April 20, 2005

D’Arcy singing praises of new pope

INDIANA
The Journal Gazette

By Rebecca S. Green
The Journal Gazette

With evident pleasure, Bishop John M. D’Arcy said the College of Cardinals elected the right man in picking Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as successor to John Paul II as the 265th pope and bishop of Rome.

D’Arcy, the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, spent 45 minutes last May with the man who is now Pope Benedict XVI and said he found him to be a brilliant, but humble, man.

Inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday afternoon, D’Arcy praised the conclave for its selection, saying it was the best choice. ...

Illinois Appellate Court Justice Anne Burke, the past head of theAbuse Tracker Lay Review Board tasked with examining the scope of abuse by clergy within the Catholic Church in the U.S., spoke highly of a meeting with Ratzinger about the crisis.

“He reached out … when we asked if we could discuss the issue,” she said. “Very positive things happened as a result of our meeting.”

Burke said she could not say enough about Ratzinger’s reaction to what they told him.

“He met with us, listened to us, and acted on it,” she said. “Can we ask anything more? I don’t think so.”

Posted by kshaw at April 20, 2005 08:22 AM