Naomh An Lae - Saint Of The Day

St Justin (100-165): the unapologetic apologist

The image shows Justin explaining Christianity to the roman world. 

He was an educated pagan who became drawn to Christianity initially through his searches in philosophy. 

He then went on to promote Christianity himself through dialogue with pagans and Jews and through his writings. He was beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods. 

Youth

Justin was born around 100 AD at Nablus (= Shechem) in Samaria of parents of Greek origin. 

He was well-educated in rhetoric, poetry and history before turning to philosophy, which he studied at Ephesus and Alexandria. 

From his youth he had a thirst for rational enquiry (Greek logos) and searched for the truth for his life and for the true God in Greek philosophers, especially Plato, with some success.

Conversion

In his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Justin tells that one day an old man he met on the seashore told him that only through revelation and prayer would he find his way to God and “true philosophy”.

This led Justin to begin reading the Old Testament prophets and to see them fulfilled in Jesus. 

Jesus then became for him the truth for life, the Logos that made everything else comprehensible and the source of the art of living virtuously. 

He became a Christian when he was about thirty-three and remained a laymen. 

“It is our duty to make our teaching known,” he wrote, so he travelled from place to place proclaiming the gospel.

He kept his high regard for philosophers saying that they, like the Old Testament prophets, had the seeds of the true word, but it was only Jesus who is the really true Word. And he sought to spread knowledge of Christianity as the true philosophy.

Unapologetic apologist  

Apologia (meaning "the justification or defence of an idea or an act") was the title Plato had given to the speech Socrates made before his death defending his way of life, his beliefs and actions. 

Justin is regarded as the first Christian apologist as he defends and gives good reasons for the Christian way of life. But he also had a missionary concern, wanting to explain the content of the faith in a language and on a wavelength comprehensible to his contemporaries.

The post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Evangelisation in the Modern World quotes him, saying that we should recognise the many "seeds of the Word" in religions other than Christianity that are a genuine "preparation for the gospel" (Evangelii Nuntiandi 53).

Justin’s First Apologia, addressed to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161), along with his Second Apologia, addressed to Romans in general, set out a positive exposition of Christianity and try to convince the readers of the injustice of the persecution of Christians. 

Chapters 61-67 of the First Apologia give a very interesting account of how baptism, the eucharist and Sunday were celebrated in rome around 150 AD.

His Dialogue with Trypho is a later work telling of his search for God in the Greek philosophers and presents Jesus as the supreme exemplar of virtue and truth.

Later years and death at Rome

Justin seems to have lived at Rome in his later years promoting Christianity through his writings and his through dialogues with Jews and pagans. 

He was beheaded with five other men and a woman for refusing the request to sacrifice to the gods. 

His reply was: “No right-minded man forsakes truth for falsehood”.

A model for dialogue 

Pope Benedict (Audience 21-3-07) praised Justin’s choice of philosophy - as distinct from the pagan religions - as a medium for dialogue about the true religion and as a method of critiquing cultural fashions and fads.

Pope John Paul II also described Justin as a "pioneer of positive engagement with philosophical thinking - albeit with cautious discernment.... Although he continued to hold Greek philosophy in high esteem after his conversion, Justin claimed with power and clarity that he had found in Christianity 'the only sure and profitable philosophy' (Dial. 8: 1)" (Fides et Ratio, n. 38).

June - Month Of The Sacred Heart

Hail!

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

living and quickening source of eternal life,

infinite treasure of the Divinity,

and burning furnace of divine love.

Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary,

O my amiable Savior.

Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed.

Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love,

and let my heart be so united with Thine,

that our wills may be one,

and mine in all things,

be conformed to Thine.

May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule

of all my desires

and of all my actions.

Amen.

Prayer To Saint Matthew

 

O Glorious Saint Matthew, in your Gospel you portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah who fulfilled the Prophets of the Old Covenant and as the new Lawgiver who founded a Church of the New Covenant. 

Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living in his Church and to follow his teachings in our lives on earth so that we may live forever with him in heaven.

Amen.

Pope Benedict's crackdown

John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter perceives a "quiet revolution" in the management style of the Vatican under the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI. 

He points to the Vatican's assertion of control over Caritas International, and also the suppression of a high-profile Cistercian abbey in Rome.

The suppression of the abbey, Allen notes, has been portrayed in the press as a bizarre story, with lurid coverage featuring a "lap-dancing" nun and partying by the monks. 

The real story, he says, is somewhat more complex and much more significant.

The abbey of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem had gained a great deal of attention in Rome: hosting very popular events, drawing influential guests, and producing plenty of revenue.

By most popular standards, Allen notes, the abbey's work was successful, and the popular acclaim usually drowned out the whispers of personal and financial improprieties. 

He continues:

Once upon a time, the working assumption in officialdom often was that if someone is doing great good for the church, then allegations of sexual or financial impropriety against them were likely bogus, and taking them too seriously risked encouraging the enemies of the faith.

Without great fanfare, Benedict XVI has made it clear that today a new rule applies. No matter how accomplished a person or institution may be, if they're also involved in what the pontiff once memorably called the "filth" in the church, they're not beyond reach.

It is interesting to note that both Allen and the French journalist Jean-Marie Guénois - both seasoned observers, with years of experience at the Vatican - use the word "revolution" to describe the impact of Pope Benedict's moves during the past week.

Source

Pope makes rare mention of life under Nazis

Pope Benedict XVI, who was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a child, has made a rare mention of life in Germany under the Nazis, calling it a "dark time."

The 84-year-old, German-born pontiff turned his thoughts to 70 years ago, a time "already marked by war" and in which Adolf Hitler "had already subjugated" one country after another, including Poland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.

Benedict said "it looked like the continent was in the hands of this power, which put the future on Christianity in doubt."

Benedict was speaking during an audience Saturday at the Vatican with members of a German Catholic group in Regensburg, which he entered as a 14-year-old boy.

The pope's off-the-cuff remarks were reported by Vatican Radio.

Source

Theologian decries imposition of western model of church on developing world

An internationally known religious author and theologian has decried religious congregations for continuing to impose Western European and American styles of religious life on religious communities in the developing world.

Addressing Vocations Ireland’s spring seminar in Dublin last weekend on the theme, Living the Resurrection – Being the Good News of God, Megan McKenna criticised the emphasis within the “dominant culture of Catholicism” to impose its clothes, language and devotions on local churches and religious communities in places like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Africa.

“One young nun said to me, ‘We have to wear their clothes, to pray in their language and we have to say their devotions – they never ask us.  We have to do it their way’,” Ms McKenna told ciNews.

The writer, who has written more than thirty books, including Send My Roots Rain and The New Stations of the Cross, told nearly 100 vocation directors, representing up to 60 congregations from across Ireland, that one of the dangerous characteristics of religious living was a tendency to think that other people were the problem, “whether it is the people you minister to or the people above you in the Church or a different group like the clerics or the ones that don’t go to church.”

Warning vocations directors of the pitfalls of seeking out new members who “think like you, act like you, pray like you, look like you”, she said this would only make the current vocations situation worse.

As members of religious communities, she told the assembled priests and religious, “more than anybody” they were supposed to be asking as a group “how do we need to be converted publicly on a regular basis.”

“It is too easy and when you hang around with people who think like you, act like you, pray like you, look like you to say ‘we’re doing the best we can; stop pushing’ or ‘we’re ok, it’s them’.”

She added that this became especially pronounced when members of religious communities were all the same age group.  "The older you get, the harder it is to change,” she acknowledged.

The rise of individualism within religious communities was blamed by the American author for causing major problems within religious life today.

Megan McKenna told the seminar that the emphasis on members “doing their own thing” meant that new members were no longer “joining a community – they are joining a loose-knit organisation.”

“This attitude of ‘I want to do this job; I want to go study this’ is one of the major reasons why communities are breaking down”, Ms McKenna told ciNews.

In a hard-hitting address, the American author also lashed out at the sense of entitlement that she warned was pervasive in culture generally and warned that it was particularly dangerous for religious communities as well as marriage. 

“This sense of entitlement comes from being part of the structure of the dominant culture.  The longer you are part of the dominant religion or culture, the more that sense of entitlement grows.”  She also warned that this sense of entitlement in turn led to individuality.

The American said that despite their best efforts, the Church had not managed to undermine base communities that continued to flourish across South and Central America and in Africa. 

“They tried their darndest because they want to go back to the glory that was Rome and what the medieval Church was.  That is not what the future will be,” she claimed.

Paying tribute to Irish missionaries, Megan McKenna said the there was a time when Ireland was known for its missionaries who went all over Africa and South America. 

But because of the abuse scandals, she warned that the Church in Ireland was “folding in on itself.”

She warned that most people in vocations ministry were looking for vocations among the 18-40 age group and were “not looking for anything other than what we have got now” and to “keep that going.”

This she warned would be “the kiss of death.”

Source

Evangelization's source: Pope's journey to Croatia highlights family

The focus of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Zagreb, Croatia, June 4-5 will be on the family and building a community with Christian values.

In the 84-year-old pope's 19th trip abroad and his 13th to a European country, he also will continue to underline the importance he places on reviving Europe's Christian roots.

Even though Croatia is an overwhelmingly Catholic country, it has undergone hardships that have tested its foothold on faith: two World Wars, a Nazi invasion and then communist rule under the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Today, threats continue, but under a different guise, said the spokesman of the Croatian bishops' conference.

"Croatia is not an island and as such is facing all of the challenges that are prevalent in western countries," said the spokesman, Zvonimir Ancic. First among them is "a rampant secularism whose small, but very vocal proponents, with the backing of the majority of the mass media, are actively trying to deconstruct all elements of Croatia's traditional Catholic identity, he said in an email response to questions.

Major challenges facing the church in Croatia include the country's "very liberal law regulating abortion," and proposed measures to legalize adoption for same-sex couples, as well as fresh debates over euthanasia, he said.

Twenty years after it declared independence, Croatia is set to join the European Union this year.

Pope Benedict is concerned that as Croatia joins the larger political and economic arena, it does not lose its own religious and cultural identity, but rather bring its Christian values to a wider forum.

Croatia is a different country from the one Blessed Pope John Paul II visited in 1994, 1998 and 2003.

The late pope went at critical moments in Croatia's evolution: first as the country was engaged in its 1991-1995 war of independence from Yugoslavia, and then as it sought to rebuild a democratic nation that was still scarred by religious and ethnic tensions.

Blessed John Paul told the nation in 2003 that Christianity was the answer to its challenges because it offers nations the solid foundations of universally shared values, such as respect for human life and dignity, religious freedom and solidarity -- a message that Pope Benedict will likely repeat.

Croatia is holding its first national meeting of Catholic families this year and the pope will celebrate Mass on "National Family Day" June 5.

The Croatian bishops chose "Together with Christ" as the theme of the visit to underline the importance of creating a community that has eternal Christian values as its foundation.

The theme, according to the official missal prepared for the trip, is meant to help people look toward the future and "the requirements of the new evangelization, which begins first of all within Christian families."

Ancic said the pope will help "encourage and uplift sometimes-tired spirits," give momentum to the faithful during these challenging times and instill fresh hope in those suffering from the ongoing economic recession.

The pope's 33-hour stay in Croatia's capital will hit the basics: meetings and events with the country's government, academic and business leaders, young people, families and religious. He will give a total of six speeches and one homily.

After meeting the country's president and prime minister in the morning June 4 and academic, political, business and religious leaders in the afternoon, the pope will take part in a prayer vigil with young people in the city's Ban Josip Jelacic Square.

A key feature of the youth gathering is meant to be silent prayer -- an unusual expectation when there are likely to be thousands of young people gathered in one spot on a summer's evening.

Silence "speaks of the divine presence," the missal said, "and to be silent in a city square where normally there is nothing but noise becomes and remains a strong sign of the Christian presence in the world."

The high point of the trip will be the June 5 morning Mass with families in Zagreb's hippodrome, the same giant stadium where Blessed John Paul celebrated Mass during his visit in 1994.

The pope also will visit to the tomb of a controversial Croatian cardinal, Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. A storm of debate erupted in the run-up to Blessed Pope John Paul's beatification of the cardinal in Zagreb in 1998.

Serbian Orthodox and some Jewish groups have questioned the late cardinal's allegiances during World War II, with many accusing him of being a Nazi sympathizer.

When the Yugoslavian communist government took over after the war, it sentenced Blessed Stepinac to jail for collaborating with the puppet regime. He died under house arrest in 1960 and was declared a martyr of the church in 1998.

For Croats, the cardinal is the symbol of the church's resistance to communist oppression. Blessed John Paul said the cardinal was persecuted because he refused to break the Yugoslavian church's allegiance to the Vatican by setting up a national Catholic Church.

Today, the cardinal is still seen as a powerful example of staying true to God and respecting the dignity of every human being, the trip's missal said.

By praying at his tomb, Pope Benedict will be reinforcing the cardinal as a role model of patient perseverance and trust in God while undergoing great difficulties and hardship.

Source

Rome foundation offers course to help educators train healthy priests

A Rome-based Catholic foundation is offering a course to help educators ensure the spiritual and psychological formation of candidates for the priesthood and the consecrated life.

Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, who served for many years at the helm of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said May 27 that the crisis in the church over the problem of the sexual abuse of minors by priests was an important factor in establishing the course, but not the only one.

The Italian cardinal is president of the Ut Vitam Habeant Foundation, which is working with the Camillianum International Institute of the Theology of Health Care to offer the course in Rome beginning in November.

Canossian Father Amedeo Cencini, a psychologist and expert in religious formation, said the course is designed to ensure candidates for the priesthood and religious life are formed as whole people, with healthy and deep relationships both with God and others.

The classes listed in the prospectus address the spiritual and psychological development of candidates. Sexuality is discussed from the cultural, biological and psychological points of view. A section on immaturity and psychological problems will include a discussion about masturbation, homosexuality and pedophilia.

Dr. Manfred Lutz, who heads the psychiatry department at a German hospital and has acted as a consultant to the Vatican on the sex abuse issue, said the formation of a candidate for the priesthood or religious life is essential, but those responsible for preparing candidates also need to understand when a candidate is unfit.

"There are people who cannot become priests, and it's not just a question of the right formation," he said.

Lutz said that future priests and religious need to be well prepared for a life of celibacy, but insisted that celibacy was not the cause of sexual abuse of minors. Instead, celibacy "renders a priest free to develop his pastoral relations" and put all his energy and enthusiasm in his pastoral work, he said.

Helping candidates learn to live happily in celibacy, he said, is much easier than helping a candidate overcome a tendency toward narcissism, a pathology he said was very difficult to eradicate even with good formation.

Cardinal Sgreccia told reporters the course is the first of its kind to be offered to Catholic educators and "if the course is good and effective, others may follow" in other parts of the world.

The course was designed as two intensive, three-week seminars in a two-year period. It is open to priests, religious and laypeople who educate candidates in seminaries or religious communities, as well as psychologists, doctors and others who support their work from the outside.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter May 16 ordering bishops' conferences around the world to draw up guidelines to protect children from harm. 

The letter reiterated the need for bishops and religious communities to exercise special care when accepting candidates for the priesthood or religious life and to provide them "a healthy human and spiritual formation" and a clear understanding of the value and meaning of chastity.

 

Source

Bishop Braxton urged to give up part of salary to help pay $6.35M judgment to former altar boy

Members of groups that support victims of sexual abuse by priests on Thursday urged Belleville Catholic Diocese Bishop Edward Braxton to give up part of his salary to help pay a court-ordered $6.35 million judgment to a former altar boy.

Four representatives of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, the Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity and the St. Louis chapter of Voice of the Faithful demonstrated in the rain outside the diocese's chancery building on Third Street.

The lawsuit named the Rev. Raymond Kownacki, of Dupo, who was removed from active ministry more than 15 years ago because of allegations of sexually abusing children. Kownacki has said he will not comment.

The demonstrators reacted the day after the Illinois Supreme Court denied a petition by the diocese to hear an appeal of a lawsuit brought in 2002 by James Wisniewski, of Champaign. 

He won a $5 million award in 2008 that has increased to $6.35 million because of the accumulation of interest. Unless the diocese can bring further legal action, possibly in the U.S. Supreme Court, the amount must be paid.

Wisniewski's lawyer, Mike Weilmuenster, of Belleville, said Thursday that he had not received word from the diocese's lawyer or from Braxton concerning when his client will get paid. Weilmuenster said the amount is secured by a letter of credit and a guaranty bond.

Braxton could not be reached for comment. Braxton made the decision to appeal the original $5 million jury award.

On Wednesday, Braxton issued a short statement that he was aware of the state high court's decision and that the "diocese continues to express regret for any instances of childhood sexual abuse by a member of its clergy," and that it remains committed to its child protection policy.

Wisniewski, according to a jury finding, was molested by Kownacki three decades ago when he was a 13-year-old altar boy at St. Theresa's Parish in Salem.

"If justice has been served in this case," said Anne Harter of FOSIL, "it has not been by the Catholic Church."

Luke Rheaume of SNAP said Braxton should personally apologize to Wisniewski.

The organization is headed by David Clohessy, of St. Louis, who issued a written statement that Braxton should also reveal where all "pedophile priests" reside in the diocese and visit each parish where Kownacki worked "and apologize for Kownacki's crime."

In the early 1990s, the News-Democrat published investigative articles that resulted in the removal of 14 priests and a deacon for alleged sexual abuse of children. 

Of those clergymen, only one, Robert Vonnahmen, was formally removed from the priesthood. 

A priest can only be removed with the approval of the pope.

Source

Italy should recognize Church contributions, Pope says

Pope Benedict XVI led the bishops of Italy in the Rosary, and entrusted the nation to the care of the Virgin Mary, during a May 26 ceremony in the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major. 

The Pope joined the Italian bishops—who are meeting in their general assembly—in praying the Luminous Mysteries. 

At the conclusion of the prayer, the Holy Father spoke about the future of Italy, and prayed that “the example of Mary might open the path to a more just, mature, and responsible society, capable of rediscovering the profound values of the human heart.”

In his short address, the Pope said that Italy, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its unification, “has reason to be proud of the presence and outreach of the Church.” 

He stressed that the Catholic Church seeks no special privileges from the state, but asks only to be allowed to pursue her own mission. That mission, the Pope continued, includes “the duty to promote and protect human life in all its stages and to concretely support the family." 

More generally, he said, the Church promotes her social teachings, “so that those who exercise political and administrative responsibilities do not fall victim to the temptation to exploit their positions for personal interest or the thirst for power.”

 

Source

German Catholics calling for reform

A year after a widespread sex scandal rocked Roman Catholics in Pope Benedict XVI's homeland, German intellectuals and faithful alike are turning their backs on the church, calling for change or simply leaving the congregation.

German theologians and others have aired their discontent in a series of petitions to church leaders calling for changes including more transparency, an end to celibacy, and women's ordination.

"After their initial horror, many responsible Christians, women and men, in ministry and outside of ministry, have come to realize that deep-reaching reforms are necessary," wrote leading German theologians in a petition to the nation's highest Catholic officials.

Germany has long been a cradle of religious thought and agitation for reform, stemming from Martin Luther in the 1500s up to today's outspoken Swiss-born Vatican critic, Hans Kung. The pope himself, before moving to Rome, taught theology at German universities.

The Vatican has not responded to the petitions, but the German Bishops Conference sought to address the issue in March by announcing a series of platforms for dialogue "aimed at giving our church in Germany a theological profile and sense of cohesion in this new century."

Many would welcome a signal from the pope that he supports such discussion, but there are no exchanges with parishioners or lay people scheduled during his Sept. 22-25 visit to Berlin and eastern Germany.

Gerhard Kruip, a theology professor at Mainz University who helped write the petition from the theologians does not expect that to happen.

"The bishops will not want to confront the pope with the problems facing Germany's church," Kruip said.

There are nearly 25 million Catholics in Germany, but numbers gathered by The Associated Press indicate a spike in people leaving the congregation last year as allegations of sexual and physical abuse of hundreds of children by clergy surfaced.

"These major abuse cases need to be taken into account by church leaders," said Rev. Max Stetter, a priest in the Augsburg diocese who formed a group calling for change.

While tens of thousands of Germans formally "quit" the church every year, 2010 saw a jump in the number of walkouts. German authorities easily track the numbers, because members pay a church tax, unless they formally leave the congregation.

Official numbers from the seven archbishoprics and 20 dioceses have not yet been released, but data acquired by AP show an increase ranging from 19 percent in Magdeburg, to more than 60 percent in diocese of Passau and Wuerzburg in the pope's homeland.

Augsburg, also in Bavaria, was among those hardest hit. Some 12,065 Catholics resigned their membership last year, compared with 7,000 in 2009, the diocese said. Fearing such a bleeding of the faithful, Stetter joined hundreds of other priests and lay people to appeal to their bishop to change.

"There is the impression that a page has been turned and things are going on, without anyone looking into the cause of the scandals and finding new structures to avoid such things," Stetter said.

Austria, which also taxes church members in a way similar to those in Germany also saw a significant drop in the number of departures.

Figures published by the Austrian Bishop's Conference said 87,000 Austrian Catholics left in 2010 - a 64 percent increase over the 53,000 who formally had their names struck from church registries in 2009.

The Catholic church in the pope's homeland forms the backbone of everyday life, and despite the discontent, the decision to leave does not come easily to its members.

Margit Becker, who lives on the outskirts of Augsburg with her husband and two children, is one of thousands of German Catholics who feels disconnected from and disillusioned by the church. She stopped attending services months ago, but has not yet brought herself to formally resign.

"We were really born into the church and socialized in the church," Becker said of herself and her husband. "Our parents would have a heart attack if we were to leave the church. It is unthinkable."

Becker, in her early 50s, said her generation followed the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s - in which the pope, then Joseph Ratzinger, took part. The council changed everything from the role of lay people to the direction priests face while celebrating Mass and inspired a young generation with hope for a more open church.

Yet Benedict has revived some traditions and prayers that had been largely abandoned since Vatican II, disappointing many in his homeland.

"The church is no longer speaks to the people. I don't feel that it speaks to me, I don't feel comfortable with these traditions that date back centuries," said an administrator who works in the Augsburg dioceses, but refused to give his name for fear that he would be fired for criticizing the church.

Nevertheless, theologian Kruip believes the call for dialogue from the Bishops Conference shows that the discontent is being heard, and taken seriously. He concedes that change will take time, but will come.

"We wouldn't have done this if we were not convinced that we had a real chance," Kruip said.

Source

Dioceses engage with audit into child protection

THE 24 dioceses of the Catholic Church "engaged positively for the most part" with a HSE audit into their child protection practices which is ongoing six years after it was first requested.

The audit was initiated in 2005 by then Minister for Children Brian Lenihan. Findings were published in early 2009 but the then Minister for Children, Barry Andrews sought to continue the audit when it emerged that Section 5, which dealt with soft information such as informal complaints, had not been completed due to legal difficulties.

Later that year, the HSE also asked for supplementary questions which would allow HSE childcare managers to verify data already received and to ensure it is in accordance with state guidelines.

It has taken since then to complete the diocesan section of the review but there is still a long way to go. Preliminary work has just begun on reviewing child protection practices amongst the country’s religious orders and church congregations.

The HSE say they can’t give an approximate date for when the review will be finished.

"The HSE believes that it is of paramount importance that the audit is complete, accurate, well-produced and fully meets the criteria as set out by the Minister for Children who commissioned this audit," a HSE spokeswoman said.

As part of the review, all child protection complaints forwarded by the Church are being cross referenced with information held by the gardaí. 

The HSE say it has been "time consuming" due to the "emphasis being placed by both agencies on accuracy and validation of information".

"The dioceses have engaged positively for the most part with this audit to date and have provided the HSE with all of the information that has been sought. The analysis of this information is almost complete. Some preliminary work on phase two of the audit has commenced," she added.

Church leaders have to provide the identity of the person who made the complaint, the name of the alleged abuser and full dates and details of when it was reported to the civil authorities.

Meanwhile, it is unclear when the Murphy Report into the mishandling of abuse complaints in the diocese of Cloyne will be published. 

It had been cleared for publication by the High Court in April however legal arguments over what sections should be deleted or not have delayed the process.

The 26-chapter Report by the Commission of Investigation examined the handling of allegations of abuse against 19 priests in the Diocese of Cloyne.

It was handed to the Minister for Justice last December.

Source

At long last - a systematic study of the abuse crisis - David Quinn

The John Jay report shows that the scandal peaked in the 1970s and that celibacy is not to blame, writes David Quinn.

An extremely important report was published last week in the United States. 

It is the first ever to systematically analyse the nature of the clerical sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

A great deal of what it has to say is completely applicable to the Church in Ireland.

The report was commissioned by the American bishops who put up most of the $1.8m it cost to produce. But some of the money was provided by the American government. 

In addition, it was independently written by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York.

Ever since the abuse crisis came to public attention, certain questions have been asked repeatedly -- for example, is the crisis connected with priestly celibacy, or with the fact that only men can be ordained? 

Has it something to do with homosexuality?

Has it a connection with the sex revolution? Was it the result of poor seminary formation? 

Were most of the abusers paedophiles as such?

What the study finds, or rather confirms, is that the vast majority of abuse cases that occurred between 1950 and 2010 -- a 60 year period -- happened between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s with the peak period by far being the 1970s. 

There was a sharp and spontaneous drop-off from 1985.

This is the key to understanding the nature of the crisis. 

For example, if priestly celibacy or the male-only priesthood were to blame then we would expect the number of abuse cases to be more or less even over time. 

This is because celibacy and the male-only priesthood have existed for centuries and yet the crisis peaked in a very specific time-period.

Therefore those who constantly point the finger at these factors should stop doing so, but probably won't because in their campaign against celibacy and male-only ordination the abuse crisis is a very convenient weapon.

Is homosexuality to blame? 

The report does note an increase in the number of homosexuals joining the priesthood from the 1970s. It also notes that 80 per cent of those abused were boys (the figure in Ireland appears to be similar).

But it also points out that by the time many of these homosexual men had been ordained and had entered active ministry, the abuse crisis began to abate.

More controversially, the report says that only 5pc of those who abused minors were paedophiles in the strict technical sense of that term which means an attraction to pre-pubescent children. 

The vast majority of victims were above the age of 12. 

Again, this appears to be the case in Ireland.

What about the seminaries? 

The report says that priests who received poor 'human formation' were more likely to abuse than those who did not. It also indicates that most priests abandoned further spiritual direction within only a few years of being ordained.

In trying to explain why the scandals reached their peak in the 1970s, the report notes that this was a time of great social upheaval, turbulence and experimentation and that the sex revolution was getting under way in earnest.

It indicates that many priests, who were poorly formed spiritually and psychologically, completely lost their bearings.

Specifically, it says: ''The rise in abuse cases in the 1960s and 1970s was influenced by social factors in American society generally. This increase in abusive behavior is consistent with the rise in other types of 'deviant' behavior, such as drug use and crime, as well as changes in social behavior, such as an increase in premarital sexual behaviour and divorce.''

No study has been undertaken in Ireland of when exactly the scandals peaked and why. But an analysis of the report into the Dublin archdiocese shows that the vast majority of cases occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, as in the US.

The reason we didn't know about the scandals then is that they weren't being reported, but in fact the abuse problem is mainly historic in nature and about 4pc of priests active in that period were responsible for the horrors that were perpetrated.

Of course, the finding that certain social factors were partly responsible for the abuse crisis is controversial. It makes it look as though the Church is blaming something other than itself even though the report is independently written and, as mentioned, partly US government-funded.

But those who doubt whether social factors were in any way to blame need to come up with their own explanations as to why the scandals peaked when they did.

This study extends far beyond analysing when and why the scandals occurred.

For example, it devotes a great deal of space to why Church authorities didn't react properly to the scandals when they were made known to them. 

For this, it partly blames the culture of clericalism and compares Church authorities with police forces that cover up police brutality.

Overall, the report requires and demands very close analysis by all those interested in this crisis. 

It should be read by every bishop and religious superior in the country and by every journalist who reports the issue.

In addition, the National Board for Safeguarding Children should see if there is anything in it that can be incorporated into its next report. 

For example, it would be extremely useful for it to produce a table showing when, based on known cases, the scandals peaked in this country. 

It would very likely find they peaked at much the same time they peaked in the US. 

The public has a right to this information.

Source

Priest publishes new book on prejudices

One of the country's leading sociologists has published a new book entitled, Prejudice and Related Issues in Early 21st Century Ireland.  

The book, by Fr Michael MacGreil, deals with the country's attitudes to certain social issues over the past thirty years.  

The book is based on a national survey carried out by the government’s economic think-tank, the ESRI, between November 2007 and March 2008, and shows the changes in Irish prejudices between 1972 and 2008. 

According to Fr McGreil the findings of the 2007-2008 survey are, on the whole, quite positive and give Ireland a relatively tolerant profile in relation to most of the 51 categories that were tested. 

The author attributes this to a number of changes in socio-cultural conditions such as the arrival at an acceptable outcome to the peace talks in Northern Ireland and an ongoing rise in educational participation and achievement. 

The 'peace dividend' following the changes in the Northern Ireland situation has been confirmed in the changes in the attitudes and opinions of the national sample towards Britain and Northern Ireland.  

According to Fr McGreil , in the week that Queen Elizabeth II and prime minister David Cameron visited Ireland, changes on the anti-British scale show appreciation of the positive role of the British government in helping to bring about the new situation of greater cooperation within Northern Ireland. 

Sadly, Fr McGreil's book also reveals that some prejudices remain in Ireland, particularly those against ethnic minorities. 

The book was launched recently by the former Eamon O'Cuiv TD at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.

Source

Vatican conference opens with defense of church's AIDS strategy

A Vatican cardinal opened an international conference on AIDS by strongly defending the church's two-pronged strategy against the disease: education of consciences and mobilization of Catholic health resources for patients.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, told more than 100 invited experts May 27 that the church places human dignity at the center of its AIDS policies, which necessarily include a solid ethical dimension.

"Educating people to avoid high-risk behavior, when based on solid moral principles, fully demonstrates its effectiveness and translates into greater openness toward those already affected by the virus," the cardinal said.

"When responsibility for one's own behavior is affirmed, in fact, there is greater awareness of the connection with the rest of the community and greater sensitivity toward those who suffer," he said.

Cardinal Bertone underlined the Catholic Church's massive involvement in treating and caring for AIDS patients through its worldwide network of hospitals, clinics and dispensaries. He said part of the church's effort was to help remove the "social stigma" that is still borne by those with HIV and AIDS.

The cardinal did not mention the question of condoms in AIDS prevention. In previous days, the Vatican newspaper ran two articles saying condom campaigns were unsuccessful in stopping the AIDS epidemic; one article said condom campaigns had increased the possibility of AIDS infection by promoting a false sense of security.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, told the assembly that the conference would take up the crucial issue of access to health care by AIDS patients in poorer countries.

The conference participants included a top U.N. official, medical experts from various parts of the world and theologians.

Source

C of E House of Bishops divided on keeping out homosexuals

A meeting of Church of England bishops in York this week has broken up without agreement on whether gay clergy should ever be allowed to be chosen for promotion to bishoprics, Andrew Brown reports in The Guardian. 

Church Times and Daily Telegraph comment also follows with a memo by the late Dean of Southwark, Colin Slee. 

Legal advice is being sought on the impact of the Equality Act of 2010.

Andrew Brown, writing in the Guardian, has a report headlined” Church of England tied in knots over allowing gay men to become bishops.”

The leadership of the established church remains tied in knots over how far it can comply with the Equality Act in its treatment of gay people.

Church lawyers have told the bishops that while they cannot take into account that someone is homosexual in considering them for preferment, they also cannot put forward clergy in active same-sex relationships and, even if they are celibate, must consider whether they can “act as a focus for unity” to their flocks if appointed to a diocese.

Conservative evangelicals remain bitterly opposed to the ordination of gay people, even though many clergy are more or less openly gay, and some are in same-sex partnerships…

The report continues with details of

…an anguished and devastating memorandum written by the Very Rev Colin Slee, the former dean of Southwark Cathedral, shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer last November. Dr Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, and John Sentamu, the archbishop of York, vetoed candidates from becoming bishops of the south London diocese…

And it concludes by mentioning that

The House of Bishops sought legal advice to discover whether it would be illegal to deny John a job. A briefing in December from the Church House legal department appears to state that though it would be illegal to discriminate against him because he is a celibate gay person, it was perfectly in order to discriminate against him because there are Christians who cannot accept gay people.

The briefing states: “It is not open to a crown nominations committee or a bishop making a suffragan appointment to propose someone who is in a sexually active same-sex relationship; it is not open to them to take into account the mere fact that someone is gay by sexual orientation.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/church-england-gay-clergymen-williams

Source

Cuban bishops: Country is slowly moving toward a democratic system

Two Catholic bishops in Cuba said the country is moving toward a more democratic system, despite the continual dominance of a single political party.

“The country is taking steps that are not exactly the same as before.  This is an indicator that we may possibly be heading toward our own kind of democracy and manner of governing,” Bishop Emilio Aranguren of Holguin said.

Both Bishop Aranguren and Auxiliary Bishop Juan de Dios Hernandez of Havana, made their comments during an interview with the Uruguayan newspaper La Republica. 

The bishops were in   Uruguay participating in the 33rd General Assembly of the Latin American Bishops’ Council.

Bishop Hernandez said that in Cuba “there is still just one political party, but in this democracy there will need to be different parties.”

“And so how do we get there?” he asked. “Five years ago you didn’t hear much from those who had different opinions, and today you do, and the opinions of a particular person or group of persons are taken into consideration,” he added.

Both bishops said “changes are being implemented in the country, slowly, but they are changes nonetheless.”  

They pointed to the fact that most Cubans took Fidel Castro’s resignation in 2008 in stride, despite his more than four decades in power.

Bishop Hernandez also denied that the government has launched a new persecution against Catholics. 

He said there is “more freedom” for the clergy in Cuba.

“Of course it isn’t what we would like it to be, we would like there to be more, and they know it. But we are betting on a gradual process. I think that in the future the Church will have more chances to be present in those areas that are part of her mission and that we have requested,” he added.

 

The Catholic Church “is not a political party,” but a “servant of the people,” the bishop said.  

Cuban officials “have grasped the importance of the spiritual value that the Church has for the people,” he said.

Source

Peruvian bishops call for tolerance and respect as election approaches

The Peruvian bishops' conference recently lamented “the manner in which the electoral campaigns are being carried out.” 

The bishops called on Peruvians to show respect and tolerance as the June 5 presidential runoff election approaches.

“We call on the candidates and voters to ensure that anti-democratic conduct, violations of human rights, unwarranted nationalizations, corruption, threats against freedom of expression, and development models that only cause poverty and pull the country back, do not occur again,” the bishops said in a May 26 statement.

The statement came as supporters of both candidates in the runoff election have recently engaged in heated confrontations. 

In the city of Cajamarca, members of Ollanta Humala’s party threw eggs at his opponent Keiko Fujimori while she was speaking to group of her own supporters gathered to celebrate her 36th birthday on May 25.

On the other hand, supporters of Fujimori stood outside Humala’s home the same day with megaphones shouting insults against the presidential candidate, even though he and his wife were not there at the time.

“This is the time to think about the comprehensive development of our entire nation and not just about the benefits for certain individuals or groups,” the bishops' statement continued.

They also urged the media to be unbiased in their reporting, as “all citizens deserve respect and truthful information.”

The bishops reiterated their defense of life and the family and their commitment to collaborate “with the country in its historic, cultural and moral development.” 

They emphasized that the Catholic Church has always played an important role at all levels of society, “especially with the poor and in the most remote places of Peru.”

“Let us invoke God to enlighten voters and candidates in this runoff election to build a better country in democracy and respect for the rule of law,” the bishops said.

Source

Church operating 117,00 centers for AIDS patients worldwide

The president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care reported that the Catholic Church is currently running 117,000 centers to care for AIDS patients throughout the world.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski told L’Osservatore Romano that in the past 30 years, more than 60 million people have contracted HIV, mostly in Africa. 

He spoke to the Vatican paper on the eve of a congress on the treatment and prevention of HIV and AIDS.

The conference is taking place May 27-28. It was organized by the Good Samaritan Foundation, instituted by Blessed John Paul II in 2004 and entrusted to the Pontifical Council for Health Care.

 

He underscored the testimony of “numerous health care workers and volunteers who, in their courageous care for the sick … have themselves contracted the infection.”
 
He also highlighted the work by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and the late Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor of New York, “who promoted numerous heath care centers for AIDS victims” and “many treatment and assistance programs in the United States and in other poor countries.”
 
The congress is intended to respond to the questions of “many bishops who contact our dicastery in order to receive constant help, with material assistance but above all with information on the latest advances in science in the fight against this disease,” Archbishop Zimowski said.
 
The objectives of the congress include the improvement of pastoral and health care for AIDS victims and the encouragement of the developed world  to show solidarity with poor countries, “as too many people die without access to the treatment they need, especially antiretrovirals” currently available only in developed countries.
 
In 2008, then-president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, reported that 27 percent of institutions around the world caringfor AIDS patients are Catholic; 44 percent are governmental; 11 percent are operated by NGOs; and 8 percent are run by other religious confessions.

Source