Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2020 / 08:54 am (CNA).- After more than 14 months in prison, Cardinal George Pell said he was always hopeful about the High Court decision which acquitted him of all charges and released him from incarceration on April 7.
Short… […]
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.”
CNA Staff, Apr 3, 2020 / 06:19 pm (CNA).- A Filipino seminary has opened its doors to over a dozen trapped tourists, who have been stranded since a mandatory lockdown was extended last month.
Saint Joseph Seminary in Puerto Princesa is providing shelt… […]
CNA Staff, Apr 3, 2020 / 03:00 pm (CNA).- Communist authorities in China are using efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic to step up enforcement action against Christians who worship in house churches, government insiders have told the human … […]
CNA Staff, Apr 3, 2020 / 11:39 am (CNA).- A Japanese news agency reported Thursday that an investigation by the country’s bishops’ conference has found 16 cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics, which occurred from the 1950s to 2010s.
The findings have not yet been made public, but sources familiar with the matter spoke with Kyodo News April 2.
Acts of abuse occurred in rectories, church buildings, and foster homes.
The Japanese bishops announced the inquiry a year ago, and committees were established in each of the 16 dioceses to receive claims and consultations about abuse.
In 2002 an internal survey made inquiries with the leading priest in each diocese. This resulted in two reported cases of sex abuse.
A 2012 survey aimed to be a reference point in a manual for internal use. It did not aim to investigate facts or to resolve sex abuse. Five sex abuse cases were reported then.
A 2004 survey on sexual harassment found 17 cases of “coercive physical contacts,” mostly by priests. The victims included minors. That survey had 110 respondents.
In February 2019 Pope Francis held a meeting with bishops from around the world on the sexual abuse of minors.
“Let it be clear that before these abominations the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case,” he said in his 2018 Christmas greetings to the Roman curia.
CNA Staff, Apr 2, 2020 / 03:00 pm (CNA).- The High Court of Australia will hand down its decision in the case of Cardinal George Pell next week. The justices are considering Cardinal Pell’s petition for special leave to appeal his 2018 conviction… […]
CNA Staff, Apr 2, 2020 / 01:05 pm (CNA).- A parish in the Philippines has canceled an “online general absolution.” Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Quezon City, Philippines had advertised the event would be available by livestream, and was set to take place on April 3.
On Thursday, the parish issued a retraction and an apology.
“Fr. Nelson wants to correct himself. General absolution cannot be given via online,” said a statement issued by the parish.
“The penitent must be physically present— meaning, the priest who absolves and the penitent who receives the absolution must be in the same place,” the statement clarified.
According to the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, which has authority over the sacrament of confession and matters falling under the sacramental seal, general absolution without prior individual confession may only be imparted where the imminent danger of death occurs, when there is not enough time to listen to the confessions of individual penitents, or there is a serious need.
Amid the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) and many dioceses worldwide suspending Masses and confessions, the Vatican has clarified that if a general absolution is done, it must be approved by the bishop, and it must be done in person.
Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, clarified on March 19 that priests giving general absolution in particular cases must explain the conditions of general absolution, and also must be physically present to those receiving it, at least to the point of penitents being able to hear the priest’s voice.
Father Pius Pietrzyk, OP, chair of pastoral studies at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, told CNA Thursday that the sacraments must be an encounter between the priest and the person receiving the sacrament.
In the same way that a penitent could not confess their sins to a priest over the telephone— which would remove the person-to-person encounter of the sacrament— offering general absolution online removes the unity between the priest and the penitents, and therefore is not valid, he said.
“This kind of virtual presentation of the sacrament is not what the Church understands a sacrament to be,” he said.
“They need to understand that what they are doing is not a sacrament.”
In addition, the law is abundantly clear, he said, that if general absolution is given, the bishop must give the parameters. Parishes must get permission from the bishop to offer general absolution, he said.
A parish employee at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish was unable to confirm whether the cancelation of the planned online general absolution was the result of an intervention on the part of the bishop.
Another Philippines parish, Our Lady of Sorrows in the Diocese of Tarlac is, as of press time, going ahead with a livestreamed general absolution for its viewers “with the explicit permission of the Bishop of Tarlac.”
The Diocese of Tarlac and Bishop Enrique Macaraeg did not reply to CNA’s request for comment by press time.
Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta, reportedly led an online general absolution on Monday.
Rome, Italy, Apr 2, 2020 / 08:30 am (CNA).- Poor countries are suffering from the coronavirus because of the Chinese Communist Party’s negligence and repression, a cardinal from Burma said Thursday.
“The Chinese regime led by the all-power… […]
Washington D.C., Apr 1, 2020 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- Chinese authorities have been accused of forcing Muslim Uyghurs to work in factories as the coronavirus pandemic spread in the country. One religious freedom expert told CNA that the Communist government … […]
Manila, Philippines, Apr 1, 2020 / 03:11 pm (CNA).- In a recent blog post Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., S.T.D, Ph.D., said he sees reason to hope that the drug hydroxychloroquine could be used to treat the coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Austriaco is a profe… […]
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