News Items of Note

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
March 18, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

Some of you might have seen these stories covered by other media, but since they are of general interest to readers of this blog I thought I would mention them here. The final two are specific to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

1). Yesterday, the Archbishop of Adelaide, Australia, was charged with concealing knowledge of child sexual abuse. Archbishop Philip Wilson, who became the highest ranking Catholic prelate to be charged with such a crime, denies the charges and is vowing to mount a vigorous defense. In the meantime, he has temporarily stepped down from his positions with the Australian Bishop's Conference and the Truth and Justice Healing Council, which is working with the Royal Commission. Interestingly, the charges are not related to Wilson's episcopal administration, but instead allege that he concealed knowledge of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest with whom he was assigned in the 1970s. 

2). The National Catholic Reporter is reporting that the investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the former Archbishop of St. Andrew's and Edinburgh who stepped down prior to the conclave of 2013, has been completed and the report presented to Pope Francis. Unlike the debacle of an investigation taking place in Saint Paul, the investigation into allegations that O'Brien had engaged in inappropriate sexual activity with priests and seminarians for decades was ordered by the Holy See and entrusted to Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the former prosecutor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now Archbishop of Malta. Reputed to be  'hot enough to burn the varnish off the Pope's desk', the report on O'Brien was completed within a year. Meanwhile, in Saint Paul...

3). Speculation is mounting that a big announcement regarding the W.D.O.E. is coming in mid-April after priests were informed today that the Clergy Study Day originally scheduled for April 22 has been postponed. In a brief email, priests were informed that both the new date and the topic of the study day will be 'forthcoming'. There has already been speculation among priests that the Archbishop's resignation would be accepted by Pope Francis on or around April 15, while others (mainly non-clergy) have predicted a proposed settlement to the bankruptcy announced around that time. We shall see...

4). Finally, sad news out of Saint Paul, especially for the Latino community. It was formally announced this week that Father Eugene Michel and the Franciscan order would be ending their ministry at Sacred Heart Parish on Saint Paul's East Side. The Franciscan's have staffed the parish since 1909 (per the official notice) and have seen it through the transition from a German-speaking parish to a parish that served both the English-speaking and Latino communities in what has become a difficult neighborhood. This announcement should not have come as a surprise- the Franciscans had informed the Archbishop of this decision when I was still at the Chancery. However, it is serious blow considering the staffing shortage which the Archdiocese is currently suffering. I have heard estimates that say that 22 parishes are in need of pastors, and that there are a maximum of 15 available priests to fill those appointments. Interestingly, recent appointments as published in the rarely-reliable Catholic Spirit have suggested that no one has been appointed a pastor- at least not since last fall, but instead pastorates are being filled with parochial administrators. These sort of temporary appointments are often made when a change in administration is anticipated, as it is thought unfair for an outgoing Archbishop to make six-year appointments which his successor would have to live with. Again, we shall see.