Month: April 2020

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News Briefs

UK bishops call for prayers as Boris Johnson admitted to intensive care

April 7, 2020 CNA Daily News 1

London, England, Apr 7, 2020 / 08:30 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Westminster led calls for prayers for Britain’s Prime Minister on Monday after Boris Johnson was admitted to an intensive care unit. 

Johnson tested positive for coronavirus 11 days ago and was taken to St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, on Sunday for worsening symptoms.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols issued an appeal for prayers for the Prime Minister in a tweet April 6.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a personal fight on his hands against the vicious coronavirus and needs our prayers. Let us pray for him, all who are suffering and our NHS workers caring for them,” wrote the cardinal, who is president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

In comments to CNA, Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury said: “Seeing the Prime Minister stricken and incapacitated by the very threat we are presently battling surely reminds us of how we are all in this struggle together.”

“We are all praying for Boris Johnson at this time. As Christians, it is the communion of the saints which reminds us how our lives are so bound together. A doctrine which is shining through these days of isolation and confinement in a common struggle.”

The official account of the Catholic National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady at Walsingham echoed Cardinal Nichols’ call for prayer, tweeting Monday: “We need to pray for our Prime Minister.”

Johnson announced that he had tested positive for the virus March 27. He went into self-isolation but continued working. On April 5, he was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital suffering from “persistent symptoms.”

Downing Street said in a statement April 6: “Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital.”

“The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said April 7: “The Prime Minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance.”

“He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.”

The Department of Health said April 6 that 5,373 of those hospitalized in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus had died as of 5pm local time on April 5.

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News Briefs

Archbishop Fisher welcomes acquittal of Cardinal Pell

April 7, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, Apr 7, 2020 / 03:00 am (CNA).- Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has welcomed the acquittal of Cardinal George Pell by Australia’s High Court.

Pell was freed from prison Tuesday after the High Court decided unanimously to overturn his conviction for child sex offenses.

Fisher, who succeeded Pell as Archbishop of Sydney in 2014, said in a statement April 7: “The cardinal has always maintained his innocence and today’s decision confirms his conviction was wrong.”

He continued: “I am pleased that the cardinal will now be released and I ask that the pursuit of him that brought us to this point now cease.”

“This has not just been a trial of Cardinal Pell, but also of our legal system and culture. The cardinal’s vindication today invites broader reflection on our system of justice, our commitment to the presumption of innocence, and our treatment of high-profile figures accused of crimes.”

The archbishop acknowledged that clerical abuse had fueled anger at the Church. He said Catholic leaders could only restore trust by seeking justice for abuse survivors and safeguarding the vulnerable.

“Some will struggle with today’s decision,” he said. “Cases like these can reopen the wounds of survivors of abuse so that they feel like they are on trial too. But justice for victims is never served by the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of anyone. I hope and pray that the finality of the legal processes will bring some closure and healing to all affected.”

Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne called for prayers for both Pell and his accuser, identified through the courts as “J”. 

“I want to firstly acknowledge ’J’, who brought forward his story of abuse for examination in the courts of law,” he said in an April 7 statement. “This is a right we value and honor.”

“I also acknowledge Cardinal Pell who has steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout. Rightly, he has been afforded the full possibilities of the judicial system. This decision means the cardinal has been wrongly convicted and imprisoned, and he is now free to live his life peaceably within the community.”

Archbishop Comensoli said he would re-dedicate himself and his archdiocese to listening to abuse victims, protecting young people and encouraging faithful clergy.

“Let us pray for ‘J’ and his family; pray for Cardinal Pell and his family; pray and work for survivors of abuse; and build a Church that is centered on God’s love for each person, with a special care and concern for the weakest, the most vulnerable, the most hurt,” the archbishop said.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked to comment on the High Court verdict while holding a press conference on the coronavirus. 

“The High Court, the highest court in the land, has made its decision and it must be respected,” he said.

Daniel Andrews, the Premier of Victoria, the state in which Pell was tried, said he had no comment on the High Court’s decision.

“But I have a message for every single victim and survivor of child sex abuse: ‘I see you. I hear you. I believe you’,” he said.  

Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who visited Pell in jail and supported him throughout his legal ordeal, said: “Today’s just a day to let the High Court judgment speak for itself.”

Andrew Bolt, a Sky News host and columnist, described Pell’s conviction in 2018 as “the greatest miscarriage of justice in Australian history.”

Bolt, an outspoken critic of the case against Pell, said: “A lot of people today should be ashamed of their role in the persecution, the witch hunting and the jailing — for 404 days — of an innocent man.”

He continued: “The charges were inherently implausible and yet they were believed. And voices that spoke against this conviction were hounded down. It is a disgrace.”

He added: “There was a witch hunt in this country and we need to look at why that happened.”

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News Briefs

Colombian archbishop removes from ministry 15 priests accused of sexual abuse

April 6, 2020 CNA Daily News 1

Villavicencio, Colombia, Apr 7, 2020 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The president of the Colombian bishops’ conference, Óscar Urbina, suspended 15 priests of his archdiocese from ministry who have been accused of sexual abuse. Other jurisdictions in the country have removed four other priests.

Archbishop Óscar Urbina of Villavicencio told Colombian media that the accused priests represent 15% of the city’s priests.

The priests are accused of committing sexual abuse in Colombia, Italy and the United States, Caracol Radio reported.

Fr. Carlos Villabón, communications director and chancellor for the archdiocese of Villavicencio, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner, that the 15 priests were suspended while a canonical investigation proceeds at the Vatican.

“On March 16, 2020 these 15 priests were notified after a preliminary investigation was carried out. They are neither convicted nor acquitted by this suspension, only asked to relinquish their parish duties, cease celebrating the Eucharist and cease their ministerial service while the complete investigation is conducted,” the priest explained.

The results of the preliminary investigation “are now being sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, and there they will determine the gravity of the facts and what the Church calls a penal canonical process will be conducted,” Villabón said.

“It’s unknown how much time the canonical process will take, but the idea is that it proceed as quickly as possible, considering that in Italy and in many parts of the world there’s a quarantine because of the coronavirus,” the communications director added.
Caracol Radio published a list of the 19 priests, but Villabón told ACI Prensa that the archdiocese would neither confirm nor deny the names reported.

 “According to a witness under protection by the prosecutor’s office, the 19 priests apparently formed a network of abusers, Caracol Radio reported.

In an April 3 statement, the archdiocese of Villavicencio announced that an accusation was received Feb. 14, 2020 concerning “acts against sexual morality by some priests of this archdiocese.”

“Having as a priority the alleged victim, we expressed to him our deep pain and solidarity and have offered him psychological and spiritual accompaniment. We reaffirm our commitment to act with clarity and transparency for his good and that of the Church,” the statement said.

Following the protocols of the Archdiocesan Commission for the Protection of Minors, once the abuse was reported, the regional prosecutor’s office was notified and “we made ourselves completely available to cooperate in the investigations taking place in this case,” the statement said.

The archdiocese said that it has taken steps “to eradicate the terrible evil of abuse within and outside our institution. We ask to be informed of any situations where one of our members has finally betrayed his vocation of service and dedication to the Lord and the community.”

A version of this story was first reported by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

 

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