Currents News Staff
Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn have been celebrating all week.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, it was Career Day at St. Mel’s Catholic Academy and on Wednesday, Feb. 10, we watched as students at St. Stanislaus Kostka tried to “Stump the Bishop” with their question and answer session.
Monsignor David Cassato, Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, joined Currents News to discuss the benefits of a Catholic education.
Currents News Staff
House impeachment managers finishing their arguments against former President Donald Trump.
“This was not a hidden crime,” said Rep. Diana Degette.
A day after showing chilling video of the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors on their final day explained why they believe Trump incited the insurrection.
We were invited by the President of the United States,” said Degette. “Their own statements before, during and after the attack made clear the attack was done for Donald Trump, at his instructions and to fulfill his wishes”
“He intended the events of January 6 to happen,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, “and when it did, he delighted in it.”
Lieu added, “President Trump’s lack of remorse and refusal to take accountability after the attack poses its own unique and continuing danger. I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years. I’m afraid he’s going to run again and lose, because he can do this again.”
Rep Jamie Raskin said, “President Trump declared his conduct totally appropriate.”
Despite the disturbing video evidence presented during the course of this trial, many Republicans remain unswayed and are expected to acquit the former president.
“The not guilty vote is growing,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump’s team will respond to the House’s case on Friday. His Defense Attorney, David Schoen had a response.
“The tragedy that happened here at the Capitol, lives lost, had nothing what-so-ever to do with President Trump,” Schoen said. “But they want you to believe that it did.”
By Jessica Easthope and The Tablet Staff
Readers of The Tablet website will soon be able to improve their user experience by signing up for a free log-in. Their new profile will unlock special features, articles, content, and a vast archive.
“We’re excited about bringing this to The Tablet’s readers,” said Vito Formica, executive director of news content and development at DeSales Media Group, the parent company of The Tablet.
“The Tablet has a 113-year-old legacy of being a trusted source of news from the Catholic perspective, and this update will allow its readers to get more of what they like to read about,” he added.
Logged-in users will be able to see all diocesan, New York, national and international news, review and rate articles, save articles to their profile for reading at a later date, keep track of their comments, and select their favorite categories, according to Dustin Etheridge, manager of digital content production.
“The more users read, like, rate and save articles, the more tailored their user experience becomes. It’s a great addition to what we can offer our readers,” Etheridge added.
Starting on Feb. 15, visitors to the site will be prompted to sign up with their email address. After a quick verification, they can begin to create their profile. Readers who choose not to sign up will still have access to certain content, but not full access.
DeSales Media Group, is always searching for new and innovative ways to improve communication with its audience. This is one of the important steps in making that happen, according to Len Camporeale, director of marketing and digital operations at DeSales.
“The Tablet produces so much content in a broad interest. What we’re trying to do is help the readers find the most valuable information, quickly,” he said.
While the digital operation is one of several platforms used to disseminate news, DeSales Media also produces the nightly TV news program Currents News, the Spanish-language newspaper Nuestra Voz, and the print version of The Tablet, which is supported by reader subscriptions.
The printed paper offers readers a unique experience, one that cannot be found online. Formica said people enjoy the layout, artwork, graphics, and all of the additional content that cannot be found on the website.
“We are proud to continue to offer print to our readers and advertisers. While the content online remains free, the paid subscriptions and support by all our readers are the key to allowing the team to continue this important work in Catholic journalism,” he said.
The impeachment trial continues as a divided Senate debates the case against former President Trump.
COVID cases are dropping as vaccination sites are opening up, but doses aren’t meeting the demand, especially in New York City.
Catholic Schools Week is in full swing and kids are trying to stump the Bishop – we’ll explain.
Currents News Staff
“Stop the steal” — the chant frequently heard in the impeachment trial against former president Donald Trump.
House impeachment managers are arguing that Trump engaged in a months-long campaign to falsely convince his supporters the election was stolen, incited the attack on the Capitol and violently disrupted the peaceful transfer of power.
The case against him now proceeds in the impeachment court of the Senate
“Donald Trump surrendered his role as commander in chief and became the inciter in chief of a dangerous insurrection,” said Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, lead impeachment manager.
House managers, acting as prosecutors used then-president Trump’s own words both before the election and after, along with footage from the attack on the Capitol as evidence Trump committed an impeachable offense, inciting an insurrection
“He told them to fight like hell, and they brought us hell that day,” said Raskin.
“He alone, our commander in chief, had the power to stop it. And he didn’t,” said Democratic Representative Joe Neguse, impeachment manager.
Senators, serving as jurors, were forced to relive the siege when many hid in fear for their lives.
“The harm was real. The damage was real,” said Neguse.
Former president Trump’s defense team will make their case later this week.
But, it’s likely Trump will be acquitted, especially since only six Republicans voted to support the constitutionality of the case — far short of the 17 GOP senators Democrats need to convict the former president.
“I think that pretty well fixes in place what you might see as the eventual outcome,” said Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana.
By Emily Drooby and Erin DeGregorio
WINDSOR TERRACE — One of the most terrifying moments teacher Emily Espinal and her family ever experienced was a fire that spread from a next-door neighbor’s attic to their home last month.
A few days into 2021, the bedroom of Espinal’s 6-year-old daughter Mia — filled with newly opened Christmas presents on the second floor — was extensively damaged in the middle of the night. Espinal and her family made it out of their house, unharmed, on Jan. 3.
“When I got upstairs, I noticed the blinds on her windows were melting already,” Espinal recalled. “While I was grabbing Mia and her shoes, I guess the first responders had gotten there, and they started extinguishing next door. The pressure from the water, along with the fire, exploded her window.”
When Karla Rosero, the class parent for Espinal’s third-grade class at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy, heard from Espinal what had happened, she wanted to help.
“Once I got more details, I reached out to Mrs. Germann [SJTWCA principal] about creating a [school-wide] fundraiser,” Rosero said, noting Espinal had already made a public Amazon Wish List on Jan. 5. “It was like a part of our mission, as Christians, to help each other. I think it was just natural for the community to come together.”
Families purchased and replaced all the gifts Mia had lost and donated additional funds to Espinal’s personal Venmo account. Emma Graves, whose son is also in Espinal’s class, donated toys from her business, Brooklyn Herborium, for Mia and her 3-year-old brother Eli.
“We know how much she’s able to have a positive influence on our kids and our families,” Graves said of Espinal. “So, for us to be able to return that and give her that same kind affection and appreciation was really awesome.”
Upon returning to school later that week, Espinal was shocked to find multiple gifts waiting for her. “I remember coming in Thursday [Jan. 7], and I couldn’t even walk through the door of the office because there were bags and bags. And the parents didn’t just send things for my daughter. They sent for my son, also, because we weren’t able to go upstairs for a very long time.”
Since the fire, Espinal and her family have been living on their duplex apartment’s bottom floors. She said it took about three weeks to remove all the glass shards and dispose of Mia’s water-damaged mattress, smokey-smelling clothes, and other ruined material items. The damage, she estimates, cost at least $10,000. Espinal also noted that Mia has been seeing her school therapist once a week.
Because Mia was having a tough time sleeping afterward, Espinal reached out to two parents in her class, Megan and Joseph Heegan. Joseph, a lieutenant at Engine 284-Ladder 149 in Dyker Heights, invited Espinal and her children to visit his firehouse for a special tour on Jan. 9. He explained to the kids how the firehouse runs and how fast he and the other firefighters answer incoming emergency calls. He also reviewed with them how to dial 911 and other general fire safety rules.
“It’s a very traumatic event for any person — and, for a child, I think even more so — to figure out how to deal with it. I think a lot of the fear is that it may happen again, and it’s tough to get over that initial fear,” Heegan said. “Part of bringing them to the firehouse and letting them see how we respond … I think put them a little bit at ease in just knowing that we’re only a phone call away.”
Later that evening, Heegan received a message from Espinal that said it was one of the first times Mia slept through the night. “He explained to her why it’s never OK to go back in the house when there’s a fire,” Espinal added. “He told her, ‘All of that can be replaced, but you can’t.’ And I think that really stuck with her.”
Since this is her first year teaching at the Windsor Terrace school, Espinal said she feels indebted to the families who have shown their support.
“I sent out a notification to all parents, thanking them, and I told them, ‘During my daughter’s darkest times, this community held out a lantern for her,’” she said. “I can never repay them.”
Espinal added, “I’m just so grateful to be a part of this community. The way they took me in when I felt like I was at my lowest, it was just so beautiful.”
By Jessica Easthope
It’s a shameful and lasting legacy decades in the making: the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, one of the most prominent but certainly not the only example of unethical studies on people of color.
“Historically, they have been vulnerable and taken advantage of in research and science,” said Harlem Gunness, the Director of Public Health at St. John’s University.
In 1932, hundreds of black men with latent syphilis were lied to, lured into an ongoing government-led study with the promise of free health care. Instead they were used and abused by medical professionals, never told about their diagnosis or treated — even after medicines had been discovered.
So is it any wonder that today, in the midst of a global health crisis, there’s a lack of trust that’s proving deadly?
Black Americans are dying at nearly three times the rate as their white counterparts and getting infected at three times the rate – but only 38% of black adults are likely to want the vaccine compared to nearly half of all American adults.
For the last year, Harlem Gunness has been studying the effects of the pandemic on communities of color.
“Throughout history we’re also seeing similarities with the disparities of the infection, and we’re also seeing similarities with the disparities in its perception. So history is repeating itself all over again,” said Harlem.
That history has led to misconceptions and mistrust. It’s known as “the Tuskegee Effect.”
“The vaccine has a microchip where they can track you, the vaccine was made to get rid of our people — these are some of the misconceptions they have,” Harlem told Currents News.
This time around government officials are determined to not let that happen again.
“We just injected over 900,000 people. If you go to the city and state and say. ‘How many of them are Black and brown? How many of them are New Yorkers?’ We have it but it’s on a hard form, that’s unacceptable,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
One way to combat those notions is with facts and information, which is why Eric joined city leaders in demanding a digital database that shows the disparities in vaccine access and distribution be created.
“We should have been on the ground, using credible messengers, faith-based institutions, leaders in the communities and saying. ‘How should we be communicating to this constituency about their reluctance to take the vaccine,” he said.
At St. Martin de Porres parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, pastor Father Alonzo Cox is in a unique position of influence.
“I think if the vaccination is going to help slow the spread or even stop the spread of this virus, I think that would be the best interest for this parish community and for all of us as brothers and sisters are to be able to make sure that we are safe and that we’re healthy,” Father Cox said.
But the sins of the past still linger in the minds of many. At St. Matthew’s Parish in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, pastor Father Frank Black says his own skepticism is preventing him from telling his parishioners outright they need the vaccine.
“I can’t tell them to get it because I’m not sure if it’s safe. All I can say is I’m going to take the chance and get it when I can, and you know what? I invite everybody else to take that chance too,” Father Black said.
This Black History Month, the painful lessons of the past are shedding light on why communities of color are hesitant to accept the vaccine, proving that righting wrongs like the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment are still very much part of this community’s future.
By Jessica Easthope
At St. Mel’s Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens, students celebrated career day as part of Catholic Schools Week. By the display of doctors, police officers and astronauts, it’s clear they have high hopes and at this age the future of their school key.
“Our faith is based on renewal and rebirth and that’s what we focused on this coming year, and that’s been our driving force,” said Principal Amy Barron.
Principal Barron has had a rollercoaster of a year. At the end of her first as principal of St. Mel’s, she was told the school and five others in the Diocese of Brooklyn would be closing. But then, the school was given a second chance to reimagine itself as an early childhood center for students in nursery school through third grade.
“When our parents and our teachers and our students work together our students are succeeding, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” she told Currents News.
This year St. Mel’s even gave its students new tools to succeed, like a playground and a piano lab. They’re features the administration hopes will attract more families.
It’s “a new beginning here that we don’t take for granted and that we know that we have to — like any growth — preserve and protect it and not go too fast, but trust in God first and foremost,” said Father Joseph Fonti, the pastor of St. Mel’s Parish.
The school is hoping to tack on a new grade at the end of every year, but the ultimate dream, though slow-going, is powerful.
“The dream is for our current third grade students in five years, my ultimate dream is to hand them their 8th grade diploma from St Mel’s Catholic Academy,” said Principal Barron.
That’s good news for parents like Josephine Del Greco, who feared the worst this past summer.
“I got the news and it felt like a family member had died,” she explained. “This is home away from home for our kids and our family, so it was devastating to find out the school would be closing.
Josephine practices pediatric emergency medicine, and her daughter dressed up like a doctor for career day. Now Josephine is thrilled to have her daughter and her faith back in St Mel’s.
“It brings us back to Easter,” she said. “It’s almost as if the scripture is coming to life. We were reborn into an early childhood center, and we’re going to rebuild from that.”
When it comes to rebirth and renewal, there’s no better example than St. Mel’s. It’s a second chance they’re not taking for granted.
By John L. Allen Jr. and Currents News Staff
ROME (Crux) – In what’s being hailed as a demonstration that Pope Francis is in earnest about empowering women within ecclesiastical structures, on Feb. 5, for the first time ever, the pontiff named a woman as the Promoter of Justice for the Appeals Court of the Vatican City State.
In effect, the Promoter of Justice functions like a District Attorney in the United States, making the case for a criminal charge in front of the justices of the Vatican tribunal whenever a conviction comes up for appeal.
Pope Francis tapped Catia Summaria for the role, which runs for five years. Summaria, who hails from Bari in the southern Italian region of Puglia, previously served as a substitute Procurator General for the Appeals Court of Rome and has a long history of involvement in labor law issues. (That’s especially important, since one of the functions of the appeals court is to hear cases arising from the Vatican’s labor office.)
The move is consistent with new rules for the Vatican legal system decreed by Pope Francis last year, which gives preference to university professors and veteran jurists in appointing judges and magistrates, on the theory that they already have their own careers and incomes, meaning they’re not Vatican lifers, and thus ought to be more independent.
Pope Francis has also named Sister Nathalie Becquart as one of two under-secretaries for the Synod of Bishops, which is also a first, but it may well be that Summaria’s new role is the more challenging one.
It’s certainly not mere tokenism, as the Vatican’s criminal justice system is becoming progressively more significant in the Pope Francis era. Whether Summaria, who’ll turn 74 in March, ends up regarding it as an honor or a headache, however, remains to be seen.
Historically, the Vatican’s Court of Appeals was a fairly sleepy outfit, handling only a few cases a year and with most of its judges doing double duty on the Roman Rota, the Vatican’s main ecclesiastical court, the majority of whose work is processing annulment cases. St. John Paul II abolished the requirement that the president of the Court of Appeals also be the dean of the Rota, and that its judges also be Rota judges, in 1987.
In recent years, the Vatican’s criminal courts have become more active, including high-profile prosecutions for financial offenses. Immediately, Summaria will inherit an appeal filed by former Vatican bank president Angelo Caloia over his recent conviction in a fraud scheme involving selling bank properties at below-market rates and skimming the balance off the top.
Caloia is the most senior Vatican official ever to be convicted of a crime in a Vatican court, so his appeal and that of former Vatican bank lawyer Gabriele Liuzzo will be closely watched.
It’s also possible that, sooner or later, appeals of convictions arising from the controversial $200 million London land deal which, so far, has cost five Vatican employees their jobs and, indirectly, may have played a role in the downfall of Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, will end up in Summaria’s lap.
The Court of Appeals is likely to be even busier in light of a new law governing the awarding of Vatican contracts issued by Pope Francis last June, intended to centralize the procurement process and thereby achieve economies of scale, as well as to inject transparency and objectivity into the process. As part of that new system, the pontiff assigned responsibility for adjudicating disputes to the tribunal of the Vatican City State with the possibility of appeal to the Court of Appeals.
Given that there are hundreds of potential contractors out there who may be affected by the new system as it takes shape, the possibilities for disputes seem enormous and the resulting workload for the two courts may be correspondingly greater.
The most significant headache facing Summaria and her colleagues in the Vatican legal system, however, may be – indeed, almost certainly is – as much political as a matter a strict jurisprudence.
To date, all the high-profile Vatican criminal trials have featured either laity as the principal defendants – including Caloia and Liuzzo in the Vatican bank case; Giuseppe Profiti, former president of Bambino Gesù, the papally-sponsored pediatric hospital in Rome, accused of illicitly using funds to remodel the apartment of Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone; and Francesca Chaouqui, convicted in the original Vatileaks case – or minor clergy, such as Monsignor Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, also convicted as part of the Vatileaks investigation.
So far, no bishop has yet been indicted or convicted of any criminal offense, leading some to suspect a calculated design to offer up laity or low-ranking clergy as the fall guys while insulating more senior figures from culpability. The Profiti case is considered emblematic, in that direct beneficiary of the maneuver for which he was convicted, Bertone, wasn’t even called as a witness, let alone named in the indictment.
Yet virtually all the crimes for which these laity and junior clergy have been convicted had to be reviewed and approved by the higher-ups. In most systems, if a crime occurs on an executive’s watch, that executive is considered responsible, either by virtue of direct complicity or at least due to negligent oversight.
At some stage, if the reforms instituted by Pope Francis are to be deemed truly credible, there will have to be a prosecution of a senior figure in the ecclesiastical power structure. When and if that happens, it will be extraordinarily sensitive, placing massive pressure on the lawyers and judges involved to get it right.
To be sure, Summaria is hardly the first person to be appointed to a Vatican position which, in retrospect, ends up seeming an impossible gig, or at least one you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
She is, however, one of the few women ever given such an assignment, and perhaps that’s the ultimate sign of seriousness about women’s empowerment Pope Francis could deliver – offering a woman not simply the same rank and privileges as the men in the system, but the same potential frustration and heartache too.
By Emily Drooby
It was a big day for Adrian Gorcinski and his 91-year-old mother, Maria. After living in fear for almost a year, they got their second COVID-19 vaccinations.
They’re now inoculated, and they have Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ) to thank.
Through a partnership with The Floating Hospital, CCBQ has been vaccinating seniors from their residences and senior centers along with some caretakers, getting them highly sought-after appointments and transporting them there.
Seventy-seven people have gotten their first round. It’s a very important service, especially for the city’s older population.
“There’s so much anxiety out in the community and one of our biggest goals was working particularly with the most vulnerable in a population that we work with, seniors were on top of the list,” explained Richard Slizeski, the Senior Vice President for Mission for Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
According to the CDC, about 80 percent of COVID related deaths have been in people over the age of 65. That is why the shots these seniors are getting provide so much hope.
“It’s a game changer for people when you have the vaccine, it puts you in a different place,” Richard told Currents News.
“It’s pretty exciting,” explained Shani Andre, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for The Floating Hospital. “It’s great for staff, of course, when we started doing vaccinations to see that there is some relief on the horizon. But it’s even better to see patients coming back in, seeing that they’ve tolerated the vaccine pretty well, and just their excitement.”
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens plans to continue the partnership as long as vaccines are available. They have at least 40 more people scheduled for the week of February 7 – 13.