Mere Catholic

Vatican Response to Cloyne Report

2011-09-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

From Vatican Information Services
Saturday, September 3, 2011
THE HOLY SEE RESPONDS TO THE CLOYNE REPORT
VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, under secretary for Relations with States met this morning with Helena Keleher, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See, and consigned to her the "Holy See's Response to the Irish Government concerning the Cloyne Report".

The Cloyne Report was published by the Commission of Investigation into the Diocese of Cloyne. Eamon Gilmore, Irish deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and trade, in the course of a meeting on 14 July with Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, apostolic nuncio to Ireland, requested him to convey a copy of the report to the Holy See, together with the Irish Government's views on the matters raised, to which the minister requested a response.

Recognising the seriousness of the crimes detailed in the report, which should never have happened within the Church of Jesus Christ, and wishing to rehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifspond to the Irish Government's request, the Holy See, after carefully examining the Cloyne Report and considering the many issues raised, has sought to respond comprehensively.

A summary of the response is given below. .

1. General remarks about the Cloyne Report

The Holy See has carefully examined the Cloyne Report, which has brought to light very serious and disturbing failings in the handling of accusations of sexual abuse of children and young people by clerics in the diocese of Cloyne.

The Holy See wishes to state at the outset its profound abhorrence for the crimes of sexual abuse which took place in that diocese and is sorry and ashamed for the terrible sufferings which the victims of abuse and their families have had to endure within the Church of Jesus Christ, a place where this should never happen. It is very concerned at the findings of the Commission concerning grave failures in the ecclesiastical governance of the diocese and the mishandling of allegations of abuse. It is particularly disturbing that these failures occurred despite the undertaking given by the bishops and religious superiors to apply the guidelines developed by the Church in Ireland to help ensure child protection and despite the Holy See's norms and procedures relating to cases of sexual abuse. However, the approach taken by the Church in Ireland in recent times to the problem of child sexual abuse is benefiting from ongoing experience and proving more and more effective in preventing the recurrence of these crimes and in dealing with cases as they arise.

2. Issues raised by the Cloyne Report

The Holy See's Response addresses in detail the various charges made against it, which seem to be based primarily on the Cloyne Report's account and assessment of the letter addressed to the Irish bishops on 31 January 1997 by the then apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Luciano Storero, concerning the response of the Congregation for the Clergy to the document "Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response" (the Framework Document). The Commission of Inquiry asserts that this response gave comfort to those who dissented from the stated official Church policy and was unsupportive especially in relation to reporting to the civil authorities.

The Holy See wishes to state the following in relation to the response of the Congregation for the Clergy:

The Congregation described the Framework Document as a "study document" on the basis of information provided by the Irish bishops, who described the text not as an official document of the Irish Bishops' Conference, but, rather, as a "report" of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by Priests and Religious, recommended "to individual dioceses and congregations as a framework for addressing the issue of child sexual abuse".

The Irish bishops never sought the "recognitio" of the Holy See for the Framework Document, which, in accordance with canon 455 of the Code of Canon Law, would have been required only if they intended it to be a general decree of the conference binding on all its members. However, the lack of "recognitio" itself did not preclude the application of the document's guidelines, since individual bishops could adopt them without having to refer to the Holy See. This is, in fact, what generally happened in Ireland.

The Irish bishops consulted the congregation to resolve difficulties relating to some of the content of the Framework Document. The congregation offered advice to the bishops with a view to ensuring that the measures which they intended to apply would prove effective and unproblematic from a canonical perspective. For this reason, the congregation drew attention to the requirement that these measures should be in harmony with canonical procedures in order to avoid conflicts that could give rise to successful appeals in Church tribunals. The congregation did not reject the Framework Document. Rather, it wanted to ensure that the measures contained in the Framework Document would not undermine the bishops' efforts to discipline those guilty of child abuse in the Church. At the same time, it is important to bear in mind the decision of the Holy See in 1994 to grant special provisions to the bishops of the United States to deal with child sexual abuse in the Church. These provisions were extended to the bishops of Ireland in 1996 to assist them to overcome difficulties that they were experiencing at that time (cf. part six of the response).

Meeting canonical requirements to ensure the correct administration of justice within the Church in no way precluded co-operation with the civil authorities. The Congregation for the Clergy did express reservations about mandatory reporting, but it did not forbid the Irish bishops from reporting accusations of child sexual abuse nor did it encourage them to flout Irish law. In this regard, the then prefect of the congregation, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, in his meeting with the Irish bishops at Rosses Point, County Sligo (Ireland), on 12 November 1998 unequivocally stated: "I also wish to say with great clarity that the Church, especially through its pastors (bishops), should not in any way put an obstacle in the legitimate path of civil justice, when such is initiated by those who have such rights, while at the same time, she should move forward with her own canonical procedures, in truth, justice and charity towards all". It should be noted that, at the time, not only the Church but also the Irish State was engaged in efforts to improve its own legislation on child sexual abuse. To this end, the Irish government organized an extensive consultation on mandatory reporting in 1996 and, after taking into account the reservations expressed by various professional groups and individuals in civil society - views broadly in line with those expressed by the congregation - it decided not to introduce mandatory reporting into the Irish legal system. Given that the Irish government of the day decided not to legislate on the matter, it is difficult to see how Archbishop Storero's letter to the Irish bishops, which was issued subsequently, could possibly be construed as having somehow subverted Irish law or undermined the Irish State in its efforts to deal with the problem in question.

3. Issues raised by Irish political leaders

The Holy See wishes to state the following in relation to some of the reactions of Irish political leaders:

While the Holy See understands and shares the depth of public anger and frustration at the findings of the Cloyne Report, which found expression in the speech made by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, in Dail Eireann on 20 July 2011, it has significant reservations about some aspects of the speech. In particular, the accusation that the Holy See attempted "to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago" is unfounded. Indeed, when asked, a government spokesperson clarified that Mr Kenny was not referring to any specific incident.

In fact, accusations of interference by the Holy See are belied by the many reports cited as the basis for such criticisms. Those reports - lauded for their exhaustive investigation of sexual abuse and the way it was managed - contain no evidence that the Holy See meddled in the internal affairs of the Irish State or was involved in the day-to-day management of Irish dioceses or religious congregations with respect to sexual abuse issues. Indeed, what is impressive about these reports, and the vast information that they rely upon, is that there is no support for these accusations.

In this regard, the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that it in no way hampered or sought to interfere in any inquiry into cases of child sexual abuse in the diocese of Cloyne. Furthermore, at no stage did the Holy See seek to interfere with Irish civil law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of its duties.

The Holy See would also point out that the text of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger quoted by Mr Kenny in his speech is taken from No. 39 of the "Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian", published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 24 May 1990. This text is concerned neither with the manner in which the Church should behave within a democratic society nor with issues of child protection, as Mr Kenny's use of the quotation would seem to imply, but with the theologian's service to the Church community.

In his meeting with the apostolic nuncio, Eamon Gilmore deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and trade, stated that "among the most disturbing of the findings of the Cloyne report is that the Vatican authorities undermined the Irish Church's own efforts to deal with clerical child sexual abuse by describing the framework document adopted by the bishops' conference as a mere 'study document'". As is made clear in the Holy See's response this description was based on the explanations of its nature as provided by the Irish bishops and in the published text itself. In no way was it a dismissal of the serious efforts undertaken by the Irish bishops to address the scourge of child sexual abuse.

With regard to the motion passed in Dail Eireann on 20 July 2011, and by Seanad Eireann a week later, deploring "the Vatican's intervention which contributed to the undermining of the child protection framework and guidelines of the Irish State and the Irish bishops" the Holy See wishes to clarify that at no stage did it make any comment about the Irish State's child protection measures, let alone seek to undermine them. The Holy See observes that there is no evidence cited anywhere in the Cloyne Report to support the claim that its supposed "intervention" contributed to their "undermining". As for those of the Irish bishops, the response offers sufficient clarifications to show that these were in no way undermined by any intervention of the Holy See.

4. Concluding remarks

In its response, the Holy See offers a presentation of the Church's approach to child protection, including the relevant canonical legislation, and refers to the Holy Father's "Letter to the Catholics of Ireland", published on 19 March 2010, in which Pope Benedict indicates his expectation that the Irish bishops will co-operate with the civil authorities, to implement fully the norms of canon law and to ensure the full and impartial application of the child safety norms of the Church in Ireland.

The publication of the Cloyne Report marks a further stage in the long and difficult path of ascertaining the truth, of penance and purification, and of healing and renewal of the Church in Ireland. The Holy See does not consider itself extraneous to this process but shares in it in a spirit of solidarity and commitment.

In a spirit of humility, the Holy See, while rejecting unfounded accusations, welcomes all objective and helpful observations and suggestions to combat with determination the appalling crime of sexual abuse of minors. The Holy See wishes to state once again that it shares the deep concern and anxiety expressed by the Irish authorities, by Irish citizens in general and by the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of Ireland with regard to the criminal and sinful acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy and religious. It also recognises the understandable anger, disappointment and sense of betrayal of those affected - particularly the victims and their families - by these vile and deplorable acts and by the way in which they were sometimes handled by Church authorities, and for all of this it wishes to reiterate its sorrow for what happened. It is confident that the measures which the Church has introduced in recent years at a universal level, as well as in Ireland, will prove more effective in preventing the recurrence of these acts and contribute to the healing of those who suffered abuse and to the restoration of mutual confidence and collaboration between Church and State authorities, which is essential for the effective combating of the scourge of abuse. Naturally, the Holy See is well aware that the painful situation to which the episodes of abuse have given rise cannot be resolved swiftly or easily, and that although much progress has been made, much remains to be done.

Since the early days of the Irish State and especially since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1929, the Holy See has always respected Ireland's sovereignty, has maintained cordial and friendly relations with the country and its authorities, has frequently expressed its admiration for the exceptional contribution of Irish men and women to the Church's mission and to the betterment of peoples throughout the world, and has been unfailing in its support of all efforts to promote peace on the island during the recent troubled decades. Consistent with this attitude, the Holy See wishes to reaffirm its commitment to constructive dialogue and co-operation with the Irish government, naturally on the basis of mutual respect, so that all institutions, whether public or private, religious or secular, may work together to ensure that the Church and, indeed, society in general will always be safe for children and young people.
OP/ VIS 20110903 (2360)
Published by VISarchive 02 - Saturday, September 03, 2011

Fr Gregorio Lopez LC

2011-06-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

I found this video on Youtube about Fr Gregorio. When I worked at the Cumbres Institute between 1970 and 1973, Fr Gregorio took me under his wing. A dedicated priest with an impish sense of humour. Gracias Padre Gregorio, te recuerdo en mis oraciones todos los dias

Fr Gregorio

Legion of Christ Survivors

2010-09-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

I have just finished reading two awesome books on the experiences of two former Irish Legionaries. I have known both personally during my eleven years in the Legion.

Paul Lennon goes through his personal history from his upbringing as a catholic boy in early 60s Ireland to his present life as a therapist in the USA. A link to Paul's book can be found at http://ourfathermacielwhoartinbed.blogspot.com/.

Jack Keogh gives an insight into his personal and Legionary career by bringing us back again and again to the experiences of his "banishment" to Gambia. Links to Jack's book can be found at http://www.monkwhostolethecow.com/.

Both Paul and Jack had personal confrontations with the Legion founder Marcial Maciel. It is frightening to read how MM managed "his" Legion like a despot, far from the Catholic virtue of service. MM comes out of this as a man who used everything around him to achieve his own personal goals. As a Legionary, I remember thinking at one time, this man does not pray, he does not seem to believe. However he was a great strategist.

In this time of renewal for the Legion, I think that both of the above books are obligatory reading. If they those within the Legion, with authority, read these books they will become aware of some of the fundamental christian virtues that are missing from their organisation. I pray for them daily

Vivificat!: Plenty of Good Reading for Lent at Your Fingertips

2010-02-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Vivificat!: Plenty of Good Reading for Lent at Your Fingertips

Catholicism is growing !

2010-01-22T03:59:00.000-08:00

From Gangland to Promised Land: GOD DOESN'T CALL US TO BE SUCCESSFUL, HE CALLS US TO TO BE FAITHFUL!

2009-12-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

From Gangland to Promised Land: GOD DOESN'T CALL US TO BE SUCCESSFUL, HE CALLS US TO TO BE FAITHFUL!

Challenge to centering prayer

2009-12-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

Patrick Madrid speaks of the "dangerous side" to centering prayer

Patrick Madrid on Centering Prayer

Fr Robert Barron on Eckhart Tolle pt 2

2009-12-11T04:34:00.000-08:00

Father Barron on Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose" Part 2

Fr Robert Barron on Eckhart Tolle

2009-12-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Father Barron on Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose" Part 1

Does prayer work?

2009-12-10T02:59:00.000-08:00

A letter written by parishoner (St John the Baptist, Clontarf, Dublin) Sharon Commins on her return from her captivity in Sudan where she and her colleague from Goal NGO, Hilda Kawuki were held hostage.

A thank you letter to the people of Ireland for their prayers
From Sharon Commins

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the prayers throughout the very difficult and dark time experienced by my dear friend Hilda and myself. We both survived because we had the strength and willpower and love of our families stored in those deep caverns of our souls. And we had the love of God.

We now know that we were the beneficiaries of thousands of Mass cards, novenas, candles and prayers in churches across Ireland, which consoled my family, and helped to ease the heavy sadness and worry which had descended on our home. I have since become aware of the many thousands of people who just prayed in their own special way and hoped for our safe return, and I am so grateful to them.

Hilda and I sought sanctuary in prayer during our 107 days in captivity. Prayer gave us the strength to cope with the despair and loneliness on the mountain. Prayer sustained us when virtually all hope was gone, and protected us from the crippling fear and deep sadness.

Every morning we prayed for the strength and courage to get through the hours. We and knew the God we shared would help reunite us safely with our families. After our first failed exit attempt, we said novenas to Saint Jude patron of hopeless cases and Saint Therese, "the little flower". We prayed to Saint Anthony, patron of lost items, that we would soon be found. Before settling in to sleep, we prayed that guardian angles would remain with us throughout the night and watch over us until daylight. We are both safe today - and I have no doubt in my mind that our combined prayers made a difference.

Out thoughts and prayers are now with Fr Michael Sinnott. And I will also remember the many people who took huge risks and showed so much courage, patience and determination to assist with my safe return. To them I will be eternally grateful.

Bless all our hopes for the future.
Thank you
Sharon Commins

Conversion - Fr Corapi

2009-11-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Centering Prayer

2009-11-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

Exorcism

2009-11-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

In recent years exorcism has come back into church parlance. I have met with some protestant church members who are very involved in deliverance ministry. Scott Peck writes of his experiences as an exorcist in "People of the Lie" and "Glimpses of the Devil"

Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea, in "Interview with an Exorcist" catalogues a dizzying array of strange phenomenon including clairvoyance, speaking unknown languages, superhuman strength and even levitation!

# What really goes on at an exorcism
# How recourse to voodoo, witchcraft and other esoteric practices is an open invitation to demonic spirits
# What demons look like
# Why no invocation of the Devil is left unanswered
# How demonic possession only affects the body whereas sin affects the soul
# Why possessions are on the rise today
# Why permission of a bishop is required for exorcism
# How to discern the difference between psychological problems and demonic influence
# What strange phenomena occur in cases of demonic possession
# How the power of exorcism is in the sacrament of the priesthood
# Why the enemies of Catholic Tradition attack exorcism

Check out exorcism at Catholic Company!

Charism

2009-11-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

Charism
A long-term habitual ability given by the Holy Spirit which enables a Christian to be an agent of God’s purposes in a way that is beyond his or hers normal capacity

Charism is different from a natural talent or ability
Charisms are not given at our physical birth and are not inheritated from our parents. They are given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Charisms cannot be used to achieve evil purposes but the exercise of the charism can be severly distorted by our personal sin. They have one purpose: to serve as a channel for the love and purposes of God.

Characteristics
Long-term
Supernatural – beyond our natural abilities
Focused outward towards other people
Received from Holy Spirit – not achieved

When we operate out of chrism

We will usually feel energised
We will feel as though we have found our place in life: “we fit”
We are fuitfull and effective without undue strain or struggle
We may experience a feeling of joyful satisfaction when using our charisms

Failing is part of Life

2009-10-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Prayer for Year of the Priest

2009-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Prayer of the Cure D'Ars

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.
I love You, O my infinitely lovable God,
and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally
My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You,
I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath

Mere Catholic

The core of Catholicism

2009-08-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have had a very specific challenge to my faith. Many others suffered this same challenge in many varying degrees.
At one stage in my life I had belonged to the Legion of Christ. On leaving, I worked for a year in Madrid, where I had a lot of contact with the founder, Marcial Maciel. My very specific challenge to my faith had to do with the revelations earlier in the year about the un-priestly conduct of the same Marcial Maciel. When I heard the news of his conduct a surge of anger filled me along with a sense of loss and disappointment. He had been our leader !
As I began to mull over things in my head I realised that this man, in spite of the fact that he had not complied himself, had set up a structure which went beyond himself and lead many of us to Christ. The fact that we had met Christ on the way will be enough to resolve this "crisis" in the personal life of each one of us. Will the Legion survive? If it's a work of God, it will. During my time in Rome I listened to the lives of the Popes being read out as we ate. The Church has survived the scandalous antics of many Popes, so too will the Legion

Pain

2009-08-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Many times as I sit in pain, I feel I should be able o fix it, to find a way to take away or lessen it.

I can easily facilitate the healing of others, but the same techniques applied by myself to myself don't create a result ! What must I do?

Actually, over many years of training in many alternative therapies, I began to believe that pain is useless. However I could not quite equate this with Jesus crucified. Pain has great worth in the Christian life, pain can have value. The field of pain is the greatest test of my fidelity !

Past History

2009-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the Ireland of the 50s and 60s. At that time being a catholic was a done deed. From cradle to death, the catholic church was totally involved, it was natural... , we belonged to the "island of Saints and scholars" and we were proud of the fact. As a nation we continued to send men and women to the missions. We had a proud history of fighting for the faith. I remember stories of priests and faithful putting their lives at risk as they attended a banned mass at a "mass rock". At home we never had to fight for the faith - other than in our minds. Little did we know that it was all about to change!

Ireland today, as much of Europe, has a strong anti-catholic vibe. I recently heard a missioner, who had returned to Ireland to retire, tell the story of how he mentioned to an old colleague that he was going to go into Dublin city centre on the bus. The colleague immediately warned him to travel without his clerical collar as he might be attacked or verbally abused. Fr. Bernard Groeschel says that Ireland is the only country where he has been abused for being a priest.

There is a revolution happening, slowly but very surely. The Holy Spirit is deep at work here. Those living here have now become the missioners, proud to rise to the challenges of followers of Christ.

Just a Mere Catholic

2009-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

In the world of today, I find it challenging to live as a Catholic. So I've started this blog with the idea of exploring my beliefs, calling it mere catholic.