Saturday, May 31, 2008

Year of Vocations Prayer

Prayer for Vocations

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to the faithful that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.

Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will.

Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labour in God's holy service.

Amen.

The Sound Of Silence...

An Focal Scóir - May 2008

The month of May opens with compensation to children whose images were used in a film about paedo priest, human rights and abortion also top the agenda, call to ordain married men and women to priesthood, erratic behaviour causes resignation of bishop...

...Il Papa comments on abuse, Fr Damian of the lepers on path to sainthood, Ascension Thursday celebrated, no gay clergy = no church says bishop, hispanic AB for NY (?), Il Papa to holiday in New Zealand, crucifixes prevent Holy Land visit, no Time cover for Il Papa, 2nd female Anglican bishop appointed in as many weeks...

...Ncube mistress dies, new French shrine could rival Lourdes, another female ordained, German churches for sale, Swiss Guards sworn in, Canterbury meets Rome, NI visit to be yet decided by Il Papa, call to combat child porn by bishops, Europe needs religion, nude cardinal niece makes point...

...October beatification for JPII, internal Vatican pressure over CSA, possible communion between RC and Orthodox Armenians, new Anglican bishop for Irish diocese, Vatican v's Spain, divisive seminary to close, Latin on Vatican website...

...1st RC church in Saudi Arabia, 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae, cursing priest back on pulpit, broken marriage a ticking timebomb, Il Papa stumbles at Pentecost ceremonies, elevation of Cardinal Bertone, Oscar Schindler remembered...

...Vatican art, US priest en route to beatification, Irish RC bishops withdrawing slowly from Irish education system, Turkey no to returning church, gay ok being gay a sin says RC bishop, Pauline Year indulgences granted, saviour of 2500 Jewish children dies...

...Bishop Wishy Washy (Killaloe) accuses parents of snubbing schools with non-national students, Aussie bishops disown their own bishop when he speaks controversially, Colombia cross controversy, Vatican endorses belief in aliens, Il Papa no to same sex...

...Cardinal Gantin dies, Il Papa grey eminence, Papal mystery, Papal rosary recitation on CD, Il Papa says thanks for virgins, Rome diocese now has a Latin Tridentine parish, Il Papa links Eucharist to Marriage, Il Papa blames media for harming society...

...call for RC to recognise homophobia, Il Papa, gays and world peace, Vatican -v- Spain, Il Papa speaks of importance of ecclesial communities, Aussie Episcopalian Church split on ordination of female bishop, cardinal warning on Anglican disunity, Austria's singing monks...

...Irish RC bishop unveils permanent diaconate plan, RC Polish church 'curing' gays, priest bans autistic child from church, Il Papa anti-cluster bombs, universal ban on gays in seminaries says Vatican, AB appoints episcopal vicar, cardinal says gay ok but act is not...

...JPII beatification in 2009, Gene Robinson calls for 'gay christianity', cardinal seeks latin Mass in every parish, moving pope statues in Malta, bishop says children responsibility of family not government, Moscow no to reconciliation document, nuns attacked in India, NO to Lisbon Treaty...

...Jewish youths burn Christian texts, German demand for exorcisms grows, Turin Shroud to undergo further testing, 1st Anglican Australian female bishop, Christian-Jewish relations 'difficult', final canonical approval for Neocatechumenal Way, Vatican celebrates Darwin...

...parishes must prepare to share priests, Cardinal Egan's moves, Hitler's mad plot to sack the Vatican, Church of England faces exodus over female ordination, crucified frog controversy, cardinal says gay parades are unlawful, 36 new priests for Opus Dei, RC numbers of seminarians on upward rise, new Methodist leader in Ireland...

...obedience is important, vocation of women, new papal encyclical due in autumn, legacy of St Gregory the Great, 2 female Aussie Anglican bishops, confronting Bishop Robinson, St Stanislaus excommunications, Irish bishop admits priest shortage now causing difficulties...

...RC bishop bashing is wrong, female ordinations not recognised and excommunications are executed, Church of England closer to appointing female bishops, Vatican to join Interpol, Aussie bishop backs Papal CSA apology, Irish RC bishops comment on Lisbon Treaty...

...NY Archdiocese in turmoil (Egan again!!), Il Papa 3rd encyclical - Love In Truth, Papal trip Down Under details published, Gregorian CD of chant rackets up the charts, clergy call on Il Papa to lift celibacy requirement...and with the final word from Sotto Voce, the month of Mary comes to an end and we enter into June the month of the Sacred Heart.

Sotto Voce...San Róimh

My dear friends in Christ, I am aware that we have now come to the end of the the month of May and as we prepare to head into the month of the Sacred Heart that is June, we pray and remember those in Burma and China who have lost their lives.

We also reflect on how fragile life truly is and be grateful for what we have in life and never forget that we as the people of Christ are called to look after each other every second we breathe on this earth.

On a lighter note, I must express my thanks to you all who have now pushed the hit on this site beyond the 300,000 mark and remember that this is the number of individual and new hits...it does not take into account those of you who are regular visitors...if it did so, I have been advised by the site counters, we would be into the 2 million mark!!!

Thanks to each and all of you who continue to contribute, comment, query and indeed challenge me which is all welcome as it certainly keeps me on my toes and indeed my knees as well!!

A special word of thanks to those of you who have responded so graciously to my begging posts here and I do so on behalf of others who petition me to seek help through this site...my thanks and blessings upon all of you who have helped in every possible way.

At the end of this page, there is a map of the world which has little red dots thereupon indicating the places in the world from where this site is accessed and as this site was getting so popular, the red dots were threatening to become one big red blob. Bearing this in mind, we decided to save that map which is there since this site began in December 2006 and start another afresh and already this is beginning to fill up as well.

Just a few words on what will be happening on CW for the month of June...

* continuation of the daily posting of the Vocations Prayer;

* a video of Gregorian chant/music/song shall be posted and this shall alternate from the spiritual to the nouveau and otherwise;

* I shall be in Rome on a somewhat 'ad limina' visit and will post from there for the 1st week of June which will include pictures and comments;

* more personal reflections shall also begin, and so too shall personal commentary and otherwise.

At this juncture, I will post the 1st Gregorian Chant which is entitled 'The Sound of Silence' - yes the Simon and Garfunkle song - which is beautifully chanted, and as you listen to it, I ask that you keep me in your prayers and thoughts as I prepare to visit the lions den that is Roma.

To you all, my blessings, and if you wish for any prayers and/or petitions to be brought to the altar of Peter, please feel free to email me through here and your request shall be honoured.

Sotto Voce

Church investigating if cancer cure was a miracle

The Catholic Church is investigating whether the curing of a Australian woman from inoperable lung cancer may be a miracle by Mary McKillop.

The vice postulator of Sister Mary McKillop's case for sainthood, Sister Maria Casey, says in 1993 the woman was told she had weeks to live.

However the woman prayed to Mary MacKillop and 10 months later there was no sign of the cancer.

Sister Casey says this may be the miracle needed for Sister McKillop to become a saint.

"We cannot yet say if this is a miracle, it's a cure that's under investigation," she said.

"But the fact that this is under investigation is very exciting and this means that it's a step forward in the process towards canonisation."

Mary MacKillop was beatified in 1995 for the cure of a woman from leukemia.

Sister Casey says a second miracle must be verified before she can become a saint.

"Now over the years, we have searched and looked at many cures," she said.

"But not all of them have met the criteria required by Rome.

"This case however seems to meet the criteria and the Vatican is now looking into it in greater detail."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Fourth Canadian diocese votes in favour of same-sex blessings

A fourth Canadian diocese has voted to permit same-sex blessings.

On May 26 delegates to the Diocese of Huron’s annual synod adopted a resolution asking their Bishop, the Rt Rev Bruce Howe, to authorize the rites.

Bishop Howe gave his assent to the resolution, but would not authorize the rites until he had had an opportunity to speak with the other members of the Canadian House of Bishops.

Approximately 60 delegates at the London Ontario Convention Center spoke to the issue during two hours of debate, and the resolution passed by strong majorities. Amongst the clergy the vote was 97-36 in favour, and 227-87 in favour amongst the lay delegates.

Following the vote, Bishop Howe said he hoped the decision would not divide the church. “We want to maintain unity in diversity,” he said, adding that “we're in a global community, whether people want it or not.”

Bishop Howe indicated that he would make a final decision on whether or not to authorize same-sex blessings after this summer’s Lambeth Conference.

His stance mirrors that of the Bishops of Montreal, Niagara and Ottawa whose synods have asked their bishops to authorize gay blessings also.

Only the Diocese of New Westminster under Bishop Michael Ingham formally permits gay blessings.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Spokesman: Pope's Relationship With Press Growing

Three years after his election to the See of Peter, Benedict XVI's relationship with the press has markedly developed, and the Pope's U.S. trip reflects the newness, said the Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, this change is due in large part to the Holy Father's positive vision of the press and the service it offers.

The spokesman affirmed this today at 2008 Catholic Media Convention taking place in Toronto, Canada, through Friday, on the theme "Proclaim It From the Rooftops."

The conference has gathered some 500 members of the Catholic Press Association and the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals -- professionals in the fields of Catholic print and audiovisual communications, as well as Catholic communications and public relations directors -- for the purpose of spiritual, economic and professional development.

Father Lombardi, who also directs Vatican Radio and Vatican Television, revealed elements of this attitude. He noted that, like Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI meets with the press directors after each of his trips to evaluate the impact his message has had.

"This approach impresses me deeply," the priest confessed. It speaks about the Pope's "awareness that the media are fundamental and necessary for spreading any message."

Reviewing the Holy Father's trip to the United States, Father Lombardi attributed the success above all to the Pope's "cordial and positive approach toward the American people."

"He understood how to express the values on which the history of the American people has been based since the beginning: love and respect for freedom and religious experience, and the desire to build a society that welcomes and respects others and their beliefs," he said.

Strong message

Benedict XVI prefers to always use the language of proposing, and not of condemning, the spokesman added. "It is no accident that the Pope's first encyclical was on love, the second on hope. No accident either that his first book was about Jesus, who shows us the face of God."

When he speaks to young people too, Father Lombardi affirmed, "Benedict XVI insists that ours is not a religion of prohibitions, of 'no's.' Rather, it is based on the great 'yes' of love."

The Pope does this work, the Jesuit continued, with trust in reason and patience in communicating strong messages. For example, he said, Benedict XVI did not give his speech to the United Nations "for show."

"He didn't use language meant to fire the imagination or cause a sensation. He wanted to plumb the depths, to affirm basic principles," he said. "This is the answer the Pope gives every day to relativism and subjectivism."

And, Father Lombardi continued, the Pontiff does not avoid difficult problems "but has the courage to tell the truth," as he did when he spoke of the sexual abuse and as he showed when he had a special meeting with the victims.

"The Pope understood that to heal the wounds of the past, there was need for the kind of sincerity that is absolutely devoid of uncertainty. We are all grateful to Pope Benedict for this," the spokesman said.

Authenticity

Finally, Father Lombardi attributed the development of the Holy Father's relation with the press to the fact that the Pope "is himself," without trying to hide behind an image.

"With time, the media is getting to know him better," he said. "Not only is his teaching deep and coherent, seen up-close, he is a kind, humble and gentle person. Sometimes this has proven a most effective force."

When he visited the mosque in Istanbul, Father Lombadi mentioned as an example, during an extremely delicate trip in search of dialogue with the Muslim world after the discussions and misunderstandings surrounding his Regensburg speech, he showed that "an image is worth dozens of theoretical statements about respect for Islam."

"Benedict is no longer just a great teacher," the Jesuit concluded. "More and more he is becoming an engagingly human pastor."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Priest calls on pope to lift celibacy requirement


The Rev. Donald Cozzens is a Catholic priest who teaches at John Carroll University<, a Jesuit school outside Cleveland.

For years he has tracked the decline in the number of Catholic priests. He says that for every 100 U.S. priests who die, retire or otherwise leave ministry, fewer than 35 new ones are ordained.

The solution, he argues, is to end the church's celibacy requirement. (He wrote a 2006 book on the subejct, called "Freeing Celibacy.")

The 69-year-old priest was interviewed by Nicole Neroulias of Religion News Service.

During his recent trip to America, Pope Benedict XVI attended a youth rally at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. -- the same school where enrollment has dwindled to the point that no new prospective priests are enrolled next fall.

As the U.S. church ordains its crop of some 400 new priests in the coming weeks, church leaders hope Benedict's words of encouragement will inspire more men to consider the priesthood.

The Rev. Donald Cozzens of John Carroll University, however, believes it will take a major change in Vatican policy on celibacy to revitalize the priesthood.

Cozzens, 69, has tracked the decline in vocations for more than a decade, including as rector of Cleveland's St. Mary Seminary from 1995 to 2000.

In his 2006 book, "Freeing Celibacy," and in lectures all over the country, he argues celibacy should be optional for Catholic priests.

(Some answers have been edited for length or clarity.)

Q: What do you see as the reason for the decline in American men wanting to become priests?

A: The clergy sexual abuse scandals have taken their toll, but my hunch is that the typical size of the Catholic family is a major factor. Catholics on average are having about two children. And so, the replacement rate in the United States today -- for every 100 priests who either retire or die or leave ministry -- we're ordaining, I believe, less than 35.

Q: But you also argue that mandating celibacy for priests is a significant part of this problem?

A: I think celibacy is a great gift, and it's wonderful for people who have the grace and the gift and the calling, but it can be a very difficult situation for men who feel called to the priesthood but not to celibacy. Over the past half dozen years, I've asked probably two dozen men if they've ever thought of being priests, and every one of them has said yes, they have thought of it, but then they add, "I really feel also called to the sacrament of marriage, I'd like to be a husband and a father."

Q: When did you start thinking mandatory celibacy should be reconsidered?

A: The first time I thought about the priesthood, from my grade school days, I felt called to be a priest, and the issue of mandatory celibacy was a disquieting condition of the priesthood. But I didn't seriously look at the history of celibacy and its theology until after I was ordained. We've always (historically) had a married priesthood in the Catholic church. It really wasn't until the 12th century that celibacy was made mandatory for diocesan priests, and some historians argue that it really wasn't taken seriously until the 16th century.

Q: Given that there are some married clergy now in the Eastern rite churches or who have converted to Catholicism, what's stopping the Vatican from deciding to allow married priests in general?

A: That's a good question! Celibacy is a church policy, it is not a church dogma. Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI, they have the freedom to change that policy at any time they feel it would be prudent to do so. There are a number of bishops' conferences who have called upon the Vatican to reflect and discuss the issue of celibacy and whether or not is it wise to legislate celibacy for every person who feels called to the priesthood.

Q: Will this policy change within your lifetime?

A: We need to provide the Eucharist to Catholic people, and if the trend continues -- and I think it would be naive to think it's going to turn around soon -- I think the demographic situation might bring about a change in this policy. But, we'd have to hit a critical pastoral need and we'd need leadership from the U.S. bishops and we'd also need the laity and the clergy to say, "Let's examine this policy. Is it really necessary and good for the church?"

Q: What about other strategies for boosting seminary enrollment? For example, do you think the pope's visit might inspire more men to consider the priesthood?

A: I wouldn't be surprised if there was an increase in the number of men applying to our seminaries, but I don't believe it will be significant enough to meet the challenges that the U.S. Catholic church will be facing, in terms of the number of ordained priests available for ministry.

Q: Is the priest shortage predominantly an American problem?

A: It's a Western problem. We see similar situations, if not worse, in countries of western Europe, and to some extent in eastern Europe. Where we see a different phenomenon would be in developing countries, especially in some of the countries of Africa. Perhaps 30 percent of the priests being ordained in the United States are from foreign countries.

Q: If the Vatican decides priests don't have to be celibate anymore, would you get married?

A: Not at my age! I think it's possible to grow into the gift of celibacy. I would have to discern whether or not I was being called to marriage just as I had to discern whether I was being called to the priesthood.

I have no idea how many priests would get married.

The average age of a priest today is over 60 and marriage is quite a commitment and quite an adjustment.

But I do think we'd have more seminarians, if celibacy were optional.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

CD by monks takes UK chart by storm

A new album of Gregorian chant has taken the music world by storm after it reached the top 10 in the UK pop charts and went to number one in the classical music list.

The album, by the Cistercian monks of Holy Cross Abbey in the Viennese woods in Austria, is entitled Chant Music for Paradise. It was sung by 17 of the abbey’s monks.

The monks’ path to fame started when a friend of the monastery in London spotted an advert in the Catholic papers in Britain by Universal Records looking for singers of plain chant.

Over 100 entries were submitted from all over the world but it was the last-minute entry by the monks of Holy Cross that caught the record moguls’ imagination.

“The whole experience of recording the CD has become a grace of God for us,” said Fr Karl, the abbey’s spokesperson and press officer, who handled the publicity for Pope Benedict’s visit to the monastery in September 2007.

He added: “We did not seek this opportunity; it was really given to us by God. It it is a good sort of thing for us: we actually don’t have to do anything other than what we always do: pray. We don’t travel around the world, and we don’t distract ourselves from our vocation.

“And yet the world is fascinated by precisely this activity, which to us is our ‘job’ .”

Asked how the monks feel when they sing Gregorian chant, Fr Karl said: “Gregorian chant is our prayer.” He added that the music not only calms, it also gives strength.

It is as though “one crosses a spiritual border” and leaves the superficial world behind. Gregorian chant, he said, opens the heart for God and the spiritual world. It also has an emotional dimension; it is joy and fear, praise and mourning, jubilation and thanksgiving.

The music varies, explained the monk, from day to day throughout the year. After one has been in the monastery
for a few years or decades, one looks forward to the days when certain antiphons or Alleluias are sung, he said.

Fr Karl described the days of recording as “unusual”, adding that they were a deeply religious experience.

Fr Karl continued: “The recordings were done in the church where our relic of the True Cross is kept. In the midst of the microphones and other paraphernalia, we always kept the reliquary in sight, and we faced the tabernacle, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept.

“We always sang facing the altar – towards God. Thus the recordings were not just musical productions but rather continuous prayer.”

Holy Cross Abbey, in Stift Heiligenkreuz, was founded in 1133 by St Leopold III, Margrave of Austria, following the advice of his son Otto. It is 875 years old this year.

Although pillaged by invading Turks in the 17th Century, and persecuted by the Nazis from 1938 to 1945, it has never been destroyed or dissolved. It is the only Cistercian Abbey in the world to exist so long without interruption.

The monks said they will use any profits to fund the upkeep of their monastery and to contribute towards the studies of students from Vietnam and other places in their Pontifical Academy.

There are 77 monks at Holy Cross, about half of whom live in the monastery. The other half live in a sister monastery in Germany or run some 20 parishes.

This is not the first time that Gregorian chant has hit the charts in Britain. In the mid-1990s, the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain achieved a similar feat.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Spanish evangelicals support de-Christianization of public square

The Spanish Evangelical Alliance issued a statement this week supporting a proposal by the United Left Party in Congress to eliminate religious symbols from all official ceremonies of public institution and entities.

The proposal was defeated in a joint effort by the ruling Socialist Party and the more conservative Popular Party. Socialist Party spokesmen said that although they did not oppose the measure on principle, they felt the process should be “gradual” and “determined by a law.”

In their press release, the Alliance, which represents a small minority of Christians in Spain, insists that “public ceremonies (State ceremonies and others), as a rule, should not have any religious character, much less one that is ‘mono-confessional’.”

By “mono-confessional” the Alliance is referring to Catholicism, the faith practiced by the majority in Spain and that is recognized in the country’s Constitution for its historical importance.

The Protestant group also wants religious symbols to be stripped from prison, hospital, airport and cemetery chapels, or at least that “mono-confessional (Catholic) religious symbols be moveable,” so that the chapels can be available to any religious group.

The Alliance also supports the United Left’s campaign to revoke the accords between Spain and the Holy See, and “if they can’t be annulled, they should at least be substantially modified.”
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Rumors Cardinal Levada to be replaced by Cardinal Schönborn unfounded

In response to a report in the Italian daily “La Repubblica” that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn could become the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Vienna, Erich Leitenberger, said on Stephanscom Austrian Radio that the rumor was unfounded.

On May 25, La Repubblica published an article by Marco Politi in which he offered a “general analysis” of the General Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference of Italy.

Commenting on the rumor about Cardinal Schönborn, Politi said a personnel change at the Vatican was possible but that “until the Pope has signed off” on any changes, “everything is subject to question.”

The German daily Der Standard, picking up on the report in La Repubblica, said that if Cardinal Schönborn were to take the post, Cardinal Levada would have to return to the United States.

In response to the speculation, the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Vienna, Erich Leitenberger, said on May 27 that “the rumor has been brought up numerous times” and “has no basis in reality.”
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Governor of New York directs state agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages

The state of New York has announced that it will recognize homosexual marriages legally performed in other states and countries.

A memo from legal counsel David Nocenti to Governor David Paterson says that state agencies, including those governing insurance and health care, must immediately recognize same-sex marriages legally contracted outside of New York, the governor’s spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The memo is based upon a February 1 decision from judges on the New York Appellate Division which said there was no legal impediment to recognizing the unions.

The appellate judges ruled that the state legislature may prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages contracted abroad, but they said until the legislature acts, such marriages are “entitled to recognition” in the state.

In response to this decision, Gov. Patterson issued a directive that asks agencies to recognize same sex marriages just as they would any other marriage.

The directive does not legalize homosexual marriage, but Governor Paterson called the measure “a strong step toward marriage equality right here in our state,” according to the Associated Press.

Homosexual marriage is not legal in New York. The Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, has said it can only be legalized by the legislature.

Massachusetts is currently the only U.S. state that recognizes same-sex marriage. Its residency requirements would bar New Yorkers from marrying there.

California will begin performing same-sex marriages on June 17, barring further action from its state Supreme Court.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Archbishop of Toronto chastises wayward Catholic school board

As the Toronto Catholic District School Board works to avoid being taken over by the provincial government, the Archbishop of Toronto has rebuked the board for losing public trust, poorly representing the Catholic community, and falling “far short” of expected standards.

The board has been strongly criticized from many sides for excessive spending on meals, alcoholic drinks, and vacations, the Toronto Sun says.

Controversy over such expenses and an unbalanced budget has prompted the provincial government to consider taking control of the board.

On Tuesday night, as the trustees opened the first of two special meetings working to avoid a takeover, Archbishop of Toronto Thomas Collins sent a two-page letter to the trustees regarding the situation.

Archbishop Collins, who is the honorary chairman of the board, said "This board's actions over the past few years reflects poorly on Catholic education, and on our whole Catholic community." Such actions, he said, “fall far short of the standard expected of any board exercising a public trust.”

The archbishop endorsed the Hartmann report, which blasted board trustees for voting to give themselves large medical benefits, taking large car allowances and double billing the board for expenses.

Archbishop Collins said the report was a “thorough, fair and excellent report outlining with painful but most fruitful clarity the actions of the board and its members," actions that he said “fall far short” of the standards of public trust.

Archbishop Collins said the board can learn both from the history of Catholic education in Toronto, including its past failures.

"This is no time for fruitless recrimination, or divisive bickering,” he said. “Only selfless pursuit of the common good of the children can restore the trust that has been lost."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Cardinal George regrets Chicago priest’s “personal attack” on Sen. Clinton

Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, has responded to a Chicago priest’s comments deriding Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and advocating the candidacy of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, her opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Cardinal George said he regretted the remarks, calling them a partisan “political attack.”

Father Michael Pfleger spoke on Sunday at Obama’s Chicago church, Trinity United Church of Christ, saying Senator Clinton cried in public before the New Hampshire primary because she thought being white entitled her to the nomination, according to a video posted on YouTube.

"And then, out of nowhere, came 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,'" Pfleger said at the church. "And [Clinton] said, 'Oh damn, where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!' "

The priest’s energetic speech started a controversy after a video of it was posted on YouTube. The video has since been removed from the video sharing site.

Cardinal Francis George in a statement published on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s web site said the Catholic Church does not endorse political candidates.

“Consequently, while a priest must speak to political issues that are also moral, he may not endorse candidates nor engage in partisan campaigning,” Cardinal George said.

“Racial issues are both political and moral and are also highly charged,” he continued. “Words can be differently interpreted, but Fr. Pfleger’s remarks about Senator Clinton are both partisan and amount to a personal attack. I regret that deeply.”

The cardinal said that Father Pfleger has promised him that he will not “enter into campaigning” or publicly mention any candidate. The priest also promised to “abide by the discipline common to all Catholic priests.”

On Thursday evening Father Pfleger apologized for his remarks. The priest said in a statement posted on his church’s web site, "I regret the words I chose on Sunday… These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them."

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, commented on the priest’s remarks and his apology.

“Father Pfleger’s tirade would be inexcusable anywhere, but it is even more offensive when it happens in a church,” Donohue said. “It does not matter that it was not his own, nor does it matter that it happened in a church that has a record of allowing demagogues to exploit it. When churches become forums for political rallies, both religion and the First Amendment are corrupted.”

Donohue said Father Pfleger and Obama have had “long-standing ties,” claiming that as a state legislator Obama had secured state monies for social programs at Father Pfleger’s parish, St. Sabina’s Church. Donohue also questioned Obama’s choice to associate with the priest, who Donohue said has had a “troubling history.”

He cited the priest’s “welcoming” of anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan to speak in his parish and his remarks at an anti-gun rally urging the crowd to hunt down a gun store owner “like a rat” and “snuff” him.

Obama rebuked Father Pfleger’s remarks, saying in a statement, “As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us. That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause.”

Prior to the controversy, the Obama campaign’s web site included laudatory remarks from Father Pfleger and identified him as pastor of St. Sabina’s Church. The priest said he was concerned by poverty, justice, education, and heath care and he advocated the end of the war in Iraq. He said:

“The faith community has to be a prophetic voice to bring us to where we ought to be as a country. Its voice should call every individual to be their best and not assimilate into anything less. Obama is calling back those who have given up and lost hope in the political system both young and old in the belief that we can fix it. He has the intellect for the job and I haven’t heard anyone since Robert F. Kennedy who is causing such an emotional and spiritual awakening to the political possibilities.”

The Obama campaign has removed Father Pfleger’s remarks from its website.
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Sotto Voce

Some clergy question role in marriage as agent of the state

The debate over gay marriage has led to a re-examination of the role of clergy in performing weddings as a legal arm of the state.

Some clergy are asking why in the matter of marriage only they have to sign a legal document.

Some see the question in terms of the gay marriage debate and say they won't sign marriage certificates until gay couples can legally marry.

Religion's role is to bless a marriage, the state's role is to ensure observance of legal rights, they say.

Clergy should bow out of their role as agents of the state entirely, said a religious leader who has stopped signing marriage certificates.

"The term 'sanctity of marriage' implies marriage is an inherently religious ceremony and it's not," said Jay Johnson, senior director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. "The president of the United States has no business talking about marriage as a religious act."

The significance of the marriage certificate compels attention in light of this month's California Supreme Court decision striking down the state's prohibition of same-sex marriage. The ruling takes effect June 16. Opponents have gathered more than 1.1 million signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage for the California ballot in November.

Some spiritual leaders may have stopped signing marriage certificates as an act of protest, but that's a temporary thing," Johnson said. "Others just won't do it anymore regardless. There are just lots and lots of clergy who are uncomfortable with being agents of the state, because these are very different sorts of things."

Like Johnson, several clergymen and women in Minnesota's Twin Cities have opted not to sign marriage certificates , according to the Bilerico Project, a gay rights organization and blog. "We're in the blessings business, not the wedding business," says the Rev. Anita C. Hill of St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church in the Bilerico blog.

"I think the need to untangle civil marriage and the rights associated with it from religious blessing is an important step to moving towards full marriage equality in our country," said South Florida editor Waymon Hudson, president of Fight OUT Loud, a national organization that advocates protection against hate crime and discrimination.

Hudson and his partner plan to travel to San Francisco this summer to marry.

"Our country's idea of marriage is completely too intertwined with religion, which is why we have fallen behind other countries in the world when it comes to marriage equality," he said. "Spain, one of the most Catholic countries in the world, allows same sex marriage because they are able to separate the religious aspect from the civil contract, something our society is unwilling or unable to do."

Much of the world disagrees with what Hudson calls marriage equality, said a spokesman for the California Family Council.

"For many religious individuals who hold marriage to be between a man and a woman, that is a religious belief and character," said legislative coordinator Everett Rice.

"As a historic or traditional understanding it has always been understood in law that marriage is specifically between a man and a woman. Some folks may have issues with religion, but the discussion is not just relegated to religious perspective, and that's not just in the U.S. and Canada, it's around the globe."

"Marriage between a man and a woman is a Biblical institution," said Robert Tyler, general counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, the legal arm behind Proposition 22. "Someone who says it is a wholly legal institution must be someone who doesn't read the Bible. Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles."

Johnson countered that the idea that marriage unites a couple who love each other and wish to make a life together is about 300 years old. The church has been solemnizing marriages since the 12th century, and the nation's Puritan forbears did not practice a religious marriage ceremony, he said.

"There's a real complex history that gets flattened out in the context of the public policy debate," he said.

Some religious leaders say since they are not lawyers, judges, civil servants or elected officials, they should not be asked to perform a civic role.

In some instances, religion routinely intrudes in civic life — newly elected officials taking the oath of office on a Bible, for instance.

But in no other task a cleric performs is there a legal aspect, said the Rev. Scott Landis of Mission Hills United Church of Christ. "Even though there are legal aspects to burial, for instance, I don't sign anything that says I oversaw the dispensation of the body," he said. "I don't sign a death certificate.

"I still believe marriage is a function of the state that the church blesses," Landis said. "I don't know why we have to sign (marriage certificates) at all other than I officiated over their ceremony. But I don't care to be involved in a legal function."

Regardless the faith, each tradition has a different take on the meaning of marriage, Johnson said. "Those religious meanings don't necessarily match up with the state's civil contract of marriage," he said.

"The whole purpose of getting a civil contract is to make it clear what the conditions are for breaking the contract. In most religious traditions there are no conditions in which the covenant can be dissolved."
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Vatican publishes programme for Pope's trip to Australia

Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to meet Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during the pontiff's July 12-21 apostolic visit to Australia, according to the Vatican's programme for the trip published Friday.

Besides meetings with officials and leaders of different Christian denominations and other religions, Benedict is scheduled to attend the highlight of the visit - the 23rd edition of the Roman Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Sydney which runs from July 15-20.

But before beginning his busy schedule, the 81-year-old German pope is scheduled to take a four days off to rest, following his arrival at an air force base in Darwin, on a long-haul flight from Rome.

The official programme begins on July 17 when Benedict is scheduled to participate in a welcome ceremony at Sydney's Government House, after which he will pay a courtesy visit toAustralia's Governor General, Michael Jeffery, and meet with Rudd.

After attending a performance in his honour of traditional Aboriginal dances and songs, Benedict is scheduled to board the ship Sydney 2000 and be taken to the city's East Darling Harbour where he will be welcomed by young people.

On Friday July 18 the pontiff is expected to participate at an ecumenical meeting in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney before going on to meet with representatives of other religions in the cathedral chapter.

On Saturday July 19, Benedict XVI is scheduled to celebrate Mass in St Mary's Cathedral with Australian bishops, seminarians and novices, and consecrate the building's new altar.

On Sunday July 20 the pontiff will preside at Mass for the 23rd World Youth Day and pray the Angelus at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse before the expected tens of thousands attending the event.

During the last day of his visit on Monday July 21, Benedict will bid farewell to World Youth Day volunteers and pronounce an address before flying from Sydney to Darwin, from where his flight is scheduled to proceed to Rome.
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Sotto Voce

U.S. Army Europe soldiers, families join in military pilgrimage to Lourdes

More than 200 U.S. Army Europe soldiers and family members joined thousands of pilgrims from all points of the globe during the 50th International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes, May 22-25.

The U.S. delegation included members of Catholic and other congregations from Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Italy, the USAREUR Band and an honor guard from USAREUR's 529th Military Police Company. The delegation also welcomed U.S. Air Force members from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, England.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Military Archdiocese and Brig. Gen. Rusty Frutiger, USAREUR chief of staff, led the U.S. military contingent. This year marked the fourth time Frutiger participated in the pilgrimage.

Located in the Pyrenees foothills near the French border with Spain, Lourdes is renowned as a place of healing for the sick. More than 5 million pilgrims and other visitors flock to the city annually, according to the town's website.

The area came to the attention of the world when Bernadette Soubirous, a sickly, 14-year-old peasant girl, saw the first of 18 visions she reported of the Virgin Mary in the Grotto of Massabielle on the outskirts of Lourdes in 1885.

During one of those encounters Bernadette was directed to a hidden underground stream. Shortly afterward, accounts of miraculous healing of the sick and infirm who bathed in the stream's waters were reported.

Soubirous entered a convent in 1866 and was canonized in December 1933.

The International Military Pilgrimage, also known as the Pelerinage Militaire International, traces its roots to World War II, when French soldiers traveled to Lourdes to give thanks and to pray for peace.

In December 1944, French, Soviet, Belgian, British and U.S. Soldiers gathered for a mass in the site's Rosary Basilica.

A German Army chaplain, a former prisoner of war, was invited to attend a military pilgrimage in 1947. Since then, the number of soldiers and participating nations has continued to increase.

The first official military pilgrimage took place in 1958 on the 100th anniversary of St. Bernadette's vision.

This year's three-day pilgrimage included morning and evening services; several official ceremonies in the Basilica of St. Pius X, the Salle Notre Dame and the Rosary Esplanade; and several official and unofficial military parades.

Members of the U.S. delegation walked and prayed at the outdoor Stations of the Cross. Some bathed in the grotto and others engaged in private prayer or confession.

"Lourdes provides the opportunity for the militaries from 160 countries to come together to better understand each other and to share their own cultural experiences as well as each others ways of life," Frutiger said. "It is absolutely critical for us to understand our allies and their ways of thinking. While they have the opportunity to grow spiritually, it also provides an opportunity to grow culturally with each other."

As head of the U.S. military delegation, Frutiger and his wife, Jan, participated alongside the other U.S. pilgrims, he said. They also attended receptions hosted by the president of Ireland and the British army chief of staff.

"Spending time with my wife and the soldiers and their families in a setting away from our day-to-day routine was a personal highlight," he added.

The Heidelberg-based USAREUR Band packed several performances into two days in its first trip to Lourdes, said trombonist Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Welch. The group's first event was a 30-minute downtown concert, followed by a late-night performance with the French army band.

The next day included several performances by the band's ensembles capped by its Dixieland combo strolling through the city, he said, adding that the U.S. musicians were well received by fellow Soldiers and pilgrims.

"It was a unique opportunity to interact with other Soldier-musicians from around the world while representing the U.S. Army," Welch said. "We had many of our soldiers posing for photos with the pilgrims or just having a conversation at a restaurant over dinner."

Many of the pilgrimage events centered on the "Village des Artisans de Paix" in the Lourdes city center and outdoor market, a tent village that served as the site for speeches, displays highlighting military humanitarian missions, and band concerts.

Sgt. Daniel Romero called his second visit to Lourdes a medical and spiritual journey. The Joint Multinational Training Command protocol Non-Commissioned Officer was accompanied by his wife, Ilihana, and his parents, who traveled to Germany from San Antonio, Texas.

"Visiting the baths was the main thing we came here to do," he said. "I have two herniated disks."

"It was great to see all the different countries here with the same concept: praying for peace," Romero said.

Several soldier-to-soldier gatherings accompanied the religious events.

Sgt. Jake Brice, a U.S. Army Garrison Benelux chaplain assistant, said he enjoyed getting to know other military members during evening patch - and insignia-swapping sessions.

"This was a great experience on a secular note. This was a great experience on a religious note," he said. "It is a blessing to see nations come together not for war, not for training, not for battle, but to enjoy a special event that the Lord has given us."

Brice was among 60 soldiers and family members from his community who traveled 14 hours by bus to take part in the pilgrimage. A recently confirmed Catholic, Brice said this was his second journey to the town's sacred shrines and sites.

Brice called cadence for the Army-Air Force contingent in Friday's opening procession, a 35-minute military parade through the city to a mass military formation at the Basilica of St. Pius X.

The sergeant compared the procession of bands, color guards and military pilgrims from 36 countries representing NATO, Africa, Korea, and Eastern Europe to a World War II liberation parade.

"The people were just cheering and cheering as we were marching down these small streets," he said. "It was amazing. I was very surprised at the positive response."

"Lourdes is a wonderful setting for anyone to get in touch with their spirituality and just take some time away from our normal busy lives to slow down and ponder the wonders a place such as Lourdes has to offer," Frutiger said.
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Sotto Voce

Cardinal tells media Catholics must reaffirm their role in Quebec

Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who last year sparked controversy with his remarks about religion in Quebec society, said Catholics "need some more militance" to reaffirm "the values of our Catholic tradition in Quebec."

He cited Catholic contributions in health care, education and social services and said, "All of this was and is very positive."

The cardinal told Catholic media professionals at the 2008 Catholic Media Convention in Toronto May 30 that after 40 years of secularization in Quebec "the moment has come" for a new way of looking at the church's historical role in society.

"There is a fear that the influence of the church will return," he said during a question-and-answer session after he addressed the audience about the church's call to evangelize and the media's role in that call.

Answering a question about his October testimony to a provincial government-appointed commission looking at accommodating immigrants and their religious practices, the cardinal said he asked to address the commission.

"I think it was an opportunity to reaffirm the Christian roots" of Quebec, he said.

In his written testimony to the commission, the cardinal said: "The real problem is not that of the integration of immigrants ... becoming more difficult because of their religious demands for accommodation. ... The real problem in Quebec is the spiritual void created by a religious and cultural rupture, a significant loss of memory, bringing in its wake a family crisis and an education crisis, leaving citizens disoriented, demotivated, destabilized and prone to grasping at passing and superficial values."

His written and oral testimony and a subsequent open letter of apology for the historical wrongs of the church in Quebec created a media storm, but Cardinal Ouellet said he saw them as a sign that the church was "open to go forward," to turn the page and move on.

"I learned that I still have very much to learn," he said with a smile.

In his prepared remarks, the cardinal said the church's new evangelization begins with little steps, and he said Catholics should not succumb to "the temptation of immediately finding the great success." Later, responding to a question, he cited the small signs of evangelization he sees in Quebec:

* A renewal of lay movements, especially for young people.

* A strong catechetical movement to help replace religious education classes removed from public schools.

* The "social testimony" of Development and Peace, the Canadian bishops' international relief and development agency, based in Montreal.

* "The help of immigrants" who are leading Quebec Catholics to rediscover the joys of pilgrimage to Quebec's many shrines.

* The strong youth movement resulting from the 2002 World Youth Day being held in Canada.

A core of young people is helping to organize the International Eucharistic Congress that begins in Quebec City June 15, he said.

The cardinal spoke briefly about the congress, outlining part of the eight-day program and calling it "a countersign to a culture that lives on fast food and quick fixes."
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Sotto Voce

Government should support Catholic schools: Pope

In a May 29 talk to the Italian bishops' conference, Pope Benedict XVI argued that a democratic state should support Catholic schools.

Since the government invests resources in many different projects, the Holy Father reasoned, "there does not appear to be any justification for excluding adequate support for the work of Church institutions in the field of education."

Public investment in Catholic schools, he said, "could not fail to produce beneficial effects" for secular society.

The Italian bishops are holding their 58th general assembly in Rome this week, with the meetings taking place in the Vatican Synod hall.

The Pope spoke to the bishops about the main topics for this meeting: education and evangelization.

Italy today faces an "educational crisis," the Pope warned, raising a theme that he has mentioned frequently during his pontificate.

The Pontiff has repeatedly spoken about the need to provide young people with adequate moral and cultural formation. From the Catholic perspective, he said, the educational crisis involves "the transmission of the faith to new generations."

Educators and pastors must battle with a culture of relativism, which "puts God within parentheses and discourages all true commitment," the Pope told the Italian hierarchy.

To overcome that sort of opposition, he said, the Church needs to muster greater "evangelical energy" and to demonstrate the joy of faith.

The Pope said that he could see signs of a desire for change in Italian society-- signs of a new willingness to recognize the need for moral integrity and commitment.

The Church has a special role to play in that societal recovery, he said, adding: "No other human and social problem can truly be solved if God does not return to the center of our lives."

While recognizing the autonomy of the secular political world, the Pope told the prelates that "it is important to resist all tendencies to consider religion, and in particular Christianity, as a purely private matter."

He urged the bishops to continue their efforts to support marriage and family life, and to act as advocates the poor in Italy and around the world.

In other news, the Holy See has confirmed that on June 6, Pope Benedict will receive Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a private audience.

The Pope and Berlusconi last met on November, 19, 2005 during a previous Berlusconi term as prime minister.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Text of Vatican congregation's decree on attempts to ordain women


Here is the English text of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's general decree on the attempted ordination of a woman, signed by Cardinal William J. Levada, congregation prefect, and Archbishop Angelo Amata, secretary. It was released by the Vatican May 30.

In order to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of order, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in virtue of the special faculty given by the supreme authority of the church (cf. Canon 30, Code of Canon Law), in the ordinary session of Dec. 19, 2007, has decreed:

Without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incur an excommunication "latae sententiae" reserved to the Apostolic See.

If, in fact, the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, or the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, is one of Christ's faithful subject to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, that person, without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1443 of the same code, is to be punished with a major excommunication, the remission of which is also reserved to the Apostolic See (cf. Canon 1423, Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).

This decree, once published in L'Osservatore Romano, comes into force immediately.
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Love in Truth: papal encylical to be released

Pope Benedict XVI will release a new encyclical letter entitled “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth) concerning social issues.

Italian press sources said on May 28 that, while the date of release has not yet been fixed, it has been in the works since before the April 2008 visit of the pontiff to the US.

It will be the third encyclical released by Benedict.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told the press that the letter will focus on “international social problems, with special thought to developing countries.”

The document, which will be distributed to all the Catholic bishops of the world promises to “have a significant impact on the great socio-economic problems of the contemporary world”, promised Cardinal Bertone.

It will be distributed in several languages, including Mandarin, said the cardinal.

The document comes upon the 40th anniversary of the release of another papal encyclical “Populorum Progressio” (Development of Peoples) that was released by Benedict’s predecessor Pope Paul VI that touched upon such economic issues as the right to a just wage, security of employment, and the universal destination of resources and goods.

Pope Benedict is also working on the second part of his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, and continues to write and edit even while ostensibly on vacation outside of Rome.

According to an interview with Italian media, Cardinal Bertone said that Pope Benedict "does not want to repeat obvious truths of Catholic social teaching," but will apply Catholic teachings to contemporary issues, such as “globalization and other problems, like the food crisis and climate change."

The difficulty of translating the text of “Caritas in Veritate” into the various languages, especially Mandarin, has delayed its release. Cardinal Bertone said that is still being written.

In an address on January 2008, Pope Benedict spoke on the themes expected in “Caritas in Veritate”.

The pontiff said that “There is a need for greater hope, one that permits a preference for the common good instead of luxury for a few and misery for the many.”
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Ballots to be mailed to creditors in diocesan bankruptcy case

Ballots will now be mailed to creditors of the Diocese of Davenport to vote on a plan that would allow the diocese to emerge from bankruptcy.

The creditors, mostly victims of clergy sexual abuse committed when they were children, will have until April 23 to return their ballots to the diocese’s bankruptcy attorney, Dick Davidson.

He will tabulate the ballots and report on the results of the vote during an April 30 confirmation hearing on the diocese’s reorganization plan.

The plan outlines how the diocese proposes to distribute a $37 million global settlement it reached with the Committee of Unsecured Creditors and Travelers Insurance Co.

The creditors will review the reorganization plan and the disclosure statement in deciding whether to vote for or against the plan.

The disclosure statement offers information that creditors will use to evaluate the reorganization plan, which protects all Catholic entities in the diocese — parishes and schools, for example — from lawsuits for sexual abuse committed prior to Oct. 10, 2006, the date the diocese filed for bankruptcy.

Approval of the plan requires positive votes from more than one-half of the creditors and must equal at least two-thirds of the total dollar amount to be distributed.

Bankruptcy Judge Lee Jackwig approved the diocese’s amended disclosure statement during an April 2 hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Her approval came with one condition: that the diocese would further amend the disclosure statement for corrections and clarifications within 24 hours of the hearing.

During the hearing, she also questioned why four parishes were paying into the settlement, but the other parishes were not. If all parishes were benefiting, why weren’t they contributing financially?

While the diocese’s 83 parishes are separate legal entities, they are interdependent of the diocese, Davidson said, which makes this bankruptcy case unique.

He explained that the four parishes contributing $2.9 million toward the settlement — St. Anthony and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Bettendorf and St. Mary parish in Iowa City — each had substantial claims of abuse and significant assets to be lost if lawsuits were filed against them.

Other parishes that had substantial claims of abuse, particularly in rural areas of the diocese, do not have assets to contribute to the settlement, he said.

In effect, the diocese bought an insurance policy for every parish and all other Catholic entities in the diocese, Msgr. John Hyland, the diocese’s vicar general, told The Catholic Messenger.

The contributions requested from the four large parishes are far less than what they stand to lose from being sued, Msgr. Hyland said.

Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Anthony parish in Davenport will contribute $1 million each toward the settlement while St. Mary’s will contribute $650,000 and Our Lady of Lourdes will contribute $250,000 toward the settlement.

Travelers Insurance is contributing $19.5 million toward the settlement, while the diocese is contributing $17.5 million, which includes cash and the $3.9 million deed to St. Vincent Center, diocesan headquarters.

St. Vincent Home Corp., the foundation created after the closing of the orphanage, is contributing $3 million.

That still leaves the diocese about $2 million short; it hopes that other parishes may step up to the plate to contribute.
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Bishop regrets Church’s inaction on abuse

SEXUAL ABUSE by priests must be talked about openly and "tackled unsparingly", a German bishop has said at a workshop at the 97th Katholikentag, a five-day lay Catholic festival at Osnabrück attended by 60,000 people.

Bishop Hans-Jochen Jaschke of Hamburg said paedophile priests should not be moved from parish to parish but should be suspended.

"The Church should be particularly ashamed when it is guilty in such situations because of the high moral pedestal on which it stands," Bishop Jaschke said after listening to the story of a victim who had been abused for years by a priest.

The German Church had reacted far too late and the bishops had not issued guidelines on the subject until 2002, said Bishop Jaschke.

He said in the archdiocese of Hamburg the Church was now cooperating closely with the police and the prosecutor's office.

Also at the Katholikentag were the new president of the German bishops' conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, and the chairman of the General Conference of Rabbis, Henry G. Brandt, who called for more intensive dialogue between Christians and Jews.

Several prominent Jewish personalities boycotted the Katholikentag because of the revised Tridentine rite Good Friday prayer issued in February, which called for the Jews to recognise Jesus as the Christ and has disrupted Christian-Jewish dialogue in Germany and Austria since then.
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Turmoil in New York archdiocese

CARDINAL EDWARD EGAN of New York has attempted to crack down on clergy in his archdiocese whom he accuses of making what he called "false and shameful" allegations in press reports that he is to reassign almost 10 per cent of his 470 active priests to different parishes.

His criticisms appeared in a terse one-sentence note sent to his priests that accompanied the agenda of a regular meeting of the priests' council last Thursday.

The note expressed the cardinal's desire "that priests serving in the archdiocese are properly informed about the false and shameful statements that have been made and reported in the media about personnel matters."

Although the cardinal did not explain what the statements were, his note came a day after the New York Times and other media outlets published stories of the reshuffle.

There is a history of friction between the cardinal and his priests.

In this latest row, barely a month after Pope Benedict's successful visit to his archdiocese, clergy were informed of their moves in phone calls made by archdiocesan officials, rather than applying for or being asked to consider transfers.

Priests spoke to the press on condition of anonymity criticising the cardinal's handling of the event. One said it had caused devastation and hurt among his fellow priests.

Of the 40 changes, several were said to involve the transfer of priests to new assignments part-way through fixed six-year terms, and in a number of instances outgoing priests reported learning of their departures in calls from their successors.

Six more transfers are expected.

Spring is traditionally the peak period for reassignments and retirements of clergy in American dioceses.

According to several priests, members of the archdiocese's six-member Priest Personnel Board, which makes recommendations on clerical transfers in the 2.5 million-member archdiocese, were shocked and upset at its lack of involvement in the reshuffle.

The board last week sent Cardinal Egan a letter requesting a meeting.

In response to the New York Times article the archdiocese immediately issued a statement defending the cardinal's actions. In it they said that three-quarters of the 40 appointments had been "based on the recommendations" of the board, and the other quarter had been "made directly by" Cardinal Egan "in response to particular pastoral needs".

"It has always been the prerogative of the archbishops of New York to make priestly assignments apart from the personnel board," the statement added, noting that the policy followed had been adopted by the archdiocese's priests' council in 2006.

In addition, the following day - on Thursday 22 May - the priests' council issued a statement following a routine meeting attended by the cardinal, affirming "our archbishop's authority to assign priests" and declaring its support for the cardinal "as he faces unfair and anonymous attacks in the media".

At the meeting the cardinal spoke at length of his disappointment at the story's appearance in the press.

He said he wanted letters of apology from the members of the personnel board whom he suspected of having talked to the press, but he dropped this demand.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

Vatican permits parishes to mark feast of conversion of St. Paul

As part of the 2008-2009 celebration of the special year devoted to St. Paul, Catholic parishes may mark the traditional Jan. 25 feast of the Conversion of St. Paul even though it falls on a Sunday in 2009.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments issued a decree saying Pope Benedict XVI, "in an extraordinary manner," has given permission for parishes and churches to use the prayers and readings for the feast day instead of those for the third Sunday of ordinary time.

The decree was released May 30 at the Vatican.

Generally, the Mass texts for feasts such as the Conversion of St. Paul are not used when the feast day falls on a Sunday.

"The apostle St. Paul, who proclaimed the truth of Christ to the whole world," and who converted after having persecuted followers of Christ, "always was and still is venerated by the faithful, especially in this particular year," which marks the 2,000th anniversary of his birth, the decree said.

For that reason, "only for the year 2009," Pope Benedict has decided that parishes may use the prayers and readings for the feast day Jan. 25.

Because the feast day Mass does not include a second reading, the second reading from the third Sunday of ordinary time should be used and the Creed, often not recited at Mass during the week, should be recited, the decree said.

The decree was signed by Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the congregation, and by Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don, congregation secretary.
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