The Catholic League of the United States took out this advertisement in the New York Times today:
Given the deadline for material submission to newspapers if you want to make it to a certain date, it's too bad teh Catholic League came out with this before they could learn of Father Brundage's statement!
I think
they should get another ad to publish the full statement of Father Brundage because that is the only way it will ever have a chance to come out in the NYT, 'the newspaper of criminal record'.
Or the Knights of Columbus, or some other Catholic organization or individual Catholic who can afford to pay for a one-page ad.
Two articles in tomorrow's issue (3/31/10) of the OR reporting support from various bishops for the Pope. The first one leads off with Cardinal Schoenborn's statements from Sunday, but does not say anything more. This report illustrates the OR's unconventional - to be charitable about it - style of news reporting, which is infuriatingly unsatisfactory!
A chorus of solidarity
with Benedict XVI
Translated from
the 3/30/10 issue of
"The accusation that Cardinal Ratzinger did not act on sex-abuse complaints or ignored them is false", the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, said in an interview with Austrian state TV ORF and with the newspaper
Kleine Zeitung, citing the case of Cardinal Hans hermann Groer, who resigned in 1998 three years after Cardinal Ratzinger had recommended an investigation by the Vatican.
Meanwhile, unconditional support and full solidarity with Benedict XVI was expressed by the Bishops of the Middle East.
In Iraq, the Archbishop of Mosul, Emil Nona, told the news agency SIR: "Our faithful are convinced that this is propaganda against the Church, in order to sling mud at her in the eyes of the world. Still, there is sorrow, of course, for what is happening. On our part, we are making sure they know what the Pope has said against this scandal and the measures that he has taken to shed light on sex abuse cases with firmness, transparency and severity.
"The serious errors committed by a few priests cannot undo everything that the Church has always done for the benefit of children and young people, and the most vulnerable members of society".
In Lebanon, some bishops met to express their closeness to the Pope.
"A scandal that erupts somewhere in the Church", said the Bihop of Beirut, Mons. Michael Kassarji, "cannot be used to discredit it altogether, Unfortunately, there is too much superficiality which creates equally superficial opinions."
"The Church, with the Pope out front, is facing this scandal with firmness, and the faithful should me made aware of it. Trust in the Church must not be undermined by misdeeds that involve only a few of those who serve her and are part of her in various capacities. Now more than ever we need the witness of prayer".
The Bishop of Aleppo of the Chaldeans, Mons. Antoine Audo said: "We are witnessing a serious form of anti-Catholic propaganda that we must confront and which will tend to cause difficulties. We are comforted by the firmness shown by Benedict XVI in dealing with the issue [of sexual abuses by priests]. On our part, we are doing our best to inform the faithful correctly, even if we are handicapped by not having our own communications media."
The Catholic Church is the only institution that has had the courage to look into herslef in order to correct past wrrors, and this should be made more evident, said the Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem, Mons. Salim Sayegh:
"We are with Benedict XVI at this momnent when he and the Church are being attacked, and we have profound confidence in all the initiatives adapted by the Church to avoid that such things will recur.
"Here in Jordan, our faithful feel close to the Pope and wish to bear witness to the faith and to the Church as the best response to those who are trying to instrumentalize this episode".
Yesteerday, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, emeritus Archbishop of Milan, corrected a report in the Sunday edition of the Austrian newspaper
Die Presse, subsequently carried by the Italian newspapers, regarding his thinking about priestly celibacy.
He said he was 'very surprised' by the reported "statements that do not correspond to what I think". He said the newspaper never spoke to him directly, but quoted from a letter he had written to Austrian youth and did so out of context.
He said, "My text said 'It is necessary to rethink the lifestyle of priests', by which I was underlining the importance of promoting a better community of living and brotherhood among priests so they can avoid possible situations of solitude, even of the interior kind".
Cardinal Martini added, "I believe it is a stretch to associate the duty of priestly celibacy with scandals of sexual abuse or violence with a sexual basis".
{I apologize, Youur Eminence. When it was first reported, and the way it was reported, it looked as if you had cast in your lot with Hans Kueng on this issue. It is good to know you still believe in priestly celibacy.
For the record, I think this is the first time that Cardinal Martini has ever denied press reporting of his statements, which would indicate that he felt the media correctly reported what he has said in the past five years [I won't enlarge my frame of reference beyond April 19, 2005) on bioethical issues where his position does not coincide with the Magisterium.]
Italian bishops
support the Pope
Translated from
the 3/30/10 issue of
ROME, March 30 - "The 'dismay', the 'sense of betrayal', and 'remorse' for the sexual abuses committed by some ministers of the Church explain the firm and enlightened attitude of Benedict XVI who, without leaaving any room for uncertainty nor indulging in minimization, has called on the ecclesial community to ascertain the truth of facts, taking the necessary measures accordingly. To him goes the full and affectionate solidarity of the Italian bishops, who are together around Peter and are thankful for his crystalline testimony of faith and his passionate Magisterium".
This was underscored by the final communique of the Permanent Council of the Italian bishops' conference which met last week.
The prelates wished to reaffirm their closesness "to the victims of abuses and their families, a wounded and offended part of the Church herself".
They also "agree with the fact that rigor and transparency in applying the procedural and penal canonical standards constitute the right way to arrive at the truth".
The bishops said "they do not oppose, but on the contrary, agree to loyal collaboration with State authorities whose task it is to ascertain the truth behind acts that are denounced".
The communique also confirms "the need for a very careful selection of candidates to the prieshood, weighing the candidate's human and emotional maturity, not just their spiritual and pastoral potential."
The bishops underscored "the importance of celibacy, which does not constitute an impediment nor a disablement of sexuality but represents, especially in our day, an alternative and humanly enriching form of living one's own humanity in radically giving oneself to Christ and the Church".
Finally, the bishops expressed their "full confidence and sincere gratitude to so many priests who, like the religious orders, dedicate themselves unseen and with a spirit of abnegation to announcing the Gospel, and to educational work, often being the only fixed reference point in social contexts that are fragmented and fraying".
The permanent Council reviewed the revised draft of pastorial orientations for the 2010-2020 decade, dedicated to education, and decided it was ready to be sent to all the bishops of Italy for discussion and possible approval in the next general assembly which will be held in Rome on May 24-28.
The bishops also reviewed the preparatory document for Social Action Week which will take place this year in Reggio Calabria (southern Italy) on Oct. 14-17.
In line with Benedict XVI's encyclical
Caritas in veritate, they affirmed in particular that "every social question is always an anthropological question".
With respect to the encyclical itself, the commuique states that "the non-negotiable values, as recalled in detail by the CEI president in his opening remarks last week, represent the reason and the mission of the Catholic commitment in political and social action".
These values are the dignity of the human being, which is irrepressible under ay conditions; the indisposability of life form conception to natural death; religious freedom and the freedom to educate; and the family based on matrimony between a man and a woman.
Still echoing Cardinal Bagnasco's opening remarks. the bishops reiterated that "it is only on these foundations that other indispensable values can be proposed and guaranteed".
Ample attention was devoted to a first evaluation of the presence of foreign priests in Italy. In recent years, the bishops note, the number who have dedicated themselves to pastoral service has grown significantly, now representing 5% of all priests working in Italy.
Finally, the Permanent Council discussed the proposed outlay in the current year of the Church's 0.08% share of Italian tax revenue, to be presented to the next General Assembly.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 31/03/2010 11:24]