Wisconsin Catholic Conference Decries Two New ‘Clergy’ Bills

The Tablet Staff

The lobbying group that represents the Catholic Church in Wisconsin is speaking out against two bills in the state, including one that would force clergy members to violate the seal of confession and one that would lift the statute of limitations on reporting alleged abuse by clergy.

The Clergy Mandatory Reporter Act is one of two bills announced via email on Aug. 7. It would replace a 2004 bill of the same name and require priests alerted of child abuse during the sacrament of confession to report that information to authorities.

According to the Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Diocese of Madison, under Wisconsin state law, clergy members must report abuse, but are exempt from reporting information learned during sacramental confession.

Priests who violate the seal of confession run the risk of automatic excommunication from the church.

“If you look at our teaching, [confession] is ultimately between the person and God, and the priest acts as an intermediary in that relationship,” Kim Vercauteren, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the public-policy arm of the church in the state, told Catholic News Agency.

“The need for secrecy and to be able to be candid in that circumstance is kind of the whole premise behind confession that this is the opportunity to completely unburden your soul,” she said.

The second bill, the Child Victims Act, would temporarily remove the statute of limitations for victims of abuse. According to CNA, victims of child sex abuse in Wisconsin cannot take legal action after age 35.

Under the new bill, adults who previously couldn’t file a civil suit because of the statute of limitations would receive a three-year window in which to sue. The bill would also eliminate the age limit.

Both bills were sponsored by Democratic Wisconsin state Senator Lena Taylor, and Democratic state Reps. Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent. State legislators have until Aug. 21 to co-sponsor the bills.

“There are ways in which we can provide greater reporting of child abuse in Wisconsin and elsewhere, expanding that to other forms of abuse or setting up a third-party reporting mechanism,” Vercauteren said.

“I think more needs to be done to highlight what can be done for victim-survivors and what are some of the other resources out there,” she said, stressing that parishioners should treat victims compassionately while learning about existing ways to report alleged abuse.

“Catholics should always respond with care and consideration for the victims. I can’t stress that enough, because these individuals have suffered irreparable damage in their lives, and we have to meet them where they are at in this process,” she added.

Senate Majority Leader Resists Pressure to Cut Senate Recess Short

Currents News Staff

Starting August 9, President Trump will be away from Washington while on vacation. The House of Representatives and the Senate will also be out of session until September.

However, this vacation isn’t stopping political leaders from discussing what to do about gun control in the wake of two mass shootings that left 31 people dead in Ohio and Texas.

“We have tremendous support for really common sense, sensible, important background checks,” he said, telling reporters that lawmakers – both Democratic and Republican – support taking such precautions.

“I will tell you I spoke to Mitch McConnell yesterday. He’s totally on board. He said, ‘I’ve been waiting for your call.’ He is totally on board. I spoke yesterday to Nancy Pelosi, we had a great talk. I spoke to Chuck Schumer, we had a great talk,” Trump said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared less committal in an earlier radio interview, saying he wouldn’t bring the Senate back from their recess to debate the issue despite calls for him to do so.

“We’re going to begin the discussions here on August break, and when we get back, hopefully we’ll be in a position to agree on things,” McConnell said.

This prompted backlash from Democrats eager to see gun legislation on the Senate floor.

“Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the National Rifle Association, their playbook has always been, ‘How do we slow-walk this, how do we mealy mouth it until it goes away, until the news cycle changes, until something happens in the world,’” said Presidential Candidate and Deomcratic Representative Tim Ryan.

This is not the first time Trump has promised action on background checks. He also expressed support after last year’s high school shooting in Parkland, only to change course later.

Currents News for Thursday, August 8, 2019

On the newscast: New information about the El Paso shooting suspect. What the police are doing to keep him alive; A massive ICE operation swept up hundreds of people–but who will take care of the children?; The newest edition of The Tablet is out–full of reporting you won’t see anywhere else. We have a preview; And the cross that survived an atomic blast, finally makes its way back home.

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.

Catholic Non-Profit Sends Kids in Need to Summer Camp

By Emily Drooby

Naima used to describe herself as shy, but after six years at Camp Felix, she can now sing in front of a huge crowd of people during a talent show.

“When I first came I was a little scared. I’m a normally shy person. I’m not as shy as I was before, I’m a lot more open.”

Camp Felix is a month-long overnight summer camp in Putnam Valley. It was co-founded 14 years ago by the New York Foundling, one of the state’s oldest and largest child welfare human service agencies. It was created by the Sisters of Charity.

All of the campers are from the child welfare system, which provides services to keep kids safe.

“You can look past all of the bad things, you can look past all of that and still have fun, having fun is the most important thing about camp. Just have fun and let loose,” Naima said.

In 2018, there were over 9,000 kids in the New York City child welfare system. About 1,000 of kids from all over New York, including the Diocese of Brooklyn, have enjoyed the camp for free.

For Bill Baccaglini, president and CEO of the New York Foundling, it’s a place where kids can just be kids.

“Just looking at the smile on these kids’ faces, and the way they kid around with each other, they’re kids. Even though these kids have been through a lot of different things, at the end of the day, they’re kids and it’s great,” he said.

From the rock-climbing wall to the pool, the kids have so much at Camp Felix that they keep coming back year after year.

Naima described it as, “just happiness, always being brought up, never being put down.”

Now, just like almost 40 other former campers, she’s training to become a counselor. She wants to help other kids have the same positive experiences she got to have.

“I felt like it was going to be different than any other place I’ve been to, it was going to be fun. I saw the pool, I really wanted to go there, we were able to. I was really happy. I just feel like this was home,” said Sarah, a first-time camper who already wants to come back next year.

El Paso Shooting Suspect in Isolated Lockdown as Police Search for Answers

Currents News Staff

The suspected El Paso shooter, 21-year old Patrick Crusius, is being held in isolated lockdown inside the city’s downtown detention center.

According to a Sheriff’s Department official, he is being held in a single, 7-by-11-foot cell, away from other inmates.

“In just moving him from his area to another area, just to make sure that he’s not attacked, there’s all sorts of things, when he’s transferred,” explained former El Paso Police Chief Carlos Leon.

“They’ve got to ensure that that person makes it to trial. As I understand he’s being held in an area safe from other inmates and safe from himself,” he said.

Reports say that the suspect is not on suicide watch.

Police Lieutenant Dustin Liston is leading the team which tracked down what they believe to be the shooter’s racist manifesto. He has said that police had to first sift through a lot of false information and panic to find that clue.

“We were able to uncover this manifesto relatively quickly, but we weren’t able to attribute it to the suspect until later,” said Liston.

Investigators are still piecing together information on the shooter’s alleged planning, including his long car journey to El Paso.

“Did he talk to anybody? Did he indicate anything at all? Do you have tape on that?,” are all key questions Leon believes authorities are looking at leading up to the shooting.

“You never know who it is that’s going to see the signs and people that see the signs might assume, ‘Well, I don’t know this person very well. Someone else is going to report it,’ that’s not a great idea. If there’s a problem, anyone who sees it should get involved and report it,” said Daniel Lieberman, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University.

Leon is confident this resilient community will recover, but said residents will have serious security concerns going forward.

“There will be a fear factor in all of us, as we go to these larger stores, large events. Of course we’re going to be thinking in the back of our minds, ‘Hey, am I safe here,’ and you start looking around.”

Dept. of Homeland Security Issues Warning on Donation Scams in Wake of Mass Shootings

Currents News Staff

Although charitable giving can be an important part of healing after a national incident, it could with some risks.

This week, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a warning about donation scams in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, telling people to beware of fraudulent emails, social media posts, calls, texts, donation websites, and even door-to-door knocks soliciting donations.

Donating money on the internet is a gamble that comes with a lot of anonymity, and very little accountability.

“You do your best at knowing that hey, there’s gonna be others out there that do things wrong, that do things for the wrong reasons, that are unethical. But when you go in with the right heart in the first place, everything works out,” said Jeff Nene from Convoy of Hope, a faith-based organization which feeds the hungry.

In order to make sure your relief donations following tragic events don’t fall into the wrong hands, the cyber agency recommends taking three actions to avoid donation scams.

The first thing to do is research charities or crowd-funding campaigns yourself, to make sure that it’s clear exactly where your money is going.

“Here’s ample opportunity for hoaxes like that to be conducted and unless a company, organization or even individual does their own due diligence to look into something, they may be subject to it,” explained law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes.

You should also be cautious when it comes to opening email attachments.

Experts recommend that web users not click on links in unsolicited email messages asking for money.

The last precaution is to be wary of fraudulent pleas and donation ads on social networking sites.

Nearly 700 Undocumented Immigrants Detained in Mississippi

Currents News Staff

U.S. immigration officials made a record-setting bust in Mississippi as close to 700 undocumented immigrants were taken into custody Wednesday.

All were captured in what a Mississippi official says might be “the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation” in U.S. history.

“Now while we are a nation of immigrants more than that we are first and foremost a nation of laws,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.

Immigration officials took about 680 people into custody at seven food processing plants in six-communities in the central part of the state.

“We do have a lot of immigrants here in Canton and I don’t know whether they’re legal or illegal,” said Canton Mayor William Truly Jr.

These arrests come after a year-long criminal investigation by Homeland Security officials.

I.C.E. officials say the agency has previously worked with school liaisons in finding placement for children whose parents are detained.

“I just hope that they everything works out and everybody can have their families back. Because this is a very hard time for everybody,” said Desiree Hughes, a worker at Morton Plant.

Peco Foods Inc, the company that owns a number of facilities where the arrests were made, said in a statement that it is cooperating with officials.

Jackson’s Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said these raids were “dehumanizing and ineffective.”

Canton’s mayor said he was worried about the children and the impact of the arrests on the local economy.

Some of the undocumented immigrants have already been released, according to I.C.E.

Currents News for Wednesday, August 7, 2019

On the newscast: President Donald Trump honoring the victims of Saturday’s mass shootings at memorial sites in Ohio and Texas. While some were mourning, others were protesting; A “red flag” gun control bill is picking up momentum in Congress, but is it enough?; It’s a long shot. Meet the Catholic teacher hoping to topple a popular Democratic representative; And new road signs are popping up. Reminding people to stop–and pray.

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.

Presidential Visits to Texas and Ohio Following Shootings Met With Division

Currents News Staff

On August 7, President Trump visited the two communities still mourning after the past weekend’s mass shootings.

He went first to Dayton, Ohio, where he met with local officials before making a stop at Miami Valley Hospital. While there, he met medical personnel and some of those affected by the shooting.

He later flew from Dayton to El Paso, Texas. In both cities, supporters and protesters of the president’s visits raised their voices.

Dayton’s City Commissioner, Darryl Fairchild, penned a letter to the president asking for action.

“There are things he can do. He doesn’t have to wait for Congress. He has some steps he can take with Executive Action. He could start to put funding toward research and development of safer guns” the letter read.

And in El Paso, Mayor Dee Margo acknowledged the divide.

“I realize there’s a lot of emotional pain and concern over his visit, but I’m the mayor of all of El Paso and I feel like it’s my duty, obligation, my fiduciary duty to meet with the President of the United States,” he said.

Trump said that he was open to talking about some aspects of gun control legislation.

“Im looking to do background checks. I think background checks are important. I don’t want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate, sick people,” he said.

It’s unclear if Congress will be able to reach a consensus. The House has passed two gun control bills, but the Senate has not voted on either one.

U.S. Bishop on Mass Shootings: ‘Continue to Pray’ for Freedom for Evil

Currents News Staff

After gunshots rang out in El Paso, Texas and 13 hours later in Dayton, Ohio, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued statements on the shootings in rapid succession.

Bishop Frank Dewane, head of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, co-authored what was said during that turbulent time.

He joins us from Venice, Florida to discuss the resurrection of faith in the face of tragedy and the USCCB’s hopes for future gun legislation moving forward.