Supreme Court to Address Religious Freedom, Right to Life, Immigration

Currents News Staff

Among the cases on the docket for the Supreme Court this term are ones especially important to Catholics.

Saint John’s University’s political expert Brian Browne joins us to discuss the case that pro-live advocates are watching closely: a Louisiana law that regulates abortion being challenged.

This will mark the first abortion case before the Supreme Court since President Trump appointed two conservative justices.

Another case to be decided is whether Montana can exclude religious schools from a state scholarship program, one that could provide much needed assistance for parents who want to send their kids to religious classrooms.

On October 8, the Supreme Curt will hear arguments on whether federal law protects gay and transgender people.

And next month, the justices will consider the fate of the “dreamers,” nearly 800,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

Bridgeport Bishop Hopes Report on Abuse Brings Healing, Renewal

By Emily Drooby and Julie Asher

WASHINGTON (Catholic News Service) — Retired Connecticut Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg Oct. 1 released the results of a nearly yearlong independent investigation into the handling of abuse by the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The investigation covered the approximately 66 years from the establishment of the diocese to the present.

It found that “the existence of sexual abuse by certain priests of this diocese, particularly abuse of children, was known to the diocesan leadership at least as early as 1953. 281 individuals have been identified as having been abused during the diocese’s approximately 66-year history, nearly all when they were minors, by 71 priests.”

“The 71 priests constitute 4.7% of the approximately 1,500 priests who have served the diocese since 1953,” it said.

The report, titled “Clerical Sexual Abuse Accountability Report,” credits Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, who has headed the Bridgeport Diocese since 2013 — and who in October 2018 retained Holzberg and the law firm of Pullman and Comley to conduct this investigation — and his predecessor, then-Bishop William E. Lori, with reversing the diocese’s “approach to reporting abuse and disciplining abusers.”

Until their tenures, “the collective response of diocesan officials to the sexual abuse crisis was inadequate in nearly every way,” the almost 90-page report said.

In bold language, it scrutinizes the years the diocese was headed by Bishop Lawrence J. Shehan (1953-1961), who was the first bishop of Bridgeport and later was named archbishop of Baltimore and made a cardinal in 1965; Bishop Walter W. Curtis (1961-1988); and Bishop Edward M. Egan (1988-2000), who went on to be appointed the archbishop of New York and was named a cardinal in 2001. Cardinal Shehan died in 1984; Bishop Curtis died in 1997; Cardinal Egan died in 2015.

“The single gravest moral and legal lapse was the consistent practice of Bishops Lawrence Shehan, Walter Curtis and Edward Egan — over four decades — of leaving abusive priests in service, and thereby making it possible for them to continue committing abusive acts,” the report said.

“Until 1990, Bishops Curtis and Egan failed even to acknowledge, let alone comply with, their legal obligations arising from the 1971 state law mandating that priests report allegations of child sexual abuse to either law enforcement or the Department of Children and Families,” it continued.

“The diocese’s treatment of survivors during the Egan and Curtis administrations, coupled with its handling of accused priests, has deepened the wounds of the abused beyond the initial damage inflicted by the priests themselves,” said the report, which devotes several pages to the two prelates.

“Bishop Curtis and his staff ignored the pain of survivors and their families, and made no effort to assist them,” it said, adding: “Bishop Curtis prioritized the avoidance of scandal over the protection of people.”

Regarding Bishop Egan’s response, the report said it “was profoundly unsympathetic, inadequate and inflammatory.”

“He openly acknowledged to his staff, and signaled to the public through his behavior, that he believed his principal responsibility was to preserve the assets and reputation of the diocese rather than to work for the well-being of survivors and secure justice for them. His (was) indifference, if not outright hostility, to the suffering of victims,” it said.

The report does note Bishop Egan formulated the diocese’s “first written policy on sexual abuse, direct that training programs be implemented, and eventually take measures — on the eve of his appointment to the Archdiocese of New York — to resolve the protracted civil litigation he had previously escalated,” it said, but this did little to undo the damage.

The report pointed to many changes that took place in how the diocese addressed abuse under the leadership of Bishop Lori, who has been Baltimore’s archbishop since 2012, and Bishop Caggiano.

“Bishop Lori’s efforts in Bridgeport borrowed from his efforts, as a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to influence the emerging national campaign by Catholic bishops to address sexual abuse of minors, and vice versa,” the report said. “He participated in drafting the ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which United States bishops adopted in 2002 along with Essential Norms for Diocesan Policies and Sexual Abuse.”

Bishop Caggiano “has extended the policy reforms of the Lori administration while breaking new ground on survivor outreach and reconciliation,” it said. Since his installation, the bishop’s “touchstones for his actions” have been accountability, transparency, and protection of children, it added.

The two prelates have, the report said, “adopted and enforced policies requiring that all credible abuse allegations be reported to civil authorities, as well as ‘up the chain’ within the church itself. They have adopted ‘zero-tolerance’ policies for priests (and other diocesan personnel), committing to permanently and completely removing clergy from duty for any incident of sexual abuse. They have diligently used the procedures made available to them by the Holy See to dismiss the gravest offenders from the priesthood altogether.”

In addition, the two prelates “have established a new approach of outreach to, conciliation with and support of survivors and the faithful that has been positively received in much of the diocesan community,” it added.

However, the report acknowledged that many in the Bridgeport Diocese “remain extremely skeptical of healing efforts or have been permanently alienated from the church, a reflection of the extreme and insidious damage wrought not just by the abusers but also by the diocese’s own earlier, ineffective response.”

In an Oct. 1 letter to the faithful of the diocese, Bishop Caggiano said Holzberg and his investigative team had “unfettered access” to diocesan files; reviewed over 250,000 records and hundreds of thousands of individual documents; inspected parish offices, files and computers; and interviewed key participants.

“While this is a difficult day in the life of our church, I hope and pray that it is also an historic step toward closure and reconciliation for all those affected by the crisis, particularly the victims and their families who have suffered so much,” Bishop Caggiano wrote.

“The report explores a deep wound in the life of our church, one that has profoundly changed and challenged all of us. Yet there is reason for hope, because so much work has already been done to create awareness, to protect our children and prevent future abuse,” he added.

Bishop Caggiano reiterated his “profound and heartfelt apology to all who have suffered abuse at the hands of any cleric in our diocese” and apologized “to all those who have lost a sense of trust or feel betrayed by church leadership.”

He said his “personal commitment” is to do “whatever is humanly possible to eradicate this evil from our midst.”

He also pledged in the months ahead to “swiftly implement” recommendations included in Holzberg’s report.

Those recommendations fall into six broad categories: continued outreach to survivors; further review of certain previous credibility determinations about past allegations of abuse; standard procedures for investigating sexual abuse allegations against bishops; mandated reporting procedures; changes to the Safe Environments program mechanics; and better engagement and inclusion of the presbyterate in the effort to combat abuse, with further response to the morale damage among priests caused by abuse by their colleagues and the diocese’s past response to abuse.

“Having undertaken important initiatives so far, this administration still has much to do,” the report said.

In his letter, Bishop Caggiano said: “It is my sincere hope and prayer that, with the release of this historic report, we can come to terms with the sins of the past, move toward deeper reconciliation, continue to walk with our survivors on their journey of healing, and work together for the spiritual renewal of the diocese.”

“I ask for your prayers and support as we work together to renew our diocesan church,” he said.

The Tablet reported on the results of a similar investigation released by the Archdiocese of New York on Sept. 30, which stated that the archdiocese is fully compliant with the U.S. bishops’ policy of zero tolerance and that no priests or deacons in active ministry have had claims of abuse substantiated.

– –

Editor’s Note:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have been putting policies and procedures into place to address the clergy sex abuse in the church for years. Those policies are outlined in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, known as the Dallas Charter, that was established in 2002.

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s website has a special section where people can go to get all the information in one place.

Go to dioceseofbrooklyn.org and on the home page, click on “Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis Response.”

Supreme Court Begins New Term

Currents News Staff

October 7 marks the beginning of the Supreme Court’s new term.

The nine justices will face a blockbuster docket with the 2020 election campaign hovering in the background.

The highest court in the nation has a number of high-profile cases on hand this term, among them gun rights and LGBT rights, abortion and immigration. This comes as an impeachment investigation into President Trump takes place across the street in the Capitol Building.

All eyes will be on Chief Justice John Roberts, who has been trying to keep the court out of the political fray. It is expected that many of these cases will come down as the election gears up and political tensions continue to flare.

Dozens of protesters appeared outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s house October 6 — the anniversary of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation — calling for him to be removed.

“They are fearful that Bret Kavanaugh, who took the seat of Anthony Kennedy, is going to move the court to the right on some of those issues,” said Supreme Court reporter Ariane de Vogue.

Republican presidents have nominated five to the Supreme Court, including Justice Neil Gorsuch.

“Our job is just to make sure the law that you, that we, the people have enacted through our Constitution or through our democratic processes,” said Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. “Everyone gets the benefit of that law.”

The remaining four were nominated by Democratic presidents, including justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Other topics to be addressed this term include religious liberty and, possibly, the legality of ObamaCare.

Chair of Pope’s Amazon Summit Puts Married Priests, Women Squarely on the Table

By John L. Allen

ROME – (Crux) Not wasting any time, the chairman of Pope Francis’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon kicked things off October 7 by putting the hotly contested issues of married priests and the role of woman squarely on the assembly’s table.

“Another issue consists in the lack of priests at the service of local communities in the area, with a consequent lack of the Eucharist, at least on Sundays, as well as other sacraments,” said Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the relator, or chair, of the Oct. 6-27 gathering.

“This means pastoral care made up of sporadic visits instead of adequate daily pastoral care,” Cardinal Hummes said.

While Americans and Europeans often complain of priest shortages, church statistics suggest there’s one priest for every 1,300 baptized Catholics in both regions. In Latin America overall that ratio is 1 priest to 7,800 Catholics, and in some parts of the Amazon it can soar to 1-15,000 and higher.

“Participation in the celebration of the Eucharist, at least on Sundays, is essential for the full and progressive development of Christian communities and a true experience of the Word of God in people’s lives,” Cardinal Hummes said. “It will be necessary to define new paths for the future.”

Cardinal Hummes then got concrete about what those “new paths” might be.

“During the consultation stages, local communities, missionaries and indigenous persons, faced with the urgent need experienced by most of the Catholic communities in Amazonia, requested that the path be opened for the ordination of married men resident in their communities, albeit confirming the great importance of the charisma of celibacy in the Church,” he said.

Cardinal Hummes then indicated the reflection won’t stop at married men.

“Faced with a great number of women who nowadays lead communities in Amazonia, there is a request that this service be acknowledged and there be an attempt to consolidate it with a suitable ministry for the women who lives in these communities,” he said, without specifying what that “suitable ministry” might be.

The reference to women drew applause in the synod hall.

In 2016, Pope Francis established a commission to examine the possibility of women becoming deacons. That commission presented a report without apparently reaching consensus, and in May the Holy said, “I am not afraid of studying, but up to this moment it does not proceed.”

In the run-up to the Synod on the Amazon, the question of married priests – the so-called viri probati – has been among its most debated points. Critics see such proposals as a Trojan horse that could lead to the abolition of clerical celibacy everywhere, while advocates tend to style it as a realistic response to the pastoral exigencies of the region.

In a 2017 interview, Pope Francis said he’s open to the idea of ordaining viri probati to serve isolated rural communities, and has also mentioned their possible use not only in the Amazon but also on Pacific islands.

Drawing applause from the synod hall, Cardinal Hummes began by announcing he would speak in Portuguese, the language of Brazil. In broad terms, he urged participants in the Amazon Synod not to be bogged down by “traditionalism.”

“Traditionalism, which remains linked to the past, is one thing, but true tradition, which is the Church’s living history, is something else,” he said, arguing that each generation in the Church “enriches this tradition in current times with their own experience and understanding of faith in Jesus Christ.”

“God always brings newness, and demands our complete trust,” he said, quoting a homily of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Hummes also called on the Synod to issue a strong defense of the roughly 400 native and indigenous communities of the Amazon.

“It is necessary that the right to be the leading players in their own history be returned and guaranteed to indigenous populations, as the subjects and not objects of the spirit or the victims of anyone’s colonialism,” he said.

In keeping with the “green” ethos of the synod, Cardinal Hummes urged a strong ecological stance.

“Ours is a Church that is aware that its religious mission, in keeping with its faith in Jesus Christ, inevitably includes ‘care of the common home’,” he said. “This bond also proves that the cries of the land and those of the poor in this region are one and the same.”

“This synod is held within the context of a serious and urgent climatic and ecological crisis, which involves our entire planet,” Cardinal Hummes said. “The planet is experiencing galloping devastation, depredation and degradation of earth’s resources, all fostered by a globalized, predatory and devastating technocratic paradigm.”

“The earth cannot take this anymore,” Cardinal Hummes said.

The Brazilian cardinal, who was seated next to Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina during the 2013 conclave and suggested that he take the name “Francis,” listed several specific threats facing the Amazon today with which he suggested the Synod will have to reckon:

Criminalization and assassination of leaders and defenders of the territory.
Appropriation and privatization of natural goods such as water itself.
Both legal logging concessions and illegal logging.
Predatory hunting and fishing, mainly in rivers.
Mega-projects, such as hydroelectric and forest concessions, logging for monoculture production, construction of roads and railways, or mining and oil projects.
Pollution caused by the entire extractive industry that causes problems and diseases, especially among children and young people.
Drug trafficking.
Resulting social problems associated with these threats such as alcoholism, violence against women, sex work, human trafficking, loss of original culture and identity, and conditions of poverty.

In light of all that, Cardinal Hummes finished by ticking off several “core issues” for the meeting.

An outgoing Church and its new pathways in Amazonia.
The Church’s Amazonian face: Inculturation and inter-culturality in a missionary-ecclesial context.
Ministries in the Church in Amazonia: Presbyterate, diaconate, ministries and the role played by women.
The work done by the Church in looking after our “shared home”; listening to the earth and to the poor; integral environmental, economic, social and cultural ecology.
The Amazonian Church in the urban reality.
Issues concerning water.
Others.

Prior to Cardinal Hummes, Italian Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary of the Synod of Bishops provided a lengthy overview of the meeting’s history and procedures. Cardinal Baldisseri said the ultimate purpose of the gathering is to focus on “this garden of immense wealth and natural resources, the motherland of indigenous peoples with an unmistakable history and face, and a territory that’s threatened by the runaway ambition of human beings rather than being taken care of.”

As Cardinal Baldisseri presented it, the synod will alternate between general sessions in which participants can speak to the entire assembly and smaller working groups organized by language that allow for freer discussion. The first meeting of those small groups is scheduled for Wednesday.

In a nod to the 21^st century, Cardinal Baldisseri also told participants that while they’re free to give interviews and discuss the synod publicly during their free time, he’d ask them not to take to social media to share impressions during the actual working sessions.

Pope Asks Bishops to Embrace Openness, ‘Fire’ of the Holy Spirit at Amazon Synod

By Melissa Butz

The beginning of the long-awaited Synod on the Amazon occurred at the Vatican in a very symbolic place.

Right above St. Peter’s tomb, nets, canoes and faces of Amazonian martyrs were present at the prayer which opened the meeting on the Amazon on October 7. All participants then processed to the synod hall, where Pope Francis opened the session. He recalled the Synod’s purpose and addressed its controversial working document.

“The Instrumentum Laboris, as you know is a ‘martyr-text,’ destined to be destroyed. From there, it is like a starting point for what the Spirit is going to do in us,” Pope Francis said.

He asked for respect for indigenous traditions, and mentioned his disappointment from the Synod opening Mass the day before. Someone had commented sarcastically on the headdress of one of the indigenous people who had brought up the offertory gifts.

He asked, “Tell me, what is the difference between wearing feathers on one’s head and the tricorn biretta used by some officers of our dicasteries?”

A bird’s-eye view of the opening Mass revealed these differences in traditions.

At one moment, Pope Francis asked both bishops and indigenous leaders for fire. He was not referring to the fires that destroyed the Amazon this past summer, but that from the Holy Spirit.

“May the Spirit, who makes all things new, give us his own daring prudence; may he inspire our Synod to renew the paths of the Church in Amazon, so that the fire of mission will continue to burn,” Pope Francis said.

This prayer will continue throughout the entire month, as bishops have been encouraged to open their minds to new ideas and pathways that could emerge from the Synod.

Two of the main controversial ideas included in the Synod are the role of women and religious sisters in the Amazon and that of ordaining married men as priests, so they could bring the sacraments to areas without any clergy.

Catholics Honor Mother Cabrini Amid Controversy

By Tim Harfmann

Catholics arrived at Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn by the bus loads, rallying behind Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini amid controversy.

Mother Cabrini was snubbed by the city after she received the most votes in an online poll.

“I think it’s a disgrace that a person so great is not being recognized. She did so much!” said Maria, at parishioner at St. Mel’s Church in Flushing, Queens. She traveled with a group from her parish for the procession and Mass.

Catholics are outraged after the city’s first lady Chirlane McCray ignored the results of her ‘She Built NYC’ campaign, a plan to erect statues honoring exceptional women who built the Big Apple.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio led about a thousand Catholics during the October 6 procession, and the bishop had a strong message for the city.

“They should reconsider since Mother Cabrini received many votes, more votes than anybody else, and they asked for input. Why ignore it?” he said.

Nearly 350 women were nominated.

Mother Cabrini overwhelming received the top-spot with 219 votes.

“She was a woman of courage and bucked a lot of systems to do what she had to do,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “We think that she certainly deserves to have a statue here. If we’re doing other women, we should have her, too.”

Mother Cabrini is the patroness of immigrants and arrived in New York from Italy in 1889.

She opened schools, a hospital, orphanages, and other social service programs throughout the United States.

In Brooklyn, Mother Cabrini founded the now-shuttered school at Sacred Hearts-Saint Stephen Church, the first Italian-Catholic parish in the diocese.

John Heyer is the archivist there and said the twentieth-century saint made significant contributions across the country.

“She constantly moved. She’s a perfect symbol for the new evangelization for going out, doing things, bringing our faith, bringing Christ and His love out into the public arena and to people who need it. That’s really why we’re here today.”

Catholics processed to the Brooklyn church from nearby Mother Cabrini Park.

“To be able to actually walk in the footsteps where she ministered is really exciting,” said Joanne Fusaro, a parishioner at Saint Frances Cabrini Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

“We’ve had crowds, but we’ve never had a crowd like this. And it really shows what it means to people, that whole symbolism of Mother Cabrini and the Church,” said Monsignor David Cassato, the coordinator of the Italian Apostolate in the Brooklyn diocese.

Following the procession, Bishop DiMarzio celebrated Mass in Italian and English.

Only five of the current 150 city-erected statues are dedicated to women.

Bishop DiMarzio is spearheading a campaign to put up a statue of Mother Cabrini in Brooklyn

Currents News for Friday, October 6, 2019

On the newscast: Protecting the rights of the unborn. The Supreme Court agrees to take on a Louisiana abortion case; A city in mourning says goodbye to an NYPD hero who is laid to rest; A unique ceremony takes place in the Vatican Gardens just ahead of the Amazon Synod; And missionaries from Maryland hit the streets of Brooklyn to spread God’s message of love.

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.

Supreme Court to Hear Louisiana Abortion Case

By Emily Drooby

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will now consider a Louisiana law that requires any doctor performing an abortion to also have admitting rights at a nearby hospital, which the state says is needed to provide a higher-level doctor if necessary.

Critics of the law say it would restrict access to abortion, and the plantiff claims it would shut down two of the state’s three abortion clinics.

In 2016 a nearly identical case in Texas was struck down when Justice Anthony Kennedy sided with the liberal justices.

The high court has changed since that decision was made, making this abortion case the first to be argued since Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch joined the bench, solidifying a conservative majority on the court.

While the Louisiana case doesn’t directly challenge Roe v. Wade, it is an inspiring hope among pro-life advocates.

Christian Rada, the Director of Respect Life Education for the Diocese of Brooklyn, called it a small step to one day overturning the decision adding how those who fight for the voiceless that are making a change.

“Ba way for pro-lifers to see what they’re doing out on the streets, in the grassroots is actually affecting public policy and judicial rulings,” she explained. “So we are actually looking forward to hearing what sort of rulings to the judges have, and also praying that God will enlighten them to see that these laws need to be in place in order to protect the most vulnerable, those who need a voice.”

The ruling could also play a big role in the upcoming presidential race by helping to rally those who want to see pro-life issues continue to make it to the Supreme Court.

Pope Celebrates Feast of Saint Francis With Pan-Amazonian Representatives

Currents News Staff

To commemorate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis hosted indigenous representatives from the Amazon region in the Vatican Gardens.

With dances to mark the start of the meeting, the indigenous visitors gave various presents to Pope Francis.

Event organizers then stepped in to explain the significance of the ceremony, their emotion visible as they spoke of what they expect for the upcoming synod: “New ways — to make a Church that is our companion, friend, that listens to us.”

They left tapestries on the grass. On them, the faces of religious people murdered in Brazil for denouncing abuse suffered by indigenous populations.

Pope Francis wanted to sit among the cardinals present rather than in the seat of honor, where throughout the ceremony he maintained a profound attitude of recollection.

“Praise be to You, Lord, for the delicate strokes of Your Creation in expressing the connection between each and every thing created on the face of the earth,” prayed Maurico López, the Executive Secretary of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network.

As religious sang St. Francis’s Song of the Creatures, the Holy Father planted a tree from Assisi in — the land of St. Francis — in the garden.

At the end, the pontiff prayed the Our Father to close the meeting. It was his last meeting before the Synod, which will open on Sunday, October 6 and last until the end of the month.

Hundreds Pray for the Unborn With ‘Rosary for Life’

By Katie Engesser

For 27 years, the international group Rosary for Life has been organizing prayer for those too young to speak for themselves, so that the sin of abortion will be stopped forever.

As the passing of the Reproductive Health Act removes nearly all restrictions on abortion right up to the moment of birth, and just days after Planned Parenthood announced the opening of a mega-clinic in Illinois, this year’s rosary is needed more than ever before.

“We are in the midst of the place where we have to give witness very courageously, and very clearly,” explained Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who helps lead the pro-life legion.

“If we’re going to win this battle, Christ is going to do it. It’s not your efforts or mine alone, it’s Christ through us,” he said.

Vicar General of Brooklyn, Bishop Raymond Chappetto, celebrated a Mass to honor the over a quarter century of praying for the end of this culture of death.

“Our Blessed Mother is a wonder protector of life. She gave life to the savior of the world. She brought life into the world, our life, our hope, our strength and our peace, Jesus Christ,” Bishop Chappetto said, noting how no one is better equipped for this battle than the Virgin Mary.

Drawing strength from Christ, their rosaries and their faith, the Diocese of Brooklyn continues to fight for the rights of the unborn.