist advocates rights for women equal to those for men. Feminism also provides a proactive approach to women's place in society and church. Historically, women have been shut out from meaningful participation in the magisterium of the Catholic Church, much as until recently they were shut out of political and economic leadership in civil society. In the Catholic Church, women cannot be ordained to the priesthood nor to the diaconate. Feminist Catholic women religious therefore face a choice: leave the church or adapt. By and large, the religious communities in the United States have adapted. Some of these congregations were feminist before the term was even coined.
|
|
Achbishop-elect of San Francisco, Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, charged with DUI misdemeanors Angela Woodall Aug.31, 2012
The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, has been charged with two misdemeanors stemming from his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence, the San Diego city attorney's office announced Friday.
The city attorney's office said Cordileone is accused of one count of driving under the influence and one count of driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than the legal limit of .08 percent.
Cordileone was arrested Aug. 27 after being stopped at a checkpoint in San Diego.
He was released on a $2,500 bond and ordered to appear in court Oct. 9. |
|
Pope 'deeply hurt' by German criticism Tablet Aug.24, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI "is deeply hurt" by the negative way the German Church appears to regard him, according to the Vatican's nuncio to Germany.
. . . . The German Church has become increasingly critical of Pope Benedict. Bishops have complained about conservative "informers", Vatican II's rejection of the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) and the new translation of the Missal. |
|
Author says Vatican rules through indoctrination, control, and fear Suzette Martinez Standring Sep.1, 2012
The Vatican rules the Roman Catholic Church through indoctrination, control, and fear, rather than through nurturing love, service, and freedom, according to Father Emmett Coyne, a Roman Catholic priest. His new book, "The Theology of Fear," exposes how far the highest church authorities have strayed from the gospel of Jesus Christ (CreateSpace, $12.25, 325 pages, July 2012). The book is available on Amazon and on www.emmettcoyne.net.
"I'm on the last lap of life and eternity is facing me. It's my last chance to speak up and speak out," said Father Coyne, who was ordained in 1966 and is retired at age 73. . . . . What does this long-time priest hope to accomplish with his book? The 50th anniversary of the Vatican Council will occur in October, and the Rev. Father Coyne believes change, reform, and transparency of the church's highest echelons are crucial. He wants everyday Catholics to rediscover Jesus' teachings that it is the person who is absolute in God's eyes, not an institution. Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law grounded in love, never the letter of the law based on punishment. Father Coyne expects church authorities will not be happy with his book. "One has to follow the truth wherever it takes him," he said. |
|
Plan for Catholic church makes waves in Bahrain Reem Khalifa Sep.3, 2012
The building of the largest Roman Catholic church in the Gulf was supposed to be a chance for the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain to showcase its traditions of religious tolerance in a conservative Muslim region where churches largely operate under heavy limitations.
Instead, the planned church - intended to be the main center for Catholics in the region - has turned into another point of tension in a country already being pulled apart by sectarian battles between its Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.
Hardline Sunni clerics have strongly opposed the construction of the church complex, in a rare open challenge of the country's Sunni king. More than 70 clerics signed a petition last week saying it was forbidden to build churches in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam. . . . . So far the outcry has brought no change in plans to build the church complex, which has been backed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's monarchy. The complex will be the size of a large shopping center - about 9,000 square meters (97,000 square foot) - in Awali, an area near Riffa, south of the capital, Manama. It is to be a base for the Vatican to the small Catholic communities in the northern Gulf, as well as a spiritual center for other Christian denominations.
Work on the compound is still in its preliminary stages and no firm date has been given for its completion, leaving open the possibility of more complaints in the coming months. |
|
Residences of Melkite, Maronite archbishops in Syrian city ransacked Catholic News Service Aug.27, 2012
Fighting in Aleppo, Syria, has not spared the residences of the local Melkite and Maronite Catholic archbishops, according to the Vatican's Fides news agency. The residence of Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart was ransacked during clashes Thursday. The archbishop and several priests who live in the building had fled a few hours earlier to a Franciscan residence in a safer neighborhood, Fides reported Monday. . . . . The Maronite archbishop's residence and a museum of Byzantine Christian art in the same neighborhood were both ransacked as well, Fides said.
Khazen said it still seems like there is no solution to the Syrian conflict in sight because no one, nationally or internationally, seems able to pressure either side into beginning a real dialogue. |
|
Judge postpones rape trial of Philadelphia priest, Catholic school teacher Sarah Hoye Sep.4, 2012
A judge has postponed the trial of a Philadelphia Catholic priest and a parochial school teacher, both accused of raping the same altar boy in separate incidents.
The trial, scheduled to start Tuesday, was postponed due to a family emergency for a defense attorney. A new trial date could be set by the end of the week.
The Rev. Charles Engelhardt, who was a priest at St. Jerome Parish in northeast Philadelphia, and Bernard Shero, a teacher at the parish's school, have been charged with rape, indecent sexual assault and other criminal charges in the alleged assaults that occurred more than a decade ago.
The accuser, dubbed "Billy" in a 2011 Philadelphia grand jury report, will be the key witness against the men, both of whom have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The former altar boy, now in his 20s, testified earlier this year during the landmark trial of two Philadelphia priests charged with child sexual abuse and conspiracy. It marked the first time a Catholic church leader -- in this case, Monsignor William Lynn -- has been convicted for covering up the crimes of offending priests. |
|
422 sex abuse claims filed against Christian Brothers CBC News Aug.23, 2012
The final number for claims against the Christian Brothers in North America is in, surprising even some of the lawyers handling them.
'I think the lawyers involved certainly were all expecting more to come forward, but we would not have necessarily expected 422 claims.'-Geoff Budden |
|
Sex Abuse Victim To Sue 2 Bishops With Philadelphia Ties Pat Ciarrocchi Aug.25, 2012
With the second clergy sex abuse trial in Philadelphia set to begin in early September, lawyers for the abuse victim in that case are preparing civil litigation.
This week the attorneys told the court they intend to amend their lawsuit and also go after two bishops with Philadelphia ties.
"This won't be the last of it. This is groundbreaking," said Philadelphia Attorney Slade McLaughlin.
"My best description of them is that they were the kingpins," said McLaughlin in an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News. |
|
NY priest apologizes for sex abuse comments Deepti Hajela Aug.30, 2012
A New York priest apologized Thursday after coming under criticism for saying that priests accused of child sex abuse are often seduced by their accusers and that a first-time offender should not go to jail.
The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal made the comments in an interview with the National Catholic Register published this week. The website for the conservative independent Register then removed the story and posted an apology for publishing the comments. Groeschel and the friars did as well. . . . . Editor in Chief Jeanette De Melo posted a note apologizing for "publishing without clarification or challenge Father Benedict Groeschel's comments that seem to suggest that the child is somehow responsible for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our publication of that comment was an editorial mistake, for which we sincerely apologize."
Groeschel also posted an apology to the site. "I did not intend to blame the victim. A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible. My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be. I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone," he said. |
|
R. Daniel Conlon, Catholic Bishop, Says Church's Credibility On Sex Abuse Is 'Shredded' David Gibson Sep.5, 2012
The U.S. Catholic bishops' point man on sexual abuse has said that the hierarchy's credibility on fixing the problem is "shredded" and that the situation is comparable to the Reformation, when "the episcopacy, the regular clergy, even the papacy were discredited."
Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Joliet, Ill., last month told a conference of staffers who oversee child safety programs in American dioceses that he had always assumed that consistently implementing the bishops' policies on child protection, "coupled with some decent publicity, would turn public opinion around."
"I now know this was an illusion," Conlon, chairman of the bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, said in an address on Aug. 13 to the National Safe Environment and Victim Assistance Coordinators Leadership Conference in Omaha, Neb.
His talk was published in the Aug. 30 edition of Origins, an affiliate of Catholic News Service. |
|
Pa. church's ex-CFO gets 2-7 years in $900k theft Maryclaire Dale Mon.dd, 2012
The former top finance officer of the Philadelphia archdiocese is going to prison for two to seven years for embezzling $900,000.
A lawyer for 42-year-old Anita Guzzardi says she succumbed to gambling and shopping addictions after feeling betrayed by the church over the priest sex-abuse scandal.
Guzzardi had worked at the Roman Catholic archdiocese since she was 20, and was making $124,000 a year as chief financial officer when she was fired last year.
Prosecutors say she took relatives on trips to Hawaii, the Caribbean and San Francisco, and spent lavishly on herself and others. |
|
L.A.-area priest stole $284,000 from elderly widow, suit alleges Stuart Pfeifer Aug.25, 2012
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles suspended a priest Friday amid allegations that he stole nearly $300,000 from an elderly widow who was a member of his parish. Michalena Jones, 79, filed a lawsuit this week that accused Father Peter Valdez of befriending her after her husband's death and using his influence to steal $284,000 over a seven-year period.
The archdiocese placed Valdez on administrative leave, "pending the resolution of this matter," said Tod Tamberg, an archdiocese spokesman.
Jones said she met Valdez at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Palmdale after her husband died in 2003. The priest persuaded Jones to give him $150,000 to buy a home in Downey and added his name to her checking account, which he used to make mortgage payments, the lawsuit said. |
|
"What Happened at Vatican II"
For the annual Cole Lectures at Vanderbilt University, the Rev. John W. O'Malley delivers two talks about "What Happened at Vatican II." |
|
A Chronological New Testament Marcus Borg Aug.31, 2012
A chronological New Testament is different from and yet the same as the New Testament familiar to Christians. It contains the same 27 documents, but sequences them in the chronological order in which they were written. . . . . . . . . Seeing and reading the New Testament in chronological sequence matters for historical reasons. It illuminates Christian origins. Much becomes apparent:
|
|
New Translation of the Roman Missal
We recommend that you watch these sites during the transition to the new translation:
|
|
Priest survey: What do Catholic clergy think of the new Mass translations? U.S. Catholic
The Catholic Church was abuzz last year in anticipation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal being introduced in parishes around the country. The change caused a lot of anxiety for people in the pews, but it put just as much pressure--if not more--on Catholic priests.
We want to know how priests really feel about the new translation as we near the first anniversary of its implementation. Has the transition in your parish gone smoothly, or do you still face daily struggles with the use of the new translations? Please take our survey and let us know your thoughts on the new Roman Missal, and we'll publish the results in our December 2012 issue. |
|
Upcoming Event
ARCC WORKSHOP
You are aware of injustice in the Church.
The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) invites you to a time of reflection and empowerment - moving from identifying issues, to taking effective action in response.
October 26 & 27, 2012 (Friday 6-9 p.m, Saturday 9-5 p.m.) Collenbrook United Church, 5290 Township Line Rd., Drexel Hill PA 19026
Download a poster and/or a brochure. Registration information here. .
Article Headline
Introduce the blog post content included in this email. Point out how the content might be useful to your reader.
|