5. Church in Ireland

In July 2011, in the midst of the visitation, Irish officials released the 400-page Cloyne Report, detailing the findings to the investigation into the handling of abuse cases by the Diocese of Cloyne. According to the report, the commission “examined all complaints, allegations, concerns and suspicions of child sexual abuse by relevant clerics made to the diocesan and other Catholic Church authorities and public and State authorities.” Furthermore, the commission did not seek to determine whether abuse actually occured, but to reveiw how well the Irish church investigated claims againsts priests and ministers. Among the major findings of the report was that two-thirds of the allegations made since 1996 were not reported to the police, which after the revelations of abuse throughout the world in recent years is completely unacceptable.

After the publication of the Cloyne Report, some within the Irish government began publicly criticizing the Holy See, indicating it was a dysfunctional organization that downplayed the sexual abuse crises within Ireland. Following these criticisms by Irish officials, Father Federico Lombardi, spokesman for the Vatican, speaking in a personal capacity, stated that the criticism of the Holy See was unfounded. The report, which according to Lombardi did not supply any evidence indicating a cover-up of any kind by the Vatican, provides a “new step in the long and arduous walk to find the truth.”

Many believe the sexual abuse crisis within Ireland has created tension between the country and the Vatican. Throughout this year, those tensions have been evident. While it has not been connected in any way to the revelations of the Cloyne Report, the government of Ireland recently decided to close its embassy to the Vatican. Reportedly, the move comes as a cost-saving measure for the government; however, that has not stopped the speculation about it being the most visible sign of tensions between the two nations.

In addition to these ‘tensions,’ over the next few years, the Pope will be tasked with restructuring the hierarchy within the Irish Church. At last count, four dioceses have no bishop at the healm, three bishops are serving past the age limit, and an additional two bishops will reach the retirement age in the coming year and a half. To assist in this endeavor, Pope Benedict XVI recently appointed Monsignor Charles Brown, 52, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, as the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit guide the Holy Father in this endeavor and that a new springtime may arise for the Irish church.

4. Religious Liberty Issues in the United States

Over the last few months, issues of religious liberty have been receiving more attention from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a result of the passage of gay marriage initiatives within many states and the removal of conscience protections within the health care reform law. In September, Archbishop Timothy Dolan (New York), president of the USCCB, wrote a letter to his brother bishops announcing the formation of a new ad hoc committee focused on dealing with issues associated with religious liberties. In the context of that letter, Dolan noted the recent uptick in assaults on the basic right of all individuals for religious freedom:

This basic right, in its many and varied applications for Christians and people of faith, is now increasingly and in unprecedented ways under assault in America. This is most particularly so in an increasing number of federal government programs or policies that would infringe upon the right of conscience of people of faith or otherwise harm the foundational principle of religious liberty.

Dolan also listed several threats that have emerged towards religious liberty, including: the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate ordering the inclusion of contraceptive and sterilization in private health insurance plans, the HHS requirement for the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services to provide reproductive services to victims of trafficking, the continuing denial of support for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) by the executive branch, and the limited exemptions for religious institutions in newly passed laws allowing gay marriages in some states.

During the USCCB’s November meeting this year, Bishop William Lori (Bridgeport), chairman of the new Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty gave a presentation to the entire conference in which he said the government was treating the church “not as a contributor to our nation’s common morality” but as an instrument of divisiveness that should be kept out of public life. He furthermore called on all bishops to defend religious liberty in all that they do–teaching the faithful within their dioceses about the limitations being placed on religious institutions and standing up for the many injustices toward religious freedom occuring throughout the country.

3. New Translation of the Roman Missal

In parishes and diocese throughout the country, individuals, both lay people and clergy, have reported no major issues with the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. For those communities that began utilizing parts of the new missal before the First Sunday of Advent, the big day was largely insignificant. If your parish did not start using the new parts early, more power to you because you were basically thrown into the new missal with little or no preparation. Hopefully though, the parishes and the dioceses offered some kind of catechesis for the laity and ministers throughout the country so that the people in the pews did not walk into the weekend of implementation blindly.

Personally speaking, my parish began using the new music settings about two months before we were obligated to implement the new translation. At first it was a bit difficult for the people to learn the parts. But, we did not introduce all the music settings at once, we staggered them from weekend to weekend which seemed to help the congregation in the learning process. When the First Sunday of Advent finally came upon us, there was only one person in my parish who was unhappy about the changes; after the first “And with your spirit” an older gentleman in the congregation said rather loudly, “Why do they have to change things?” However, that sentiment was not seconded, at least publicly, by too many people in the parish.

Wherever you and your parish are at in terms of the new translation, we are still in this together. Hopefully we are moving right along with the creed, especially with that ‘consubstantial’ word. There are some great resources out there for those of us who are still needing a little assistance–I admit, I still need some help. More reviews will be coming in the next few days.

2. Beatification of John Paul II

On May 1st, the Feast of the Divine Mercy, a feast day implemented by Pope John Paul II, the late pontiff was beatified in St. Peter’s Square by Benedict XVI. In the most joyous celebration of 2011 for the Catholic Church, an estimated 1.5 million people came to the Eternal City to witness the beatification of our beloved John Paul.

Throughout his priesthood and, even moreso when he was elected to the papacy in October 1978 following the death of John Paul I, the 263rd successor of St. Peter relied on these personal convictions to lead the church. During the vigil of prayer prior to the beatification, Cardinal Agostino Vallini stated:

He was witness to the tragic age of big ideologies, totalitarian regimes, and from their passing John Paul II embraced the harsh suffering, marked by tension and contradictions, of the transition of the modern age toward a new phase of history, showing constant concern that the human person be its protagonist. He was a staunch and credible defender of the human person to the nations and the international institutions, which respected him and have paid him homage, recognizing him as a messenger of justice and peace.

With his gaze fixed on Christ, the Redeemer of humanity, he believed in humanity and showed his openness, trust, and closeness. He loved the human person, pushing us to develop in ourselves the potential of faith to live as free persons, cooperating in the realization of a more just and caring humanity, as workers for peace and builders of hope. Convinced that only the spiritual experience can satisfy humanity he said: the fate of every person and of all peoples is tied to Christ, the only liberator and Savior.

Pope John Paul II taught us all how to live truly Catholic Christian lives. He taught us that being a Christian is not without its challenges and struggles. Through his battle with Parkinson’s Disease, the late pontiff showed us how to embrace the crosses that present themselves throughout life and to continually give praise to God.

Blessed John Paul, we miss you dearly and know that you continue to pray for the Church that you served with all of your strength and loved with all of your heart. Pray for us, that we may come to recognize, appreciate and defend the dignity of every human person; that we may love the church and devote our lives to her; that we may follow your example of humility in all that we do. Finally, pray for those who have not come to know Christ, that they may embrace God’s love for them and come to call Jesus their Savior.

This afternoon, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released its report on the causes of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests from 1950 through 2010. The study was conducted by the John Jay College Research Team at the request of a National Review Board, which was implemented by the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The report, some 152 pages in length, is “the second of two studies produced by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice about sexual abuse by Catholic priests.” The first report, the Nature and Scope study, was issued in February 2004 and focused on the extent of the cases involving the abuse of minors by priests.

This most recent study has determined the following:

• There is no single “cause” of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests. However, the report recognizes that there were significant social and cultural changes in the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in greater levels of deviant behavior throughout society, including among Catholic priests.

On the eve of what is considered to be a symbolic vote to repeal the health care reform legislation passed last year by Congress, the bishop chairs whose committees’ work has been impacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act issued the following letter to members of the United States House of Representatives:

Source: USCCB | The above document is the official release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was used with permission.

USCCB November 2009 Meeting

Back in September, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released the names of American prelates who had been selected as nominees for various leadership positions within the conference. This week, the nominees for the conference president and vice-president were released.

According to the USCCB statement, the “new president will succeed Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, who completes his three-year term at the meeting. His successor assumes the presidency at the end of the meeting.” Below are the names of those candidates (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans
• Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California
• Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap., of Denver
• Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York
• Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona (currently Vice-President of the USCCB)
• Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky
• Bishop George Murry, SJ, of Youngstown, Ohio
• Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit
• Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City

According to conference by-laws,

Supporters of SB1070 attend a rally at the Arizona Capitol | Source: AP

Over the last several weeks, the new Arizona immigration law has been making news across the country. There are those that completely agree with the new law and those that completely disagree with the new law. Immigration reform is such an important issue to the people of the United States and an important concern for the Catholic Church. It seems there hasn’t been too much said about this latest controversy by many mainstream Catholic bloggers. That needs to change; so, let’s take a look at the facts and the stance of the Church on this important concern of ours, shall we.

Before we get started, let’s examine what the Center for Immigration Studies says about immigration in Arizona. The center released the following information on the current situation in Arizona:

• The federal government estimated that Arizona had one of the fastest growing illegal immigrant populations in the country, increasing from 330,000 in 2000 to 560,000 by 2008.
• The federal government estimated that Arizona had one of the fastest growing illegal immigrant populations in the country, increasing from 330,000 in 2000 to 560,000 by 2008.
• Arizona has adopted other laws to deter the settlement of illegal immigrants in the state in recent years. The federal government estimates that the illegal immigrant population dropped by 18 percent in the state from 2008 to 2009, compared to a 7 percent drop for the nation as a whole. This may be evidence that the state enforcement efforts are having an impact.