ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
Toronto Sun

Philip Pullella, REUTERS

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican’s criticism of a body that represents U.S. nuns which the Church said was tainted by “radical“ feminism, dashing hopes he might take a softer stand with the sisters.

Francis’s predecessor, Benedict, decreed that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a group that represents more than 8% of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the United States, must change its ways, a ruling which the Vatican said on Monday still applied.

Last year, a Vatican report said the LCWR had “serious doctrinal problems” and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith”, criticising it for taking a soft line on issues such as birth control and homosexuality.

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AUSTRALIA
Greek Reporter

By Margarita Papantoniou on April 15, 2013

The Greek Orthodox Church in Australia shows zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of minors and has no intention of covering such atrocities. This is what Bishop Iakovos of Militoupolis pointed out on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, making a statement to the committee that is conducting an official inquiry on child sexual abuse in various institutions.

Bishop Iakovos told the parliamentary committee of Victoria that the Archdiocese’s fixed position is to refer any complaint of such nature to the police. “There has never been any complaint of child sexual abuse”, he added, although he admitted that some may be embarrassed or scared and do not want to report it.

The Bishop of Militoupolis said that the Archdiocese holds a record with accusations against its own clergymen. “There have been two cases that we unfrocked priests, but that was not about sexual abuse of minors”, Bishop Iakovos noted and added that in one of these cases, a priest withheld money from the marriage ceremonies he solemnized.

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UNITED STATES
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

April 15, 2013

On April 15, 2013 Sister Florence Deacon, OSF, LCWR president; Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, LCWR president-elect; and Sister Janet Mock, CSJ, LCWR executive director; met with Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF); Archbishop Luis Ladaria, secretary of CDF; and other members of the CDF dicastery. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain was also present.

The LCWR officers reviewed the activities of this past year since receiving the report of CDF’s doctrinal assessment of LCWR in April 2012.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Müller informed the group that he had met with Pope Francis who “reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors”.

The conversation was open and frank. We pray that these conversations may bear fruit for the good of the Church.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by Joshua J. McElwee | Apr. 15, 2013

Pope Francis has reaffirmed Pope Benedict XVI’s rebuke of the main leadership group of U.S. Catholic sisters and approved a plan to place the group under the control of three U.S. bishops, according to the Vatican.

Reaffirmation of the move came in a meeting Monday between the leaders of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to a statement from the Vatican.

During the meeting, the Vatican said, Müller told the LCWR leaders that he had “recently discussed” the issue with Pope Francis, “who reaffirmed the findings of the Assessment and the program of reform.”

The meeting was the first between LCWR, which represents about 80 percent of the United States’ approximately 57,000 sisters, and Müller, who became head of the doctrinal congregation in July.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by John L. Allen Jr. | Apr. 14, 2013

A Vatican announcement Saturday that Francis has named eight cardinals to advise him on governance represents the first concrete step toward the reform that was so much in the air during the run-up to the conclave that propelled a Latin American outsider to the papacy.

Twenty-four hours later, five points seem most noteworthy about the “G8” that will likely be the new pope’s most important sounding board.

1. A Cabinet, not a blue-ribbon commission

In some early reporting, the mission of this body has been described as helping Francis to reform the Roman Curia. Yet reading Saturday’s announcement, that’s not what it says. The key line states that Francis has assembled this group “to advise him in the government of the universal church,” and only then “to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor Bonus.”

In other words, curial reform is only the second task. The first is to advise the pope on decisions about the universal church, meaning there’s almost nothing that falls outside its purview.

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AUSTRALIA
Vice

In 2006, Australia instituted mandatory background checks for those who work with children to ensure they’re not baby touchers or prone to cooking little kids in cauldrons. But apparently, God thinks this law is wrong, at least according to the country’s Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have chosen to follow their savior’s law in lieu of their government’s and refuse to have their members screened. But an 11-year-old schoolboy from Traralgon, Victoria, has had enough. He recently filed a lawsuit against the Witnesses, declaring that this negligence is tantamount to child abuse. To learn more, I spoke with Steven Unthank, an ex-Witness who’s launched a crusade against the sect’s policies toward children and who helped the boy (who can’t be named in the press under Australian law) file the suit.

VICE: What is the rationale behind the Jehovah’s Witnesses refusing these background checks?
Steven Unthank: They believe that anyone high up in the church has been chosen by God, and it’s unreasonable to make them conform to man’s law. It’s like questioning the will of God.

It’s not every day that an 11-year-old sues an international religious organization. How did this boy’s case come about?
When he was eight, he witnessed the rape of another child within the church. He then saw that neither the church nor the police did anything because the person who raped the girl remained in the church.

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CALIFORNIA
KCRA

Claire Doan

ORANGEVALE, Calif. (KCRA) —A former pastor of the Divine Savior Catholic Church now faces accusations of sexual abuse and has been temporarily removed from public ministry in the Milwaukee area.

Father Robert Marsicek, 71, who helped build the Orangevale church and served as pastor there from 1987 until 2001, is now under investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for possible child abuse, according to Kevin Eckery, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Catholic Diocese.

Marsicek has been temporarily relieved of his duties at two parishes in the Milwaukee area, as the church investigates a possible incident of child molestation before Easter of this year.

Eckery said the Sacramento Catholic Diocese learned that there could be two victims — two boys from one family — who experienced child abuse in the late 80s and 90s, months before the Milwaukee allegations surfaced.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Courthouse News Service

By KEVIN KOENINGER

PHILADELPHIA (CN) – A priest sexually assaulted a woman he asked to see him for “counseling,” then “smeared her menstrual blood on her face,” and when the church found out it sent him to Poland, the woman claims in court.

Jane Doe and her husband sued the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa and Father Marek Lacki, in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

The Does claim that while they were volunteering at a church retreat, “defendant Lacki met with plaintiffs at Our Lady of Czestochowa to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Defendant Lacki encouraged plaintiffs to drink alcohol with him and to discuss any marital difficulties they were having. He was very charming and encouraged them to be open with him.

“Plaintiffs trusted defendant Lacki to act in their best interests and shared their marital challenges with defendant Lacki, who was particularly interested in learning about their sex life.

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VATICAN CITY
Gazzetta del Sud

Vatican City, April 15 – Pope Francis is continuing the Church’s critical position on the majority of American nuns for deviating from official Catholic doctrine, the Vatican said Monday. Gerhard Mueller, prefect of Church orthodoxy watchdog Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, met with directors from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents more than 80% of American nuns. In April last year the LCWR was chided in a Vatican report for allegedly promoting “radical feminist themes” and devoting too much time to social justice while remaining unacceptably quiet on the Church’s opposition to birth control and same-sex marriage.

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VATICAN CITY
NEWS.com.au

[doctrinal assessment]

POPE Francis has backed a doctrinal report drawn up under his predecessor Benedict XVI that accuses the largest group of nuns in the United States of holding “radical feminist” views, the Vatican says.

The new Pope has “reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform” for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents around 45,000 US nuns and is known for its social work, the Vatican said.

The statement said the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ludwig Mueller, met with representatives of the LCWR in the Vatican on Monday in an attempt to smooth over differences.

Mueller thanked the group for its work in “many schools, hospitals, and institutions of support for the poor” in the US, the statement said.

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VATICAN CITY
DFW Catholic

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2013 / 07:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican’s assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which found it had “serious doctrinal problems” and initiated a program for reform.

Archbishop Gerhard L. Müller, the prefect for the Vatican’s doctrine congregation, met in Rome with conference president Sister Florence Deacon on April 15, along with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who was named to carry out the reform of the group.

Archbishop Müller told Sr. Deacon that he “recently discussed the Doctrinal Assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the Assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors,” an April 15 statement from the congregation said.

“It is the sincere desire of the Holy See that this meeting may help to promote the integral witness of women Religious,” the communiqué stated, and this requires “a firm foundation of faith and Christian love, so as to preserve and strengthen it for the enrichment of the Church and society for generations to come.”

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 15 April 2013 (VIS) – “Today, the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) of the United States of America. Archbishop James Peter Sartain, archbishop of Seattle, Washington, USA, and the Holy See’s Delegate for the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR, also participated in the meeting,” informs a communique from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“As this was his first opportunity to meet with the Presidency of the LCWR, the Prefect of the Congregation, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, expressed his gratitude for the great contribution of women Religious to the Church in the United States as seen particularly in the many schools, hospitals, and institutions of support for the poor which have been founded and staffed by Religious over the years.”

“The Prefect then highlighted the teaching of the Second Vatican Council regarding the important mission of Religious to promote a vision of ecclesial communion founded on faith in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church as faithfully taught through the ages under the guidance of the Magisterium. He also emphasized that a Conference of Major Superiors, such as the LCWR, exists in order to promote common efforts among its member Institutes as well as cooperation with the local Conference of Bishops and with individual Bishops. For this reason, such Conferences are constituted by and remain under the direction of the Holy See.”

“Finally, Archbishop Muller informed the Presidency that he had recently discussed the Doctrinal Assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the Assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors.”

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

15 April 2013

THE case taken by three staff against the Dublin Archdiocese has done much to flesh out the emerging financial crisis facing the Catholic Church in Ireland.

The archdiocese is the largest in the country, covering 198 parishes in Dublin, most of Wicklow, and parts of Kildare, Carlow, Wexford and Laois.

Its fortunes are crucial to the well-being of the church here, and if the details revealed as part of the pay case are anything to go by, the future is not looking bright.

It is well known that clerical abuse claims have taken their toll on the archdiocese’s coffers, with over €13.5m paid out in settlements and legal costs.

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CHILE
Cooperativa

El denunciante de Fernando Karadima, Juan Carlos Cruz, fustigó la respuesta del cardenal Francisco Errázuriz tras las críticas al ser elegido como parte del grupo papal que reformará la curia.

Ante las críticas que recibió por parte de las víctimas de Karadima, Errázuriz respondió que el papa Francisco “pensó distinto” al nombrarlo a él como uno de los ocho religiosos que forman este grupo.

Para Cruz, Errázuriz “nunca ha hecho su deber y montones de chilenos lo saben”.

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WISCONSIN
YouTube

A group called Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is speaking out after the Green Bay Catholic Diocese reported a retired priest has been accused of abuse of a minor.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

The Federal Government has rejected a call for the removal of one of six royal commissioners investigating child sexual abuse.

A victims’ support group is concerned commissioner Robert Fitzgerald may have a conflict of interest because of his 30-year association with the Catholic Church.

The International Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests says some victims are worried they will not be able to speak openly about their experiences in front of Mr Fitzgerald.

The group’s Nicky Davis said the commissioner sat in some very prominent positions in Catholic organisations.

‘It would be best if he resigned from the royal commission and was replaced with someone that does not have close ties to any organisation that’s been involved in large scale child sexual abuse,’ she said.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Sueddeutsche

Von Christian Krügel

Der neue Papst will die Kurie reformieren und hat dafür nun acht Kirchenmänner berufen. Unter den Auserwählten ist der Münchner Kardinal Reinhard Marx. Er gilt in der Weltkirche als strukturierter Organisator, als einflussreich – ohne zu den Cliquen der Kurie zu gehören.

Es war ein Immobiliendeal, der viele Münchner Katholiken richtig ärgerte: Für knapp zehn Millionen Euro kaufte sich das Erzbistum 2012 ein eigenes Haus in Rom. Gedacht ist es für Pilger und natürlich auch für die Bistumsleitung. So umstritten der Immobilienkauf war, so weitsichtig war er auch. Denn die Bistumsleitung in Gestalt von Kardinal Reinhard Marx dürfte das neue römische Domizil in Zukunft ziemlich regelmäßig nutzen. Papst Franziskus benannte am Wochenende ein neues Kardinalsgremium, das ihm bei der allseits geforderten Reform der Kurie beraten soll. Nur acht Kirchenmänner sind darin vertreten. Darunter: der Münchner Kardinal Reinhard Marx.

Gemeinsam mit seinen Amtsbrüdern soll er den neuen Papst “bei der Regierung der Kirche beraten” und eine Reform der Kurien-Verfassung erarbeiten, heißt es in der Erklärung des Vatikans. Der Kardinal selbst schwieg am Sonntag zu seiner Berufung.

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POLEN
epd

[Summary: Polish survivors of sexual abuse are starting a foundation to study abuse in the Catholic Church and to offer help and support to the survivors.]

In Polen wollen frühere Pädophilieopfer eine Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der Missbrauchsfälle in der katholischen Kirche des Landes gründen. Wie der Radiosender TOK FM am Wochenende meldete, soll die Stiftung Betroffenen helfen und in einen Dialog mit der Kirche treten. Zudem will die Organisation die Zahl der Missbrauchsfälle umfassend erheben.

“Die Rechtsform einer Stiftung erlaubt es uns, ein Partner für die katholische Kirche zu sein, denn wenn wir uns einzeln an die Kirche wenden, werden wir nicht ernst genommen”, erklärte einer der 15 Gründer dem Sender. Es gehe nicht darum, einen “Krieg gegen die Kirche” zu führen, unterstrich er.

Die polnische Bischofskonferenz veröffentlicht bislang keine Zahlen über Missbrauchsfälle. Opfer könnten auch nicht mit einer Entschädigung rechnen, hieß es in einer kirchlichen Erklärung vom März.

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IRELAND
Galway Independent

Marie Madden

The former Magdalene Laundry site on Forster Street is to be converted to a refuge for sufferers of domestic violence.

It was announced this morning that the Sisters of Mercy Convent at 47 Forster Street will become the new location for Waterside House, the Domestic Violence Refuge operated and managed by COPE Galway.

Earlier this year, COPE Galway approached the Sisters of Mercy about the site and the Sisters have responded by donating the property to the charity on a 99-year lease for the benefit of women and children in Galway.

Speaking about the announcement, CEO of COPE Galway Jacquie Horan said she could not express how “delighted and relieved” she was about the opportunity.

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IRELAND
Galway Bay FM

The former Magdalene laundry site in the city is to be transformed into a domestic violence refuge.

The Sisters of Mercy today handed the keys to the convent at 47 Forster street, behind the former Anglo Irish building, to Cope Galway.

The existing refuge at Waterside house has been unfit for purpose for many years, as it comprises ‘bedsit’ style accommodation forcing families to live in one large room.

Last year, Waterside House accomodated 100 women and their families but did not have sufficient capacity to accomodate a further 200, who had to be referred elsewhere.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

Alison Caldwell, ABC
Updated April 15, 2013

A support group for victims of child sexual abuse is calling for one of the six people on the royal commission to resign or be removed from the panel.

International Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, is concerned that commissioner Robert Fitzgerald may have a conflict of interest.

Victims are worried they will not be able to speak openly about their experiences in front of Mr Fitzgerald because of his 30-year association with the Catholic Church.

SNAP’s Nicky Davis says he is too close to the church to be sitting on the royal commission.

“He sits in some very prominent positions in Catholic organisations,” she said.

“I think that this is a serious enough issue and is going to affect so many victims that it would be best if he resigned from the royal commission and was replaced with someone that does not have close ties to any organisation that’s been involved in large scale child sexual abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

AAP
April 15, 2013

The federal government has rejected a call for the removal of one of six royal commissioners investigating child sexual abuse.

A victims’ support group is concerned commissioner Robert Fitzgerald may have a conflict of interest because of his 30-year association with the Catholic Church.

The International Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests says some victims are worried they will not be able to speak openly about their experiences in front of Mr Fitzgerald.

The group’s Nicky Davis said the commissioner sat in some very prominent positions in Catholic organisations.

“It would be best if he resigned from the royal commission and was replaced with someone that does not have close ties to any organisation that’s been involved in large scale child sexual abuse,” she told ABC radio on Monday.

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AUSTRALIA
News-Mail

FEDERAL Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has defended the appointment of Robert Fitzgerald as one of the commissioners investigating child sexual abuse.

Victim support groups have led a chorus of people calling for Mr Fitzgerald, a former Deputy Ombudsman of NSW and Commissioner for Disability, to resign because of his strong links to the Catholic Church.

But Mr Dreyfus rejected calls to remove Mr Fitzgerald, one of six commissioners conducting the inquiry, making the point he was chosen following a “rigorous selection process”.

“I think we have to look at who Mr Fitzgerald is; we have to say that he accepted this role in good faith and in the knowledge that it will be a long, deep and difficult investigation into responses by institutions, including the Catholic Church.

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CALIFORNIA
News 10

Suzanne Phan

ORANGEVALE- Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a former priest at an Orangevale church for alleged child abuse. This comes after other allegations involving the priest surfaced in Wisconsin.

Father Robert Marsicek, a priest at Divine Savior Catholic Church in Orangevale from 1987 until 2001, is now under investigation for allegations of child abuse.

27 year old Catherine Knepshield, who just a child at the time, remembers “Father Bob.”

“He’d have a boat, he’d take all the families out on the lake,” said Catherine.

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CALIFORNIA
Modesto Bee

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

A former pastor at Divine Savior Catholic Church in Orangevale is under investigation following allegations that he sexually abused two children who were parishioners in the 1980s and 1990s.

Officials at Divine Savior read a statement at Sunday Masses informing parishioners about the allegations against the Rev. Robert “Bob” Marsicek, who was pastor from 1987 to 2001. The statement said Marsicek is under investigation for a similar complaint in Wisconsin, where he is a pastor in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

The statement read by the Rev. Roman Mueller, current pastor at Divine Savior, said the allegations against Marsicek involve two children who belonged to the church in the 1980s and 1990s.

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UNITED STATES
Orthodox Church in America

SYOSSET, NY [OCA]

In a pastoral letter dated April 14, 2013, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon addressed the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of the Midwest with regard to recent events concerning His Grace, Bishop Matthias.

The complete text as it appears below also is available in PDF format.

PASTORAL LETTER
April 14, 2013
Sunday of Saint John of the Ladder

To the Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Reverend Deacons, Venerable Monastics, Esteemed Members of the Diocesan and Parish Councils and Faithful of the Diocese of the Midwest,

The past eight months have been difficult for the entire Diocese of the Midwest and have seen the clergy and faithful in all of the parishes deeply affected by the matter of the allegations against His Grace, Bishop Matthias. The resolution of this matter has likewise required significant attention and the Holy Synod recognizes the stress that everyone has been under during this time.

Since Archbishop Nathaniel’s letter to the diocese of November 3, 2012, the Holy Synod has been carefully reviewing all aspects of this matter, including the Report of the Response Team that investigated the complaint, the Report of the Institute which offered the week-long evaluation and the discussions held at the Assembly and Diocesan Council of the Diocese of the Midwest.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

BY MITCH DUDEK Staff Reporter/mdudek@suntimes.com April 14, 2013

Bishop Matthias, the Chicago-based head of the Midwest diocese for the Orthodox Church in America, will step down Monday, eight months after email and text messages sent by the bishop to a female parishioner came to light.

A statement posted to the church’s website Sunday read: “The healing of the Diocese and of the complainant, as well as Bishop Matthias’ own healing, would not be possible should he be returned to the Diocese as a ruling hierarch.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reporter
April 15, 2013

Unable to overcome the disgrace of a sexual misconduct accusation, Bishop Matthias, head of the local diocese for the Orthodox Church of America, has announced he will step down Monday, leaving a vacancy in Chicago just weeks before Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on May 5.

On a leave of absence since allegations of inappropriate communication with a woman surfaced in August, Matthias, 64, would have celebrated his two-year anniversary as leader of the church in Chicago and the Midwest this week.

In a letter to parishioners Sunday, the bishop asked for forgiveness.

“It is my hope that my stepping down will end the ordeal, allowing the diocese to move toward healing,” he said. “I ask for everyone’s forgiveness for my failings, my mistakes and sins. In turn, I assure everyone of my forgiveness.”

The national church asked Matthias to step down last month. In a speech at Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral a week later, he blamed clergy for plotting his ouster in reaction to edicts he issued shortly after his arrival.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Inquisitr

A parish in Chicago has witnessed the resignation of Bishop Matthias (aka David Lawrence Moriak), amid allegations of sexual misconduct, according to a Sunday report from The Chicago Tribune.

The newspaper reported that the head of the diocese faced initial accusations in August 2012 and was placed on leave around that time.

But unlike recent scandals in the Catholic Church where priests were guilty of rampant child sexual abuse, Moriak’s misconduct was more a professional violation than a criminal one.

The bishop allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a woman, who went unnamed in the Tribune report. In a March address to parishioners at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago, Matthias questioned the motives of his detractors.

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VATICAN CITY
The Wall Street Journal

By STACY MEICHTRY

In his first major move as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a panel of cardinals from around the world to advise him in overhauling the Roman Curia, the scandal-plagued administrative body of the Vatican. On Sunday, he followed that up by telling priests to practice what they preach.

The Vatican on Saturday said eight cardinals—ranging from Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston to Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay—will be responsible for drawing up a plan to revise the Curia’s constitution. That document defines the roles and reporting lines within Vatican central administration, determining how the pope governs his 1.2 billion-strong flock in matters including Roman Catholic doctrine, bishop appointments and Vatican finances.

Sunday during a Mass in Rome, Pope Francis said ordinary Catholics need to “see in our actions what they hear from our lips.”

“Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the church’s credibility,” he said.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Mercury News

[John Salazar – Los Angeles Archdiocese]

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press
Posted: 04/14/2013

LOS ANGELES—When the Rev. John Anthony Salazar arrived in Tulia, Texas, in 1991, he was warmly welcomed by the Roman Catholic community tucked in the Texas Panhandle. What his new parishioners didn’t know was he’d been hired out of a treatment program for pedophile priests—and that he’d been convicted for child molestation and banned from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for life.

Over the next 11 years, Salazar would be accused of abusing four more children and young men in Texas, including an 18-year-old parishioner who suffered teeth marks on his genitals. Today he awaits trial on one molestation charge, while his accusers and former followers seek a way to move forward.

Many details of Salazar’s past are contained in a confidential personnel file that was among 120 such files the Archdiocese of Los Angeles made public this year after a legal battle with abuse victims. But those records tell only part of the story.

On Tuesday, attorneys return to court to argue over the release of records for about 80 priests, including Salazar, who belonged to Roman Catholic religious orders that kept their own personnel files on accused clergymen. The hearing will address in what form and when those files will be made public, and involves orders such as the Jesuits, Salesians, Vincentians and Dominicans.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Molly Daly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)

– On Saturday, Pope Francis named eight cardinals from around the world, with only one from Europe, to a permanent advisory panel to counsel him on how the church is run, and how to reform the Vatican bureaucracy.

“It’s important because of how immediately following his election he’s impaneled this group.”

Sister Maureen Paul Turlish is on the steering committee of the Philadelphia chapter of Voice of the Faithful, whose motto is “Keep the Faith, Change the Church.”

She says although Francis became pope a little less than four weeks ago, he’s wasting no time in showing his willingness to break with tradition, rejecting many of the trappings of the papacy.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Tess Livingstone
From:The Australian
April 15, 2013

LAYMEN and laywomen with professional expertise could be invited to take on more prominent positions, including leadership roles, in the Vatican bureaucracy, Australia’s cardinal George Pell said yesterday.

“Professional men and women with expertise in areas such as finance, for example, could have a lot to offer in overseeing some Vatican departments, perhaps under the leadership of a cardinal,” he said.

Cardinal Pell, 71, is one of eight cardinals appointed by Pope Francis to a permanent advisory group to help him run the Catholic Church and reform the curia.

The appointment, announced on Saturday, shows that Cardinal Pell, a strong supporter of Pope John Paul II and a friend of Benedict XVI, has been recognised for his talent and energy by the new pontiff. The two have served together on several Vatican bodies.

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VATICAN CITY
Stuff (New Zealand)

NICOLE WINFIELD

Pope Francis has told priests to practice what they preach, saying the church’s credibility is on the line.

During a Mass to formally take possession of one of the Vatican basilicas in Rome, Francis said ordinary Catholics need to “see in our actions what they hear from our lips”.

Francis has made himself an example of a more humble and frugal church by refusing many of the trappings of the papacy, living in the Vatican hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace and wearing a simple white cassock of the papacy rather than fancy vestments and capes for formal occasions that his predecessors wore.

“Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the church’s credibility,” he said.

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VATICAN CITY
NDTV

Vatican City: Pope Francis on Sunday said clergy and Christians must not betray the word of God with their actions or they undermine the credibility of the Catholic Church.

Francis, elected a month ago, inherited a Church struggling to restore credibility after a series of scandals, including the sexual abuse of children by priests.

The pope spoke at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where he celebrated Mass. He also greeted pilgrims and local Church members earlier in St. Peter’s square.

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VATICAN CITY
The Guardian (UK)

John Hooper in Rome
The Guardian, Sunday 14 April 2013

Pope Francis presaged a revolution in the running of the Catholic church when, at the weekend, he announced the formation of an eight-strong panel of cardinals from all parts of the world who are to advise him on governance and the reform of the Vatican.

The Italian church historian Alberto Melloni, writing in the Corriere della Sera, called it the “most important step in the history of the church for the past 10 centuries”. For the first time, a pope will be helped by a global panel of advisers who look certain to wrest power from the Roman Curia, the church’s central bureaucracy.

Several of the group’s members will come to the job with a record of vigorous reform and outspoken criticism of the status quo. None has ever served in the Italian-dominated Curia in Rome and only one is an Italian: Giuseppe Bertello, the governor of the Vatican City State.

The panel will be headed by one of the most dynamic figures in the Catholic leadership: Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras and head of the global charity Caritas Internationalis. A polymath who plays the saxophone and piano, Maradiaga has trained as a pilot and speaks six languages. Like Pope Francis, he has long been a tenacious critic of economic inequality.

In an interview with the Italian television news service Tgcom24, Maradiaga said his group would “certainly” be tackling the ever-controversial Vatican bank.

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KANSAS
Marysville Advocate

Published:
Sunday, April 14,

Officials in the Archdiocese of Kansas City say a priest who formerly served at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church in Marysville faces an allegation of child abuse.

The diocese reported in its newspaper, The Leaven, that Father Anthony Putti, who is now a priest in the diocese of Guntur, India, was named in an April 2 complaint about misconduct with a child. The complaint was made to the Safe Environment Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Kansas City.

Putti denied the allegation, according to The Leaven’s report. The newspaper also stated the diocese had reported the complaint to the Kansas Department of Children and Families (formerly SRS) as well as local law enforcement and a diocesan independent review board.

Church officials said they’d received no prior complaints against Putti of sexual misconduct with a child, according to The Leaven report, which did not specify when the alleged abuse occurred.

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CITTA DEL VATICANO
Lettera 43

di Barbara Ciolli

Negli Usa l’hanno ribattezzato International offshore rule (Ior): Regime internazionale offshore. In realtà Ior è Istituto per le opere di religione, la banca del Vaticano, e tra le grandi missioni incompiute che Benedetto XVI ha tramandato a Francesco c’è il suo spinoso risanamento.

Durante il suo pontificato, Joseph Ratzinger aveva avviato un’operazione trasparenza, miseramente fallita con la cacciata dell’ex presidente Ettore Gotti Tedeschi e del cardinale Attilio Nicora dalla Commissione di vigilanza della banca di San Pietro.

«Chi tocca lo Ior muore», è la regola che – più o meno metaforicamente – domina il Torrione Niccolò V, sede dell’istituto, dalla sua apertura nel 1942.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

THURSDAY

Michael D’Antonio • The author discusses “Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime and the Era of Catholic Scandal.” 6:30 p.m. at Left Bank Books Downtown, 321 North 10th Street. Free. 314-367-6731.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

April 15, 2013

Nicky Davis

The inquiry on child abuse must be survivor-driven as the victims relive their pain.

When the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse sat for the first time recently, there were smiles among those who had long campaigned for justice for Australia’s forgotten children.

But for the survivors it was not a day for smiling. We did smile, briefly, when the royal commission was announced. Pure joy as truth won an unwinnable battle against evil and corruption. But we haven’t won the war yet. Not by a long way.

We have dark days ahead, unlike those who struggled with us to get us here. Their job is done and they can leave the task of exposing the truth in the hands of the professionals. And on the shoulders of the survivors.

We must peel away our protective coping strategies and speak the words we have been ordered never to say. Try to find voices that have shrivelled to a croak after a lifetime of being silenced. Risk being overwhelmed by emotions we have buried all our lives. And pick ourselves up again after we open this Pandora’s box of undeserved guilt, shame, worthlessness and betrayal.

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WISCONSIN
SNAP Wisconsin

Statement by John Pilmaier, SNAP Wisconsin Director
CONTACT: 414-336-8575

Today the Green Bay diocese issued a statement that one of its senior priests, Fr. Justin Werner, has been restricted from ministry due to a report of sexual abuse of a child or minor while he was at St. Edward in Mackville a few decades ago. Making this statement is a good start. The diocese now has to make sure parishes where Werner has been conducting ministry, especially recently, like St. Bernard’s in Appleton, are asked to help the police with any information on the case.

Child sexual abuse is the most unreported crime in the United States. Fewer than 10 percent of all victims report the crime, and it usually takes years, if not decades to come forward.

Because the alleged crimes took place under the old Wisconsin criminal statute of limitations for child sexual assault it is unlikely Werner will face prosecution.

While it is encouraging the diocese is notifying the public about Werner, why do they continue to be silent about the at least 51 clerics, as of 2004, acknowledged by the diocese to have confirmed, credible, and substantiated acts of sexual assault of a child or minor? 35 of those priests are diocesan and 16 belong to the Norbertine religious order, headquartered in De Pere.

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UNITED STATES
Whispers in the Loggia

To repeat a line once said of Seán O’Malley among his Capuchin confreres, “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”

So the more recent story goes, in the days after Pope Francis’ election, the cardinal-archbishop of Boston dispatched his priest secretary to the Domus with a note for the new pontiff, ordering the aide “to give this letter to someone who will put it into the Pope’s hands.”

As it turned out, Fr Jonathan Gaspar didn’t just end up delivering the message – he was received by the Pope.

While we don’t know the contents, they were clearly appreciated – this morning, O’Malley was the lone North American named to Papa Bergoglio’s eight-cardinal “task force” chartered both to advise Francis in his universal role and study the reform of the Roman Curia.

Given the significance of the call, perhaps it’s to be expected that some have wondered why the nod fell to the 68 year-old Capuchin as opposed to others.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Press TV (Iran)

British police are investigating a widespread child abuse cover-up in the Catholic Church in the UK with a bishop under probe, local media reported.

The Metropolitan Police has set up the so-called Operation Fernbridge to look into historical cases of paedophilia in Britain.

The detectives are examining claims that the prelate protected priests who were sexually abusing youngsters, the Sunday People has revealed.

The paper said other areas of the Catholic church are also under investigation to find if there has been a large-scale cover-up of paedophilia.

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WISCONSIN
NBC 26

[with video]

By NBC26 News Team

CREATED Apr. 13, 2013

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Diocese is restricting a retired priest from public ministry following an allegation of child abuse.

The Diocese says it received the allegation against Father Justin Werner. Father Werner denies any wrongdoing, and an investigation is underway. The abuse is alleged to have happened at St. Edward Parish in Mackville in the 1970s.

The Diocese released a statement Saturday saying, “The Diocese is pastorally assisting both the person bringing the allegation and Father Werner. The Diocese asks for prayers for both of them, and for all affected.”

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WISCONSIN
Post-Crescent

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay has restricted a retired priest from performing public ministry after learning of an allegation of abuse against him.

The Rev. Justin N. Werner, 84, denied an accusation that he abused a minor at St. Edward Parish in Mackville during the 1970s, according to a statement from the diocese.

Justine Lodl, spokeswoman for the diocese, said the allegation has been reported to civil authorities, but would not say which law enforcement agency was handling it.

Calls made Saturday by Gannett Wisconsin Media to Brown and Outagamie county law enforcement agencies did not turn up a report. An Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department official said the report could have gone directly to the investigation division, which was not open Saturday.

Lodl said a private investigator also is reviewing the allegation. Werner will be restricted from public ministry pending the outcome of the review. Werner told Post-Crescent Media on Saturday that he did not have a comment and was not aware of the specifics of the allegations.

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CANADA
YouTube

Published on Apr 13, 2013

Bishop Ronald Fabbro apologies to the sexual abuse victims of priests in the Diocese of London and about plans to prevent such abuse in the future.

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KANSAS CITY (KS)
The Leaven

On April 2, the Safe Environment Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas received a report alleging abuse of a minor by Father Anthony Putti, a priest of the Diocese of Guntur, India, where he currently resides.

The archdiocese has never received any other allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor against Father Putti. Father Putti denies the allegation. His bishop has also been informed. He served in the archdiocese before and while pursuing graduate studies in theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Ill.

Upon completing his studies, Father Putti was assigned in July 2008 as pastor of St. Gregory Parish, Marysville, and St. Malachy Parish, Beattie. He was assigned to assist at Prince of Peace Parish, Olathe, from June 2003 until beginning graduate studies in September 2005 and at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, in summer 2007.

In September 2010, Father Putti resigned his pastoral duties and was recalled to his home diocese after admitting to sexual relations with an adult who had requested privacy in the matter.

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CHILE
Cooperativa

El cardenal chileno Francisco Javier Errázuriz se mostró contento por haber sido elegido entre los ocho cardenales que ayudarán al papa Francisco a reformar la Curia romana, ante las críticas que esto desató, el clérigo sostuvo que “yo creo claramente que hice mi deber”.

Tras una ceremonia celebrada esta mañana en la Catedral Metropolitana, donde el arzobispo Ricardo Ezzati ordenó a siete nuevos sacerdotes para la arquidiócesis de Santiago, el cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz se refirió a su nombramiento y a las reacciones que esto ha generado en las víctimas de Karadima.

“Parece que el papa pensó distinto, yo creo claramente que hice mi deber y que hay personas que están muy enojadas todavía y jamás he visto que se haga un juicio a un juez por ejemplo, porque al comienzo toma más tiempo llegar a la certidumbre sobre las denuncias presentadas”, señaló Errázuriz.

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CHILE
Bio Bio

Publicado por Denisse Charpentier | La Información es de Juan Carlos Alvarado

Los querellantes del caso Karadima reaccionaron molestos por el nombramiento del cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz por parte del Papa Francisco, como uno de los miembros del equipo que realizará la reforma a la Curia Romana.

El Arzobispo Ricardo Ezzati dijo que los querellantes tienen derecho a no estar de acuerdo, y el mismo Errázuriz afirmó que, al parecer, el Papa tiene una opinión más favorable a él.

Polémica desató la decisión del Papa Francisco de convocar al cardenal Errázuriz, Arzobispo emérito de Santiago, como uno de los 8 cardenales que lo acompañarán en su proceso de reforma a la Curia Romana.

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CHILE
Terra

El cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz respondió a los denunciantes del sacerdote Fernando Karadima, quienes criticaron la decisión del Papa Francisco de nombrar al arzobispo emérito de Santiago como parte de un grupo de cardenales para que lo asesore en reformar la Curia romana.Ante las críticas, el cardenal Errázuriz respondió que “parece que el Papa pensó distinto”. “Yo creo claramente que cumplí con mi deber y que hay personas que están muy enojadas todavía”, manifestó.

Añadió que “jamás he visto que se juzgue a un juez porque se tomó más tiempo para llegar a la certidumbre sobre las denuncias presentadas”, informa Emol.

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CANADA
YouTube

Published on Apr 13, 2013

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, set up to heal wounds from residential schools, has embarked on a massive project to document school children’s deaths and find their burial sites. The commission held a forum on residential schools Mar. 1-3 in Vancouver.

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NEW YORK
The Jewish Daily Forward

By Paul Berger

Published April 14, 2013, issue of April 19, 2013

Yeshiva University finds itself immersed this spring in a tale of two honorees. One, a former president of the United States, is accused of anti-Israel bias. The other, a leading Y.U. rabbi, is accused of racism and a disregard for victims of child sex abuse.

Hershel Schachter, the Y.U. rabbi in question, has also been criticized in years past for suggesting that the prime minister of Israel be shot if he compromises with the Palestinians on Jerusalem, and for appearing to compare women to monkeys.

But while an event organized by Y.U.’s rabbinic school to honor Schachter in May has aroused little opposition, the decision by a student-run journal at Y.U.’s law school to honor former president Jimmy Carter on April 10 sparked swift, furious and widespread criticism.

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OSTERREICH
Muenchner Kirchenradio

Das älteste Kloster im deutschsprachigen Raum hat nach einer dreijährigen Übergangszeit wieder einen Erzabt: Korbinian Birnbacher. Er ist vergangene Woche gewählt worden.

Birn­ba­chers Vor­gän­ger, Bruno Be­cker, war wegen Miss­brauchs­vor­wür­fen zu­rück­ge­tre­ten. Die Auf­ar­bei­tung der Fälle sei aber auf einem guten Weg, so Birn­ba­cher im Münch­ner Kir­chen­ra­dio. Er habe sich sehr über die Wahl zum neuen Erz­abt ge­freut. Gleich­zei­tig spricht Birn­ba­cher, der bis­he­ri­ge Prior des Stifts, aber von einer gro­ßen Ver­ant­wor­tung, die er mit sei­nem Amt an­tritt. 2010 war be­kannt ge­wor­den, dass der da­ma­li­ge Erz­abt von St. Peter, Be­cker, einen Min­der­jäh­ri­gen se­xu­ell miss­braucht haben soll. Auch zwei an­de­re Pa­tres sol­len sich meh­re­re Male an Kin­dern ver­gan­gen haben. Laut Birn­ba­cher seien die Fälle bis­lang unter Ein­be­zie­hung von Psy­cho­lo­gen und Ju­ris­ten sehr gut auf­ge­ar­bei­tet wor­den. Er selbst pfle­ge einen engen Kon­takt zu den Op­fern, die das Stift auch fi­nan­zi­ell ent­schä­digt habe. Viele von ihnen hät­ten be­reits an­ge­kün­digt, bei sei­ner Weihe zum Erz­abt am 21. April dabei zu sein.

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DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

vor wenigen Tagen hieß es noch “Papst Franziskus – Armut als neue Leitsatz” … Jetzt wird ausgerechnet der ehemalige Trierer Bischof, Kardinal Marx, Erzbischof von München als “Reformberater” berufen

“Papst Franziskus beruft Beratergremium”

Acht Kardinälen sollen dem Papst dabei helfen, die Kurie zu reformieren. Auch der Erzbischof von München, Kardinal Marx, ist einer der Berater. Er ist fast der einzige Europäer in der Expertengruppe, die die Neuorganisation der Kirchenleitung organisieren soll.

den vollständigen Artikel auf “sueddeutsche.de” lesen

•Marx residiert in millionensaniertem Prunk-Palais
•Fingerfertige Ministranten – Im Fall eines mutmaßlichen Kinderschänders belegen neue Dokumente die Versäumnisse des früheren Erzbischofs Ratzinger und seines Nachfolgers Marx.

•Kardinal Marx: Homosexuelle sind “gescheiterte Menschen”

•Priester drängen Kardinal Marx zu mehr Dialog

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DEUTSCHLAND
NW-News

VON ANNIKA FALK

Paderborn. Auch mehr als drei Jahre nach den ersten Meldungen über sexuellen Missbrauch innerhalb der Katholischen Kirche erreichen den zuständigen Arbeitsstab beim Erzbistum Paderborn immer wieder Anfragen. Ansprechpartner für die Opfer ist Manfred Frigger, ehemaliger Leiter der Eheberatung.

Der Arbeitsstab Sexueller Missbrauch wurde bereits 2002 eingeführt, nachdem erste Missbrauchsfälle in den USA und Irland publik geworden waren. Der Vatikan verordnete damals, dass jedes Erzbistum eine entsprechende Anlaufstelle einrichten soll. “Anfangs wurde die Kommission von einem Prälaten geleitet, man merkte dann aber, dass es schwierig sein könnte, wenn ein hochrangiger Kirchenmann mit den Opfern spricht”, sagt Frigger, der den Stab seit 2003 leitet.

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DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

“Missbrauchs-Opfer wollen gehört werden”

Insgesamt 23 Frauen und 66 Männer haben sich beim Erzbistum Paderborn gemeldet, einige Fälle spielten sich aber in anderen Bistümern oder in der Evangelischen Kirche ab, wurden also weitervermittelt. Innerhalb des hiesigen Erzbistums beschuldigten 16 Frauen und 26 Männer insgesamt 42 Kleriker und andere Mitarbeiter im kirchlichen Dienst. 27 Anträge konntennicht anerkannt werden, weil “nur” körperliche Gewalt vorlag, die Opfer wurden an den “Heimkinderfond” des Landschaftsverbands Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) weiterempfohlen.

Bei den meisten Fällen waren die Beschuldigten nicht mehr am Leben. Die Staatsanwaltschaft wurde in fünf Fällen eingeschaltet. Ein Priester mit knapp 90 Jahren wurde zur Selbstanzeige gedrängt, doch auch sein Fall war – wie die anderen – verjährt. So kam es nie zu einem Prozess.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Lisa Wangsness
| Globe Staff
April 13, 2013

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley to a panel of nine prelates from around the world who will advise him on reforming governance of the church.

The Vatican’s announcement on Saturday, exactly one month after Francis’s election, sends a strong signal that the new pope hopes to confront the problems within the curia, or Vatican bureaucracy, that distracted and embarrassed his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

It also suggests he may intend to address bishops’ longstanding complaints that power in the Catholic church has become too centralized in Rome, analysts said.

“The election of Francis was in part a vote to shake things up, and this would be first concrete indication that might actually happen,” said John Allen, the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

He called the appointment of O’Malley “an early indication that O’Malley may be this pope’s go-to guy in the US.”

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

Sunday, April 14, 2013

By:
Gary J. Remal 
, Christine McConville

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley could emerge as a key player in the Vatican as he assumes a potentially game-changing role on a new committee charged with advising Pope Francis on worldwide Catholic church reforms.

“Potentially this is an earthquake rather than a tremor,” said John L. Allen Jr. of National Catholic Reporter.

“This has the making of the biggest real-world decentralization of the church since the Second Vatican Council,” 
Allen said..

O’Malley was appointed to the elite new eight-cardinal Vatican Advisory Council yesterday.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

The appointment of eight advisers, including the Archbishop of Sydney George Pell, to a new Vatican panel will help revamp the Catholic church, former Australian ambassador to the Holy See Tim Fischer says.

Cardinal Pell is one of seven cardinals and one monsignor – the others are from Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia – appointed to the group by Pope Francis.

In its announcement on Saturday, the Vatican said Francis got the idea to form the advisory body from the pre-conclave meetings.

“He has formed a group of cardinals to advise him in the governing of the universal church and to study a revision of the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus on the Roman Curia,” the statement said.

Mr Fischer welcomed the announcement.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Cardinal George Pell says he would welcome a reduction in Italy’s influence over the Vatican, as he prepares to join a committee appointed by the pope to reform the church’s administrative body.

The Archbishop of Sydney has been selected by Pope Francis to sit on a committee that will look to reform the Curia, the administrative branch of the church.

Cardinal Pell, who is flying to Rome tonight for preliminary meetings, said the committee will lead to greater discipline in the upper echelons of the church, alluding to last year’s leaking of secret papal documents by Emeritus Pope Benedict’s butler.

A cardinal from each continent has been selected to form the committee, a move that Cardinal Pell says is reflective of the church’s changing demographics.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

AUSTRALIA’S most senior Catholic Cardinal George Pell says he’ll work with seven other high ranking churchmen appointed by the Pope to a new Vatican panel to bring “better discipline” to the church and avoid “Vatileaks” type scandals.

Cardinal Pell, 71, is being hailed as a voice for Oceania on the permanent advisory group.

He was appointed by Pope Francis on Saturday night alongside six other cardinals and one Monsignor.

Cardinal Pell said in his new role he would help the Pope in “anyway I can”.

“I am very sure the Holy Father will be working for a better discipline,” Cardinal Pell told the ABC on Sunday.

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AUSTRALIA
AFP

SYDNEY — Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric Cardinal George Pell, picked by the pope to help advise him on governance and reforms, said Sunday “better discipline” was needed in the church.

The Sydney Archbishop also suggested less Italian influence at the Vatican would be welcome.

Pell was one of eight cardinals from around the world selected by Pope Francis on Saturday to advise him in the new pontiff’s first step towards reforming the Catholic Church’s opaque administration.

The group will examine updating the constitution of the Roman Curia — the Church administration which analysts say is badly in need of reform.

Pell said he would help the pope in “anyway I can”.

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ITALY
Gazzetta del Sud

12/04/2013

More people drawn to pews, priest sex-abuse a dwindling concern

Vatican City, April 12 – Ever since he was named pontiff one month ago and opted to present himself without the traditional papal red cape trimmed with ermine, Pope Francis has had no shortage of admirers drawn to his modest, down-to-earth touch. That popularity extends to Catholics and non-Catholics alike in Italy, according to a new poll Friday that shows four out of five Italians view Francis favorably. Fully 92% of Catholics told pollsters IPR Marketing that they found Francis to be close to the faithful, humble, determined, appealing to the young, authoritative, and also sincere. About 77% of non-Catholics expressed similar positive opinions. Although 60% of Italians polled say they want the newly elected pontiff to give top priority to dealing with sexual abuse by priests, that number has fallen from one month ago, according to the survey. Last month, as many as 67% wanted the new pope to deal with the long-standing problem of priest pedophilia, said the opinion poll, which surveyed the opinions of 1,000 Italians.

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WISCONSIN
Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY — A retired priest has been accused of abusing a minor in the 1970s, the Diocese of Green Bay announced Saturday.

The Rev. Justin N. Werner denies the allegation, the diocese said in a statement. The abuse is alleged to have happened at St. Edward Parish in Mackville, which is in Outagamine County.

Justine Lodl, director of communications with the diocese, declined further comment on the matter, saying it remains under investigation.

The diocese said Werner is being “temporarily restricted from performing any public ministry pending the outcome of a complete review of these matters, which includes an investigation by an independent professional investigator.”

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SOUTH AFRICA
Daily Maverick

Pierre de Vos

13 Apr 2013 05:59 (South Africa)

It is not often that a senior leader of a powerful and (still relatively) influential religious organisation gives media interviews that potentially expose him (somehow such religious leaders are almost always men) to possible criminal prosecution. However, over the past month Cardinal Wilfred Napier has twice made statements about the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against paedophile priests that raise serious questions about whether he has adhered to the law.

Cardinal Napier is not a stranger to controversy. In a recent interview with the Mail & Guardian he displayed a remarkable lack of either logic or compassion, stating that he could not be accused of homophobia “because I don’t know any homosexuals” – an implausible claim, given the fact that I personally know of two South African Catholic priests who are practicing homosexuals (the one in a loving long term relationship with another man, the other a slightly sad cruiser for sex on the internet).

Arguing that there must be something “radically wrong with a society that can go against revelation and reason”, Cardinal Napier stated in this interview that “with same-sex marriages we are carrying out someone else’s agenda. It’s a new kind of slavery, with America saying you won’t get aid unless you distribute condoms, legalise homosexuality”.

Perhaps the Cardinal should consider the possibility that it’s the Catholic Church – not gay men and lesbians – that is in the wrong for displaying such disdain, even hatred, towards consenting adults who experience emotional and sexual attraction for members of their own sex. When a Cardinal expresses disgust and revulsion for legal rules that prohibit unfair discrimination against fellow South Africans, it might well be the Cardinal who is suffering from a lack of reason and who remains blind to revelation – let alone compassion and plain common human decency.

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UNITED STATES
Buffalo News

By Michael D. Langan
NEWS BOOK REVIEWER

Pulitzer Prize winner Michael D’Antonio’s new book “Mortal Sins” will be the gold standard for unraveling what happened during the Catholic priests’ sex abuse scandal of the last three decades. D’Antonio’s balanced exposition and analysis is the equivalent of a cleansing shower on a disturbing period in church history that will reverberate for 100 years or more.

The monumentality of the evil laid out in “Mortal Sins” will gag readers. While there is no prurience in the writing, the matter-of-factness of the sexual activity is jaw-dropping. The crimes documented include a fact pattern of enormous proportion. The doggedness of those who pursued justice is admirable.

In “Mortal Sins” D’Antonio makes the case that:

• The abuse scandal is the product of the church’s culture of secrecy and sexual blackmail.

• Three Americans – lawyer Jeff Anderson, priest Thomas Doyle and victim Barbara Blaine – are responsible for creating a worldwide movement that has seen hundreds of priests convicted of crimes and more than $3 billion paid to people who were abused as children, with countless more claims unresolved.

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WISCONSIN
Post-Crescent

Written by
Holly Meyer
Post-Crescent Media

A retired Catholic priest has been restricted from performing any public ministry after the Diocese of Green Bay received an allegation of abuse against him.

The senior priest, Justin N. Werner, denied that he was involved in any abuse of a minor at St. Edward Parish in Mackville during the 1970s, according to a statement from the dioceses.

The diocese reported the allegation to the civil authorities, but would not say which law enforcement agency was handling it, said Justine Lodl, diocese spokeswoman.

An independent investigator also is reviewing the allegations and Werner will be restricted from public ministry until the review is complete.

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INDIA
Times of India

Bella Jaisinghani, TNN | Apr 14, 2013

VATICAN CITY/MUMBAI: India’s Oswald Gracias is among eight high-ranking cardinals who were on Saturday appointed by Pope Francis to an advisory council to look into ways of reforming the Vatican bureaucracy. The council will help the Pope revise the Apostolic Constitution and Church administration which helps him in daily governance, the Vatican said in a statement.

Gracias, 68, is archbishop of Bombay (Mumbai), having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. He was raised to the cardinalate in 2007.

In Mumbai, there was elation at the gathering of priests at Holy Name Cathedral for a special function to mark the ordination of permanent deacons when the news broke on Saturday evening. A loud round of applause went up as Cardinal Gracias walked down the aisle and blessed the assembly.

“The secretary of state, who is the second in command, called me last Sunday to seek my consent for the appointment. This means that the Pope is looking to set up a different style of governance and reorganize the universal Church. Of course, it is a good sign that India is being taken seriously and that our feedback is being sought. When I was in Rome recently, I said India should be taken seriously and it is nice to see it happening,” Cardinal Gracias told TOI after the function.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

[with video]

ARCHBISHOP of Sydney George Pell has been appointed by Pope Francis to a permanent advisory group to help him run the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Pell is one of eight cardinals and one monsignor – the others are from Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia – who have been appointed to the group.

The panel is a clear indication that Francis wants to reflect the universal nature of the church in its governance and core decision-making, particularly given the church is growing and counts most of the world’s Catholics in the southern hemisphere.

In the run-up to the conclave that elected Francis pope one month ago, a reform of the Vatican bureaucracy was a constant drumbeat, as were calls to make the Vatican itself more responsive to the needs of bishops around the world.

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UNITED STATES
CNN

By Michael D’Antonio, Special to CNN

updated 11:44 AM EDT, Sat April 13, 2013

Editor’s note: Michael D’Antonio is the author of “Mortal Sins, Sex, Crime and the Era of Catholic Scandal.” He is a former religion writer for Newsday.

(CNN) — Thirty days of signs and signals have revealed to the world in Francis I, a pope who seems eager to earn the title pontiff, or bridge-builder. Beginning with his choice of a name, which evokes the beloved image of St. Francis of Assisi, the former cardinal of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, put the world on notice that change was afoot by forgoing the fancy red slippers and ermine stole favored by other popes.

Since then he has shown a remarkable common touch in his encounters with the public and greater sensitivity to others than the man who came before him.

Try as he did, Francis’ immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, never looked comfortable in his own skin, let alone in pastoral contact with others. Clad in his ornate robes, he seemed to keep the world at arm’s length in a way that betrayed his long service as Rome’s “Rottweiler” (a nickname he received from the press) in charge of disciplining those who deviated from doctrine.

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WISCONSIN
Press-Gazette

A retired priest has been accused of abusing a minor in the 1970s, the Diocese of Green Bay announced Saturday.

The Rev. Justin N. Werner denies the allegation, the diocese said in a statement.

The statement reads:

In following the Policies of Appropriate Conduct of the Diocese, Father Werner, a senior (retired) priest, has been temporarily restricted from performing any public ministry pending the outcome of a complete review of these matters, which includes an investigation by an independent professional investigator. The abuse is alleged to have happened at St. Edward Parish in Mackville in the 1970s. The Diocese has notified civil authorities of the allegation following its mandatory reporting policy.

The Diocese is assisting both the person bringing the allegation and Father Werner. The Diocese asks for prayers for both of them, and for all affected.

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WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel

April 13, 2013

The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay announced Saturday that Father Justin Werner, a retired priest, has been accused of abusing a minor in the 1970s.

According to a statement from the diocese:

The abuse is alleged to have occurred at St. Edward Parish in Mackville, which is about six miles north of Appleton. Werner denies the allegation.

Werner has been temporarily restricted from performing any public ministry pending the outcome of a review by the diocese, which includes an investigation by an independent professional investigator.

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WISCONSIN
Fox 11

GREEN BAY – The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay says it has received an allegation of abuse of a minor against Father Justin N. Werner.

The Diocese said in a press release Saturday Father Werner denies the allegation.

Diocesan officials say Father Werner, a senior (retired) priest, has been temporarily restricted from performing any public ministry pending the outcome of a complete review. That includes an investigation by an independent professional investigator.

The Diocese says the abuse is alleged to have happened at St. Edward Parish in Mackville in the 1970s. Diocesan officials say they have notified Outagamie County authorities of the allegation following its mandatory reporting policy.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Mirror

A bishop is believed to be under investigation by officers from Operation Fernbridge – set up by the Metropolitan Police to look into historical cases of paedophilia

Cops are probing an alleged widespread child abuse cover-up in the Catholic Church in the UK, the Sunday People reports .

A bishop is believed to be under investigation by officers from Operation Fernbridge – set up by the Metropolitan Police to look into historical cases of paedophilia.

The detectives are examining claims that the prelate protected priests who were sexually abusing youngsters, investigative website Exaro and the Sunday People can reveal today.

Officers are also thought to be probing other areas of the Catholic church that may have been involved in a large-scale cover-up of paedophilia.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 12 April 2013 (VIS) – At 10:00 this morning, the Holy Father Frances went to the library of the Secretariat of State to meet the entire staff of the two sections of the Secretariat, that is, nearly 300 people—not only priests but also religious and lay men and women.

The Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., greeted the Pope with a brief address of welcome and presentation, assuring the Pope of the dedicated and cordial service of all those present who work in the Secretariat of State, which is fully the “Pope’s Secretariat”.

The Pope responded with a few brief words emphasizing his sincere and heartfelt gratitude for the welcome he has been given and for all the work carried out in this period, noting that tomorrow will already be a month from his election, as well as for the priceless commitment of service carried out by all the members of the Secretariat of State.

After imparting his blessing, the Pope personally greeted everyone present. The meeting lasted around 50 minutes.

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VATICAN CITY
BBC News

The Catholic Church’s new leader has appointed a group of top churchmen to advise him on how to reform the Vatican’s often arcane bureaucracy.

Pope Francis chose eight cardinals and a bishop who between them represent nearly every continent, and only one of whom is currently a Vatican official.

The bureaucracy, or Curia, has been blamed for the Church’s hesitant response to sex abuse and other crises.

It is nearly 50 years since the Vatican’s last major reforms.

The cardinals who elected Pope Francis last month were strongly critical about basic failings of the Curia under Pope Emeritus Benedict, the BBC’s David Willey reports from Rome.

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CHILE
Terra

Tanto José Andrés Murillo y Juan Carlos Cruz, quien son denunciantes del sacerdote Fernando Karadima, criticaron la noticia que se conoció esta mañana, sobre la decisión del papa Francisco de nombrar al cardenal chielno Francisco Javier Errázuriz dentro de los miembros del grupo que lo asesorará en la reforma de la curia romana.

El arzobispo emérito de Santiago ha sido cuestionado por los denunciantes del ex párroco de El Bosque por encubrir los abusos del sacerdote.

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VATICAN CITY
Firstpost

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis held his first meeting on Friday with staff of the Vatican department that was at the centre of last year’s scandal over leaked documents alleging corruption, ahead of expected changes to its leadership.

The person he chooses to succeed Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone as head of the Secretariat of State will be among his most important decisions because he will be instrumental in helping Francis set the tone for a humbler Church following a period of scandals.

Bertone has been widely blamed for failing to prevent the many mishaps and infighting in Church government during the eight-year pontificate of now-retired Pope Benedict.

Francis inherited a Church struggling to deal with priests’ sexual abuse of children; the alleged corruption and infighting in the Vatican’s central administration, known as the Curia; and conflict over the running of the Vatican’s scandal-ridden bank.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Jordan Graham

Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley has been chosen for a Vatican advisory group to counsel Pope Francis on reforming the Catholic Church’s bureaucracy.

The leader of the Boston archdiocese will join cardinals from countries including Chile, India, Australia and the Congo.

The Vatican said the idea for the advisory group came from discussions that took place during pre-conclave meetings, and its first meeting will be in the beginning of October.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop of Sydney George Pell and seven other cardinals to advise him on how to reform the Catholic Church.

The eight cardinals will help the newly-elected Pontiff put into place changes in the Curia.

The Curia has been held responsible for some of the mishaps and scandals that plagued the eight-year reign of Pope Benedict XVI before he resigned in February.

Pope Francis was elected by a conclave of cardinals a month ago amid expectations he would undertake reforms.

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VATICAN CITY
Los Angeles Times

By Tom Kington
April 13, 2013

ROME — Pope Francis launched a long-awaited cleanup of the Vatican by announcing a task force Saturday made up of eight high-ranking cardinals, including one American, who will determine how best to reform the much-criticized Curia, or Vatican administration.

The new panel, comprising senior prelates from five continents, will meet for the first time in early October. Only one serving Vatican official has been named to the body.

The Vatican’s sluggish and dysfunctional bureaucracy has been blamed for a number of gaffes that plagued the papacy of Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation as head of the Roman Catholic Church in February. Infighting and power struggles inside the Curia were exposed by private papal letters leaked by Benedict’s butler.

In meetings held before they chose Francis as the new pontiff last month, many cardinals reportedly called for a shakeup of the Vatican, complaining that they felt the Curia was unresponsive and out of touch with its far-flung bishops and cardinals.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Gal Tziperman Lotan, Globe Correspondent

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley was one of nine high-ranking prelates Pope Francis named Saturday to an advisory group on revising Vatican government, according to the Archdiocese of Boston.

The group of eight cardinals and one bishop includes one Vatican insider, two Latin American cardinals, and representatives from India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia, and Germany, according to a posting on the archdiocese’s Facebook page.

O’Malley will remain stationed in Boston, said Terrence C. Donilon, an archdiocese spokesman.

Donilon said he did not know when O’Malley got the news of his appointment.

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VATICAN CITY
Ottawa Citizen

Pope faces tough decisions as Vatican reforms loom; style and record suggest he’ll go it alone

By Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
April 13, 2013

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has spent much of his first month as pope charming ordinary Catholics with his ordinary yet extraordinary papal ways and making clear he is very much the boss when it comes to decisions as small as the shoes he wears to where he rests his head at night.

In the coming months, he’ll face decisions of far greater import as he responds to demands from cardinals in far-flung dioceses and Vatican officials at home for an overhaul of the Holy See bureaucracy, the dysfunctional family business he inherited one month ago Saturday.

Given Francis’ governing style and track record, it’s likely he’ll make these choices with an eye to efficiency, and very much alone.

Prelates are demanding term limits on Vatican jobs to prevent priests from becoming career bureaucrats. They want consolidated financial reports to remove the cloak of secrecy from the Vatican’s murky finances. And they want regular Cabinet meetings where department heads actually talk to one another to make the Vatican a help to the church’s evangelizing mission, not a hindrance.

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VATICAN CITY
The New York Times

By GAIA PIANIGIANI and RACHEL DONADIO

Published: April 13, 2013

VATICAN CITY — In his first significant decision since becoming pontiff — and a radical step toward more democracy in the Roman Catholic Church — Pope Francis on Saturday named a group of eight cardinals from around the world to advise him in governing the church and overhauling the troubled Vatican hierarchy, which has been rocked by scandals.

Although the group will not have legislative power, Vatican experts said the move was a strong sign that Francis was eager to consult widely and promote greater dialogue between the Vatican hierarchy and churches worldwide. The eight cardinals named include the archbishop of Boston and prelates from Australia, Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany, Honduras, India and Italy.

“It’s an epochal shift because it brings the Vatican closer to a more collegial governance,” said Paolo Rodari, a Vatican expert with the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica. He was using a term meaning a greater sharing of power between Rome and local churches in governing the Catholic Church.

That concept was central to the liberalizing changes of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, but critics said both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI consolidated more control with the Vatican. Francis’ new advisory group reverses the trend.

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VATICAN CITY
swissinfo

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, in his first major decision, on Saturday set up an advisory board of cardinals from around the world to help him govern the Catholic Church and reform its troubled central administration.

The eight cardinals will help him put into place changes in an administration which has been held responsible for some of the mishaps and scandals that plagued the eight-year reign of Pope Benedict before he resigned in February.

A Vatican statement said the group would “advise him in the governing of the universal Church” as well as in making administrative changes, a sign that Francis wants to consult more widely than Benedict did before making decisions.

The eight prelates come from Italy, Chile, India, Germany, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, Australia, and Honduras, indicating that Francis intends to take seriously calls by bishops from around the world to have more say in Vatican decisions that affect their areas.

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BOSTON (MA)
Houston Chronicle

BOSTON (AP) — The head of the Roman Catholic church in Boston is among nine cardinals named by Pope Francis to advise him on running the church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley is among members of the advisory panel announced by the Vatican on Saturday. The group includes current Vatican officials, but more importantly cardinals from Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. They will hold their first meeting Oct. 1-3.

The Vatican says Pope Francis appointed the advisers following suggestions that emerged during meetings in the run-up to the conclave that elected him.

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VATIKAN
Deutsche Welle

Rund einen Monat nach seiner Wahl hat Papst Franziskus eine Reformkommission eingesetzt, die ihn bei der Regierung der Weltkirche beraten soll. Ist der Papst am Ende nicht mehr ganz so päpstlich?

Franziskus bleibt seinem Stil treu und sorgt weiter für frischen Wind im Vatikan. Jetzt berief er acht Kardinäle, die Vorschläge für eine Reform der vatikanischen Behörden erarbeiten sollen. Vatikansprecher Federico Lombardi sprach ausdrücklich von einem “Signal” des Papstes. Franziskus wolle zeigen, dass die Vorschläge während der Versammlungen vor dem Konklave bei ihm angekommen seien.

Bei den täglichen Treffen im Vorfeld der Papstwahl hatten nicht nur Kardinäle aus der Weltkirche eine Bevormundung der Ortskirchen durch Rom oder mangelnde Abstimmung und Ineffizienz in der vatikanischen Verwaltung kritisiert.

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Dierk Shaefers Blog

»Die reiche Schweiz gibt sich knauserig«

und steht erst am Anfang für Kompensationsleistungen für die Leiden von Kindern unter staatlicher und kirchlicher Obhut. Der Schweizer „Beobachter“ gibt einen Länderüberblick.

Auszüge:
•Irland stellt für misshandelte Heimkinder insgesamt 1,28 Milliarden Euro bereit, die Kirche musste dem Staat dafür Ländereien und Gebäude im Wert von 128 Millionen Euro abtreten. Das dürfte nicht alles gewesen sein: Anfang Februar lag eine Unter­suchung über Frauen vor, die als «gefallene Mädchen» in Zwangs­arbeitsinstitutionen eingewiesen und dort häufig Opfer sexuellen Missbrauchs geworden waren. Bis im Sommer soll für die rund 1000 Überlebenden ein Entschädigungsplan vorliegen.
•In Schweden erhalten die Opfer von Misshandlung, Vernachlässigung und Gewalt eine Entschädigung von je 250’000 Kronen (rund 37’000 Franken).
•Deutschland zwei Entschädigungsfonds: einerseits der mit 120 Millionen Euro dotierte Fonds «Heimerziehung West» – Bund, Länder und Kirchen steuern hier je ein Drittel bei, wobei 20 Millionen Euro zur wissenschaftlichen Begleitung und Aufarbeitung abgezogen werden. Und anderseits der Fonds «Heimerziehung in der DDR in den Jahren 1949 bis 1990», der vom Bund, den neuen Bundesländern und Berlin mit über 40 Millionen Euro ausgestattet wurde.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by John L. Allen Jr. | Apr. 13, 2013

In a signal that major reform may be on the horizon, the Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has formed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to “advise him on the government of the universal church” and “to study a project of revision” of a document from John Paul II on the Roman Curia.

At first blush, all these cardinals seem like strong personalities. Several have voiced criticisms over the years about various aspects of Vatican operations, while two, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, Germany, have played key roles in the church’s response to the child sexual abuse crisis.

The group’s first meeting is set for Oct. 1-3, and meanwhile, according to the Vatican statement, the pope will be in regular contact with the cardinals individually.

The brief item in the Vatican’s daily press bulletin did not explain how these cardinals were chosen, or how long they will serve in these roles.

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NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger

By Jason Grant/The Star-Ledger
on April 12, 2013

MORRIS TOWNSHIP — In June, attorney Gregory Gianforcaro held a news conference outside the Morris County Courthouse to announce his client, a victim of sexual abuse in the 1980s at the Delbarton School, wanted to join a growing chorus of men speaking out about violations they claim went on secretly for years at the school.

Gianforcaro said he was filing a lawsuit on his client’s behalf, seeking to free him from a confidentiality clause in a settlement agreement his client had signed with Delbarton at age 19 in lieu of suing the all-boys Catholic school.

And at some point that afternoon, Gianforcaro also mentioned, according to a Star-Ledger article published the next day, that the 1988 settlement paid his client seven figures.

That utterance of seven figures, Delbarton’s lawyer said today, meant Gianforcaro himself had knowingly violated the confidentiality clause in the 1988 settlement agreement.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Francis has taken a most significant decision by setting up a group of eight cardinals from all continents to advise him in governing the Catholic Church and reforming the Roman Curia

Gerard O’Connell
Vatican City

In a highly significant and ground-breaking move, indicating a new, more collegial style of leadership, Pope Francis has chosen a group of eight cardinals, from all continents and the Roman Curia, to act as his special advisors in governing the Catholic Church and reforming the Roman Curia.

The Secretariat of State broke the news in a press statement on April 13, exactly one month after his election. It said “The Holy Father, Francis, taking up a suggestion that emerged in the course of the General Congregations preceding the Conclave, has set up a group of Cardinals to advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a project of revision of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia”.

The Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” referred to in the Vatican statement was issued by Pope John Paul II in 1988 and introduced reforms in the Roman Curia, the civil service that assists the Pope in the government of the Church.

The Vatican revealed the names of the eight cardinals chosen by Pope Francis:

■AFRICA: Cardinal Laurent Monswengo Pasinya, 73, archbishop of Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, former president of SECAM – the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (1997-2003) and co-president of Pax Christi International (2007-2009);
■ASIA: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, 68, archbishop of Bombay, India, the current President of the FABC, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences;
■EUROPE: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 69, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, in the Federal Republic of Germany; Since 2012 he has been president of COMECE – the Bishops Conferences of the European Community;
■LATIN AMERICA: Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, 79, emeritus Archbishop of Santiago de Cile, Chile, he was president of CELAM – the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Latin America ( 2003-2007);
■NORTH AMERICA: Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, 66, archbishop of Boston, US Bishops Conference;
■OCEANIA: Cardinal George Pell, 71, the archbishop of Sydney, Australia;
■ROMAN CURIA: Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 70, the Italian-born Holy See diplomat and currently President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State;
■COORDINATOR: Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, S.D.B.,70, archbishop of Tegucigapla, Honduras, will coordinate the Group.

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VATICAN CITY
Deutche Welle

A month into his papacy, Pope Francis has set up a committee of cardinals to help advise him how to best run the Church and reform the Vatican Curia. The move could signal a willingness to facilitate change.

Pope Francis has named eight cardinals to an advisory panel that will help him run the Church and study possible reforms of the Vatican’s Curia.

“[Francis] has formed a group of cardinals to advise him in the governing of the universal church and to study a revision of the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus on the Roman Curia,” a Vatican statement said on Saturday.

The idea for the advisory body, the Vatican said, came from pre-conclave meetings.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Catholic Insider

Today, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has set up a committee of eight cardinals from around the world to advise him on how to reform the Roman Curia. Cardinal Sean O’Malley is one of the eight. Here is the Vatican statement:

The Holy Father Francis, taking up a suggestion that emerged during the General Congregations preceding the Conclave, has established a group of cardinals to advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, ‘Pastor Bonus’. …

News reports say that the committee will advise Pope Benedict on how to reform the Catholic Church’s “troubled central administration.” Reports say, “The basic failings of the Curia were aired, sometimes passionately, at closed-door meetings of cardinals before they retired into the conclave that elected Francis.”

BCI finds it ironic that Cardinal O’Malley has been appointed to a committee to reform the Roman Curia, when his own central administration is troubled and he has failed to effectively govern and reform it for the past decade. Someone just suggested to BCI that Cardinal O’Malley serving on a committee to help reform the Roman Curia would be kind of like Hillary Clinton serving on a committee to help reform international embassy security.

In Boston, for nearly 3 years we have been documenting the ongoing problems of:
o Nearly $4M annually in excessive six-figure salaries paid to lay executives
o Moving around of funds from originally designated purposes to someplace else
o Skyrocketing administrative expenses
o Cronyism in hiring

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MONTANA
Char-Koosta News

Lailani Upham

BILLINGS — A two-day journey that began with openness of childhood sexual abuse, an epidemic that has tore the fabric of Indian Country communities for generations has been faced and ideals of healing had been launched for the future generations, at the 3rd annual Hope Conference, “Healing For Our People Everywhere – Seeking the Courage To Heal.”

At the opening morning Theda New Breast, Master Trainer and Facilitator of the Native Wellness Institute stated, “It doesn’t matter the number, but that you try your best in spreading the word of healing.”

Anna Whiting Sorrell, Billings Area Indian Health Director and keynote opening speaker of the conference, urged the group to fight the fight together, make difference and make a stand that the abuse in Indian communities would not be acceptable anymore. …

John Shuster, counselor, author and ex-Roman Catholic priest and board of director of The Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests (SNAP) held a workshop “Healing Choices For Survivors of Abuse.”

Shuster lectured on history of the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse on Indian Reservations in the Northwest and Great Plains area stating that most of the clergy that came to the Reservations were from Germany. Those who joined the seminary in Germany experienced sexual abuse in their lives and wanted to escape by joining the “priesthood” and ended up being sent to rural areas where they began perpetrating abuse on children just as had been done to them.

The abuse was brought over from what was happening in that other country, he stated.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Mein Nordenham

Oldenburg – Im Alter von 18 Jahren habe der Angeklagte seine auf Jungen im Alter von 10 bis 14 Jahren gerichtete pädophile Neigung bemerkt – und sie verdrängt und unterdrückt. Ab 2009 sei jedoch nach Trennung von der Ehefrau und einer Privatinsolvenz das Leben des heute 47 Jahre alten Vaters von zwei Kindern in eine Schieflage geraten. Ab 2010/11 hätten sich seine sexuellen Fantasien verstärkt. Von Anfang 2011 bis Anfang 2012 sei es dann zu den Missbrauchsfällen gekommen.

Pädophilie nicht im Griff
Das sagte der Vorsitzende Richter Dr. Dirk Reuter in der Urteilsbegründung des Landgerichts Oldenburg und fügte hinzu. „Vielleicht lassen sich die Übergriffe damit begründen, dass der Angeklagte seine Pädophilie nicht mehr in den Griff bekommen hat.“

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 13 April 2013 (VIS) – Following is the full text of a communique issued today by the Secretariat of State.

“The Holy Father Francis, taking up a suggestion that emerged during the General Congregations preceding the Conclave, has established a group of cardinals to advise him in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, ‘Pastor Bonus’.

The group consists of:

Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State;

Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop emeritus of Santiago de Chile, Chile;

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India;

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany;

Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo;

Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Boston, USA;

Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia;

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the role of coordinator; and

Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy, in the role of secretary.

The group’s first meeting has been scheduled for 1-3 October 2013. His Holiness is, however, currently in contact with the aforementioned cardinals.”

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VATICAN CITY
CNN

By Hada Messia and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

updated 7:41 AM EDT, Sat April 13, 2013

Rome (CNN) — Pope Francis has appointed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to look into ways of reforming the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Saturday.

The group, which includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston, will examine ways to revise the Vatican constitution, Pastor Bonus, which sets the rules for running the Roman Curia, or church hierarchy.

The cardinals — who come from North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe — will first meet in October, the Vatican said.

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VATICAN CITY
USA Today

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis marked his first month as pope on Saturday by naming nine high-ranking prelates from around the globe to a permanent advisory group to help him run the Catholic Church and study a reform of the Vatican bureaucracy — a bombshell announcement that indicates he intends a major shift in how the papacy should function.

The panel includes only one current Vatican official; the rest are cardinals and a monsignor from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australia — a clear indication that Francis wants to reflect the universal nature of the church in its governance and core decision-making, particularly given the church is growing and counts most of the world’s Catholics in the southern hemisphere.

In the run-up to the conclave that elected Francis pope one month ago, a reform of the Vatican bureaucracy was a constant drumbeat, as were calls to make the Vatican itself more responsive to the needs of bishops around the world. Including representatives from each continent in a permanent advisory panel to the pope would seem to go a long way toward answering those calls.

In its announcement Saturday, the Vatican said that Francis got the idea to form the advisory body from the pre-conclave meetings. “He has formed a group of cardinals to advise him in the governing of the universal church and to study a revision of the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus on the Roman Curia,” the statement said. …

The members of the panel include Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican city state administration — a key position that runs the actual functioning of the Vatican, including its profit-making museums. The non-Vatican officials include Cardinals Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, the retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile; Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, India; Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo; Sean Patrick O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston; George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia; and Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, bishop of Albano, will be secretary while Maradiaga will serve as the group coordinator.

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AUSTRALIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Nicky Davis on April 11, 2013

The Wall Street Journal this week revealed further evidence that Pope Francis is unlikely to break with longstanding Vatican tradition and surrender secret Vatican files on Australian child sexual abuse cases to the Royal Commission.

Despite claims of a humbler, simpler regime under Francis, there is growing evidence the new pope is as incapable or unwilling as other Cardinals of putting the safety of children above protecting the interests of the institution.

It is hard to see Pope Francis complying with the Royal Commission’s requests for this vital evidence, when, as head of the Argentinian Bishops’ Conference, he could not even comply with the Vatican’s own request to to prepare guidelines for dealing with allegations of abuse.

Catholic officials have been ignoring, hiding and enabling child sex crimes for decades, if not centuries. Compared to what could and should be done to prevent these crimes, writing an abuse policy is an extraordinarily minimal move.

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UNITED STATES
Pokrov

Date Published: 4/12/2013
Publication: Pokrov.org

According to ”Greek church would take complaints to cops,” ”[t]he Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis said the church informed police when complaints of a criminal nature were made. But there was no record of an abuse complaint having ever been made.”

We here at Pokrov.org find this very hard to believe.

As United States residents, our focus has been primarily on abuse in our country. We can honestly say that it has not been our experience that the Greek Church in the US informs police when complaints of a criminal nature are made. In fact, just like their Roman Catholic counterparts, the bishops are more likely to transfer abusive priests to another unsuspecting parish. See for example, this infamous case:

Father Nicholas Katinas

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