Australia Court to Announce Ruling on Pell’s Appeal of Abuse Convictions

The Tablet Staff

On August 20, the Victoria state Court of Appeal will determine the fate of Cardinal George Pell, one of Catholic Church’s highest ranking members in Australia. Pell has been in a Melbourne prison since March after being convicted on five counts of abusing minors.

Over the course of two days this past June, a three-judge panel from the Appeals Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria heard arguments from Pell’s lawyers and prosecutors regarding the appeal of his conviction. Pell’s lawyers arguing the grounds for the appeal include his guilty verdict despite the lack of proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Pell, who is currently serving a six year prison sentence, has been awaiting the outcome of his appeal in protective custody. He spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement.

Pell could be released from prison if the Appeals Court overturns the convictions. Alternatively, the Justices could call for a retrial and allow him to be released on bail. The court could also reject his appeal all together.

During the appeals hearing, Pell’s attorneys provided written documentation arguing that 20 witnesses present at a Sunday Mass in 1996 on the day Pell molested two choirboys, indicated that the events did not or could not have occurred in the timeframe in which prosecutors alleged.

According to the Associated Press, Pell’s legal team also provided a video depiction which they say demonstrates that the alleged crimes committed during that Sunday would have been impossible.

At the appeals hearing the prosecution countered that the testimony as to the turn of events from one of the victims was credible. The second person involved in the incident – a choirboy at the time – later died of a heroin overdose in 2014 at the age of 31.

Over the past two weeks, prison authorities have also been investigating an August 1 letter shared online by a Twitter account called “Cardinal George Pell Supporters,” according to Crux.

“Any prisoner found to be contravening prison regulations faces disciplinary action,” a spokeswoman from the prison where Pell is being held told the press. “(The department) will thoroughly investigate this social media activity,” she continued.

Individuals held in prison are forbidden from using social media or the internet and are not allowed to have others post online on their behalf. It has not been determined whether the letter was written by Pell.

Spreading the Message of Purity, One Step at a Time

By Tim Harfmann and Allyson Escobar

MIDLAND BEACH — Warm weather in Staten Island’s Midland Beach didn’t stop participants from running in the Race for the Chaste on Aug. 17. It was the second annual 5K run/walk benefiting The Goretti Group, a local faith fellowship community aimed at spreading the message of purity and authentic love.

“Race for Chaste is a way for us to celebrate the beautiful message of chastity, living a life of purity,” said New York chapter coordinator Deborah Sucich, who also serves as a campus minister at St. Saviour H.S. in Park Slope.

“Our motto is to spread the joy. Glorify God in your body is our theme for this year, taken from 1 Corinthians. We use our bodies for the glory of God, to spread the good news. So we have all our runners out today sharing that joy and the message with the world.”

Geared towards young adults, the Goretti Group movement first began in the West Coast, with chapters in San Diego and the Bay Area who meet monthly for prayer, talks and fellowship. The New York chapter began its Race for the Chaste last year, hoping to raise funds for its events.

The 3.1-mile race took place along the beach and Father Vincent Capodanno Boulevard, named for a local Staten Island priest with a cause for sainthood. Participating groups included the LIFE Runners NY, Correcaminos (Hispanic Running Team), St. Saviour High School, Park Slope, and the Montauk Junior High Track Team (I.S. 223).

With the support of runners, donors and community members, the Goretti Group raised a total of $2,500 to continue programming.

Even Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio made a contribution.

Several clergy, including Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Peter J. Byrne, also took part in the second annual run for an important cause.

The overall message and theme of chastity is “very relevant,” Bishop Byrne, 68, told The Tablet. “[The race] took a lot of work, but [look] at success it is today. We hope that the more people who know about it, it’ll grow, year by year.”

Father Louis Jerome, pastor of St. Charles in Oakwood Heights, Staten Island, participated in the race for the second time.

“I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I feel like I’m setting a good example. I believe it’s a good cause for the chastity and purity in young people, and I’m in support of that.”

Added Sucich, “It’s amazing to have the church leadership here. This is the stuff that should be on the front page of the neziwspapers: that we have so many dedicated religious and clergy who really authentically spread this message through their lives, through their witness, and in great support of the efforts of the young people of the church.”

Runners Denise and Patrick Collins, parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Windsor Terrace, loved the message behind Race for the Chaste, which they said differs the 5K from other runs they’d done before.

As members of their church’s Respect Life ministry, the Collins said they came out from Brooklyn to show support for the Goretti Group, the people behind “real grassroots efforts to change the culture” — efforts they find inspiring.

“We really like the philosophy and the idea that they’re trying to promote about love, family and marriage,” said Denise Collins, “youth respecting themselves and doing the best they can to lead a chaste life.”

Running for chastity

In 2013, Sucich, a native Staten Islander who became a consecrated virgin with the Diocese of Brooklyn in July, wanted to bring the Goretti Group to serve New York’s active Catholic young adult scene.

The non-profit was named after St. Maria Goretti, a young woman who was brutally stabbed by a neighbor after he attempted to rape her at age 11. On July 1902, the day she died of her injuries, Maria forgave her murderer.

Sucich says she was inspired by St. Goretti’s story because of the young saint’s courage and strength to live a life of purity, despite what had happened to her.

It’s a lifestyle Debbie says all young people must strive for.

“We have the strength inside of us, with the grace of God, to live a life of purity, a life of love in our relationships according to God’s plan, and that immense joy and love He wants for us in our lives.”

Frank Morale, a member and youth coordinator at St. Columba in Marine Park, loved that Goretti Group is a core for young adults looking for community and faith formation.

“I think it’s important because we tend to lose sight of the church teachings due to the day-to-day life, culture and society, which has become very secularized.”

Morale said he was excited to see people out there raising money for a unique cause like chastity. “Seeing everybody out there and being a role model, living by good example for on-lookers. It’s a very public place out on the boardwalk. I’m excited to see people of all faiths, become curious about chastity.”

Teen volunteers Lauren Jaworowski and Leanne Holmes, both incoming seniors at St. Saviour H.S., traveled from Brooklyn to Staten Island to support Sucich, their teacher and mentor.

“[Ms. Sucich] invited us to come out and support the cause. And I was like, it’s a great cause, let’s do it,” said Jaworowski. “I think it’s great when a bunch of people can support and understand the cause…and for us being like, 17, it shows that we’re mature enough to understand [the message of chastity].”

Janna and Nicholas Gaudisio are members of the LIFE Runners, the world’s largest pro-life running team, and have been active in Goretti Group after meeting Sucich at a local pregnancy resource center.

Janna says she loves the group’s monthly young adult gatherings, which typically include discussions on chastity and marriage.

“We run for the unborn; our organization promotes life, and we speak and run as a sacrifice for those that don’t have a voice. We’re here to [be] representatives for the dignity of the human person. It’s important they have somebody to stand up for them from conception until natural death, so this is a small thing that we can do,” said Janna. “We love to run, so we’re happy to be out here and do something we love and represent Christ at the same time.”

“It’s a beautiful day, and it’s exciting,” agreed her husband, Nicholas. “Life is good, so we’re just trying to enjoy life, and promote it at the same time.”

The Gaudisio’s niece, Olivia Busiello, a young LIFE Runner, said she loved seeing other kids participating in the race.

“It was nice to see the other kids out and doing the run too. To me, it means that we’re standing up for something that we believe in, and standing up for our religion. We’re running for a purpose and the purpose is life.”

Currents News for Monday, August 19, 2019

On the newscast: The uproar over Mother Cabrini– as a city program snubs the patroness of immigrants. Catholics are reacting strongly; New threats of mass shootings around the country are stopped when people say something; Migrants swimming in the Mediterranean, hoping to reach the Lampedusa after being blocked at sea; And the “Race for the Chaste” that promotes true 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.

NYC Tourists Keep it Frugal, Find Community With Religious Hotels

By Emily Drooby

Tucked away on West 23 Street in Manhattan sits the Leo House.

From its reception desk to its key drop, it looks just like an ordinary New York City hotel.

But the hotel’s president, Michael Coneys, can tell you that it’s not.

“We have all the amenities of the Catholic Church combined with a modern guest house,” he explained.

Sister Marilyn Ellickson has walked these halls as an employee for 12 years. The Catholic guest house has a chapel for mass, the rosary is prayed daily, and religious symbols adorn the walls.

From Mother Teresa — who stayed there — to a non-believer, everyone is welcome.

“The mission of the Leo House is hospitality and it carried out because first of all everyone is invited to stay here and we have had guest here from all over the world, every religion.”

In 2018 65.2 million people visited New York, where the average cost of a hotel room is at least $216 per night.

Guesthouses are one of travel’s best kept secrets, offering budget-priced accommodations.

The Menno House in Gramercy Park is one such house. Run by the Christian Mennonites, it has a few guest rooms for $100. Seafarers International House in Union Square — an affiliate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church — offers rooms at close to $100 a night.

And at The Leo House, rates are as low as $189 and include a free breakfast. Due to its non-profit status, guests are not required to pay taxes at the Leo House, which also offers discounted rates under $100 for clergy, those visiting the sick, and service members.

Price was why main reason why Silvia chose to stay at The Leo House

“I was comparing the prices. I’m traveling alone, and I think it’s a very good price,” she explained.

Every year about 40,000 guests from all over the world make The Leo House their home for a little while, enjoying the price, the community, and as their guests say, “seeing Jesus around every corner.”

NYC Passes on Erecting Monument Honoring Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

By Allyson Escobar, Wandy Felicita Ortiz and Tim Harfmann

BENSONHURST — New York City’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, is facing backlash after ignoring public calls for a monument to be built in honor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patroness of immigrants who once lived in Brooklyn.

Calls for a statue of St. Cabrini, commonly known as Mother Cabrini, began as part of the She Built NYC project, a public arts initiative that aims to increase the number of statues of women in New York City.

More than 320 women were nominated online, and Mother Cabrini received 219 votes, the most of any nominee.

Only five of the current 150 statues throughout the city pay homage to women. She Built NYC aims to erect monuments throughout the five boroughs that will bring that number to an even 50 percent male-female ratio.

The project is being spearheaded by McCray, who last summer called upon New Yorkers to name influential women they would like to see honored citywide.

Even though Mother Cabrini received the most votes, McCray didn’t choose the saint among the seven women to be honored with a statue in the first phase of the initiative.

The new monuments will be built using about $5 million in taxpayer funds.

“I am dismayed by a seemingly undemocratic process for arriving at these choices,” City Councilman Justin Brannan, a Democrat from Bay Ridge, wrote in a letter to McCray’s office.

[Read Councilman Brannan’s letter here.]

“I feel the will of the people was denied. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, who received more nominations from New Yorkers than any other woman during the process, has been completely ignored,” Brannan wrote.

“Many people involved with the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Frances Cabrini, a church in my district, organized and sent in nominations. They are very disappointed. My simple question is this: why open this up for a public vote and then ignore the results? I would hate to see a wonderful campaign undermined by a process that tries to appear to value public opinion without actually doing so.”

Mother Cabrini moved to New York City from Italy in 1889, and established 67 schools, hospitals and orphanages throughout the U.S. She died in Chicago in 1917 at the age of 67 and was canonized in 1946.

Father Guy Sbordone, pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Church, Bensonhurst, told The Tablet that his parishioners were “very disappointed” and “taken aback” to hear that Mother Cabrini wasn’t chosen.

“If [McCray] opened it up for public voting, and we took the process seriously in terms of asking people to nominate and vote for St. Frances Cabrini, why is it not being honored if she got the most votes?” Father Sbordone said. “They’re thinking about their vote and what it meant and why it isn’t being honored.”

Father Sbordone said that his grandmother was also personally taught by Mother Cabrini in the early 1900s.

“All that she did is still very relevant for our city, and that’s why we felt that she would be someone who built New York, helped build New York and continues to have an influence in New York,” Father Sbordone said.

Joseph Sciame, president of the Sons of Italy Foundation, said that Mother Cabrini is “the heroine that New York City needs. She was one of the first in the city’s history to bring to the forefront the matter and concern of immigrants, not just for Italian-Americans, but for all who are migrating at the time.”

The Italian-American fraternal philanthropic organization, part of the Older Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, joined in a resolution to petition Mayor Bill de Blasio to look further into the matter.

“Letters and pressure must be exerted to convey to the mayor the importance of having Mother Cabrini so honored with a statue in our great city of New York … especially as she received the highest number of votes in the data collected,” Sciame said. “The people of the City of New York know of her importance and contribution/s to the entire issue of immigration.”

In Brooklyn, Mother Cabrini opened St. Charles Schoolin 1892 at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary-St. Stephen Church, Carroll Gardens.

Dorothy Day, another prominent Catholic and a native of Staten Island, also wasn’t chosen. She received the eighth most votes.

The city-run Women.nyc, which is leading the statue project, and the mayor’s office didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

FDNY Tests 300 Foot Ladder Outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Currents News Staff

The New York Fire Department is taking action after the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The FDNY unveiled a ladder truck outside Saint Patrick’s Cathedral this weekend.

It has a 300-foot tower that can fight fires high above ground.

In the Holy Week blaze at Notre Dame, the roof of the landmark burned for hours, threatening the entire structure.

New White House Immigration Rule to Face Court Challenges

Currents News Staff

Although the Trump administration has taken several steps to address the number of migrants congregating at the southern border seeking asylum, the immigration crisis in the U.S. appears not to improve.

Now, a new White House rule would prevent legal immigrants from getting a green card or a visa if they rely on taxpayers for financial assistance. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has strongly condemned the new rule, which they say will undermine families.

Charles Wheeler is the director of training and legal support at CLINIC, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

He joins us from California to discuss how the tightening of immigration legislation will ultimately prevent low-income and working class people from obtaining a green card, and what steps those affected can do to protect themselves.

Queens Parish Thrives During Summer Months

By Tim Harfmann

Parishioners of St. Francis de Sales Church love summertime Masses — especially when the celebration is conducted on the sands at Rockaway Beach.

“Saint Francis is truly the center of Rockaway, especially here for the parish,” said Father Bill Sweeney, pastor of the Belle Harbor, Queens church.

He believes the beach Masses are great for connecting with parishioners.

“It’s a wonderful way of bringing people together, celebrating in a special way on a Sunday. The crowds love it.”

At a time when summer vacations cut into attendance and donations at other parishes, St. Francis de Sales is thriving on the shore and in the church.

“If it’s a beautiful Sunday, the 7:30am and the 9am Masses are packed,” said Father Sweeney. “If it’s raining, we’ll get more at the 5:30pm or noon Masses. So, people work out their schedule depending on whether they’re going to the beach or not.”

With the Church bringing the liturgy to the water’s edge, the Sunday collections at St. Francis de Sales have remained steady throughout the summer, averaging $10,000.

Another big help with contributions, according to Father Sweeney, is online donations so parishioners, who are on vacation, can keep giving.

“We have a lot of people using that. You know, try to keep up with the times.”

As for worshipping God on the beach, parishioner Lorraine Agoglia explained on Sunday, August 18 what she appreciated most.

“My [15-year-old] daughter was even saying, ‘wow, how cool is it that in our whole neighborhood knows where everybody is going right now with their beach chairs as they’re walking down the street? Where are they going? They’re all coming here to gather,” said Agoglia.

There’s something else the St. Francis de Sales community is doing to keep the summer hot. Over 1,000 kids are playing hoops in the Church’s annual Summer Classic Basketball Tournament.

“I can go to the church. I can play basketball, my favorite sport; and I get to go to the beach,” said Joseph O’Grady, a tournament participant.

“Having the Summer Classic keeps everybody connected to the Church during the summer,” said Keith Goldberg. He is the organizer of a tournament that’s making a difference. “Because on Sunday they go to Mass, Monday through Friday they’re here in the schoolyard watching the games.”

“All I have to do is walk over to the schoolyard on a Monday or Tuesday night, and I run into three quarters of the parish,” said Father Sweeney.

Combining the blacktop, the sun, and the surf is proving to be a perfect way for evangelizing and growing the Catholic faith.

“It’s the generations that have lived in this community who know how special it is,” said Agoglia. “I’m hoping my kids know and realize, and that they’re going to take it over one day. Because that’s the only way.”

And it’s a way that is very successful.

Currents News for Friday, August 16, 2019

On the newscast: Someone left 3 rice cookers around Lower Manhattan, prompting mass evacuations. Police are investigating; Firefighters say their final farewell to a Catholic brother who died after working a 24-hour shift; Reduce, reuse, recycle– the age-old mantra is taking on a new look in Vatican City. Big plans there to clean up Mother Earth; And Bishop DiMarzio makes a visit to a Boy Scout camp.

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.

Suspicious Packages Found in New York City Subway Station

Currents News Staff

The nation’s busiest subway system came to a halt after three suspicious packages were reported during the morning commute on August 16

Police in New York City have said that ultimately the packages — three rice cookers — were not a threat, but the incident did cause trouble.

Now they’re looking for the man caught on video leaving two of the packages at the scene.

“Because of the timing and the placement and the items, we’re carrying this now as a hoax device,” explained NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, John Miller.

According to the New York City Transit Authority, about six million people ride the subway every day.

Their travel had interrupted, delayed and at times halted during the ongoing investigation.

By comparison, nearly three years ago pressure cooker bombs injured at least 30 people in the New York City neighborhood of Chelsea. Officials ruled it an act of terror.

Officials ruled it an act of terror, and a shootout lead to the suspect being arrested and later convicted.

“We reviewed the video at the scene. He places the pressure cooker on the upper level, and then on the lower level, so there’s a person of interest. Obviously we would like to speak to this person,” said Miller.

The New York City Transit Authority is now reminding everyone of the slogan, “see something, say something.”