Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Aug 10, 2018 / 02:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced this week that he will step down after 17 years in power. The announcement follows years of prot… […]
The head of the Archdiocese of Boston has announced a major investigation into St. John’s Seminary following allegations made by two former seminarians. […]
Memphis, Tenn., Aug 10, 2018 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Tennessee carried out its first execution in nearly a decade on Thursday evening. Governor Bill Haslam allowed the lethal injection to proceed at a maximum-security Nashville prison, despite controversy over the drug cocktail used and past pleas from the state’s three Catholic bishops, who argued that the death penalty was contrary to human dignity and respect for life.
Billy Ray Irick, 59, was pronounced dead at 7:48 p.m. Aug. 9 after an execution that took about 20 minutes. Irick was sentenced to death in 1986 for the rape and murder of 7-year-old Paula Kay Dyer, whom he had been babysitting. Irick confessed to her murder and was found guilty after a six-day trial.
After initially declining to say any last words, Irick then apologized for his crimes, saying, “I just want to say I’m really sorry and that, that’s it.” His lawyer stated his last meal was a burger, onion rings, and a soft drink, and that he was able to meet with prison chaplains before his execution.
In July, Bishop Mark Spalding of Nashville, Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, and Bishop Martin Holley of Memphis wrote a letter to Gov. Haslam asking for him to put an end to the death penalty in the state. The bishops urged him “to use your authority as governor to put an end to the fast-track executions planned for later this year,” saying that “the death penalty contributes to the growing disrespect for human life.”
“It is within your power to establish your legacy as a governor of Tennessee who did not preside over an execution on your watch,” the bishops wrote.
Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church last week to say that the death penalty was now “inadmissible” and an “attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” due in part to various improvements in modern prison systems and their ability to keep the public safe.
Irick’s supporters argued that his execution should be stayed due to his past mental health issues, and concerns over the drugs used in lethal injections. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the execution on these grounds in a decision by Justice Elena Kagan.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented from Kagan’s decision, saying that she was concerned the method of execution could cause Irick to experience severe pain, and that this could constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Going forward with the execution, Sotomayor said, would mean the United States has “stopped being a civilized nation and accepted barbarism.”
Significant concerns had been expressed about the drugs to be used in the execution, particularly midazolam, a sedative. Lawyers have argued that the drug does not effectively render the inmate unconscious, and that they are able to feel the effects of the other two drugs in the cocktail.
The drugs previously administered in lethal injections have become increasingly hard for states to acquire, as companies have either stopped producing the drug or refused to sell them for use in executions.
Tennessee currently has 60 inmates on death row. The last execution carried out in the state was in 2009, when Cecil Johnson Jr. was executed for the murder of three people in 1980. Including Irick, seven people have been executed in Tennessee since the year 2000.
Arlington, Va., Aug 10, 2018 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The bishops of Virginia offered prayers for peace and a renewed sense of human dignity ahead of the one-year anniversary of a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
“Racism is… […]
The Catholic Church in America needs bishops with strong backbones, men who are not worried about their next promotion, or about the next assault from […]
Greensburg, Pa., Aug 10, 2018 / 10:00 am (CNA).- The Diocese of Greensburg has issued an apology and pledged to release the names of priests accused of sexual misconduct over the last 70 years. The names will be released following the publication of th… […]
Mataram, Indonesia, Aug 10, 2018 / 03:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- With hundreds dead and thousands left homeless by a major earthquake in Indonesia last weekend, Catholic Relief Services is working to bring shelter and necessities to survivors.
“Our priority now is to get as much information from the field as possible for us to make decisions on what support we can provide to the affected population,” said Yenni Suryani, who is leading Catholic Relief Services’ emergency response in the country.
On Sunday, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake tore through the north of the country. Estimated death tolls have ranged from 250 with 350, with officials stressing that the numbers may continue to climb.
In addition, more than 1,400 were injured and some 270,000 were displaced, according to government officials.
A Red Cross representative told CNN that aid workers are having trouble reaching those in need of assistance in mountainous areas, due to landslides and debris blocking roads.
A search and relief official told state-run Antara news agency that survivors are dealing with trauma, and some are scared to be indoors following the earthquake.
Caroline Brennan, emergency communications director for Catholic Relief Services, told CNA that the agency’s humanitarian response efforts are already underway.
“CRS and its local Church partners are currently carrying out initial assessments in North Lombok District,” the area most affected by the earthquake, she explained.
So far, assessments into three villages in the region show that nearly 90 percent of houses are either severely damaged or totally destroyed, and more than 90 percent of the population is displaced or sleeping outside in tents, she said.
In addition, electricity and communications systems remain down.
“From the initial assessment in these three villages, the CRS team identified immediate needs that include food items, shelter kits, clean water,” Brennan said.
“The team also reported that people in these three villages are resorting to ready-to-eat and instant foods as they are not yet able to get fresh food from the markets, which are still closed.”
Suryani, who is based in Jakarta, said that as Catholic Relief Services continues conducting its initial assessments, it is reporting its findings to the local government.
The agency will then work with local partners to address the greatest needs, especially for those who have lost their homes and are sleeping out in the open.
“CRS plans to support partners to provide emergency shelter kits,” which include tarps, blankets, and sleeping mats, for the affected population, she told CNA.
But while immediate relief efforts are already underway, full recovery for the people affected by the earthquake will be a slower process, Suryani said.
“Given the scale of the impacts of the disaster, the recovery will take time,” she said, and this will require not only rebuilding physical infrastructure, but “most importantly psychological recovery because people lost their loved ones, assets and livelihood.”
Charleston, S.C., Aug 10, 2018 / 12:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the thick of the Bible Belt, the famously evangelical Protestant region in the southeastern United States, some Catholic Masses are filling to standing-room only.
Meanwhile, many Baptist, … […]
Washington D.C., Aug 9, 2018 / 05:30 pm (CNA).- Immigration activists have made a legal challenge to the government’s criteria for migrants seeking asylum on Tuesday, saying that the grounds outlined were too narrow and should be expanded.
The A… […]
Metuchen, N.J., Aug 9, 2018 / 05:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In light of a scandal involving one of its former bishops, Theodore McCarrick, the Diocese of Metuchen is working to establish an independent avenue for victims to report abuse conducted by Church leaders, including bishops.
“I continue to be saddened and ashamed… by reports of the abhorrent events we have been learning about in regard to Archbishop McCarrick – I know you must be, too. Our efforts to evangelize, and spread the Good News of Christ, have been hobbled by these atrocities,” Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen said in an Aug. 7 letter.
“I am praying for all those who have been hurt and praying that God’s mercy will bring healing and consolation,” he stated. “I am also working to address how we can ensure that similar abuses, especially of seminarians or young priests, would not happen again, particularly by those in positions of authority over them.”
Archbishop McCarrick was Bishop of Metuchen from 1982 to 1986.
The Archdiocese of New York announced in June that it had concluded an investigation into an allegation that McCarrick had sexually abused a minor in the early 1970s, finding the claim to be “credible and substantiated.”
Since that announcement, media reports have detailed additional allegations, charging that McCarrick sexually abused, assaulted, or coerced seminarians and young priests during his time as a bishop. The Metuchen diocese and the Archdiocese of Newark disclosed that they had received three allegations of sexual misconduct with adults by McCarrick, and had reached settlements in two cases.
McCarrick resigned as a cardinal July 28.
Bishop Checchio said that “The case of Archbishop McCarrick demonstrates that the culture of the Church is changing and that no one is exempt from its censure – regardless of a person’s rank or status, or the number of years that have passed since an incident occurred. As I have done in the past, I continue to urge anyone who has been abused to bring the situation to the attention of law enforcement officials. Also, I want to reiterate that the Diocese stands poised and ready to help any who have been abused.”
The bishop said he is heartbroken “for our faithful people, and the clergy and religious of our Diocese, as we face another tragic situation within the Church that we love. Nonetheless, I am grateful that the processes the Church has in place regarding child sexual abuse have been shown to work.”
To address the abuse of seminarians or young priests “I have begun to bring together a senior team of advisors to examine reporting processes,” he said. “Clearly, the safety of an independent reporting structure that allows for anyone to bring an allegation forward without the fear of retribution of any kind is needed.”
“Accountability on all levels helps to ensure that a healthy, wholesome environment prevails to form and train our future priests. I know that I do not have to reiterate to the people of this Diocese that proper priestly formation is central to renewal in the life of the Church.”
He reflected that the Metuchen diocese is “seeing a new springtime with men studying for the priesthood. We are blessed with the most seminarians we have had in 25 years. They are good men, striving to make over their hearts like the Good Shepherd’s own caring heart.”
While at one time the decision to become a priest would have been lauded by society at large, “that is not the case now,” Bishop Checchio said. “Our young men seek to join in this life of service to God and His people at a time when it would be easy to ignore the call and choose another path. Yet, they choose to listen to the quiet call of the Lord … I thank God for them, as I thank God as well for you, who support these dedicated young men in their response to God’s call in these challenging times.”
The bishop asked for prayer “as the Church faces so many challenges in our world today. We know that the Holy Spirit protects the Church by ensuring the truth of the presence of Christ who is its keystone, its heart and its foundation. The Holy Spirit wraps the Church in this protection in spite of our sinfulness.”
“Despite the failings of the past, however, we remain steadfast in hope. This hope anchors our faith in the credibility of this sinful yet holy Assembly of Believers, a living paradox of unity in diversity, as we endeavor to build the Kingdom of God established through the incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever.’”
Bishop Checchio concluded, saying, “In the midst of the trials we currently face, I do not want to miss pointing out that Christ is still at work in His Church!”
“This summer, in addition to my weekend visits to parishes for Mass, I have been taking advantage of the lighter weekday schedule to visit some vacation bible schools, religious communities of sisters, nursing homes, prisons and some parishes for daily Mass. It is an honor to be with you, and it is evident that people everywhere are still yearning to see Christ in us – a willingness to place their hope in the many ministries and initiatives through which the Lord Himself uses our humble humanity to touch us with His grace.”
“We must never forget that, in every age, the antidote to the ills that beset the Church is for men and women everywhere to rise up in sanctity. Let us not lose our vision: to ‘keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith.’ To Him be glory and praise forever.”
© Catholic World Report