Archbishop Cordileone discusses satanists’ support for abortion

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. / Shutterstock

Denver Newsroom, Jan 26, 2022 / 17:06 pm (CNA).
A pro-abortion rights group drew wide condemnation from Catholics, including Cardinal Wilton Gre… […]

Albany, N.Y., Jul 30, 2018 / 12:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany wrote to the clerics of his local Church Sunday, saying that abuse of authority and sexual abuse by clerics is, more than a crisis of policies and procedures, a spiritual crisis.

His comments come amid a scandal centered on Theodore McCarrick, the Archbishop Emeritus of Washington. Last month the Archdiocese of New York announced that it had concluded an investigation into an allegation that McCarrick had sexually abused a teenager, finding the claim to be “credible and substantiated.” Since then, media reports have detailed additional allegations, charging that McCarrick sexually abused, assaulted, or coerced seminarians and young priests during his time as a bishop.

McCarrick resignation from the office of cardinal was accepted by Pope Francis on Saturday.

“Let me be clear,” Bishop Scharfenberger wrote, “in stating my firm conviction that this is, at heart, much more than a crisis of policies and procedures. We can – and I am confident that we will – strengthen the rules and regulations and sanctions against any trying to fly under the radar or to ‘get away with’ such evil and destructive behaviors. But, at its heart, this is much more than a challenge of law enforcement; it is a profoundly spiritual crisis.”

The Bishop of Albany’s July 29 letter was sent to clerics and seminarians, as well as parish life directors and department heads at the diocesan chancery.

He began by reflecting on the betrayal of Christ, saying that “Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, many of our faithful are now feeling betrayed and abandoned by their spiritual fathers, especially the bishops.”

“No doubt you have been and will be hearing from your people about how shaken and discouraged they are over public revelations of despicable behavior on the part of a very popular and charismatic Cardinal with priests and seminarians in his care.”

Bishop Scharfenberger shared that he had been texted by a friend who conveyed “his family’s utter despondency over this and that the USCCB should disband itself: ‘[t]heir credibility is shot, probably for decades.’”

The bishop said that further “words are not going to repair, let alone restore, the damage that has been done. Lawyering, pledges and changes in the bureaucratic structures and policy – however well intentioned – cannot do it either. I do not see how we can avoid what is really at the root of this crisis: sin and a retreat from holiness, specifically the holiness of an integral, truly human sexuality.”

Bishop Scharfenberger repeated “as clearly and directly” as he could the Church’s teaching that sexual activity outside a valid marriage is a grave sin: “A cardinal is not excused from what a layperson or another member of the clergy is not … This is what our faith teaches and what we are held to in practice. There is no ‘third way.’”

Gravely sinful sexual activity outside marriage “includes grooming and seduction,” the bishop wrote. Such acts of McCarrick were detailed by a priest of the Diocese of Albany, who was once a seminarian under the former cardinal, in an interview with America magazine published July 25.

“The psychological and spiritual destructiveness of such predatory behavior, really incestuous by a man who is held up as a spiritual father to a son in his care – even if not a minor – cannot be minimized or rationalized in any way,” Bishop Scharfenberger wrote. “On that, it seems to me, we are experiencing an unusual unity amidst the many political and ecclesial tensions in our communities.”

“Abuse of authority – in this case, with strong sexual overtones – with vulnerable persons is hardly less reprehensible than the sexual abuse of minors, which the USCCB attempted to address in 2002.”

He noted that the Charter for the Protection of Young People, adopted by the USCCB in 2002, “unfortunately … did not go far enough so as to hold cardinals, archbishops and bishops equally, if not more, accountable than priests and deacons.”

Bishop Scharfenberger said he believes the vast majority of clerics “live or, at least, are striving to live holy and admirable lifestyles. I am ashamed of those of my brothers, such as the Cardinal, who do not and have not. As your Bishop, you can be sure of my support for you and all the faithful during this very difficult time.”

He expressed gratitude for “all of those who have come forward to expose these patterns of sin in the lives of some – as well the institutional sins of denial and suppression of those brave witnesses whose warnings went unheard or unheeded, so that some of the harm might have been prevented.”

“I hope and pray that others who may have suffered such traumatic experiences at the hands of their spiritual fathers will find the courage to say so. To you, if you are among them, and to them I offer my support and assistance in any way the resources I have can muster.”

Bl. Paul VI’s Humanae vitae “prophetically warned … of the long-range consequences of the separation of sexuality and sexual behavior from the conjugal relationship,” he said.

“Contemporary culture in our part of the world now holds it normative that sex and sexual gratification between any consenting persons for any reason that their free wills allow is perfectly acceptable. This is not a sexuality befitting of human beings that responds to the need and true desire of every human person to be respected and loved fully and unconditionally.”

Clerics “must practice what we preach and teach,” he emphasized. “We also need to uphold what our faith proclaims about the gift and beauty of human sexuality, fully lived in its essential conjugal meaning.”

“A culture of virtue and chastity – in short, personal holiness – rooted in a trusting and committed relationship with Jesus Christ is the path toward healing and wholeness, even as we seek to drive the evil behaviors among us from the womb of the Church.”

Bishop Scharfenberger commended preparation for a Eucharistic Congress as “a time of spiritual renewal for all of us seeking to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Master who was himself betrayed by his closest friends, but died for us to save us from ourselves and to offer us a way to living our humanity fully in this life and in the heaven to come.”

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Denver Newsroom, Jul 21, 2020 / 03:01 am (CNA).- The Calix Society serves as a way for Catholics undergoing a 12 Step program to integrate their faith into their recovery, staying sober and sharing in a community where they can identify Christ as their higher power.

While it is not a replacement for other recovery programs, the Calix Society is a supplemental course for people struggling with addiction to embrace their Catholic faith.

The gatherings, which are held monthly, fortnightly, or weekly, are composed of two parts – spiritual practice and discussion. The meeting will begin with a spiritual exercise, such as Mass or the rosary. Then the group will either read from books like the Twelve Steps, have speakers share their faith, or watch faith-filled videos.

Ken Johnston, who is almost 29 years sober and is the program’s treasurer, told CNA that pursuing spirituality is helpful to the recovery process, and Calix allows recovering addicts to participate in a community that expresses a desire for the Catholic faith.

“Most people that eventually find us … say that this is exactly what they’ve been looking for. They’re looking for people that are in recovery that understand their situation and want to be able to share their Catholic faith,” he said.

Beginning in 1947, Calix was developed in Wisconsin after Bill Montroy and several other AA members started to attend daily Mass with Father Pat – a priest in the Twin Cities who also struggled with alcoholism.

As the program grew, Mass was moved to Saturday mornings. Afterward, they would get breakfast at a nearby restaurant, and then they would gather to discuss and read on spiritual topics.

“The five of them would get together each morning for Mass at five o’clock. Father Pat stayed sober and the five men grew in their Catholic faith. They knew that they were on to something here,” said Johnston.

“It was like a combination of the 12 step program plus their Catholic faith that was giving them a spiritual experience that neither one could give them by itself.”

During the 1970s, the program had a couple hundred Calix units throughout the United States. He said numbers have dwindled to about 30 units, with a couple of groups in the United Kingdom.

Last summer, said Johnston, the program opened up its meeting to all recovering groups, including Sexaholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Al-Anon – a support group for family members of recovering addicts. He said the changes to Calix’ program coincides with the national opioid crisis.

“In light of the opioid addiction or the opioid crisis that’s going on, [we] basically expanded our scope to include all 12 step programs,” he said.

“The thing that everybody has in common is the 12 step program. Then Calix fulfills the need of the higher power in order to achieve sobriety.”

Calix is not a substitute for rehab or an anonymous meeting, he said, noting that all members are required to have some recovery time under their belt before they are allowed to join. He said it is instead an additional tool for Catholics to discover more about their faith while being involved with outside recovery efforts.

Johnston quoted the founder, Montroy, saying: “A.A. restores your health and saves you from an early grave. Calix restores your soul and puts you on the road to heaven.”

He said Alcoholics Anonymous was developed as a Christian organization in 1935. However, as AA progressed, it pushed for a relationship with a “higher power” as it is understood by the attendee. He said Calix allows people to identify their higher power with Christ and express that among a Catholic community.

“They came up with a generic higher power and basically drove Jesus Christ out of the rooms. That’s where Calix came in. So people want to be able to say it in a group setting, ‘my higher power is Jesus Christ, and I want to get to know him better.’”

He said these people are able to share their similar struggles and receive support from a like-minded community. On the road to recovery, he said, these people will still have to face difficult situations, like losing a spouse or a child, but they are able to embrace the faith rather than negative addictions.

“We still face a lot of the same issues. Some people experience even more horrific situations in sobriety than they encountered when they were active in or drinking or drug use … The beauty of having that spiritual connection is that now you can deal with it without having to drink or use a drug or something else.”

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