Catholics in Brooklyn Diocese Express Support for Bishop DiMarzio

By Tim Harfmann

Father Junhee Lee was one of many priests across the Brooklyn Diocese who read a letter from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio during Mass this past weekend.

At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, parishioners reacted to the news that Bishop DiMarzio is being accused of sexual abuse against an altar boy when he was a priest in New Jersey in the 1970s.

“If he’s proven guilty, then he will face the music,” said parishioner Laura Caccavale

“It is true? I find it so far fetched,” said Vincent Patuto.

The Bishop of Brooklyn is strongly refuting that allegation from nearly half a century ago.

“I am just learning of this allegation,” Bishop DiMarzio said in a statement. “In my nearly 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never engaged in unlawful or inappropriate behavior and I categorically deny this allegation. I am confident I will be fully vindicated.”

The Associated Press reported the story on Nov. 13, alleging Bishop DiMarzio and a second priest, now dead, repeatedly abused Mark Matzek as a child at St. Nicholas Church in Jersey City.

According to that report, a lawsuit may be filed next month.

Deacon Phil Franco was abused as a child himself and said Bishop DiMarzio has been at the forefront of listening to victims and protecting children of any further abuse.

“I confidentially could stand here as a survivor who both condemns abuse, but at the same time is very willing to stand up for this man, who I believe is innocent,” said Deacon Franco.

The accusation comes on the heels of Bishop DiMarzio completing his Vatican-appointed examination into the Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, for allegations that Bishop Malone failed to report abusive priests.

Bishop DiMarzio was in Rome last week, about to present his report on the fact-finding mission to the pope, when the abuse allegation from the law offices of Mitchell Garabedian came out.

“I would dare to say that anybody who has been chosen to do something like that, it takes a great deal of trust on the part of the Holy Father,” said Father Anthony Sansone, pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Ridgewood, Queens.

He and parishioners were shocked to hear the news.

“We support our bishop. He’s a good man. He’s been working years, tirelessly,” said church parishioner Henry Macchiaroli.

Deacon Franco said false allegations could be damaging to a man who has devoted so much of his ministry to fighting sex abuse.

“It’s extremely unfair to the priests, who in these cases of false accusations are innocent; and it’s unfair to those who are legitimate victims,” he explained.

Bishop DiMarzio’s letter to parishioners was posted on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Facebook page, where similar support can be seen.

Bishop DiMarzio is vowing to vigorously defend himself against what he’s calling “false allegations.”

Read Bishop DiMarzio’s Letter to the Faithful here.

On World Day of the Poor, Pope Shares Meal With Those in Need

By Melissa Butz

After Mass for the third World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis sat at the table with all those he invited.

It is for another year that he wanted to add this day in the calendar of Church celebrations. To do so, the Holy Father shared a table with the homeless, migrants and those who are marginalized.

He greeted his guests of honor affectionately. Then he blessed the table.

“Good morning to all. I welcome you. Thank you for being here,” said Pope Francis. “May the Lord bless you all. May God bless us all in this gathering of friends, during this lunch, and among your families. May the Lord bless everyone. Thank you. Enjoy your lunch.”

Pope Francis offered diners lasagna, chicken with mushroom sauce, fruit and coffee. It was a simple lunch — a small gesture that will not change the world. But perhaps the event can change the world of one abandoned person on the peripheries of society.

Currents News for Friday, November 15, 2019

On the newscast: The TV battle over impeachment heats up today when President Trump fired off a tweet against a witness as she was testifying; The President is turning to the Supreme Court for help as he fights to keep his taxes secret; Eating in the mass transit system gets a man busted. The video has gone viral; Bishop DiMarzio has an update on shutting down the city’s most notorious prison… and reaction to the move.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Following the Faith, Singer Serves Others Through Music

Currents News Staff

Inspired during a spiritual retreat, Colombian singer-songwriter Cristina Quintero realized her life mission: to use her musical talent to serve others.

Despite initial fear and insecurity, she decided to follow what she considers “God’s dreams” for her life.

“I felt something in my heart telling me, ‘You can’t do it.’ It was like my mind was saying what I was doing was silly, impossible, too difficult. I felt Jesus answering, ‘Yes you can,’ and I would say ‘No I can’t.’ Then Jesus would say ‘Yes you can. You can because I will help you,” Cristina said.

She has recorded her first album, and many of her videos have gathered thousands of views on YouTube. She wants her songs to bring people closer to the faith, going beyond the initial emotion that music evokes.

“Our objective as Catholic singers is not simply to entertain with a song. The idea is for the message to transcend and reach the heart, to not only affect the emotions, but to truly move the will to something, in this case to love God,” she explained.

For Cristina, it is incredible what God can do through music. She recalled a girl who wrote to her saying she almost committed suicide, but then changed her mind after watching her sing.

“God touched her heart and she abandoned the horrible idea to take her own life. She told me to keep making music and to not stop uploading videos. It was like a confirmation of God’s call to me to make music,” Cristina said.

Two months ago she released a new version of her song “Cuanto Vale” with Costa Rican singer Luis Mauricio Vargas. The song talks about the need to above all, feel loved by God.

Former Ambassador to Ukraine Testifies as Impeachment Hearings Continue

Currents News Staff

Just last month, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified before House lawmakers behind closed doors.

During her nearly ten hour deposition, she told lawmakers that President Trump wanted her out of her job over what she called, “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.”

Nov. 15 she faces lawmakers and the cameras in a public hearing which comes on the heels of testimony from Bill Taylor – the top U.S. diplomat in the Ukraine – and George Kent, who oversees U.S. policy in the Ukraine for the State Department.

Their testimony shed more light on the president’s direct involvement in the push to get the Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

“A member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone asking Ambassador Sondland about the investigations. Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.”

But republicans seem more focused on who they won’t be able to question.

“They won’t bring in front of us, they won’t bring in front of the American people, that’s the guy who started it all. The whistleblower,” said Republican Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio.

On Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi fired back, saying, “the president’s own appointee describing bribery, and threatening in the course of it, threatening the identity of the whistleblower is just shameful behavior.”

California High School in Mourning After Mass Shooting

Currents News Staff

Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California is the latest to feel the shock from being the site of a mass school shooting.

The shooting suspect – a student at the high school – carried out the deadly attack Nov. 15 on his sixteenth birthday. In a matter of seconds, lives in the town 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles were forever changed.

“He was just standing in the middle of the quad really not saying or doing anything. He had a backpack on. At one point he took off the backpack, he retrieved a .45 semi auto pistol,” said Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“He shot one round, fired at one student, injured that student. and then appeared to clear some sort of jam in the weapon and then fired an additional four rounds at four other students before turning the gun on himself. That ended it all in 16 seconds,” he said.

“I’ve known him his whole life. I remember holding him as a baby. I kinda looked at him as a younger brother,” said Jared Axen, the suspect’s neighbor.

As the suspect lies in grave condition at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, everyone is wondering: Why?

“At this time, we have no reason to believe that the subject is acting on behalf of any other group or any ideology,” said Paul Delacourt of the FBI.

The Los Angeles county sheriff says the suspect’s father died of natural causes two years ago. His mother and his girlfriend were interviewed by detectives.

Currents News for Thursday, November 14, 2019

On the newscast: It’s happened again… a deadly school shooting. This time at a California high school. A suspect’s in custody. He’s sixteen; A big controversy over Google getting its hands of medical records for millions of Americans. An expert will join us; The Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury are planning a mission of peace together to a war-ravaged nation; The puppy with something special on his head.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Investigation Underway Following Deadly Shooting at California High School

Currents News Staff

Just after 7:30 a.m. local time, students at Saugus High School in southern California were forced to run or hide, faced with the sound that no student wants to hear.

“We heard the one shot and then four after, and we just started running. And all I heard was all these kids running and just screaming and calling their parents,” said Riley, a student at the high school.

“It was bang and then bang, bang, bang,” said Emily Saugus, another student.

Some were unable to escape.

“Within two minutes, at 7:40 a/m., our first units arrived on scene and encountered in the quad area of the school, multiple victims,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

Officials have confirmed that two students died after being treated, others remained at the hospital.

The shooter is also among the injured.

“Detectives have reviewed the video at the scene which clearly shows the subject in the quad withdraw a handgun from his backpack, shoot and wound five people, and then shoot himself in the head,” said Los Angeles County Police Captain Kent Wegener

Authorities are continuing their investigation and combing though social media in an attempt to figure out how and why.

“We will run all the leads to ground but at this point we don’t have any indication of motivation or ideology,” said FBI Special Agent Paul Delacourt.

Google Joins With Health Care Providers in Data Sharing Deal

Currents News Staff

There’s controversy swirling over a new deal by Google that will allow the tech giant to get it hands on the medical records of millions of Americans.

The deal involves Ascension, a Catholic health care provider that wants to consolidate the data in one place: on Google cloud.

Neither patients nor doctors have been formally notified of the Google arrangement, and the federal government has reportedly launched an investigation into the patient data deal..

The move raises a lot of questions, and John Brehany of the National Catholic Bioethics Center joins Currents News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with some answers.

Local Artist Hopes to Create New NYC Statue Honoring Mother Cabrini

By Emily Drooby

Local artist Scott LoBaido, who dreams of a full-sized version of a Mother Cabrini sculpture one day gracing the streets of New York City, was inspired to create one himself on a smaller scale because his family was touched by the saint.

“My grandmother used to take us on the ferry through a train up to Washington Heights to see the Cabrini shrine every year,” he recalled.

His mother told him the wonderful story behind those trips.

“The story is, ‘Your great grandmother was in the tenements. She had consumption. She had a knock at the door going around the tenements.’ Mother Cabrini prayed over my great-grandmother, and she claimed that she cured her,” he explained.

Mother Cabrini then became like the family’s patron saint. When a city-run statue contest snubbed her, Scott knew he had to join other New Yorkers and do something.

“She won hands down and the mayor and his wife said no, and that hurts,” he said.

While some marched behind Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s leadership and spoke out, Scott decided to use his art, building a sample sculpture depicting Mother Cabrini shielding a child with a cloak.

As the first U.S. citizen to be canonized, she’s known for her work with both immigrants and orphans.

Scott placed the model on display in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the saint’s Feast Day, November 13.

Peggy Padovano is one New Yorker who knows Scott’s work well, and braved the cold for a look.

“This statue is amazing, and when I saw the child underneath it hit me right here. And that’s what it should do: hit you right here. You shouldn’t have to think about what the statue is built, you should feel why the statue is built.”

Scott says he will submit the sculpture to the Mother Cabrini statue commission created by Governor Andrew Cuomo, but he’s also looking into private funding.

“Why not have one up right away,” he asked.“I and I know there’s a lot of private organizations out there that are interested in getting something done quicker.”