Youngstown, Ohio, Sep 5, 2018 / 12:55 pm (CNA).- The Diocese of Youngstown will release a list of priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse and removed from ministry, Bishop George Murry SJ announced during a press conference on Tuesday. The Diocese of Youngstown is located in northeast Ohio.
Murry indicated that the list will be compiled over the next few weeks, before eventually being released to the public.
“During the next two months, we will bring together all of those names in one place and publish them on the diocesan website,” he said. He encouraged anyone who has been abused to share their story with the diocesan victim assistance coordinator.
Murry said that during his tenure in Youngstown, whenever a priest had been removed from public ministry after being accused of sexual abuse, any parish or school where the priest had worked was notified. Anyone who may have been abused by said priest, or knew of someone who had been abused, was asked to come forward and notify the bishop.
In addition to the creation of the public list of offenders, Murry said that the diocese is open to Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains reviewing diocesan files on priests who were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct, and that he will speak to prosecutors in the other counties in the diocese for their assistance as well.
Murry was installed as the bishop of Youngstown in March 2007. Prior to this, he was bishop of St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands. He was ordained a priest in 1979.
Tuesday marked Murry’s first public appearance following a diagnosis of acute myeloid lukemia in April. Since his diagnosis, he has undergone chemotherapy treatments and said he is “100 percent cancer-free.” At the press conference, Murry thanked the diocese for their thoughts and prayers.
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Washington D.C., Mar 19, 2018 / 02:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- St. Joseph is a model of courage for those in political life today, Fr. Carter Griffin told attendees of Monday’s second-annual Gold Mass for Congressional Staff.
Denver, Colo., Jun 11, 2020 / 09:16 am (CNA).- A Catholic marriage ministry will host a virtual retreat this month to help couples experience joy in their marriage, especially during the current coronavirus pandemic.
Damon and Melanie Owens, founders of Joyful Ever After, have organized the 2020 Catholic Marriage Summit, a virtual encounter taking place June 11-13. More than 20,000 people have already registered for the digital event.
The summit will include over 65 presenters, including Chris Stefanick, host of EWTN’s Real Life Catholic; Franciscan University of Steubenville professor Dr. Scott Hahn; and Catholic author Matt Fradd. The presenters will be speaking alongside their spouses.
Damon Owens said the witness of these couples is profoundly moving and beautiful. He said the testimonies will offer a variety of perspectives – from newly married couples to those who have been together for 50 years, and some couples who have been separated and come back together.
“We’ve got over 65 presenter couples who will be sharing a witness about their marriage, and it’s easier said than done. So it’s a really beautiful, transparent invitation that these presenter couples are offering the attendees,” Owens told CNA.
Registration is free for the event, which runs Thursday at 3 p.m. through the end of Saturday. Videos will be laid out on the website by different topics of interest, including prayer, intimacy, communication, children, finances, and suffering loss.
For $49 per couple, the ministry is also offering an all-access pass, which will allow couples to view more content and engage more with speakers. It will also include a number of giveaways such as masterclasses, books, and additional talks.
“All access really allows the individual speakers to share more about what they do. We have live events throughout the weekend that are part of this all-access pass. My wife Melanie and I will be interviewing some of the speakers to dive a little bit deeper [and] answer live questions over zoom and Facebook live,” Owens said.
He said the idea for the summit began in March as the couple analyzed the ups and downs of their own marriage. Even the best of marriages can tend toward times of isolation, where one spouse is trying to live the marriage alone, he said.
“We looked at our own marriage, Melanie and I, what were the times where we really flourished?…There was always at least one other couple, often two or three couples, that we were really in deep friendship with,” he said. “So Joyful Ever After is founded on this idea that we need to begin to do the hard work, but the joyful work of building trusted friendships to journey in our marriages.”
“The Catholic parish summit is our first real engagement to bring couples into the broader and direct community to see their marriages, not in isolation, but as a sacramental community.”
Owens hopes that the summit will raise the bar for marriage and particularly help couples who are struggling during the quarantine.
“We’ve seen in some of the news reports, where couples are spending so much time together now that it’s bringing to the surface marriage issues, parenting issues, school issues,” he said. With family members spending less time at work and school – and more time together at home – many are realizing that they struggle to live together joyfully.
The summit is for couples who want to live their marriage with joy, but also for those preparing for sacramental marriage, or those discerning marriage. Owens said it is important to show all the good, bad, and ugly experiences of marriages to help individuals prepare for the sacrament.
During the initial planning phases of the retreat, he said, engaged couples showed a great interest in a community that shared their marital experiences.
“So that just confirmed for us that gathering this wisdom is a great gift for anyone, whether you’re repairing, discerning, or even thinking about marriage, to get a real glimpse about what it takes to live God’s plan for joyful marriage,” he said.
Anna Lulis from Moneta, Virginia, (left) who works for the pro-life group Students for Life of America, stands beside an abortion rights demonstrator outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2022, after the court’s decision in the Dobbs abortion case was announced. / Katie Yoder/CNA
Washington D.C., Jun 24, 2022 / 17:21 pm (CNA).
Hundreds of people — both pro-life advocates and abortion supporters — descended upon the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., Friday following the court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
Multiple layers of barriers and fencing — along with uniformed police officers — separated protesters from the court itself. Gathered under bright sunshine on a hot, summer day, some abortion supporters and pro-life advocates engaged in conversations with one another in the street in front of the court that was closed to traffic. Media cameras stood ready to capture any dramatic moments.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” 24-year-old Anna Lulis from Moneta, Virginia, told CNA of the lives she believes the decision will save. “I think this is a huge step forward for human rights.”
Working for the pro-life group Students for Life of America, Lulis estimated that more than 200 pro-life students were outside the court when it issued its historic 6-3 decision. But, as the day progressed, abortion activists gradually made up a large majority of the crowd.
The scene outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., after the court released its decision in the Dobbs abortion case on June 24, 2022. Pro-abortion demonstrators gradually made up a decided majority of the crowd as the day wore on. Katie Yoder/CNA
Lulis carried a sign declaring, “Women don’t need Roe!” As she spoke, abortion activists led various chants with megaphones. Among the refrains: “Legal abortion on demand right f*ing now!” and “f* you, SCOTUS,” using the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States.
Colorful signs with colorful language flooded the street. “F*** SCOTUS we’re doing it anyway” one pro-abortion poster read. “You will never control my body,” said another. Some women demonstrators outraged by Friday’s decision shook hangers at the court, referencing the view that overturning Roe will mean a return to illegal abortions in some parts of the country.
Abortion activists, at one point, directed their middle fingers in unison at the court building. Others took a calmer approach.
Pierrerasha Goodwin, an abortion rights supporter, stands outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2022. She intervened on behalf of a pro-life activist when a conversation between that activist and abortion supporter became heated. Katie Yoder/CNA
Pierrerasha Goodwin, 22, intervened on behalf of a pro-life activist when a conversation between that activist and abortion supporter became heated. An abortion supporter herself, Goodwin is originally from Chicago. Her first encounter with abortion came when she helped her 15-year-old sister to obtain an abortion. After that experience, she said, watching the country argue about abortion prompted her to learn more about the issue.
“If you’re going to stand for everyone else’s rights, and making sure that everyone is treated equal, you have to treat people with respect,” Goodwin said. “In doing that, fostering those important conversations, you get to actually listen to somebody and say, ‘OK, I may disagree with you, but at least now I know why people think like that.’”
Joseph Little, a 32-year-old Washington, D.C. native who supports legalized abortion, holds a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2022. Katie Yoder/CNA
Joseph Little, a 32-year-old Washington, D.C. native, was another abortion supporter who spoke with CNA. Disheartened by the Supreme Court ruling, Little’s sign read, “Forced Birth is Enslavement.”
Little spoke about the “need” for women to be able to choose abortion, comparing their inability to get an abortion to Black enslavement.
On the other side of the issue was 22-year-old Edwin Garcia-Arzola from Lumberton, North Carolina, who wore a shirt that said “Young pro-life Democrat.” As a Catholic, he said, he was “proud” of the court’s decision.
“For us, and especially for pro-life Democrats, it is very important for us because now we can take this battle to all of our states,” he said, adding that he is affiliated with the group Democrats for Life.
Kara Zupkus, the 25-year-old spokeswoman for the conservative group, Young America’s Foundation (second from left), standing with other pro-life supporters outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2022, after the court released its decision in the Dobbs abortion case. Katie Yoder/CNA
Another pro-life supporter in the crowd was Kara Zupkus, 25, a spokeswoman for the conservative group Young America’s Foundation. Members of the group were there to celebrate the court’s decision.
“We work with high school and college students to bring pro-life speakers to their campuses and host activism initiatives on campus,” Zupkas said. “To finally see our hard work pay off …. It has been just amazing.”
Speaking from the neighboring Diocese of Cleveland, I have found Bishop Murry to be an outstanding servant of Jesus and of the Church. He is truly pastoral. I am delighted to learn His Excellency is recovering from his illness, and that he is taking positive and sensible action in the current crisis. God bless Bishop Murry and all our good neighbors in the Youngstown Diocese.
“In addition to the creation of the public list of offenders…”
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I’m glad that the safety of parishoners is being taken seriously but I have some mixed feelings about all this. A public list of “offenders” suggests convictions. If a member of the clergy was convicted in a court of law, fine. They’re an offender. But being accused, even “credibly” does not an offender make. At least not legally.
Bravo. Every diocese should be doing the same.
Speaking from the neighboring Diocese of Cleveland, I have found Bishop Murry to be an outstanding servant of Jesus and of the Church. He is truly pastoral. I am delighted to learn His Excellency is recovering from his illness, and that he is taking positive and sensible action in the current crisis. God bless Bishop Murry and all our good neighbors in the Youngstown Diocese.
This scandal will take decades to ‘straighten out’ and centuries to recover from.
God help us.
“In addition to the creation of the public list of offenders…”
*********
I’m glad that the safety of parishoners is being taken seriously but I have some mixed feelings about all this. A public list of “offenders” suggests convictions. If a member of the clergy was convicted in a court of law, fine. They’re an offender. But being accused, even “credibly” does not an offender make. At least not legally.