Analysis: Abuse summit ends with more questions than answers
It seemed that in the summit organizers’ final face-to-face with reporters, writes Hannah Brockhaus, the response to the only direct accusation that Francis covered up abuse was also the most clumsy and ill-prepared of the week.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Pope Francis, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago and television reporter Valentina Alazraki of Televisa are pictured during the third-day of a meeting on the protection of minors in the church at the Vatican Feb. 23, 2019. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Vatican City, Mar 1, 2019 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- There was a moment during the final press conference of this month’s Vatican abuse summit that, for many observers, symbolizes a theme that ran throughout the meeting.
Asked by a journalist about the case of Argentinian Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said he would to decline to comment, as he had done when asked earlier in the week about other abuse cases.
“About the case, I’m not, I’m not, you know, authorized– I mean, yeah,” the Maltese archbishop said.
He was interrupted quickly by the Holy See’s interim press office director, Alessandro Gisotti, who insisted, not for the first time, that media ask questions only about general principles, not specific cases.
Zanchetta, 54, was reported to the Vatican in 2015 and 2017 for having sexually explicit images on his cellphone, and for sexual abuse of seminarians. Pope Francis appointed the bishop to a Vatican position in late 2017, after Zanchetta resigned from his diocese.
The Vatican has twice insisted it knew nothing about abuse reports against Zanchetta until the fall of 2018, though media investigations suggest that Pope Francis knew about the allegations in 2015 and gave Zanchetta a Vatican job anyway.
The Vatican said in January it is investigating Zanchetta, which Gisotti repeated Feb. 24.
Scicluna concluded the discussion that day by saying: “My take would be, because I’m not, I don’t have information about the case you mentioned, but if it’s investigating, somebody’s investigating a case, they’re not covering it up.”
It was, for many journalists, a dissatisfying answer. In sum, it seemed that in the summit organizers’ final face-to-face with reporters, the response to the only direct accusation that Francis covered up abuse was also the most clumsy and ill-prepared of the week.
But confusion about what was being discussed, and what could be asked, was a feature for most of the Vatican summit.
Forum for accountability
In October 2018, just days into the nearly month-long synod on young people, Archbishop Charles Scicluna told Catholics not to expect the synod to provide answers on the abuse crisis, but to wait for the global summit of bishops in February.
He also said that the synod fathers were not just listening to young people inside the synod hall, but to those outside of it, and acknowledged that “there is a greater expectation for more accountability” on the topic of sexual abuse.
Scicluna suggested the expectation of accountability would be met in February, during the special summit on the sexual abuse crisis convened by Pope Francis.
That summit “is going to be the best forum for this question [of accountability],” he said.
That summit took place last week.
Journalists hoped to get answers during the summit, to their own questions and to those asked by victims and others. But, during their regular press conferences, the summit’s organizers seemed to tell journalists often that they were not asking the right questions.
Questions about the role homosexuality plays in abuse, for example, were shot down quickly by Scicluna as an unhelpful and irrelevant categorization, when, he said, focus should instead be on “single cases.”
But Gisotti told media in the run-up to the summit that bishops would not be fielding any questions about individual priests’ and bishops’ cases during the four-day conference.
Journalists were left wondering which was true.
Much of the talk, ultimately, focused on general principles of child protection and the abuse of minors, not on bishops’ accountability — with final suggestions ranging from handbooks and new guidelines to amending the use of the pontifical secret and creating a new department in the Roman Curia.
Questions from victims
Meanwhile, outside of the synod hall, dozens of victims, many of whom had travelled from outside Italy to be there, were insistent that they wanted to see the Vatican take an immediate zero-tolerance approach to abusive clergy and bishops who have covered up, and to release information on abuse cases processed by the CDF.
Though they began the week with the cautious hope of answers, victims’ groups left Rome with more demands than they started with.
When bishops’ accountability did feature in discussion, it came wrapped in the language of “synodality” and “collegiality,” while observers complained that those terms were nebulous, and their intended meaning hard to understand.
What few discernable policy proposals there were seemed, to many, little more than articulations of the principle that bishops should be responsible for holding each other accountable — something widely noted to have been lacking in the case of the former cardinal and archbishop Theodore McCarrick.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, for example, re-debuted his so-called “metropolitan model” for bishop accountability, which he first proposed to US bishops in November. Cupich offered the proposal as a way of providing mutual accountability among bishops and advancing the cause of “synodality.”
Yet, he found himself facing immediate — and clearly unwelcome — questions about how his approach would have worked in the case of Theodore McCarrick, who was himself the metropolitan bishop for much of his ministry and supported by suffragan bishops who were at times themselves not above suspicion.
When pressed for details on how cases involving negligent bishops would be handled, Cardinals Sean O’Malley and Cupich pointed to Come una madre amorevole — Pope Francis’ 2016 motu proprio setting out legal mechanisms for reporting and handling complaints against bishops — as existing policy for bishops’ accountability that is only lacking application.
This, despite the pope himself walking back the proposal in August when he said the “so-called tribunal of inquiry on bishops” outlined in Come una madre amorevole had been abandoned because it “wasn’t practical and it also wasn’t convenient for the different cultures of the bishops that had to be judged.”
The results
The Vatican sex abuse summit promised to give victims, Catholics, and journalists answers to their questions about the crisis of clerical sexual abuse and cover-up in the Church.
Instead, during the summit, organizers told them they could not even ask their questions.
Back in October, Scicluna told those losing trust in the Church’s handling of abuse cases to be patient. At the end of the abuse summit, with more questions emerging than answers supplied, at least some journalists, victims, and Catholic are asking: “why is this all taking so long?”
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Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).
March 13 marks the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 266th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:
2013
March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”
March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.
July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.
Pope Francis gives the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2013. Elise Harris/CNA.
July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.
July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.
Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.
2014
Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.
March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Nov. 29, 2014. Bohumil Petrik/CNA.
Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.
Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”
2015
Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.
March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.
May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.
Pope Francis at a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 17, 2015. Bohumil Petrik.
Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”
Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.
Pope Francis speaks to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2015. . L’Osservatore Romano.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.
Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.
Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.
2016
March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.
April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.
Pope Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Feb. 24, 2016. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.
Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.
2017
May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.
July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.
Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L’Osservatore Romano.
Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.
Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.
2018
Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.
Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.
Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”
Pope Francis at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.
2019
Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.
Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.
Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint declaration on human fraternity during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb. 4, 2019. Vatican Media.
Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.
Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.
Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.
2020
March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.
March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter’s Square during his Urbi et Orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Vatican Media.
2021
March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.
July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.
July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.
July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.
Pope Francis greets His Beatitude Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece on Dec. 5, 2021. Vatican Media
2022
Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.
March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.
May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.
Pope Francis greeted the crowd in a wheelchair at the end of his general audience on Aug. 3, 2022. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.
2023
Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.
Pope Francis greets a young boy a Mass in Juba, South Sudan on Feb. 5, 2023. Vatican Media
March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.
April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.
April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.
Pope Francis stands on an altar erected outside the Parliament Building in Budapest’s Kossuth Lajos’ Square during a public outdoor Mass on April 30, 2023. Vatican Media
June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.
June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.
Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis waves at the crowd of 1.5 million people who attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 6, 2023. Vatican Media.
Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.
Pope Francis meets with local priests and religious of Mongolia, which includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan), 33 women religious, and one bishop — Cardinal Giorgio Marengo — in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.
Pope Francis asks for a moment of silence at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. A Camargue cross, which comes from the Camargue area of France, represents the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The three tridents represent faith, the anchor represents hope, and the heart represents charity. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.
Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29, 2023. Vatican Media
Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.
Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.
2024
Jan. 4 — Amid widespread backlash to Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, publishes a five-page press release that refers to Fiducia Supplicans as “perennial doctrine” and underlines that pastoral blessings of couples in irregular situations should not be “an endorsement of the life led by those who request them.”
Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”
Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.
Pope Francis meets with Argentina President Javier Milei in a private audience on Feb. 12, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Feb. 28 — After canceling audiences the previous Saturday and having an aide read his prepared remarks at his Wednesday audience due to a “mild flu,” Pope Francis visits the hospital for diagnostic tests but returns to the Vatican afterward.
March 2 — Despite having an aide read his speech “because of bronchitis,” the pope presides over the inauguration of the 95th Judicial Year of the Vatican City State and maintains a full schedule.
March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis waves from the window of the Apostolic Palace as he gives his Angelus address for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Dec 8, 2023 / 07:45 am (CNA).
Pope Francis … […]
6 Comments
It came down to two women journalists Diane Montagna LifeSite, Delia Gallagher CNN to raise the actual issue pertinent to this Synod that the attending Bishops declined to address, Clergy including Bishops involved in homosexual abuse of vulnerable priests, seminarians and collaboration to conceal. Responses were indirect and dismissive. A good response to the crisis is given by NYC pastor and canon lawyer Msgr Gerald Murray that National Bishops Conferences institute independent tribunals [presumably with Vatican delegation of authority] to investigate all clergy including Bishops where warranted and present findings to Rome. This has been tried by Cardinal DiNardo and he was flatly refused by the Pontiff as were other like attempts in Am. We’re at an impasse because only the Pontiff has authority to sanction Hierarchy. Investigation limited to priests is insufficient since the enablers are very likely prelates as was the case with McCarrick. There’s the catch 22. The Pontiff was allegedly implicated with McCarrick. And if investigation were limited to priests evidence would lead to Hierarchy. This gives reason for the resolute avoidance by the Pontiff, Archbishop Scicluna, Cardinal Cupich. Hope is a virtue that Robert Royal claims, rather than optimism that “something good may come of this”. Apart from a miracle of divine intervention the wall protecting this intolerable status quo may require a miracle of human intervention based on the demands of Justice. As mercy without repentance offends justice exigent action occasions it.
Thank you Fr Morello. I sit here in tears reading your comment. How can all this be happening? Please, Father, please continue your true and honest comments on this horrible events. The Church NEEDS more priests like you and I will beginning this Sunday including you in my prayers for priests. Recall, that those mentioned in this article were implicated in Archbishop Vigano’s original letter. Thank God for you, Sir, thank God for you!
What was wrong with the Rome sex abuse summit focusing on the clerical sexual abuse of minors only? What was wrong with its refusal to focus on the problem of clerical homosexual fornication between consenting adults? (Particularly where one “consenting” adult is intimidated by the fact that the other has significant power over his entire life, as in McCarrick’s abuse of seminarians.) The basic problem with focusing only on clerical sexual abuse of minors is that it guarantees that the problem of clerical sexual abuse of minors will not be remedied. Let me explain:
Assume there is a segment of the clergy in a diocese who are homosexual. Some of this group live chastely and are doing a fine job, but have a skeleton or two in their closet from their seminary days regarding homosexual fornication with one or more fellow seminarians, or even with a priest/bishop/cardinal. (I shuddered as I typed that, but that is the reality that the McCarrick affair and other recent revelations have forced us to consider.) Others in this homosexual segment of the diocesan clergy are living a double life; they engage in homosexual fornication with other clerics in the group, or with lay adults, on a regular basis. Among these there are a few clerics who have the inclination to pederasty or pedophilia, and have succumbed to such inclinations and have become active predators.
Such are the various types of homosexual clerics of which this group consists. They basically know about each other, and in some cases know about one another in the intimate detail provided by hearing the confessions of the others. This group tends to look out for each other and to facilitate the rise to powerful positions of each other in the diocese, especially to positions in the chancery office, where they can more effectively protect each other. It has been this way for decades in our hypothetical diocese.
With the above scenario in mind, what happens when a complaint is made about Fr. Predator to a member of the diocesan clergy? It is, with pious discretion, reported to the bishop, who, unless he is a blithering idiot, is well aware of the decades-old homosexual network in his diocese. He calls in Fr. Predator for a meeting with him.
Fr. Predator, who is sociopath like McCarrick, insists on his innocence and wonders aloud about what would happen if he ended up in court and agreed to testify on his own behalf. Would the prosecutor’s questions of him under oath force him to reveal everything he knows about the homosexual network in the diocese? The bishop gets the message. He calls in the lawyers and instructs them to reach a settlement with the family of Fr. Predator’s victim that requires their silence.
I think the above, or something very much like it, led to the current situation in the Church. If so, a few things can be quickly surmised:
• The laity should report criminal sexual abuse on the part of clerics to the police, not to a member of the diocesan clergy.
• The homosexual networks in the Church, with their mutual support/extortion of each other, will guarantee that the clerical sex abuse problem will never go away until the Church is purged of homosexual networks.
• The involvement of expert laity in the Church’s handling of reports of clerical sexual abuse, unless these lay experts are given enough power, will not be able to overcome the homosexual clerics’ mutual support/extortion system.
• The situation with homosexual clergy described here at the diocesan level, very likely applies at the level of bishops’ conferences and to the Vatican bureaucracy as well.
Cupich and Bergoglio, with their refusal to acknowledge the homosexual aspect of the clerical sex abuse crisis, have made clear that they have no intention whatsoever of dealing with the problem realistically.
The power of the mutual support/extortion system of the homosexual network in the Church is immense.
What I find the most frustrating is the combination of the abuse of children with the homosexual activity within the seminaries. They are two separate issues, although related in some ways. The abuse issue is, to me, far more serious. The homosexuality within the seminaries and the blatant disregard for the vow of celibacy needs to be addressed. The abuse, I hope, has been stopped and as far as I know all these cases popping up are from the past…but the other activities (which, in my opinion, are not abuse) …not so sure.
I can assure you that some seminaries in the U.S. have reformed and the gay subculture no longer thrives in them. Much depends on the Rector and whether the Ordinary supports him running a clean operation that tolerates no sexual impropriety. The safest seminaries are those that not only provide sexual harrassment prevention workshops but also allow the trainer(s) to address the relevance of homosexuality and neyworks to the crisis in the Church (versus reducing everything to just clericalism) PLUS have an updated policy that protects those who report transgressions in good faith, especially if a predator has used manipulative control tactics(e.g., threatened or implied blackmail).
Our Catholic Church hierarchy: Massive power with little oversight and little consequence.
Reminds me of arguably the biggest criminal coverup of our time. It might render McCarrick’s atrocities “manageable”.
Ordained a priest of the Tehuacan diocese in Mexico in 1970, Rev. Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera was sent to the U.S. archdiocese of Los Angeles in March 1987 in an agreement between LA Cardinal Roger Mahony and Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera . Father Aguilar-Rivera had sexually abused at least 26 children from both Los Angeles parishes during his short nine months in the archdiocese. He is said to have abused at least 60 Mexican children, both before and after his stay in California. Amazingly, a California judge has ruled that Mexico Cardinal Norberto Rivera, who leads the world’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, won’t face trial in the United States on allegations that he covered up the actions of a pedophile priest. One Mexican accuser, Joaquin Aguilar Mendez, alleged that Rivera and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony conspired to cover up the actions of the pedophile priest in the late 1980s, and that their actions allowed him to remain a practicing priest in Mexico and abuse Aguilar Mendez in 1994. Norberto Rivera is believed to have been one of the five finalists to succeed the late Pope John Paul II, and he remained a potential successor to Pope Benedict XVI. WOW!
What criminal penalty did each receive?
Mahony is “retired” and living high in North LA. Fought many lawsuits. No criminal penalty!
Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera 76 retired last year, with no apparent criminal indictment, almost two decades after he was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
It came down to two women journalists Diane Montagna LifeSite, Delia Gallagher CNN to raise the actual issue pertinent to this Synod that the attending Bishops declined to address, Clergy including Bishops involved in homosexual abuse of vulnerable priests, seminarians and collaboration to conceal. Responses were indirect and dismissive. A good response to the crisis is given by NYC pastor and canon lawyer Msgr Gerald Murray that National Bishops Conferences institute independent tribunals [presumably with Vatican delegation of authority] to investigate all clergy including Bishops where warranted and present findings to Rome. This has been tried by Cardinal DiNardo and he was flatly refused by the Pontiff as were other like attempts in Am. We’re at an impasse because only the Pontiff has authority to sanction Hierarchy. Investigation limited to priests is insufficient since the enablers are very likely prelates as was the case with McCarrick. There’s the catch 22. The Pontiff was allegedly implicated with McCarrick. And if investigation were limited to priests evidence would lead to Hierarchy. This gives reason for the resolute avoidance by the Pontiff, Archbishop Scicluna, Cardinal Cupich. Hope is a virtue that Robert Royal claims, rather than optimism that “something good may come of this”. Apart from a miracle of divine intervention the wall protecting this intolerable status quo may require a miracle of human intervention based on the demands of Justice. As mercy without repentance offends justice exigent action occasions it.
Thank you Fr Morello. I sit here in tears reading your comment. How can all this be happening? Please, Father, please continue your true and honest comments on this horrible events. The Church NEEDS more priests like you and I will beginning this Sunday including you in my prayers for priests. Recall, that those mentioned in this article were implicated in Archbishop Vigano’s original letter. Thank God for you, Sir, thank God for you!
What was wrong with the Rome sex abuse summit focusing on the clerical sexual abuse of minors only? What was wrong with its refusal to focus on the problem of clerical homosexual fornication between consenting adults? (Particularly where one “consenting” adult is intimidated by the fact that the other has significant power over his entire life, as in McCarrick’s abuse of seminarians.) The basic problem with focusing only on clerical sexual abuse of minors is that it guarantees that the problem of clerical sexual abuse of minors will not be remedied. Let me explain:
Assume there is a segment of the clergy in a diocese who are homosexual. Some of this group live chastely and are doing a fine job, but have a skeleton or two in their closet from their seminary days regarding homosexual fornication with one or more fellow seminarians, or even with a priest/bishop/cardinal. (I shuddered as I typed that, but that is the reality that the McCarrick affair and other recent revelations have forced us to consider.) Others in this homosexual segment of the diocesan clergy are living a double life; they engage in homosexual fornication with other clerics in the group, or with lay adults, on a regular basis. Among these there are a few clerics who have the inclination to pederasty or pedophilia, and have succumbed to such inclinations and have become active predators.
Such are the various types of homosexual clerics of which this group consists. They basically know about each other, and in some cases know about one another in the intimate detail provided by hearing the confessions of the others. This group tends to look out for each other and to facilitate the rise to powerful positions of each other in the diocese, especially to positions in the chancery office, where they can more effectively protect each other. It has been this way for decades in our hypothetical diocese.
With the above scenario in mind, what happens when a complaint is made about Fr. Predator to a member of the diocesan clergy? It is, with pious discretion, reported to the bishop, who, unless he is a blithering idiot, is well aware of the decades-old homosexual network in his diocese. He calls in Fr. Predator for a meeting with him.
Fr. Predator, who is sociopath like McCarrick, insists on his innocence and wonders aloud about what would happen if he ended up in court and agreed to testify on his own behalf. Would the prosecutor’s questions of him under oath force him to reveal everything he knows about the homosexual network in the diocese? The bishop gets the message. He calls in the lawyers and instructs them to reach a settlement with the family of Fr. Predator’s victim that requires their silence.
I think the above, or something very much like it, led to the current situation in the Church. If so, a few things can be quickly surmised:
• The laity should report criminal sexual abuse on the part of clerics to the police, not to a member of the diocesan clergy.
• The homosexual networks in the Church, with their mutual support/extortion of each other, will guarantee that the clerical sex abuse problem will never go away until the Church is purged of homosexual networks.
• The involvement of expert laity in the Church’s handling of reports of clerical sexual abuse, unless these lay experts are given enough power, will not be able to overcome the homosexual clerics’ mutual support/extortion system.
• The situation with homosexual clergy described here at the diocesan level, very likely applies at the level of bishops’ conferences and to the Vatican bureaucracy as well.
Cupich and Bergoglio, with their refusal to acknowledge the homosexual aspect of the clerical sex abuse crisis, have made clear that they have no intention whatsoever of dealing with the problem realistically.
The power of the mutual support/extortion system of the homosexual network in the Church is immense.
What I find the most frustrating is the combination of the abuse of children with the homosexual activity within the seminaries. They are two separate issues, although related in some ways. The abuse issue is, to me, far more serious. The homosexuality within the seminaries and the blatant disregard for the vow of celibacy needs to be addressed. The abuse, I hope, has been stopped and as far as I know all these cases popping up are from the past…but the other activities (which, in my opinion, are not abuse) …not so sure.
I can assure you that some seminaries in the U.S. have reformed and the gay subculture no longer thrives in them. Much depends on the Rector and whether the Ordinary supports him running a clean operation that tolerates no sexual impropriety. The safest seminaries are those that not only provide sexual harrassment prevention workshops but also allow the trainer(s) to address the relevance of homosexuality and neyworks to the crisis in the Church (versus reducing everything to just clericalism) PLUS have an updated policy that protects those who report transgressions in good faith, especially if a predator has used manipulative control tactics(e.g., threatened or implied blackmail).
Our Catholic Church hierarchy: Massive power with little oversight and little consequence.
Reminds me of arguably the biggest criminal coverup of our time. It might render McCarrick’s atrocities “manageable”.
Ordained a priest of the Tehuacan diocese in Mexico in 1970, Rev. Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera was sent to the U.S. archdiocese of Los Angeles in March 1987 in an agreement between LA Cardinal Roger Mahony and Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera . Father Aguilar-Rivera had sexually abused at least 26 children from both Los Angeles parishes during his short nine months in the archdiocese. He is said to have abused at least 60 Mexican children, both before and after his stay in California. Amazingly, a California judge has ruled that Mexico Cardinal Norberto Rivera, who leads the world’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, won’t face trial in the United States on allegations that he covered up the actions of a pedophile priest. One Mexican accuser, Joaquin Aguilar Mendez, alleged that Rivera and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony conspired to cover up the actions of the pedophile priest in the late 1980s, and that their actions allowed him to remain a practicing priest in Mexico and abuse Aguilar Mendez in 1994. Norberto Rivera is believed to have been one of the five finalists to succeed the late Pope John Paul II, and he remained a potential successor to Pope Benedict XVI. WOW!
What criminal penalty did each receive?
Mahony is “retired” and living high in North LA. Fought many lawsuits. No criminal penalty!
Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera 76 retired last year, with no apparent criminal indictment, almost two decades after he was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
Father Aguilar-Rivera? Escaped the law in 2006.