Peter
The last four weeks in the Church have borne witness to a growing cauldron of sorrow and anger. God’s faithful are rightly disturbed at the latest explosion of sexual abuse allegations and the seeming lack of accountability that allowed years of rumors and allegations to go unaddressed by the hierarchy. I am not sure how … Read more
came across an advertisement for a financial institution recently that, sad to say, displayed more wisdom than we usually find today among many people, including many Catholics: “Trust is binary. Either you have it or you don’t.” A bold statement these days, by anyone. For the politically correct, “binary” distinctions are not only stupid and … Read more
Following the long overdue revelations about the contemptible sexual misconduct of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, many authors have rightly expressed their indignation toward him and his episcopal enablers. In this article, I will try not to spend much time on ground already well trod, but will rather highlight some of the lessons from the McCarrick scandal … Read more
I know I am not alone in my sorrow over the reports of sexual immorality among the clergy of the Church from the scandals of abusive priests of the early 2000s to the more recent revelations of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s notorious predatory behavior, the letter of the Honduran seminarians about homosexual activity in their seminary, the stifled report of … Read more
With revelation after revelation, a new wave of sexual abuse scandals is rocking the Roman Catholic Church and presenting Pope Francis with the greatest crisis of his papacy. In Chile, prosecutors have raided church offices, seized documents and accused leaders of a coverup. In Australia, top church figures are facing detention and trials. And in … Read more
The ongoing scandals are the bitter fruit of a corrupt clerical culture, marked by a widespread failure to accept traditional teaching on sexual morality. A few weeks before I was ordained a Catholic priest in the late autumn of 1994, my superior in the seminary told me that, in his opinion, it was probably the … Read more
I had not intended to post another Catholic scandal item today, but then I saw the above tweet by J.D. Flynn, and, given Flynn’s reputation and his position as editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency, I had second thoughts. That J.D. Flynn believes this is big news, I believe. And for me personally, it’s a strange … Read more
Cardinal Seán O’Malley is president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He is also Archbishop of Boston. How bad is it when the guy in-charge of clerical sexual abuse for the Church worldwide has to be made aware of a problem in his own seminary by a Facebook post? From Rod Dreher … Read more
Current Role Apostolic Nuncio to United States of America Official Web Site: http://www.nuntiususa.org/ Mailing Address 3339 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC 20008-3687, USA Telephone: (1-202)333-7121 Fax: 337-4036 What’s Been Reported Richard Sipe reportedly sent him a copy of his letter to Bishop McElroy in August 2016 detailing accusations against McCarrick.
Public penance should be the first response. Then let’s look at some basic improvements to canon law The official response to the allegations against Theodore McCarrick has been tiresomely predictable. First, the bishops expressed shock and disbelief; then they dutifully called for improved procedures to deal with offending clerics. Of course Church law, like the … Read more