US Papal Visit - Day 3 (Meeting with Victims)

Although there are some who will not be happy until the Church is pounded into obliteration, that cannot prevent us from seeing the big picture.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI held an unscheduled meeting with victims of priestly sexual abuse, shortly after pledging the church's continued efforts to help heal the wounds caused by such acts.

The Vatican said the pope met privately in a chapel at the apostolic nunciature with "a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy." The group was accompanied by Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, which was the epicenter of the abuse scandal.

"They prayed with the Holy Father, who afterward listened to their personal accounts and offered them words of encouragement and hope," a Vatican statement said.

"His Holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse," it said.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican press spokesman, told journalists the meeting involved five or six victims, men and women from the Archdiocese of Boston, and lasted about 25 minutes. During the encounter, each of the victims had a chance to speak personally to the pope, who spoke some "very affectionate words," he said.

Father Lombardi said it was a very emotional meeting; some were in tears.

At the end of the meeting, Cardinal O'Malley gave the pope a book listing the first names of the approximately 1,000 victims of sexual abuse in the archdiocese within the last several decades, Father Lombardi said, so the pope could remember them in his prayers.

The pope has spoken three times about clerical sexual abuse since he left Rome April 15 for his six-day visit to the United States, expressing the sense of shame he and other church leaders feel about what he called a "tragic situation."

On each occasion, he made a point to encourage church leaders and all Catholics to help those harmed by the abuse.

Some groups criticized the pope for not visiting Boston on this trip and for not scheduling an encounter with victims. Vatican officials had not ruled out such a meeting, but indicated that if it occurred it would be very private.

Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, praised the victims for having "the courage to come forward and speak up" but said she did not think the meeting "will change anything."

"Kids need actions," such as punishment for those "supervisors and bishops who have enabled and covered up for predators," she told Catholic News Service.

Another positive step that Pope Benedict could take "with one stroke of the pen," Blaine said, would be to mandate that any priest who flees a country where he had been accused of sexual abuse be immediately returned to that country to face the consequences of his actions.

She also said it was "extremely disappointing" that the victims were accompanied by Cardinal O'Malley, recently named by SNAP as one of the "worst U.S. cardinals" in terms of his response to clergy sex abuse.

"That was probably not the best decision," Blaine said. "He hasn't even put into place the basics to help children protect themselves" from predators.

According to SNAP, one in five children in the Archdiocese of Boston has not received the safe environment training mandated by the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," approved by the U.S. bishops at their Dallas meeting in June 2002.

On the plane taking him to the United States April 15, Pope Benedict told reporters: "If I read the histories of these victims, it's difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betrayed in this way their mission to give healing, to give the love of God to these children."

Addressing the U.S. bishops April 16, he said sexual abuse was one of the "countersigns to the Gospel of life" and lauded their efforts to ensure these acts will not happen again.

At a Mass in Nationals Park April 17, he said that "no words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention."

The pope lauded the efforts to deal "honestly and fairly with this tragic situation and to ensure that children -- whom Our Lord loves so deeply and who are our greatest treasure -- can grow up in a safe environment."

"I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do," he said.

During an interview with CNN three of the victims who met with the Holy Father described the meeting as being a healing experience.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three victims of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church described an emotional, frank and ultimately hope-filled meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday.

They were part of a small group of people abused by clergy who were asked to share their stories with the pope in a Washington chapel.

"They prayed with the Holy Father, who afterwards listened to their personal accounts and offered them words of encouragement and hope," said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a papal spokesman.

The exchanges were frank and unscripted, according to some of the victims.

"I told him that he has a cancer growing in his ministry and needs to do something about it," Bernie McDaid said in an exclusive interview with CNN. Watch victims tell their stories of abuse »

But McDaid said he came away from the meeting feeling that there was real hope that this time the problem would be addressed, with action to follow.

"I don't go to Mass, but today I went with my mother, and his sermon there and his apology about the sexual abuse blew me away, and I had tears in my eyes that I wasn't ready to have. It was an incredible moment for me."

Another victim said his hope was also restored after meeting Benedict.

"He first apologized," Olan Horne said. "He seemed to intrinsically understand what we were talking about." Watch victims talk about their meeting with the pope »

Horne said the victims were allowed the time necessary to say what needed to be said, which impressed him.

"I'm from Missouri, 'show me,' and today I saw," Horne said.

Faith Johnston said she was praying for the strength to say the right thing to the pope, but when the time came, emotions took over.

"I didn't end up saying anything. I got up to him, and I burst into tears. But I don't think any words I could have said; I think my tears alone spoke so much."

As you can see, SNAP still isn't happy. Nothing will ever make them happy; however, I loved when McDaid said in the interview that it was like talking with a grandfather.

Healing will never happen unless those who hurt apologize and those who were hurt allow themselves to heal. Hopefully, the victims who were hurt to viciously will be able to accept the Holy Father's heartfelt apology.

Nothing Will Ever Satisfy

There has been much said in the media here in Massachusetts because the Pope never actually said the words "I'm sorry". There are people in the world who have actually deluded themselves into thinking that those two magic words will suddenly make everything better. I know better and now I have proof. While there are many who are reasonable, the loudest voices are the unreasonable.

From ABC News:

A list of America's five "worst" cardinals that a watchdogs group says have allegedly protected priests accused of sexual abuse was unveiled today while the pope meets with American cardinals in Washington.

The secrecy, recklessness and deceit of these powerful cardinals have left thousands of children at risk for abuse," said Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) national director David Clohessy. Clohessy' group, made up of alleged victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, compiled the list of supposed "worst" cardinals.

Clohessy said the cardinals have openly protected predators by failing to remove priests who were accused of abuse or keeping allegations of abuse a secret. He said the cover-ups took place in recent years despite the 2002 charter promising transparency about abuse in the Catholic Church.

[...]

Cardinals Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, Daniel DiNardo of Houston, Edward Egan of New York, Francis George of Chicago and Sean O'Malley of Boston are the worst cardinals whose "secrecy and deceit" have been most egregious, according to SNAP.

Mahony allegedly kept quiet when a diocesan employee was under investigation for child sex abuse and allowed an admitted child molesting cleric live in his diocese despite the cleric being wanted on charges in Canada, according to SNAP.

Los Angeles Archdiocese media relations director Tod Tamberg said Mahony "is clearly among the best bishops in the country at effectively dealing with abusive behavior and reaching out to victims. Tamberg said "SNAP's leadership does not speak for the majority of victims or Catholics in Los Angeles, who know and appreciate Cardinal Mahony's excellent leadership in helping the church and victims to recover from the abuse scandal."

Cardinal DiNardo suspended a priest accused of sexual abuse but kept his action and the sex abuse allegations against Fr. Stephen Horn secret for two months while he was named and promoted to cardinal, according to SNAP. When then-Bishop DiNardo served in Iowa, he similarly mishandled allegations of sex abuse against a priest, only disclosing them long afterwards, according to SNAP.
Cardinal Egan allowed a Catholic high school principal to stay on the job for five months after being accused by a priest of "serious misconduct," according to SNAP.

Cardinal George was slow to suspend a priest in his diocese who was questioned by police about abuse allegations in August 2005. The priest, Fr. Daniel McCormack, pleaded guilty to five charges of sexual abuse of children and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Cardinal O'Malley's diocese has been slow to completely implement one of the provisions in the U.S. bishops' child sex abuse prevention policy: training children how to avoid or stop being victimized, according to SNAP. SNAP said O'Malley moved very slowly against a Catholic hospital official who ultimately resigned in the face of multiple allegations of sexually harassing employees.

DiNardo, Egan, George and O'Malley could not immediately be reached for comment.

I don't know much about the situations in the other dioceses, but I must defend Cardinal O'Malley. I am not saying this just because he is a friend, but because he has done more than any bishop to address the abuse issue. To attack him in this way is a gross injustice and only proves the vitriolic hatred which these organizations have against the Church. There is nothing that anyone can do or say that will satisfy them. Even if they were to destroy the Church completely they would still want more.

Pope Benedict's apology was gracious and from the heart.

Church Sued, Schools Protected

H/T to Brian.

National Catholic Register has a interesting article about a new bill in Colorado which attempt to hold the Church liable for abuse which occured as long as 80 years ago.

Not outraged yet? Just wait. Jennifer Kraska, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference told NCR, “Since Jan. 1, 2006, 44 public school teachers have been charged with sexual contact with children. That number only reflects those who’ve been caught and turned in.”

So, what is the state doing about it? They are cracking down on priests who died decades ago. All this while Colorado law prevents the public schools from being sued. There is currently a fluff bill in the works to only allow immunity if the public school performed a background check.

Still not outraged?
Bill Donahue from the Catholic League listed the way abusers are treated in public school systems.

• Instead of punishing child molesters, they’re simply moved from place to place in the school system without anyone getting a heads-up.

• It takes almost a year-and-a-half to investigate claims of abuse in the public schools.
• If the accused public school teacher is guilty of touching a minor or accessing porn on a computer, he can continue working, provided he sees a shrink.

• Public school molesters who admit to their crimes are given a second chance.

• Investigators are not commissioned from the outside, but are all staffed from inside the public school system.

• Deals are routinely cut for accused public school molesters in secret, protecting the identity of the molester from the community.

• The accused public school molesters not only walk, they can walk away with cash settlements, health insurance and letters of recommendation.

Sound familiar? It should, but for some reason it's acceptable for public school teachers. That is not acceptable for ANYONE! Not for the Church, not for the schools, not for ANYONE!

Read the Register article here.

American Court Says Vatican Can Be Sued

I never thought I would see this, but unfortunately I am.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.

A federal judge issued a “historic” decision Thursday by refusing to dismiss a lawsuit against the Vatican that alleges a cover-up to protect priests who molested American children.

“This is the first and only case which has as its sole objective holding the Vatican financially accountable for all of the childhood sexual abuses committed in the U.S.,” said Louisville attorney William McMurry, who filed the suit in 2004 on behalf of three men alleging abuse as far back as 1928.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II allows the men to pursue negligence claims against the Vatican over allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Louisville.

McMurry, who in 2003 represented 243 abuse victims in reaching a $25.7 million settlement with the Archdiocese of Louisville, said in an interview that he expects the ruling would be appealed.

But if the decision holds up, it could open the door for attorneys to take depositions of Vatican officials, obtain copies of church documents and ultimately determine “what prompted all of the bishops to keep quiet, hide these pedophiles and refuse to report child abusers,” McMurry said.

Vatican officials declined to comment on Heyburn’s ruling, according to The Associated Press.

In the suit, McMurry is asking for unspecified monetary damages from the Vatican. He also is requesting injunctions requiring the Vatican to “cease its violations of the internationally recognized human rights of children” and “to report all allegations of childhood sexual abuse” in the United States.

And he is asking a federal judge to supervise the Vatican’s conduct for 10 years. One of the three plaintiffs in the suit is Michael Turner of Louisville, who also filed the first in a wave of roughly 250 lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Louisville between 2002 and 2003.

The litigation culminated in a $25.7 million settlement with most of the plaintiffs. McMurry and his legal team received 40 percent of most plaintiffs’ payments.Turner was molested by the Rev. Louis E. Miller in the 1970s, when Turner attended St. Aloysius Church in Pewee Valley. Turner, 46, said he joined the suit to complete unfinished business — finding out who was responsible for tolerating abuse.

The other two plaintiffs are James H. O’Bryan and Donald E. Poppe, both of whom live in California and say they were abused by priests while growing up in Louisville.

Davenport Bishop's Residence For Sale

Another diocese is planning to put it's Bishop's Residence up for sale. The Diocese of Davenport is placing the both the Residence and the Pastoral Center (that's Chancery to the rest of us) up for sale. The proceeds from the sale are earmarked to provide money which is needed for sexual abuse victims.

WQAD is reporting:

The Davenport Diocese is preparing to sell its headquarters and bishop's home, among other properties, in order to raise money for victims of sexual abuse.
The historic St. Vincent's Pastoral Center could go on the auction block in coming months. Valued at just over $4 million, it is the largest property on the list. It serves as the diocese headquarters and home for retired priests.
"We're not trying to hurt anybody," said Char Maaske, chief financial officer for the Diocese of Davenport. "We're just trying to do the best we can to do what's right for the church and victims."
But selling the structures and land could be easier said than done.
"It's not going to be a sale that occurs anytime soon," said Tom Carroll, Premier Partners.
Carroll is among those to evaluate the properties for the diocese. He compares it to the situation with the former Marycrest College in Davenport or Villa in Rock Island.
"I don't see an awful lot of real viable uses for that without an extensive renovation," he said.
At the same time, the bishop's home on nearby Scott Street is joining two other homes and land being put up for sale by the diocese.
"The housing market is down right now in the Quad Cities," Maaske said. "It's not a good time to be selling property, but we'll sell it for the best we can."
They're talking about the St. Vincent's deal at nearby St. Ambrose University. While the Catholic connection could make it a natural for the landlocked campus, the university says it's too early to comment.
"They're tight in an urban campus," Carroll said. "That would allow them to be able to expand."
While the diocese hopes that a buyer will allow them to stay and pay rent, Carroll says that the real value comes in the land rather than the buildings.
"I think it would be difficult for the existing uses to remain on the property," he said.
Maaske says that morale is better at diocese headquarters. As bankruptcy proceedings continue, she hopes that the worst is behind them.
"We're looking ahead to the future," she said. "We'll get through this and put it behind us. Hopefully, we'll do the best we can for the victims."

Cincinnati Diocese in Financial Trouble

The Archbishop of Cincinnati, Daniel Pilarczyk, says that his diocese will run out of money within three years is measures are not taken to prevent it. These measures include increasing the "tax" which is levied on parishes and reducing the number of diocesan staff members.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

Money is so tight at the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that the central office is now taking a bigger share of donations from its parishes' Sunday collection plates.

Church officials also are considering cutting staff - through attrition and, possibly, layoffs - and are pushing parishes to repay tens of millions of dollars in outstanding loans from the archdiocese.

Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk said he knows the measures are painful, especially for struggling parishes with their own money problems.

He said he has no choice: Without more revenue, the 19-county archdiocese could be out of money within three years.

"If we do nothing, we're in trouble," Pilarczyk said. "The financial policies of the archdiocese will have to be a lot tighter than they have been. The time comes when you run out of money."

The archdiocese's financial woes have been building for years because of an economic slowdown, rising insurance premiums, declining donations and the costs associated with the clergy-abuse scandal.

The result is six consecutive years of budget deficits that drained the archdiocese of almost 60 percent of its assets and reserves, which have fallen from $88 million to $36 million since 2000.

Unless something is done to stop the bleeding, a range of jobs and services could be at risk.

The archdiocese has about 140 full-time employees, 192 active priests and another 86 retired priests, according to the archdiocese's Web site.

Services include youth ministries, educational programs, food pantries, charities for the poor and sick, marriage counseling, aid to inner-city Catholic schools and dozens of other programs.

Some vacant archdiocese jobs have been left open for months, and the archbishop said staff layoffs are "not off the table."

Pilarczyk said he does not expect the archdiocese's problems to close parishes or schools, because they are responsible for their budgets and fundraising.

The archdiocese essentially acts as a home office for its 222 parishes and cannot simply raid their bank accounts.

But many parishes are hurting, too. If the archdiocese pushes for debt collection and takes a bigger share of weekly donations, financially-strapped parishes will be squeezed even more.

The hardest hit could be urban parishes with shrinking populations, rising costs and schools to support.

"It really adds to the financial pressure," said the Rev. David Lemkuhl, pastor at St. Margaret of Cortona in Madisonville, which also has a school. "If they push us too much, it's going to collapse."

Read the rest of the article here.

Fr. Cantalamessa on Penance for Abuse

Speaking on December 15 to Pope Benedict XVI and the leaders of the Roman Curia, the preacher to the pontifical household called for fasting and penance throughout the Church in reparation for the “abominations” of sexual abuse.

Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, preached the first in an annual series of Advent meditations to the Pope and his aides on Friday morning in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the apostolic palace. In a powerful call for repentance, he said that the Church should cry out to God for forgiveness because of the clerical scandals of recent years. He suggested a day of fasting and prayer as a visible sign of that repentance.

The papal preacher’s message seemed to reflect the thoughts of Pope Benedict himself. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had jurisdiction over the discipline of priests involved in sexual abuse, and associates reported that the future Pontiff was deeply shocked by the breadth of the scandal. Shortly before his election to the papacy, in his Good Friday meditations on March 24, 2005, Cardinal Ratzinger said: “How much filth there is in the Church, even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to Him!”

Father Cantalamessa, in his Advent meditation, was especially firm in his condemnation of those who, having been caught up in the scandal, have later gained publicity by telling of their experiences, and implying that their bishops were at fault for inadequate supervision. That approach, the preacher said, demonstrates a frightening “hardness of heart.” He appeared to be referring to case such as that of Oliver O’Grady, the defrocked Irish priest and convicted child molester whose confession forms the basis for the film, Deliver Us from Evil.

The Beatitudes are the theme of this year’s Advent meditations, and the Capuchin preacher centered his first remarks on Christ’s precept: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Pain and suffering are inevitable in this life, he said, and man can only find lasting comfort in Christ.

Father Cantalamessa said that many modern interpreters of the Bible sometimes add to their own suffering, and the suffering of those who follow them, by replacing the real Jesus with an abstract and sentimental figure.
Citing the Pope’s forthcoming book on the person of Jesus, the preacher argued that such an image of Jesus cannot inspire true faith or bring real comfort.

The Advent meditations are traditionally scheduled for each Friday during the Advent season. This year, because the feast of the Immaculate Conception superseded the first Friday of Advent, only two meditations are scheduled before Christmas, with the second and final one set for December 22.

Source: CWN

Read the fulltext of Fr. Cantalamessa's homily here.

Respect for the Episcopal Office

It seems I am on a theme today.

As I am sure some of you know, Cardinal Mahony from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was featured as a character on "South Park" last week. I despise "South Park". It is vile filth that has no business being on tv. However, I refrained from commenting on the episode until I was able to view it. I was able to find this particular episode on You Tube.

I am not going to comment on the episode except to say that is is terrible. Gerald has the goods on this one.

This has made me think about how we treat our clergy and the hierarchy. Some of the same people who are furious about the episode, are the same people who call Cardinal Mahony "Cardinal Kool-Aid". I think that is hypocritical. Yes, Cardinal Mahony is far from being a pillar of orthodoxy and we can disagree with him on countless issues, but in the end he is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a successor to the apostles. Purely by virtue of his office, he is entitled to a certain level of respect.

Why is it ok for us to disrespect the clergy and it is not ok for others? If we, as faithful Catholics, do not hold the hierarchy in high regard, We cannot we expect others to.

Jesus chose human apostles with human issues and human frailties. They didn't always do what they were supposed to. We don't always do what we are suposed to, there are many priests and bishops who don't do what they are supposed to.

We need to be careful about how we speak of our clergy, especially the hierarchy. We can be critical, but pictures of prelates celebrating Mass using glass decanters with the Kool-Aid man digitally emblazoned on the decanter and other similar things is simply disgraceful.

When the shepherd misleads his flock, and yes, there are many shepherds who are misleading their flocks, he must be corrected. Corrected...not ridiculed...not disrespected.